[TAHOE99]

That's a slick looking car right there James. I'm a super loud exhaust guy, but I love the idea of a hipo motor with some quiet exhaust in a sleeper. I would love to have a plain jane 78-81 Malibu wagon grocery getter with a built LS1, that would be sweet.
Anyway, keep us updated on your progress, should be nice when ya get it done.

 

[GT_80]

I finally got the car home, here are some current pictures.

The rusty chrome on the motor- the valve stem seals are non existent so it smokes like crazy, and runs like crap until its warm - and the choke doesn't seem to work either so it sounds like it has a big cam until the choke opens.

The smashed metal is all off now- took about 45 minutes - gotta straighten the core support a little, and pull the pass fender off then I am ready to start putting new parts on.

I also ripped the rear seats, headliner, rear carpet, and stereo out. I pulled about 15 wires that used to go to stuff out as well- nothing like loose live wires under the dash

It is coming along-
I may keep the wheels that are on it on it for a while, but I was also thinking of Monte SS wheels, or weld pro-star wheels... It all depends on the direction I want to go with the car. I will keep my eyes open at the local swap meet for Olds rallies off a 442- i like those the best on these. They really need a 5 spoke wheel.

 

[bluecometk]

I had a 1980 white and burgundy Cutlass supreme DIESEL!!.
I got it with 29,000 miles on it and it looked like it came off the show room floor. It was running on 6 cylinders and smoking like a steam engine though. I took one look at it and purchased it. Got it home reinstalled the Injector lines in the correct order, set the injector timing 5 degrees ahead from factory, turned the key and it ran on all 8 cylinders smooth as glass and 15 minutes later the smoke stopped.
I figured out why the olds Diesel got a bad rap, the injector pumps where crap! I made a modification to the pump and drove that car for another 100, 000 miles, getting 36.3 miles per gallon. It had two issues that I worked around, the glow plugs would go bad because the glow plug timer would screw up and stay on to long. Fix: a set of twelve-volt glow plugs and a push button switch with a relay. The other issue was the starter nose would crack and cause the Bendix to travel to far; this would cause the starter to stay engaged until it burned up and melted into a glob on the asphalt. Never could fully fix this issue. I tried cast noses, pinning the shaft, modifying the Bendix, I tried every shim or combination of things that could be used, and nothing worked. So out came the diesel and in went an Olds 403 out of a 1979 Silver anniversary edition Trans Am that had been wrapped around a tree. I ported the heads and put a set of good springs on them, put a little lumpy cam in it for effect and in it went. Everything fit, it was easy as pie. Did a little electrical work and it ran great. I even used the diesel manifolds and exhaust system. I also used the diesel torque converter. That car would smoke the tires for blocks. The gas mileage wasn’t that bad either it got about 20mpg if you took it easy. I think it was because the rear ratio was 2.70 to 1 or something. It was no 11.00-second street sweeper but from a 30 mph roll it was tough to beet.

About 3 months after the change over was finished my wife took it to work in Philadelphia when she came out after work it was gone.:crybaby: It had and alarm system on it and the biggest deterrent of all on it. IT HAD AN OLDS:crybaby DIESEL EMBLEM ON IT!

I mean COME ON who in their rite mind would steal an Olds diesel.
Never saw it again, spent days running through different neighbor hoods, going to chop shops, police impounds but nothing ever came of it.

Moral of the story, I don’t have one, just put a kill switch on it or something to keep it yours after you put all the work, blood, sweat, and money into it.

Just my 2 cents worth

 

[Ingersoll444]

We had a 80 diesel one also. My wife got it when her dad passed away. I tell ya, it was a nice car. Blue, two door, pretty sharp. He got it new, and had 3 engines and a hand full of head gaskets put in it, but it had over 300k when we had it. We got it with a bad head gasket, and found some old guy that was a retired bus machanic. he took that, replaced the gasket/'s and tuned it up. Im not sure what he did, but he played with the inj timing a little. MAN that thing was a totaly diferent car!!!!From a stop not much else would take it off the line. Guttsy, and just lopped along on the highway. It was the way they should have been made!!

 

[bluecometk]

Wow you got 300k out of it! You had way more patient than i did. After i had purchased every steel starter nose in a three state radius i gave up.We took the engine down to the speed shop i worked at the time and tried to figure out why the noses kept braking. The only thing we could find was that the crank bore center didn't match the build spec numbers printed by GM. I think it was because i had in creased the injector timing to far. It ran like a top at 5 degrees advanced . That thing would smoke the tires at will. Was yours a bugger to start cold, mine was i used to add a gallon of gas to a full tank of diesel and it would start no problem down to 20f


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[GT_80]

I plan on 2 cut out switches. same thing I did with my truck- only like 2 people knew how to start my truck, and I liked it like that I am in TX this week, can't wait to get home tomorrow so I can work on it again!

 

[blown67]

Just found this tread now, awesome project, used to have one as my daily driver while I was building camaros back in the day, I have a really nice set of ralleys I would donate to the project but they are 14's and wont clear any of the newer disk brake setups.

