Category:Restoration
Contents |
Body Style Letters
Here is a complete (I hope) list of GM platform letter designations for vehicles sold in U.S. Names of vehicles sold in Canada may vary slightly. Also, years listed may be +/- 1 year. There's a time line list at http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Downs/4814/gmpltfrm.htm.
GM Passenger Vehicles:
A - 64-80: RWD Cutlass/Skylark/Chevelle/LeMans/Malibu/Regal/Special
81-96: FWD Ciera/Century/Celebrity/6000
A Special - 68-80: RWD Coupe Monte Carlo/Grand Prix
B - 62-95: RWD Delta 88/LeSabre/Caprice/Bonneville/Roadmaster/Parisienne/Catalina/Impala,etc
92-96: Buick Roadmaster
94-96: Impala SS
The B-body has always been RWD, and ceased to be produced around December 14th, 1996. The B body Bonneville was discontinued in 1981 and then brought back as the Parisienne in about '84. 1985 marked the last year for Olds and Buick RWD B-cars, and the new for '86 FWD models were built on the 'H' platform, which closely resembled the FWD 'C' cars. B-body wagons continued past '85; Pontiac was the first to be discontinued ('90??), followed by Olds ('92), then Chevy and Buick early in 1996.
C - Dn-83: RWD 98/Electra 225
84-Up: FWD 98/Park Ave
D - Dn-96: RWD Fleetwood/Sedan DeVille/Limo
85-96: RWD Cadillac
When the 'C' cars went FWD in '85, the rear drive Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham (renamed only Brougham from '87 -'92) continued to be produced, and became the D-body.
E - Dn-94: Toronado/Eldorado/Riviera
F - 67-up: Camaro/Firebird
G - 78-88: RWD Sedan Cutlass/Regal/Malibu/Bonneville
95-up: FWD Aurora/Riviera
G Special - 81-88: RWD Coupe Cutlass/Regal/Monte Carlo/Grand Prix
I'm sure many Canadians would associate the '80s use of the Bonneville nameplate with the 'G' platform (4-dr), while 'Parisienne' would grace the Canadian B-body conterparts. The G body was renamed the Bonneville instead of the LeMans in 1981.
H Special (HS body) - 75-80: RWD Starfire/Skyhawk/Sunbird/Monza H - 85-Up: FWD Bonneville/Delta 88/LeSabre
Pontiac introduced their H-body, the Bonneville, in 1987.
J - 81-Up: FWD Firenza/Skyhawk/Sunbird/Cavalier/Sunfire/Cimarron
K - 85-Up: FWD Seville
K Special - 84-Up: FWD Deville/Concours
L - 87-96: FWD Corsica/Berretta
M - 85-Up: FWD Chevy Sprint/Geo Metro
N - 85-Up: FWD Calais/Somerset-Skylark/Grand Am
P - 84-88: Fiero
97-Up: Electric - EV1
P-90 - 97-Up: FWD Malibu/Cutlass
R - Geo Spectrum/Storm
S - 84-Up: Chevy Nova/Geo Prizm
T - 74-85: RWD Chevette/T-1000
U - Lumina APV/Silhouette/Transport
V - 87-93: Allante
97-Up: RWD Cadillac Catera
W - 88-97/98: FWD (GM-10) Cutlass Supreme/Regal/Grand Prix/Lumina
97/98-Up: FWD (MS-2000) Intrigue/Monte Carlo/Grand Prix/Century/Regal/Impala
X - 62-79: RWD Nova/Omega/Ventura/Apollo/Phoenix (also the original RWD
Seville)
74: GTO
??: F-85, Skylark
80-85: FWD Omega/Skylark/Phoenix/Citation
When this small Cadillac was introduced in 1975.5, GM made so many changes to the 'X' chassis that they gave the Seville a K-body designation (GM's K-car !). The 'K' platform remained a separate entity until about 1991. If I remember correctly, it was amalgamated with the 'C' cars in '92. The K-cars had much in common with '80 and up E-cars.
