Vehicle Description
1969 Oldsmobile Cutlass S Convertible
Nearly 170,000 Cutlass' were produced in 1969 and if you were
around at that time, GM's A-body platform was ubiquitous - probably
on par with the percentage of SUV's you see on the road today.
While land yachts were still an option from GM, the A-bodies
offered a more compact car with all the power and convenience
attributes of the bigger cars. They also served as the platform for
the now legendary muscle cars including the Buick GSX, Pontiac GTO,
and Oldsmobile 4-4-2.
For consignment, an A-body convertible that's had the same owner
since 1982 who states it's been garage kept since that time. Based
on the condition of the older restoration, we have no doubt about
this claim. It's got the big dog under the hood, the 455 and with
the added bonus of being able to drop the top makes this a
desirable car that can be driven, shown, cruised or re-restored.
Regardless of your choiceit's got plenty of road ahead.
Exterior
Glade Green, the factory color, covers the car and looks good. "S"
trim level emblems appear on the nose and fenders, the shape of
which is repeated on the keyhole surround on the trunk, a nice
attention to detail and a bit of an Easter egg. The grille is
comprised of simple vertical blades and the headlights, metal trim,
and chrome bumper all look great in the front. The hood has a
slightly raised center rib leading back to two rows of cowl vents
cut into the hood, a common feature in GM cars of the era. The
taillights are uniquely Oldsmobile, and some would say look
muscular, cut into the rear chrome bumper in a nice styling cue.
The chrome by the way looks great. The new white canvas top was
installed in the mid 90's and it's in great shape but does show
some discoloration. The rear window is glass and is solid.
Oldsmobile Super Stock II wheels in 15-inch format are the shoes
this car wears and the "spokes" are painted black. Staggered width
blackwall radials wrap the wheels and give the perfect muscular
look. We note a little bit of checking on the door handles, some
painted filler at the rocker panels, a few small bubbles near the
bottom, and a chip on the rear deck panel. There's a small area of
heavy rust exposed on the top windshield rail where the weather
stripping has eroded away.
Interior
Parchment colored vinyl door panels carry on a theme of vertical
stripes, patterned with subtle diamonds throughout. The armrest is
multi-purpose with the door actuator on one end, the pull handle
built in, and for the driver, a handy ash tray for some crossbody
ash flicking. Window cranks appear at the intersection between the
light vinyl and black bottom. Parchment bucket seats with the
vertical pattern are in good shape and have substantial headrests.
The back bench is matching of course, and has belts for three
occupants. Our consignor states the interior was redone in the mid
90's and the condition is consistent with a garage-kept car that's
been well cared for. A three-spoke padded steering wheel is
aftermarket sits in front of a dashboard that couldn't be more
simple. Three large circle gauges make use of the space by
combining functions, fuel level and idiot lights on one,
speedometer, odometer, turn indicator, and gear indicator on the
next, a clock inside a tachometer on the third. Brilliant! A gauge
cluster has been attached below the dash for more metered readings,
and an aftermarket AM/FM radio is a bit mismatched in the stock
location. The floor-mounted Hurst shifter is highlighted by the
raised surround in the factory console which leads back to a
locking storage bin. The loop style black carpet is in good
condition and the trunk is relatively clean and contains a full
size tire and wheel.
Drivetrain
A period correctbut not original455ci V8 powers the car and is
topped with a 4-barrel carburetor feeding an Edelbrock intake. All
of this power is harnessed by a period-correct 4-speed manual
Muncie M20 transmission spinning the energy back to a 12-bolt rear
with 3.31 positraction, (no pegleg burnouts!). To hold your horses,
unassisted drum brakes are found aft and rear. Visually, the engine
bay is just above driver quality. The chrome valve covers are nice
and so is the old school Moroso air cleaner lid. We notice some
residual dried liquid on the intake and water pump in an otherwise
tidy engine compartment that's easy to access and maintain.
Undercarriage
Fairly driver quality here with surface rust on usual areas, A
arms, driveshaft, headers. The exhaust flows from headers, connects
with an H-pipe, then enters two Flowmaster mufflers which send
tailpipes back to terminate just under the bumper. We note fluid on
the transmission, rear diff, and oil plug. Coil springs are found
in the independent front suspension and the rear 4-link. We note
some seam sealer/tar in areas of voids or cracks.
Drive-Ability
We prod the carb linkage with a push of the gas pedal and crank the
big motor on. She fired up with all the gusto of a 455 and sent a
booming reverberations through the exhaust. Into gear and out of
the garage we went and it's clear this lean, green machine wants to
go, and so we obliged. Into second and third we went and the car
complied with our call for acceleration. The buckets are
surprisingly good for the era and the ride is pretty smooth. Back
to base as the drum brakes bring the fun to a crawl and then a
stop.
Despite the A-body good looks and staggered tires (275/60/15 rear,
225/60/15 front), this still presents as a wolf in sheep's
clothing. Maybe it's the soft top or the family friendly dark green
paint and white interior, but this is a little sleeper with a big
powerplant. But more than that, it's a great cruiser, beach town,
cruise night, or summer ice cream runs, this is a great looking car
that we would absolutely drive. But if you wanted to create a
winning car show, the bones are all here. Either way, you'll be a
winner with windblown hair!
336679M263401
3-Oldsmobile
36-Cutlass S V8
67-Convertible
9-1969
M-Lansing, MI Assy Plant
263401-Sequential Unit Number
TRIM TAG
ST 69 33667-1969 Cutlass S Convertible
BDY LAN264234-Lansing Body #
TR 937-Parchment Vinyl
PNT 57A-Glade Green, White Top
01D-4th Week January
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