The 25 year project car

OnTheReel

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We all know somebody with one. This is mine. 1966 Olds 442. Dad bought it in 1997. Had it painted, had the engine built, and pretty much shelved it. Small things would get done here and there, but nothing to get it even close to running. Lost interest. Side tracked with other stuff. He fell ill in 2015 and passed away in 2016, and it went to me.
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In 2017 I started assembling it, just enough to roll out of his garage and into mine. All I really needed to put in was a steering column. Brakes would have been nice but we made do without.
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Unfortunately it took about 3 years for me to get motivated enough to actually move it to my place. In the spring of 2020 it finally saw daylight.
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From there, I really hustled over the summer. Installed the M22 trans and driveshaft. Bought a complete vehicle wiring harness for a Chevelle and modified it to work for the Olds. Hard to find new parts for these things.
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That, and brake lines, front clip, engine plumbing, exhaust all done in a couple months. Even got the parking brake working. Lots of hiccups along the way of course. Dad lost some parts, had some wrong parts, etc. Lots of studying to figure it all out.
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In August I rolled it out for it’s first run and got kicked right in the nuts.
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It ran, but ran terribly. Went through everything I could. Eventually worked down to the camshaft installed the engine some 20 years ago. Degreed it, and found it was ground for the wrong cam bank angle (Olds used two different ones in this era). So one bank was 6 degrees retarded and the other 6 degrees advanced. If you fix one, the other goes off 12 degrees. So back apart it went. And it sat. And sat. I was pretty de-motivated after all that work and money put into it.
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Now, another year and a half has gotten away from me and I’m trying to finally wrap this effin thing up to actually drive in 2022. Recently put the new cam in, switched out a couple other things for parts I preferred. Waiting for a few little odds and ends and I’ll fire it up for round two when weather permits. Fingers crossed this time. 🤞
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Shaggy

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Wow! All I can say is wow! So cool you continuing what your dad started and still keep getting motivated to do it. Thing looks awesome. Sorry you lost your dad, but cool how you are getting this thing done!
 

BlackGold6.4

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Oh wow do I feel the family part of your project.. My dad passed not to long ago and I never completed the project my boys and have been working since they were babies.. so now it is a goal to finish it before I go so my boys can say "look at what we did with our dad". What a amazing job on your Olds ... can't wait to see it complete.
 

MO VietVet

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Never did a project like this with my dad but did do all repairs and maintenance with my dad on the 2 family vehicles. He taught me so much and one of the biggest things was, "Don't assume". "Diagnose and verify". I had 3 other brothers and the youngest was way in to the mechanical work as well. By the time he was capable and old enough, my dad had passed and it was up to me to steer him right.
 

MO VietVet

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I do have to ask: The engine looks great and lots of times that means more ponies under the hood. I worked at and ran shops for 35 years and every time, typically a youngster, would come in the shop wanting performance work done to the engine, I told them that I would not do the work till I inspect the brakes and steering/suspension. They would ask why and I said that before I do performance work on get more horsepower and accept their money, I had to know the steering/suspension/brakes could handle it and if not I would refuse the work. Not gonna take money and then hear about a vehicle that got from some kid and wrecked.
 
OP
OP
OnTheReel

OnTheReel

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Engine is a fairly mild Olds 400 bored .060 over. Cam, Performer intake, HEI ignition, QFT 750 carb. Factory iron heads but they are from a newer motor, higher flowing. Same for the exhaust manifolds. Centerforce clutch, M22 “rock crusher” 4 speed trans and a 3.73 10 bolt rear end that will probably not live very long on drag radials. And I’m sure my TRX will run away from it but of course that’s not the point.

Brakes…1967+ dual master cylinder, Baer C4 Corvette front disc conversion, rebuilt stock drums in the back.
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Suspension is lowered front and rear, new springs, new shocks, ball joints, tie rod ends, poly bushings in everything.
 

MO VietVet

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Engine is a fairly mild Olds 400 bored .060 over. Cam, Performer intake, HEI ignition, QFT 750 carb. Factory iron heads but they are from a newer motor, higher flowing. Same for the exhaust manifolds. Centerforce clutch, M22 “rock crusher” 4 speed trans and a 3.73 10 bolt rear end that will probably not live very long on drag radials. And I’m sure my TRX will run away from it but of course that’s not the point.

Brakes…1967+ dual master cylinder, Baer C4 Corvette front disc conversion, rebuilt stock drums in the back.View attachment 2244
Suspension is lowered front and rear, new springs, new shocks, ball joints, tie rod ends, poly bushings in everything.
Sounds like you have it covered. The nice engine never tells me what is inside for horsepower. Thanks for clearing it up.
 

Shaggy

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Oh wow do I feel the family part of your project.. My dad passed not to long ago and I never completed the project my boys and have been working since they were babies.. so now it is a goal to finish it before I go so my boys can say "look at what we did with our dad". What a amazing job on your Olds ... can't wait to see it complete.

What are you working on?
 

MO VietVet

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I have lots of photos from being on the Kitty Hawk CV-63 from 1971 to 1975. I was a Photographer's Mate E-4 and shot and printed my own photos. I will not be digitizing them because those memories will die with me and whoever goes thru them after I pass will have to create their own stories. I am old that way.
 

grouch

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I have lots of photos from being on the Kitty Hawk CV-63 from 1971 to 1975. I was a Photographer's Mate E-4 and shot and printed my own photos. I will not be digitizing them because those memories will die with me and whoever goes thru them after I pass will have to create their own stories. I am old that way.


You might want to rethink that. I scanned a BUNCH of family photos when I got my first scanner. I scanned photos of my Grandparents and they looked the same in all of them as they did when they passed away in the late 70's. I have one picture of them with my mother in her ship yard office clothes and my Uncle in his Naval Aviator uniform and they looked the same.

Fast forward several years, my cousins house burned and they lost all the family photos. I sent them copies of the pictures with my uncle and his wedding photos with my aunt. My cousin told me later she cried for two days and then the copies showed up via email.
 

Shaggy

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Yeah I do. I have quite the collection between his photos and mine. I’m only in my mid-30s, but kids these days don’t know how nice it is to just have everything automatically on the cloud. 🙄

You're telling me. My teenage girl thinks things should instant and is so impatient at times.. :(
 

Shaggy

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I have lots of photos from being on the Kitty Hawk CV-63 from 1971 to 1975. I was a Photographer's Mate E-4 and shot and printed my own photos. I will not be digitizing them because those memories will die with me and whoever goes thru them after I pass will have to create their own stories. I am old that way.

Mo, don't think that way. I would digitize everything you can. I love going through my ancestry and there are several pics of people and locations I have no idea who they are or where they are. Even if you don't have kids, your relatives will eventually love to know the history you took. Why not help them out and somehow save those in digital format and possibly text on who/what is on the pics.
 

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