Y - 53-Up: Corvette
Z - 58-69: Corvair
90-Up: Saturn
GM Trucks:
C - All: Full Size 2WD Pickup
Dn-87: 2WD Blazer/Jimmy/Suburban/Crew Cab
92-Up: 2WD Tahoe/Yukon/Suburban/Crew Cab
G - All: Full Size Van
K - All: Full Size 4WD Pickup, including Blazer/Suburban/Crew Cab except 88-91
Dn-87: 4WD Blazer/Jimmy/Suburban/Crew Cab
92-Up: 4WD Tahoe/Yukon/Suburban/Crew Cab
L - 91-Up: AWD Astro/Safari
M - 85-Up: 2WD Astro/Safari
P - Delivery Van
R - 88-91: 2WD Blazer/Jimmy/Suburban/Crew Cab (old-style body)
S - 82-94: 2WD S-10 Pickup/S-15 Pickup/S-10 Blazer/S-15 Jimmy
95-Up: 2WD S-10 Pickup/Sonoma/Blazer/Jimmy
T - 82-94: 4WD S-10 Pickup/S-15 Pickup/S-10 Blazer/S-15 Jimmy/Bravada
95-Up: 4WD S-10 Pickup/Sonoma/Blazer/Jimmy/Bravada
U - 88-96: Lumina APV/Trans Sport/Silhouette
97-Up: Venture/Trans Sport/Silhouette
V - 88-91: 4WD Blazer/Jimmy/Suburban/Crew Cab (old-style body)
Pillars
The "A" pillar is the windshield post. The "C" pillar is the post or panel at the back window. The "B" pillar is the post (if any) between the two.
On a post coupe, the door glass is framed in, and the glass travels up and down, guided by the doors window channels. A hardtop style has no frames showing when all the windows are down. Oldsmobile Body Styles
2 doors, no center post => Holiday Coupe (or Toronado) 2 doors, center post => Sports Coupe 4 doors, no center post => Holiday Sedan 4 doors, center post => Town Sedan [ Thanks to Steve Ochs, Kevin Wong, Joe Padavano, Doug Kitchener, Kurt Heinrich, Mike Van Auken, Matt Finholm, Henry's Garage for this information ]
VINs, Cowl Tags, Build Sheets, etc.
The scheduled build date was just that, scheduled. While most of the time the cars were built on that day, sometimes they would get side-tracked or something goes awry, and the car is actually built earlier or later than the day it was scheduled. (There is a person for assigning assembly schedules specifically dedicated to this task.)
Probably accurate is the build sheet and "blue door sticker", but also look at the cowl tag scheduled build week code. This would also give you an idea of around the date the car was built. The cowl tag was supplied with the body from Fischer. The date code on the cowl was the week they built the body, but that wasn't always the case. Usually the car was completed within a day or two, so those date codes are really close to the actual build date. The blue sticker on the door was applied AFTER the car was built, so it is probably one of the most accurate pieces of info as far as build months are concerned. [ Thanks to Mike Rothe for this information ]
Locating Businesses, etc
Try Switchboard for contact info.
You might also want to try the GTE Super Pages, and The Yellow Pages.
Body Panels / Sheet Metal
New Panels
To those looking for Cutlass front fenders from GM, they are in fact no longer available. Right fronts are hard to find but left fronts are still available - from some of the people who bought them up. One source for left front fenders, GM number 404719 is Classic Cutlass in Florida. 941-365-3032. Ask for Eric. He has several GM NOS fenders and is asking $375 each. Not cheap but solid NOS.
There is a place in Detroit who are licensed by GM to stamp FULL (not skins) real quarter panels (and I think fender and doors too) for '70 - '72 Cutlass/442's. The name is New Center Stamping (Detroit, MI) and they're phone # is 810-239-9510.
