Vehicle Description
1965 Oldsmobile 442 Hardtop
Description
When Olds introduced the 442 it had a look and the power that the
burgeoning Muscle Car market was itching for and this combination
scratched that itch to perfection. The correct Target Red paint is
slick and the body alignment is exceptional. It is an original 442
that has experienced a frame off restoration with all the right
stuff including, nice new bucket seats and solid floors and frame.
The engine is the correct rebuilt 400 and the transmission is a
smooth shifting automatic with floor shifter, a rear gear ratio of
3.08 that is an Olds Anti Spin 12 bolt unit that makes it a
pleasure to cruise down the highway. The exhaust is complete and
really has a great note when you open up the secondaries. It comes
with power steering and brakes, factory tach on the console, tinted
glass, full length console, and immaculate Olds Rally Wheels with
Firestone F7014 Red Line tires. Don't miss out on a chance to own
one of the more desirable Olds 442s from the 60s ready to enjoy
now.
Having come from sunny Arizona the underside of this fine 442 is
clean and solid all the body panels are the same. Our shop just
rebuilt the entire motor with consultation from the experts at
Mondellos. We have an extensive parts list from lifters, to
gaskets, to rocker arms, camshaft, push rods, and much much more.
We rebuilt the motor because there was a noise in it we didn't like
so we removed the heads tore them down had them reworked and
installed all new valve train parts. We disassembled the block and
found some camshaft and lifter wear. We installed a new 45 degree
cam recommended by Mondellos with lifter kit and stock push rods.
We did not find any shavings in the oil and the block was very
clean.
This is just a snapshot of what has been done to this great 442. It
has loads of power and torque which the Olds 400 is known for.
There is no sign of wear in the motor and all the fluids are fresh
and clean. If you had to build one of these to this quality you
would spend well north of $50k. Here is your chance to own a very
well optioned and great running 65 442 that will offer you years of
driving pleasure.
Features
Powered by a freshly rebuilt 400 CID Oldsmobile Big Block
Strong and smooth automatic with Factory Shifter
Oldsmobile Anti Spin 12 bolt Rear End with 3.08 ratio
Excellent Chrome Bumpers with rear exhaust cutouts
Full Dual Exhaust with a great note and Chrome tips
Factory color keyed steering wheel
Factory Deluxe AM radio in the dash
Factory Tach mounted on the console
This one is a Fremont California built car that spent it's life
under the palm trees
Beautiful correct Red Padded Dash, Sun Visors, and Headliner
Freshly detailed engine bay that is show ready
Finished in laser straight Target Red, (code RR)
Red Bucket Seats with seat belts and full console
Tinted Glass throughout
Driver's Outside rear view mirror and day/night inside rear
view
Brakes are Front and Rear Drums
5 excellent Olds Rally Wheels
5 newer Firestone F7014 Red Bias Ply
Detailed Engine and Trunk including mat and spare
Here's a little history on the 442 for your reference.
A number of different engines were offered for the car, but not one
of them displaced 442cu-in. The name refers to the 4-barrel
carburetor, 4-speed transmission and 2 exhaust pipes, which is why
the name is often written as "4-4-2" in Oldsmobile literature. It
is pronounced "four-four-two", and you would give yourself away as
a muscle car novice by saying "four-forty-two". The 442 was a
performance package offered for the Cutlass starting in 1964. It
was built as a response to competition, but weirdly, this
competition was coming from inside GM, rather than an actual
outside rival.
In this case, the car which Oldsmobile set their sights on was the
Pontiac GTO, a performance version of the mid-level Tempest. The
desire to compete with the GTO put the engineers at Oldsmobile in
an uncomfortable position. The Cutlass was built on the same
platform as the Tempest, so they would be starting on equal
footing, but GM had a rule in place at the time that mid-level cars
could not be equipped with engines over 330cu-in in displacement.
The GTO blatantly broke this rule, but Olds was unwilling to do so,
and the first 4-4-2 Package was seemingly mild when compared to the
GTO.
This actually seemed worse than it was, although the 330 engine in
the 442 was noticeably smaller than the 389 engine in the GTO,
Oldsmobile had reworked the 330 Police Apprehender Pursuit to make
it more powerful, and in the end it produced 310 horsepower to the
GTO's 325, not a huge gap. But this setup, along with the original
meaning of the 442 name, would only last one year. GM would give in
in 1965, and dropped its 330 cubic inch rule, and with that the 442
got a new 400cu-in V8 for '65. This produced 345 horsepower and
440lb-ft of torque, and Olds now said that 442 stood for 400 cubic
inches, 4 barrel carburetor and 2 exhaust pipes.
This is far from complete we know, but we hope the heritage of the
now defunct Oldsmobile make can be felt here and give those who are
less informed, a bit more insight to the idea of the upscale Muscle
Car from Oldsmobile.