It was pointed out that the largest market for Oldsmobiles was the population whose parents had in fact owned Oldsmobiles. A 1970 Oldsmobile Cutlass W-31 recently sold at auction for $90,000. Rated to produce 325 horsepower when new, the 350ci V8 featured an exclusive camshaft and connecting rods in W-31 trim as well as a Rochester Quadrajet carburetor, an aluminum intake manifold, and a low-restriction air cleaner assembly. The following year the car was changed to the W-31. The stripes are poorly done, not even close to the factory style. This rare and beautiful 1970 Oldsmobile Cutlass W31 is now available from MaxMotive. If I lived closer and could afford to bid, I wouldnt offer any more than $12.000.00. Find out where they were built. There really is no book that I can pull out and unequivocally say this is the way it was done. Become a member to add images to your comments. Andy's father was in the military in Rhode Island when this car arrived, and thus his mom picked it up new. If someone owned a 1970 4-4-2 W-30 and it was rotted to the core, but it was one of 96 4-4-2 four-speed convertibles built, less scrupulous souls might remove the VIN and cowl tag and install them onto a Cutlass convertible body. I have pictures of the cars that I actually took apart and took photographs of and can tell within two seconds whether the VIN is right because I have examined so many cars. That's a dead giveaway that the fenders have been changed. Its not accurate. The W-31 for the 68 and 69 year had a cast iron intake and #5 Heads. Tune in as we explore this one-of-160-built F85-based Rallye 350! Free shipping for many products! The base gear box for the Olds W-Machines is a fully synchronized, floor-shifted, heavy-duty three-speed manual. Find new and used 1970 Oldsmobile Cutlass classic cars for sale near you by classic car dealers and private sellers on Classics on Autotrader. The Oldsmobile Cutlass was a series of automobiles produced by General Motors' Oldsmobile division between 1961 and 1999. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. The Cayenne is a great example of how sometimes more expensive vehicles are worth the investment since they do in fact hold their value for longer. Production was very low. V-8 and its 4.057-inch cylinder bores. It had ram air, sport mirrors, W-31 side stripes, and W-31 fender badges, but otherwise it looked just like a W-30. The front and rear benches are trimmed in black vinyl upholstery (940), and features include an AM/FM stereo equipped with Bluetooth connectivity, faux woodgrain trim, and shoulder belts for the front occupants. Oldsmobile would offer actually, two choices.. the Rallye 350 and the W-31. Compression Ratio was also up to 10.5 from 10.25. You're the high bidder. Post in the forum instead. Sales began to drop and its a bit of a debate as to what the cause was. The Oldsmobile 442 (pronounced four-four-two) was a muscle car produced by the Oldsmobile division of General Motors. The highlight, of course, is the numbers matching, factory . These cars are very rare and attract owners with erudite knowledge of Oldsmobile muscle. Why no drivers side pics? When it comes to the 4-4-2s, there are people out there who are changing things around, so you've really got to look at things like the tags and their location, the type of rivets used, those are all important clues. would any one by chance have a pic of the ballancers they used or diameter, I havent checked cam but its got flat tops and the right size valves,currently have the#6 heads all re built and on my 72 cutlass 355. what do you think is this a w-31 ballancer ? "Not full restorations because I only have a one-car garage. 1970 W-31 Production numbers: 1,029 Cutlass S Holiday coupes like this one. Stephen took his father's advice, and says now, "Drafting has provided me with a good living and a solid foundation to move ahead, get married, raise a family, and follow other pursuits." "Hardware store hardware," we call it. Im willing to bet the lower fender, rockers, and rear wheel lips are shot as well. I question even a lot of pristine cars on Ebay the same way. You CAN get a good indication if the motor appears to be original and unmolested, and if all the correct W-31 equipment is in place. Senior year I had a six pack challenger paid 2500, Your insurance rates must have been off the charts with that lineup of cars . Jimmy, already a W-31 owner, informed Andy that his 1970 Oldsmobile was a W-31. The flat ridge acted like