I have heard (several people in my family work for GM, and I have been told that either GM is/will be stamping new panels for their classic vehicles, or in this case will license a stamper to make full panels for their vehicles).
The company that supplies Year One and others with floor pans, trunk pans, patch panels, core support patch panels, etc. is a company called Goodmark. Ask for Mike Grey at 770-339-8557.
[ Thanks to Bob Handren, Craig Dobbins for this information ]
Fiberglass Body Panels
VFN Fiberglass, Inc. 501 Interstate Road, Addison, IL, 60101. Voice - (708) 543-0232, Fax - (708) 543-9877. [ Thanks to Steve Steve Reed for this information ]
Checking for Rust
Don't forget the trunk, floor pans, rear quarters, rear wheel arches and inner fenders, windshield area, back glass area, and of course, the doors, decklid, & the lower front fenders in front of the doors.
One area that rusts out a lot is the rear body mount areas behind the rear wheels. The rear glass area is a popular rust trouble spot on cars. The trunk floor is also a good place to check, particularly if rust in the rear window area has let water into the trunk.
Anywhere water and debris might collect and stay for awhile.
Also check under the front carpet, the sealant for the windshield dries out after a few decades and the windshield will leak behind the dash, under the carpet, rusting the front floors. This is also an area where water collects, soaks into the carpet and pad, and has a hard time evaporating, even without a big rubber mat lying on top of it. [ Thanks to Danny, Bill Culp, Joe Padavano, J2RKT@aol.com for this information ]
Parts
Part Sources, Locating Parts
When seeking parts on a nation- or world-wide scale, it would be wise to cite
1) Where you are located, 2) The minumum acceptable condition for the parts, and 3) What you have tried so far to locate the items.
For those hard to find parts, where there are no reproductions or NOS available,
Always check with
1) Your local salvage/wrecking yards 2) The dealer
When out of town, check around at a few yards in
the area that you are visiting.
You'd be surprised what the dealer still has in stock for these cars.
For most new, readily available parts, consult the list of suppliers on Bryceman's web page, such as
BAP, etc.
BAP, in business since 1979, inventories over 4,200 different new parts and over 300 parts cars. They also have the worlds largest NOS Oldsmobile Parts collection and the best restoration and tech guys in the Cutlass/442 Hobby. Every time I have called there for tech help the guy on the phone had already done the job I was tryng to do and was familier with every nut and bolt on my 442. Check out their industry leading 100% positive feedback on Ebay at http://http://stores.shop.ebay.com/bap-inc.
I got a 103 page BAP catalog with color photos free at
http://members.cox.net/123webspace/catalog.pdf. 1-800-442-PART or Oldsparts.Com
For unavailable sheetmetal, frames, other typical rust victims, there are folks in CA, AZ, etc. who do that sort of thing.
Your local yards, of course, should be tried. Be sure to ask the folks if they know of any obscure, out of the way yards, or ones that have older cars. Many rare parts in great condition can be found at swap meets, for good prices. You have to know what you are looking for, and how to identify it.
If you have the ability and the facilities to dismantle a car, at least partially, you must not overlook the possibility of buying a parts car, either. Often, you can find a car advertised as a running vehicle which is inexpensive and easily worth the price for the parts it contains.
Also, if there are scrap metal processors in your vicinity, do not overlook them. Once you can ID an Olds engine or trans readily, many bargains can be found therein. You do have to personally visit, poke thru the pile of parts, and get grubby in the process.
Probably the best known is Hemmings Motor News.
Published monthly. Check out their web site at
http://maple.sover.net/~hemmings/hmn.html.
Often called the "Bible of the Old-Car Hobby". Because 1st class delivery is rather expensive, I suggest a regular subscription to HMN. Therein, you will find just about every part imaginable for every car made. Condition varies, and prices are generally as high as the market will bear, but often negotiable. Also, as a subscriber, you enjoy reduced rates on your ads.
There is a great web site to search for new and used parts. Try http://www.worldparts.com.
