Updated 05-11-2020
PROJECT 442: RUST!! THE BANE OF EVERY BUILD
RUST, THE "R" WORD, CAR CANCER, or whatever you
call it, is going to be a part of
your project in some way. On a G-Body this will show up in the bottom of
the
doors, the quarters, and the rear frame rails and/or the body sheet metal.
Mine is
in the rear sheet metal above the frame rails where the body bolts go.
The driver
side rear came out OK, but the one in front of that (just behind the rear wheel
well) just spun and had to be cut off. The same bolt on the passenger
side also
spun when I tried to take the bolt out and left a gaping rust hole (first
picture).
The one behind it (the far rear body bolt) just spun and I had to cut the bolt
head
off that one too. Out of 12 bolts only 3 bit the dust...I can live with that (Like I got a choice :-)
PROJECT 442: PAINTING THE CLEANED FRAME
I take the cleaned frame and coat it with Magnet Paint's "Chassis Saver" epoxy paint (this stuff sets up rock hard, so don't get it on any threaded holes). A couple of coats of Eastwood Extreme Chassis Black Satin over top and it's ready to put back together. I then add the new Stainless Brake Line and Proportioning Valve set up for Disc/Disc brakes.
PROJECT 442: PULLING THE FRAME
I start by disconnecting everything connecting the body to the frame (Master Cylinder, Shifter Cable, etc.) I unbolt the body from the frame and carefully pull the frame out. I strip the frame of brake and fuel lines along with the Fr + Rr Suspension. Then it's hours of sand blasting the frame clean.
PROJECT 442: GET IT HOME AND TEAR IT APART
PROJECT 442: I FIND MY 4-4-2
Finding a good starter vehicle: Probably one of the hardest things to do is to be patient enough to wait until that perfect base vehicle comes along. How many times have we bought the first car we saw because the "price was right" only to curse the day we did while adding up the cost of panel and floor pan replacements because there was more rust than car.
The key to success, not to mention just finishing the project, is having a good start. Well, good or bad, I found my car. A bone stock 1987 Olds 442 I found on e-bay. It was a 12 hour drive from where I live, but worth the effort. After looking it over, and a quick test drive, I plopped down a cashiers check for $5845.00 and drove her home.
She is not perfect by any means (there's a little mud in the right quarter panel, interior needs a little work, they even put the "442" decal on the wrong side of the front bumper) but she's all original (except for paint) with no signs of rust (even in the bottom of the doors), and only 76K on the odometer.
I have always liked the G-Body cars (Cutlass, Monte SS, GN, Grand Prix), but I always thought that putting the 442 name on a 15 sec car with a 307 engine was an insult to the history of the 442. This engine was rated at 170 hp @ 4000 rpm, with 250lbs-ft of torque @ 2600 rpm. You'd have trouble driving around a ricer with those numbers. My intention is to do something about that. I intend to tear this car down to the frame and build it up the way GM should have built it: mean and fast. I will keep the exterior stock for the most part, but under the hood will be straight out of 1970 (455, TH400, with a F##D 9 inch rear). All this will be done with hand and air tools using one side of a 2 car garage, and laying on a creeper to do it just like 90% of the people in this hobby have to do. No lift! No exotic parts! And most importantly......... No Millionaire budget! Ever watch those car shows on tv? Ever see what that hot engine build cost? Ever see what that disc brake kit cost? No? You will with mine. Every cent will be tracked, so you can see what your project may cost you. I'll even show you how I plan my build costs, and trim the fat off to make my budget.
