Oldsmobile 442

1968 Oldsmobile 442 convertible! This is not a clone, tribute, replica, or 'born as' car. This is a true 442 convertible. If you are looking at a 68-71 442 convertible and the vin doesn't begin 34467 then it's a fake.

Vin Decode:
344678m102132
3=oldsmobile division
44=442
67=2dr convertible
8=1968
m=lansing michigan assembly plant
102132=sequential number

Trim tag decode:
08C
ST 68-33667 LAN 101042 BODY
TR 940 A-1 PAINT

08=august
C= 3rd week (thus the body was build in the 3rd week of august 1968)
68=1968
33667 = 2 door convertible
LAN = lansing michigan assembly plant
101042 = body sequential number
940 = black vinyl interior with front strato bucket seats
A=ebony black lower body color
1=white convertible top

This is a very desirable black on black 68 442 with white convertible top. Of the 34,000 442s built in 1968 only 5,142 were convertibles. Of those most were shades of green or brown with corresponding drab interior. Not many 442s were black on black from the factory.

Like all 68s this is a 400 motor car with optional turbo 400 transmission. It has the correct 12-bolt 3.08 rear end with G80 posi-traction. It is equipped with heavy duty cooling including a 4 core radiator with correct core support and radiator top plate. The olds has black bucket seat interior with center console. Optional 3-spoke wood wheel (with the all too common crack at the bottom). Factory tach, power steering, power disc brakes, power top, power antenna, and power trunk release.

This is a long time Seattle area car. It's been off the road nearly 20 years. The previous owner purchased this car in approx 2002 after his 68 cutlass convertible was t-boned at an intersection and totaled. He spent years assembling parts and restoring the 442.

His wife needed to be in a warmer climate so they moved to Hawaii. He was not able to take the 442 with him.

This is a very solid car. The frame has been cleaned and painted. New body bushings installed. The frame has no rust issues. The floorboards front and rear are very solid and need no attention. The trunk floor still has most of the factory spatter paint. The rocker panels are very solid without rust issues. The front windshield channel is also solid without need for repair. The only areas with any sort of rust issues are the bottoms of both front fenders and the small areas in each quarter panel (see pics).

It rarely snows in the Seattle metro area. As a result the roads are not salted in the winter. Despite lots of rain in Seattle, cars here almost never have major rust issues with frames, rockers, window channels, etc. The one area where our cars do tend to have rust is at the bottoms of the fenders and in the rear quarter panels behind the wheel openings. This is probably due to lots of dirt and pine needles collecting in those areas and holding water causing them to rust.

The car had been repainted blue sometime decades ago. The car had areas of bare metal, primer, blue paint, and lots of factory black paint. I had the entire body brought down to bare metal to understand completely what shape the body was in. The 442 has all of the original panels: Fenders, hood, doors, quarters, and trunk lid are all the same panels this car had from the factory. Every panel had lots of factory black paint and factory primer on it when it was taken down to metal.

The door jams still have the factory black paint as does the underside of the trunk lid. The fenders have the correctly punched holes for 442 emblems (instead of a different hole pattern used on regular cutlass fenders). The same goes for the trunk lid with the correct 442 emblem holes. These holes are not drilled they are punched from the factory leaving very clean holes which are very distinct from drilled holes.

Since the body has been stripped you can see exactly what is there and what needs to be done. Nothing is hidden. The body does need some work, but all the original sheet metal is intact and as you can see by the pictures the body is very solid especially considering the olds is almost 50 years old.

The doors have the correct striker plates only found on convertibles. The 442 has the correct, original doors. The hood also had the correct black paint. Both quarters had lots of original black paint.

The frame is nicely cleaned, painted, and detailed. The previous owner replaced all of the front brakes assemblies with new components: rotors, calipers, pads, rubber brake lines, and even the metal brake lines have been replaced. He also replaced the master cylinder. The front sway bar has new bushings installed.

The correct rear boxed lower control arms are intact. The previous owner removed the original 442 rear sway bar and added an aftermarket one. Personally I prefer the look of the original sway bar.

The car is wearing correct 1968 rally wheels with bolt-on center caps. The car had period correct cragar S/S wheels and I made it a point to put the correct wheels back on the car. Since they came from a yellow car they are painted yellow, but need to be restored and painted black to be correct for the 442. The tires do hold air, but will need to be replaced.

The motor was not in the car when the previous owner bought it. The car does have a correct 1968 400 "G" code block and correct big valve "C" casting cylinder heads. It also has the correct cast iron intake manifold and crankshaft. The motor is disassembled and needs to be rebuilt. It's just a core long block at this point: block, heads, intake, crank, and rods. Also other internal motor parts need to be sourced. None of the external engine brackets were with the car.

The olds also came with a correct short shaft turbo 400 transmission. The aluminum tag normally affixed to the passenger side of the transmission is absent so I cannot say with any certainty if it is the original transmission. I do not know if it works. It would be best to assume it's a core in need of a rebuild at this point.

The power top works. The left cylinder was leaking fluid. It had a loose fitting although i'm unsure if that was the only source of the leak. The power antenna wiring is still in the trunk. The 442 does come with the factory power antenna. The original power trunk release mechanism is still attached to the trunk lock. Moreover the vacuum line that actuates it is still routed all the way to the trunk with the factory clips.

I have all the very thin stainless steel trim that runs along the top of the fenders, the doors, and the very long pieces that go on the quarter panels. The quarter panel trim is convertible only and quite difficult to find if you need it. One quarter stainless is very nice, the other needs a bit of attention at the very back, but is not bent or broken. I also have the stainless for the tops and bottoms of the front windshield. In addition I have the stainless steel "pinch weld" trim that goes around the convertible top where it meets the sheet metal. The chrome "hockey stick" front headlight moldings are not on, but I do have those as well. The only major trim missing are the 4 wheel opening moldings. They were not with the car when I got it.

The inner fender wells were not bolted on the car when I took the pictures, but I do have them and they come with the car. Same goes for the gas tank. I also have the correct convertible only transmission cross member and correct turbo 400 drive line.

All of the side glass is correct and original. Both door glass and both convertible-only quarter glass are correct "LOF" pieces. The 442 does need a new windshield.

The olds comes with lots of new parts still in the boxes:
rear tail lights
4x door hinges
2x sets of 442 fender emblems
Driver's chrome mirror with remote
Bags of new fasteners
Window felt and weather stripping
Stickers: jack assembly, tire pressure
Front and rear seat covers
Front bucket seat foam
Spare tire cover
Power antenna
Convertible top with correct glass rear window
Convertible top pad
Fan shroud
Fender rally stripe kit
Headrest locks
442 grill emblem
442 trunk emblem
Trunk lid rocket emblem
A pillar seals
Hog rings, hog ring tool
Top weather stripping
Door weather stripping
Trunk weather stripping
Quarter glass weather stripping
Front and rear black carpet with jute padding
Bumper bolts
Trunk liner
Patch panels for both front fenders

The 442 still needs lots of work to be finished, but it's a very rare and desirable car to restore. This is amplified by the nice set of factory options and the great color combination. Of the 5,142 1968 442 convertibles built, it's likely very few remain today. The market is flooded with cutlasses being cloned into 442s, but a clone will never be worth as much as a documented car.

The 442 has clear Washington state title.