They send e-mail out to a number of dealers and parts suppliers, and they reply if they have the part. You enter the name of the part and it will search for the part number, give you a price and who has the part. If the part is not found, you fill out a form and an e-mail message is sent out to their dearler network. The dealer will send you e-mail back if they have the part, along with a price. You can search for new or used parts. Give it a try, it is free, and it may locate the hard to find parts you need.
[ Thanks to Steve Kenny, Tom Lentz, Bobby Etzel for this information ]
Bench Seat to Buckets
I believe that the Buick, Pontiac, & Chevrolet basic seats are the same. These would need recovering to match an Olds pattern though. It would be a trick to find perfect seats anyway.
You would need the floor brackets as well as the seats for the exchange. Those floors are reinforced at the transmission tunnel for buckets. A similar situation exists for the console as brackets are welded to the tunnel for it.
Changing to a console will require relocating the shifter from the column. Either get a new console type column, or remove the shifter lever, cut off the boss that olds the shifter on the column, & glass up the hole. If you get a console, get everything for mounting the console & shifter, get the necessary wiring, & don't forget the brackets for the cable to the transmission.
I would exchange the bench for the buckets. Olds didn't use the most modern buckets, but they look cool. I believe that the swivel ones are a little straight up & down, but I have never sat in one for long. The other buckets are rather comefortable looking & really dress up the interior.
You really need a donor car to do this right. You need to drill out the floor brackets from the donor car for the swivels and weld them to your floor plus the different seat belts. Same goes for the console. [ Thanks to Bill Culp, Steve Reed for this information ]
Body Fasteners
For anyone interested in obtaining OEM type bolts, fasteners, clips, etc., Auto Vehicle Parts Company in Covington, KY probably has all the stuff you would need. (Au-ve-co trade name, go ahead, look at some of the original rubber bumpers and bolts, you'll probably see this name).
Their address is P.O. Box 17350, 7 Sperti Drive, Covington, KY 41017. Phone is 800-354-9816, Fax 606-331-5590.
If you call, you want customer service and ask them for a catalog. They have just about everything in the fastener department. I just placed a catalog request, and they are sending it out today.
It's true you can also get the parts at dealerships, body shops, etc., but if you like to reference your own parts, since you are using them, and if you order directly from the manufacturer, sometimes you can get better pricing, and may not have to wait if your jobber is out of a particular item. Hood Hinges The difference between a 1968 & 1969 fender is the hood hinge area. The 1968 hinge was a one year only hinge which did not allow the hood to open very high. Anybody with a 68 knows this because of the old bump on the head when working on the car. The 1968 used a 2 bolts to bolt it to the fender and the 1969 used 3 bolts. To interchange the fenders, all you have to do is add a missing spot weld nut and the the hood hinge. 1969 to 1972 hinges interchange on Cutlasses.
You could change the hinges on a '68 with those from a '69-'72 and get more head-room. Save on making a batch of ice cubes every time you get under the hood! [ Thanks to Mike Fisher, Brad Baker for this information ]
Same Body Style
Don't forget to check across GM divisions for common or shared parts. Suspension Boots
Energy Suspension sells polyurethane boot for ball joints!! Under $8 for a set of 4. I got mine from Jeg's mail order. [ Thanks to John Pajak for this information ]
Unique Rubber Shapes
As a last-ditch effort, if the pieces have a molded lip or such on them, Eastwoods has a rubber-molding kit for creating such items. Again, you'd use your originals to create the form, and then just pour some liquid rubber into the mold.
The first set of gasket/rubber items I made had many, many air bubbles in them. I called a rubber casting expert, and he said to make up the material. Then put it in a bell jar, evacuate the air, the bubbles come right out of the part being cast. My second set was as good as Oldsmobiles original part! I did have the originals though, very tired, very much hardened rubber, but they made a good pattern for making the mold. [ Thanks to Cliff Feiler for this information ]
Weatherstripping
I just finished doing the quarter window w/s earlier today and it wasn't too tough. There were a couple of tricks, though.
