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Cyrix2k
04-03-2011, 10:27 AM
I joined this site to find out more about my dad's car. He has a 1977 442 that is an original 403 car. It has the turbo 350 auto trans (and he claims there was no option for a manual behind the 403), red interior, and also came with the factory a/c delete. He is the original owner and it has 8x,xxx miles on it. The car is mostly factory although it does have a different intake, carb, and exhaust on it. I believe my dad kept all the original parts except for the carb which was lost due to a shop misplacing it. The paint was also refreshed in the 80s with factory colors. Does anyone have any idea how much a car like this trades hands for (mostly for insurance purposes)?

He also has a 1969 442 post coupe. This was also quite a rare car as it was a factory three speed and one of the most stripped down 442s that could have been ordered from the factory. By the time we got it, a 455 and 4 speed had been swapped in. It has become a restomod project and now has hotchkiss rear suspension and a 4.10 moser full spool rear end.

More about me. I like older american cars, but anything 80s and up is pretty much lost. My first car was an '89 Caprice Brougham with a 305 more suitable for a boat anchor than powering a car. After that, I ended up with a '96 BMW 318i convertible that my parents later bought from me. It is probably the slowest car built my BMW in the last two decades (~140 hp I4 auto), but it's actually a fun car and felt faster than the caprice. It was also a LOT more reliable. My next car and current daily driver is a 1997 BMW 540i 6 speed. This car is somewhat rare with the manual transmission and is powered by a 4.4L DOHC V8. IMO, it's the closest thing to the original american muscle formula that was produced in the 90s. It started out life as a luxury sedan but had a fairly powerful motor dropped in it with a proper transmission and sporty suspension. Even though the engine seems small by american standards, it still put down 260 whp on the dyno bone stock. That's 300 hp at the crank assuming a conservative 15% drive loss. Performance is supposed to be something like 14 flat in the 1/4 mile and 0-60 in 5.5 seconds. I haven't run the car on the drag strip to find out but the performance figures are somewhat misleading because the independent rear suspension doesn't hook up off the line like a live axle. Finally, I bought a $400 1985 BMW 325 eta project car. This one is a 5 speed and also equipped with 2.79 limited slip. Originally powered by a 2.7L I6 that achieved awesome fuel mileage but not much power, it now has a later model 2.5L I6 good for about 190 hp. Considering the car is stripped and doesn't weight much more than 2000 lbs, it should be a fun ride. The original motor was about 120 hp until I turboed it, but I never made it to the dyno to get real power figures in its boosted configuration. At the end, I was pushing about 10 psi and the clutch was slipping. Subjectively, it felt a good deal faster than the 540. Considering the weight of the car and low red line (4700 stock, 5500 under boost), it was probably making a lot more torque than horsepower so it's faster than you might think.


Pics
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v319/Cyrix_2k/442s.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v319/Cyrix_2k/135i/442.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v319/Cyrix_2k/135i/442_2.jpg

Sorry, I don't have many pictures of the '77. It doesn't get out much.

ragz442
04-05-2011, 01:31 PM
Your dad has some sharp looking cars there! Being he's the original owner, and the condition it's in, I'd say the '77 442 is worth at least 12k for insurance purposes. I've seen them sell for more in that condition, but the market is kind of soft right now. Supposibly, only 350 'S' bodies were built with the 403. The '69 is real nice, a friend of mine has one very similar to it. Welcome to the site.

Allen442
04-05-2011, 08:02 PM
I sure like that 77 that thing is sharp. I'd like to see some pics of that red interior.

Firethorne77
04-05-2011, 09:09 PM
Cyrix2k- Welcome to the site. Nice '77 442 your dad has there. Maybe you ought to check out this registry link and add your father's car to it.

http://v8cars.hu/73-77cutlassregistry/index.php

If you got the build sheet for his car, you can plug in and double check while adding it to the registry.

Also.. check this site out....

http://www.76-77olds442.com/www.76-77olds442.com/Home.html

Brad Bishop's site. He is the editor of Journey With Olds, the Oldsmobile Club of America monthly publication.

His '77 442 is also a 403 equiped car.

Have fun out here.. and we like pictures !! :)

Cyrix2k
04-05-2011, 09:42 PM
Thanks. I'll try to get more pics when the weather improves. I'm pretty sure he does have the build sheet somewhere. We'll be sure to add it to the registry when I return home.

Here's another picture I uploaded a while back. The one turn signal lens is broken, but we have a new one. My dad also bought an entire new front fascia a while back too as insurance, lol.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v319/Cyrix_2k/P1010019.jpg

MrRocket
04-06-2011, 06:36 AM
Welcome to the site! Thanks for the pics, they are real clean looking cars, real nice!

aretubj
04-06-2011, 06:55 AM
Sweet cars !!
Is that a little bit of flying dust behind the rear wheel of the 69!?

aretubj
04-06-2011, 06:57 AM
Nice cars !!
Is that some asphalt being kicked up by the rear wheel of the '69 ?!!
Joe

Piazza
04-06-2011, 10:03 AM
Geat Cars.
My dad got me into oldsmobile as well and know my sons is into them as well at 11.

Love the pictures

oldsmobiledave
04-06-2011, 10:33 AM
Welcome & thanks for sharing.

Just an FYI (although it may only be one of semantics). You state your Dad's 77 is an A/C delete car. That would mean that Oldsmobile built all 1977s with a/c as standard equipment & then he optioned to delete the a/c. However since a/c was not a standard option in the Cutlass line (like it was in the Olds 98) he simply did not order the car with the optional a/c.

see the difference?

This same statement happens with the 60s & early 70s cars where people toss around the term "radio delete". Radios were not standard equipment so the absence of the radio is not a "delete" it is infact standard equipment & having a radio is an option.

Cyrix2k
04-06-2011, 12:38 PM
Ok, well I simply meant it came from the factory without a/c. It has the manual vents & I think it has dummy vents somewhere on the dash.

@aretubj: Yes, sort of. Our driveway is tar and chip so the little stones are rather loose on top. Since the '69 has a full spool rear, something has to give when it turns (tires, road surface, or axles). In that case, it's the driveway.