a spear. These models were equipped with the Hurst/Olds 455 package. Kia Motors is one of the leading automakers globally with a brand value of USD 7 billion. The major change for the 1970 W-31 was the deletion of the long induction tubes. Everything you need to know about your car! Something well never know. Interior and a lot of the body tells me that. Unless you can do every bit of the work on it yourself you will find yourself extremely deep underwater on this one trying to bring it back. Total 1970 Oldsmobile production was 633,980 vehicles. My database is quickly growing on these cars, and it should make for an informative book. Of the above 442 production, these models were equipped with the W-30 4-bbl engine. If he is authenticating a 1970 model and the fender doesn't look like this, that means it has been replaced for some reason, and an owner's claim of "all original sheetmetal" goes out the window. But even between Porsche and BMW, the comparison is somewhat skewed. Standard equipment in the Porsche Macan is pretty generous all models come with LED headlights, front and rear parking sensors, DAB radio, triple-zone climate control, part-leather seats, 19-inch alloy wheels, electrically adjustable seats and power-folding mirrors. As the Olds' story started to unfold, it became more about the family's history than just a car collector's dream W-Machine. It became a model in its own right from 1968 to 1971, then reverted to an option through the mid-1970s. The Antique Automobile Club of America defines the Muscle Car Era as between 1961 and 1974, a wider range than many muscle car enthusiasts recognize. Porsche and BMW are very different premium brands one is known for speed and agility and the other for luxury and engine power. All W-31 engines were select fit, simply meaning that they were blueprinted from the factory. Question of the Week: What's the Best Factory-Turbocharged Car? 1970 f85 w31 the car has everything a w31 has except carb intake and harmonic balancer has edelbrock carb and intake on it now and its a automatic trans which was rare only 52 made and its correct for a w31 car has matching number block but has 71 heads on it car needs some . A number of Honda Accords have experienced excessive oil consumption. By 1970, the W-31s final production year, the body styles included either a Cutlass S (Holiday or Sports Coupe) or the F-85 Sports Coupe. A lot of people don't know that. Equipment includes a fiberglass dual-inlet hood, sport mirrors, black accent stripes, and W-31 badging. There is a good amount of rust on areas visible in the photos, and you dont have any photos of the drivers side at all. Obviously, I look at the VIN on the block and transmission. There is quite a bit of metalwork required from what you can see, wait until you begin to peel back the onion. Fortran FAQ.Com. Available was a four speed automatic. We would share knowledge about these cars with each other.". Item specifics. I have owned W30 442s and several Hurst Olds through the years, and most recently a 70 4 speed Rallye 350. GM Corporate mandated a 10:1 minimum ratio across all five divisions through the 60s. Stephen's company is called Cas-Am Performance. Specs datasheet with technical data and performance data plus an analysis of the direct market competition of Oldsmobile Cutlass S Holiday Coupe W-31 4-speed wide ratio in 1970 the model with 2-door hardtop coupe body and V-8 5737 cm3 / 350.1 cui, 242.5 kW / 330 PS / 325 hp (SAE gross) offered since September 1969 for North America . Too bad the seller wants top dollar for a project car and cant even change the clutch! For more info, read about our auctions or email us with any questions. Tim Murphy (right), a longtime friend of Minore's (and a "1969 fanatic"), helps him remove the air cleaner on Weaver's W-31 to check the date code on the air cleaner and the number on the carburetor. (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). Copyright 2023, Antique Automobile Club of America. And here for your review, is just such an example from 1970. Later he decided to hold on to the car, which his father ordered new in 1970. With that being said, the asking price is ridiculous. While it is true these are limited number models, the cost to restore this after paying the asking price will put you upside down in a hurry. In 1970, Oldsmobile Division came out with an aluminum W-31 intake similar to the one used on the W-30s and made by the same foundry. What makes the W-31 the car it