The old w/s was really hard and brittle, more like bakelite than rubber. At first I couldn't budge it from the metal channel on the glass and couldn't figure out why. I discovered that there is a small screw at the bottom of the channel and I had always figured it was there to hold the channel itself in place, but once I took it out I realized it actually held the w/s on the channel. The old stuff then slid out easily.
The replacement w/s didn't have the hole for the screw and since it has a metal insert under the rubber I didn't go to the trouble of drilling it. The factory held the w/s in with the screw at the bottom and a small dab of w/s adhesive at the top. I used the adhesive at both top and bottom since I wasn't using the screw. I was able to slide one of the w/s in with no trouble at all, but the other one really fought going up the last couple of inches. I think I may have had the curve of the w/s not quite right (the stuff takes a set in storage and doesn't match the original curvature exactly when you unwrap it) but with a little muscle power it went in place.
Looking at the original stuff I'm amazed it sealed at all. The new w/s is very flexy and you can see the seal it makes to the glass. Hopefully there will be no leaks when I wash the car next time. Time consumed, approximately 30 minutes, an easy job once you figured out how the old stuff was held in place. Don't be afraid to give this job a try.
I was able to slide one of the w/s in with no trouble at all, but the other one really fought going up the last couple of inches. To make the w/s slide easier, try a little liquid dish soap in the weatherstrip channel next time. Also Soft Seal offers an instruction booklet available from them or any major vendor. [ Thanks to Greg Beaulieu for this information ]
Cleaning
Fender Liners
I don't think you want to scuff them with an abraisive because you'll remove the shiney surface. I've been told that paint won't stick to them. At least you would have to add a flex agent to the paint.
A friend gave me a four step process to make them look like new. I personally don't believe it will work. Here is the process:
Steam clean. Clean them with grease/wax remover. Cover them with Dow bathroom cleaner and rinse them off with water. Spray one step tire cleaner on them and let them set overnight. Hose them off
the next morning and they will look like new.
The easiest way to clean that,would be to use a scuff pad, and scuff them with some strong detergent soap to get rid of any oils, and grease residue. This process will clean and, at the same time, sand the fenderwells. A couple of coats of marhyde semigloss paint will finish the job. By the way, the paint # is 1501 and is good stuff. <
Frame Off
I did a frame off on my own 70 4-4-2 ragtop while in college 2 years ago. I did not use any bracing across the door jambs. I had the car supported by (2) 4 X 4's. One at the front of the car under the fender, and the other in the rear wheel well. Because I was a broke, part-time working stiff, the car sat frame off for eight months. I had the car four concrete blocks high, and had each corner of the car tie strapped to a tree. Yes, the car was outside! I had NO PROBLEMS at all with body alignment upon assembly. I rolled the finished frame assembly under the body and gradually lowered the body. The body went down and lined up on each of the mounts without one problem. I didn't have to jimmy around the body at all! I could see how if you opened the doors while the body was off that this would be a weak link, but I still had no problems doing this. I think if the car is supported properly you shouldn't have any problems.
I had a few friends who made their own body rotating kit. They made it from 2 X 2, steel, and had it bolt to the body mounts under the front of the door/fender area, and the rear around the wheel well. That boxed piece was then attached to a center piece on each end (like an engine stand) then to the legs with casters. I'm sure you could build one a lot cheaper than buying, if you have access to a welder, and a few friends.
I used the method described in Greg Donahue's How to Restore Your Musclecar on lifting the body. An absolute dream, I used a crane on the front and rear and lifted the body simultaneously, no problem.
I spoke with the folks that sell the body rotisseries, and they said I would have to add a support from the firewall, through the open windshield frame, to the aft end, drop down and connect it to the bumper area. This to keep the body from sagging as it is rotated.
