'68 Olds project

[68cutlass]

I finally was able to mount my suspension pieces on the frame that is going under my '68 Cutlass. I have to thank Mark at SC&C for taking the time to answer all my questions and lead me in the right direction. I have the ATS spindles, SPC adjustable UCA's, Eibach pro springs & single adjustable Varishocks. The ball joints are the "premium" line from NAPA. I've got a long way to go but at least I don't have to look at a bare frame in my garage anymore. Now I get to seriously look at brakes!
-Mark

[ProTouring442]

Very Nice! I've been building a '72 'vert for a while now... OK, it's been something like 13 years, on an off. Just think, keep up the work and you'll soon pass me by!

What are your plans for the build?

Shiny Side Up!
Bill

[XcYZ]

Cool, Mark. Good to see a long time member give an update. :thumbsup:

[68cutlass]

As it stands right now I am going with c5/c6 brakes, or something from the aftermarket that is made for the c5.

It will have an Olds 455 with aluminum heads, nodular crank, etc. Should be around 525-575 horsepower, and even more torque! I haven't decided yet if I'm going with a carb or fuel injection, but I want to do something unique and incorporate the '68 w30/w31 ram air scoops that sit under the bumper. They give the car a very aggressive look.

I'm going to go with a 4l80e trans and the Shrifter. I have to replace the Olds 12 bolt so it will have either a Chevy 12 bolt or a 9 inch Ford in a housing made to fit A-bodies.

The car will look pretty close to stock on the outside, with the exception of wheels, brakes, and stance. It will be the original dark "scarlet" red with black vinyl top, and the interior will be the stock black vinyl with modern seats reupholstered in the matching pattern.

Everyone from the pro-touring community that I have talked with has been great and a lot of help: Mark at SC&C, Tobin at Kore3, Steve at Twist Machine, Dave Nace of Intro Wheels, and so on. Its really cool to be able to research something on this forum and pro-touring.com, and then pick up the phone and have a conversation with the people that are the experts. Everyone has been very giving of their time and willing to answer my questions, which I'm sure they've heard hundreds of times.

Bill, do you have any updated pics of your build? Your car was one of the cars that I looked at a lot when trying to decide if it was feasible to build a pro-touring Olds. I figure I have a good nine years ahead of me at least to finish the car, but its been mine since I turned 16 in 1985, and its been in the family since new. My son will be the fourth generation to own it, and he's only four, so I figure I've got some time!

-Mark

[ProTouring442]

Bill, do you have any updated pics of your build? Your car was one of the cars that I looked at a lot when trying to decide if it was feasible to build a pro-touring Olds. I figure I have a good nine years ahead of me at least to finish the car, but its been mine since I turned 16 in 1985, and its been in the family since new. My son will be the fourth generation to own it, and he's only four, so I figure I've got some time!

-Mark

unfortunately, it hasn't gotten much further than where it is in the pictures on FQuick. Good news is, I just finished a shed with a workshop in it, and the garage now has a clear spot! This was actually so that my wife could park in the garage (two car attached) but it will also make it so that I can start working on it again. I'm getting pretty psyched!

Sounds like a cool build you have going there. It's also pretty cool to to think that you looked at mine as a reference! You made my day with that!!

As for induction, you should be able to make a nice FI unit starting out with a single plane manifold, like the Holley units for Chevys. Mine has a BBC with the Holley PFI, and this made it so I could use an air cleaner that would mate up to my OAI hood. i would think you could do the same with the W-30 Ram Air system.

As for the brakes, I think I am going with the 6 piston C-6 Corvette fronts, and some sort of rear (SSBC?) with a built in parking brake. For the master cylinder, I see that there is a bias bar system available to bolt to a power booster. I think I saw it on a forum for Factory Five Racing kit-car stuff.

Shiny Side Up!
Bill

[68cutlass]

Bill,
Thanks for the advice. You've probably already read about it on this forum or pt.com, but you might want to look real closely at those c6 zo6 brakes before you make your decision. I know, I've been really tempted to use those too but there are several drawbacks to consider. They have a significant "outboard" width, which makes finding wheels that will fit a pain. It's also very expensive to replace all those pads. Here's the template for those brakes from kore3:

http://www.kore3.com/downloads/fitment_templates/DOC0019.pdf

Here's also a link to a big discussion about the brakes from the zo6 forum. The guy from Stoptech, J Ritt, starting on page two has a lot of well made points about the caliper and pad design:

http://www.z06vette.com/forums/showthread.php?t=92672

In that thread they do make the distinction that street brakes and race brakes are specifically designed for very different environments and neither can be expected to perform well in the wrong environment. Apparently the zo6 brakes are fine for the street, but you still have the wheel fitment issues and the cost of replacing pads. But after all of this, I still like them...

-Mark

[andrewmp6]

looks good where you get all the parts from i love the spindles on it.

[68cutlass]

Call Mark at SC&C. He's a sponsor here on the forum. The spindles, UCA's, and shocks are all from SC&C. The adjustable UCA's made by SPC are like jewelry, the pictures don't do them justice. The spindles are from ATS, another sponsor here. I also have the billet steering arms from ATS but I haven't installed them yet. The Varishocks are made by Chris Alston Chassisworks. The Eibach springs I got through Summit.

-Mark

[71OLDS]

Great to see another Olds! Keep us updated on your progress.

-Joe

[andrewmp6]

im kinda lost you give me some links thanks

[68cutlass]

Here you go. SC&C: look at the suspension packages, SPC adjustable UCA's, and the Varishocks.

http://www.scandc.com/products.htm

Here's the info from ATS's site, who makes the spindles:

http://store.nexternal.com/shared/StoreFront/default.asp?CS=ats&BusType=BtoC&Count1=244838893&Count2=161979317

Here's the varishocks:

http://www.cachassisworks.com/vas_featured.html

Here's the springs from Summit:

http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=EIB%2D3856%2D140&N=700+400280+4294839913+4294908158+115&autoview=sku

If you search for ATS on this site or pro-touring.com you should find lots of info on the swap.

-Mark

[T Bell]

Olds Unite!!!!!!!! Cool frame Mark, looks like mine, except for the nice paint. :lol: :lol: :lol: I got a '72 that I can't wait to drive again.

[68cutlass]

Its cool to see all of the Olds projects out there. I knew of just a couple before I posted my info here and on real olds power. I've had about a half dozen more people respond that they are working on similiar projects.

-Mark

[WhiteNoma]

Nice progress... my father and I have a 68 cutlass as well...

[68cutlass]

White,

Thanks. I'm actually third generation in my family to own the car. My grandfather bought it new in '68, my dad bought it from him in '70. My mom drove it until I turned 16. I put headers, rims, etc. on it and drove it for ten years, and then it sat in my garage for ten years. Now I'm rebuilding & updating it. Eventually it will be my son's. It's really cool to have something like rebuilding a car as a father/son project. I always call my dad and let him know when I've done something new to the car.

Good luck on your build.

-Mark