is, is Oldsmobile 325 HP, 350 CI, V8 engine. Nope. The two kept in contact, and in January 2018, Jimmy made an appointment to look at the Oldsmobile. If everything checked out, then negotiation would definitely occur to the satisfaction of both parties. So why isn't the 4-4-2 praised today as a debut-year muscle car? Welcome to Drivin' It Home, please email us if you have any questions. Sign up for a new account in our community. When it comes to the W-30 cars, Oldsmobile made only about five or six different Julian codes, and you've got to be able to recognize those carburetors when you see them. I'm 40 years old. You've really got to know what you're looking at. The W-30 was an option of the Olds 442, while the W-31 was an option on the Cutlass. Jimmy was astounded to find an old color print that John's mother had taken at the dealership where she picked up the car brand new. The 68 Ram-Rod used the standard 4-Barrel Distributor. These cars have a lot of rare engine parts on them, Minore says, including carburetors that were W-31 specific. Engine upgrades included the use of what's become known as the 308 camshaft, which was actually the unit's duration; the camshaft also touted .474-inch lift and an intake/exhaust valve overlap of 82 degrees. When Oldsmobile did its four-speed conversions on-line [1970-'72], it just cut out the floor with a torch! The upholstery is in poor shape which belies the 49K mile claim; it looks worn from use more so than age. I can only do one car at a time, but the job gets done right.". The technical knowledge came from owning and parting out cars and dealing with Oldsmobile collectors. This would include a six- to 10-page detailed vehicle report with breakdowns on cowl tag info; date codes on the engine, transmission, rearend; and all the important pieces that make a W-30 or W-31 car what it is. Steve Magnante states that only 1,029 W-31s were built on the F-85 & Cutlass platform. These Cutlass models were equipped with the Rallye 350 package. No, theyre not too common. . The grilles on a 1970 W-31 are very hard to find, but they did come on four-door cars, station wagons, and Cutlass S cars. The W-31 for 1970 had very similar styling to the W-30 trim but the engine was a more economical 350 cubic inch with 325 HP. There's a certain spot weld you have to look for where they spot-welded the four-speed transmission boot adaptor bracket into the transmission tunnel. In 1970, Oldsmobile Division came out with an aluminum W-31 intake similar to the one used on the W-30s and made by the same foundry. Car Fin Styling of the 1950s / Photos and History, How to Find Vintage and Antique Car Parts, Locations of Serial Numbers and Stamps on Vintage Vehicles, Model T Serial Numbers and Registering Antique Vehicles, Sample Decodings of Classic Car Serial Numbers, Search for Cars, Trucks and Parts / Advertise on this Site, The Worlds Two Highest Selling Cars At Auction, Tips on Keeping Your Antique Car or Truck Looking Great, Value of Classic and Vintage Cars and Trucks. Not only does Minore authenticate classic Oldsmobile muscle cars, but he also works on them, seen here with a 1967 W-30. When Stephen J. Minore was in high school, his father Joe, a gas station operator, took him aside and gave him some advice. Your real-time updates could not be connected. Engine stamping 30M304131 is pictured above. Price: The 2022 Porsche Cayenne has a starting price of $69,000. He pulled it out, and it was the broadcast sheetthat car's Golden Ticket! Do you want to have hands like this when you get to be my age? The TH350 transmission was very special on this cars and is known as a JO coded unit. California Notice at Collection Thanks to Adam F for this tip! These Oldsmobile press photos of the then-new 1968 4-4-2 were taken in April 1967 by Petersen Publishing's Bob D'Olivo. The youth market was red hot. In J.D. Suspension with the W-31 package upgraded the front and rear coil-spring suspension to the FE2 heavy duty components This included special springs and tubular hydraulic shocks. Certain things get painted over. On a true four-speed car, you'll see the slag on the edges of the opening. The seller states it is all original. Horsepower was reported at 325 at 5400rpm, even though the mill featured a new aluminum intake manifold. While repairs tend to be more severe than average, the number of those issues is low, so, The extra power of the Turbo S can see it get from, The annual maintenance cost of a 2011 Porsche Panamera is.