After I removed the body to frame bolts, I could raise the body with no problem with just a lever. I detected no deflection of the body (cowl area drooping , etc.). I had just completed the removal and replacement of the floor pans on both sides (Year-One full-length), and the rocker panels on both sides were not rusted. These rocker panels seem to serve as beams to keep the body stiff and straight. After I was resonably certain that the body would not sag, I purchased an engine hoist at Sam's for $200, cut some old log chain to lengths, and attached the chain to the front two outside, and rear two outside seat belt attach points. Since these points are located in the underbody cross braces, I thought I could trust them. This is a technique that can probably be best used on convertibles.
The body gets raised to the full travel of the hoist. I can comfortably stand under it to sand blast, prime and paint, and weld in repairs. When it is not on the hoist, it sits on four concrete blocks. Since I have the ability to lift the body for work, there is no need to rotate it, and hence no risk in the body sagging as it is flipped. Also, the rotisserie costs around $ 1000.
This body is being fitted with replacement metal on both quarters, and also has some wheelhouse repairs. Unfortunately, there are no good sources for convertible quarter panels, and one will have to make do with coupe-type panels. There are no convertible wheelhouses available. I have installed decent quality used pieces from a donor car.
This is my first attempt at a frame-off, and I should have started with something in better shape. However, I have learned a great deal, learned what skills I probably will never master, but learned to be a respectable gas and Mig welder along the way. I also have learned that one should consider what metal is available for the particular model you are reviewing as the amount of work is exponential if one is forced to reclaim used panels in lieu of NOS or Repro.
The car is 'stronger' with the interior included than without it. At GM plants, unsupported convertibles were brought down exactly the same as the sedans and wagons. The convertible is of course the least rigid, and without the doors probably downright unstable. Add to this bad metal, or cut-a-way panels, and you've got a structural nightmare.
My best advice from a rigidity point of view would be to leave it on the frame, and work on it with the frame atached. Then after you have the body done, set the body upright, get it well supported, and remove the frame. Do the frame, then start reassembly.
If the doors are removed when the body is taken off the frame, one needs to weld supports in between the door jambs prior to removing the body from the frame. I have a hard time doing this welding in a visible area and plan to instead fabricate a set of struts which will bolt to the door hinge holes and the door latch striker hole. I figure (that old college structures course kicks in) that I'll need a "V" shaped brace, with the point of the "V" at the striker hole (with appropriate load spreading plates) and the ends of the "V" at each hinge location. Since I expect to get some slop in the system (the hinge nutplates float, for example) I was planning to put some sort of turnbuckle arrangement in the struts to allow preloading of the brace prior to lifting the body.
I have heard of people welding or bolting a heavy bar across the door opening before taking the body off the frame on a convertible. Something would have to be done at that weak area.
I've pulled a conv body off a frame with no problem. the doors were even left off the car. The only thing was that the car was bare inside, no seats, console etc. It came apart and didn't flex the slightest bit. Don't worry just support it well as it comes apart.
You might try bolting a bar in the door opening as suggested, with an additional beam on each side going back and bolting to the rear seat belt mounting holes. From the driver's door hinge area to the rear pass. belt hole, and vice versa. This might help control any twisting that might go on as well.
Basically, I built a jig out of a set of 4x4's, and rolled the frame out from under the body. I didn't have any problem remounting the two, even though the frame was cracked and I put new quarters, floorpan and trunkpan in while the two were apart.
I used a method I read in the book How to restore your musclecar, actually a variation of the method. It called for a floor jack or engine hoist, four 6 ton jackstands or 55 gallon drums and a couple 2x10 boards. What I did was place some lumber on the saddle of my floor jack to distribute the load and SLOWLY raise the front and back of the body shell off the frame. Then when the body is high enough I slid the 2x10's between the body and frame and rested the body on them. Then roll the frame out. This is the readers digest explanation of what I did. I plan to buy some dollys , and placing the jackstands on them so I can move the body shell around.
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