 

[GT_80]

Just found this tread now, awesome project, used to have one as my daily driver while I was building camaros back in the day, I have a really nice set of ralleys I would donate to the project but they are 14's and wont clear any of the newer disk brake setups.

i thought about running 14's on the car but ended finding a killer deal on 5 monte carlo ss wheels

I also picked up a homemade cowl hood (not done right, but for $100...)

the crappy thing is, I got the wheels and tires on, and it has been running ok ( I am rebuilding a nice milds 350 for it now) but I went to drive it last week, and there was a loud knocking coming from the rear of the motor, and I figured, well, if it blows up no big deal, I am putting a new motor in in a few weeks... Turns out the tranny is now junk. It won't move in reverse, won't move in drive, or low 2, it only moves in low 1 and only if you revv the **** outta the motor... So today I pulled the tranny, found the pump gear ears are half way sheared off... So I may be pulling the motor sooner than I thought. If I can't drive it anyway, why not pull the motor, sell it, and take my time finishing the new one and getting a transmission rebuilt or find another good one. I need a short shaft TH350 or TH400 if anyone has one...

 

[BOSOX]

Too bad about the drive train trouble, but boy those Monte wheels look great on it!

 

[TAHOE99]

Man, tranny sucks, but I like the wheels!

 

[GT_80]

Thanks guys! I know the Cutlass purists will complain about someone else mistaking a cutlass for a monte SS, but I don't care.

 

[Ingersoll444]

Thanks guys! I know the Cutlass purists will complain about someone else mistaking a cutlass for a monte SS, but I don't care.

I like the wheels, and the style does fit it well. I would look around to try to find some small stick on olds emblems and pop them on the center caps and call it good. Bummer on the tranny. Is that that 200r4 in that year? I see a ton of aftermarket reman units out there for them for not killer money, so that's a plus.

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[GT_80]

I like the wheels, and the style does fit it well. I would look around to try to find some small stick on olds emblems and pop them on the center caps and call it good. Bummer on the tranny. Is that that 200r4 in that year? I see a ton of aftermarket reman units out there for them for not killer money, so that's a plus.

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no mine was kinda wierd... Computer controlled 3.8L carbureted v6 with a th350 transmission, full performance handling suspension, and wire spoke hubcaps LOL

I found a th400 from a buddy for $100, I may take a gamble on it even though we don't know what shape it is in. It has been in his basement for about 8 years, we never drove on it...

 

[Ingersoll444]

Well TH400 is overkill unless your making a ton of power ( they eat up a lot of HP) but for that money..... hard to pass it up.

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[bluecometk]

It’s been a long time since I played around with one of these. I’m certainly not sure but I don’t think that body style ever came with a turbo 400? If you go to the t400 wont you have to change/find/fabricate the rear trans cross member because of the mounting length differences of the T350, the drive shaft may need work also because of the length issues, yoke issues,U-joint issues? Spicer used to make adapter joints but I couldnt tell you if they still do? Do any of the other Transmissions, 700r 4, 200r transmissions have the same mounting length as the 400?

just my two cents.

 

[no2498]

if you rebuild the trany only put the same number of clutches back in as you take out
what went wrong was a $0.25 clip in the very back end holds the clutches in
had a 78 the guy said some time she goes sometimes she don't he was right
wife had a 73 win we first got together that started the long list of olds cutlass's
brother called me the biggest olds dealer in the south end of cloumbus for a long time
sold 28 olds out of the drive way in one month
sad to say those days are over now ok was not me that sold them it was the wife

john

 

[wwxx]

hey GT-80, did you say those monte carlo wheels & tires are 15"? Is the tire size 235?

The reason I ask is because I have a 86 cutlass 2dr., with the 14" & wire spoke hub caps, but I like the style those monte carlo on yours bring, I might try to find me a set also.

The thing is, did you notice at all, any tire rub or problems like that with your unit? Maybe some 'fuzzy' steering or anything???

wwxx

 

[BOSOX]

I know the TH350 and the 700R4 share the same tale shaft yoke. I did the swap with mine years ago. I had the driveshaft shortened and balanced by a local machine shop. The crossmember has plenty of wiggle room and extra bolt holes in the chassis to move it forward or back as needed. The TH400, I have no idea what it would entail to do it, but it can't be that hard! Only problem I can think of that might kill the deal would be trans tunnel clearance issue. Never stuck a TH400 next to a TH350 to see the difference. :dunno:

 

[89YT12]

Ill buy the Camaro wheels on it if you don't want them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




Looks like a fun project!!!!! :thThumbsU

 

[GT_80]

hey GT-80, did you say those monte carlo wheels & tires are 15"? Is the tire size 235?

The reason I ask is because I have a 86 cutlass 2dr., with the 14" & wire spoke hub caps, but I like the style those monte carlo on yours bring, I might try to find me a set also.

The thing is, did you notice at all, any tire rub or problems like that with your unit? Maybe some 'fuzzy' steering or anything???

wwxx

right now it has 245/60-15 on the rear and 216/65-15 on front. I did notice some rubbing on the front, nothing bad though. I ran 235/60-15 on my 1980 malibu which was the same suspension, and they rubbed a little. Nothing to worry about though. only rubs at full lock, which you are almost never there