My new whip lol 1972 cutlass

0xDEADBEEF said:

Is it the original engine? Unless it's fubar I would keep the 455.

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2drXmobb said:

Lol yeah it's solid from what I seen no rust been parked since 95 only thing missing is the rear seats which is hard to find because the verts are more narrow then the 2 Dr hardtops

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sewlow said:

Any other '68-'72 GM A-body conv. rear seat frames will work.
It's only the covers that are different between the various Gm divisions.
I've narrowed rear seats out of a sedan before, so that they'll fit into a convertible.
It's a PitA job, but as a last resort when there's nothing else available...

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BPR Speed said:

Now's the time to budget your build and see what works best for your finances and the end goal of the vehicle. The cheapest route is usually falls along the lines of keeping the original power plant. I'm a growing advocate of rebuilding what you got, but an engine swap to something more reliable, fuel efficient or more convenient in parts availability should always be considered as an option. I do respect the purity of what the vehicle came with but the original wiring, cooling system, purpose of the vehicle, driving highway and intercity use, local population, sea level and temperature of application for the vehicle should be the basics in considered in the build. I would plan out everything you need in each category of the build to best figure your plans and stick to them.

For example: In the past I owned a beautiful 49' Plymouth Club Coupe with the original flat 6 cyl, 3 on the tree manual. I wanted it to be a city cruiser. After getting the car running again with a new carb rebuild, head gasket, resurfacing of the head, setting the points ignition, converting the car over to 12V the car then ran great. The trouble after that was resourcing parts for a car past 60 years old. With original drum brakes all around and suspension components it became a chore to get everything back in working order. Once I got the car up and going safely I found the local speed limit of 65 mph on the highway and 35-45mph inner city to stretch the safety limits of the cars brakes and engine speeds. People just stopped too fast or made last minute traffic moves and became a danger to the car on the street. I gave everyone a huge safety margin (5-6 car lengths) and it still posed a risk to take the car out. I couldn't risk taking the show car out often because defensive driving became a battle against everyone on the street. Even when other drivers paid more attention to the car instead of the road when driving next to me. They wanted to talk out the window, honk at me to give a thumbs up but swerved in my lane far to often. I let the car go to a local collector as I couldn't forgive myself if something happened to that piece of history. Note: The car never had been plated or registered outside of the city zip code of San Antonio since 1949 (original plates and everything).

I recommend resourcing parts availability to see what you're up against and make smart decisions off that factor. Brakes, suspension, body panels, cooling system, A/C, electronic component repairs, weather stripping and convertible top repairs are what come to mind immediately on this build. A lot of people plan on getting classics running quickly but the car becomes more of a garage/yard ornament over the years than a driver. Many times leading to large amounts of money invested and close to getting done in areas but finances usually lead to a sell. Another collector finishes the job or takes on the challenges of finishing up the project, get's overwhelmed then the sell process starts again to the next hopeful restorer until it either get finished or modified through multiple owners until it hits the junk yard or wrecked. As a lesson I've learned personally and through many friends and customers. Either invest in your dream car and keep it until you pass away or stay away from the restoration scene. It's far too expensive to play in the short game and the economists, governing bodies and future automotive developments are all working against keeping these classics on the road.

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