Ron of Chicago

I have a 69 Cutlass with the W-31 option and a 4:33 gear in the back. I would like to change it out drum to drum and wondered if anyone knew what other differentials I could use. I would like a good highway gear but not one that will I will lose the performance, 3:42 or 3:23 ????? I imagine Olds is the only manufacturer I can use to bolt right up but I'm not sure what models or years. Any help is appreciated. Thanks Ron

Welcome to the group Craig. Seat belts are pretty much a straight forward job. You just need to be careful where you punch the hole in the floor so as not to puncture something under the car. Always check and double check before you do start drilling. Also you will want to take a razor blade and cut your carpet with an X so when you use a drill you don't wrap the carpet fibers into the drill. You can get good belts at places like Year One or Paddock and they won't break the bank. I'm going to assume that you are talking about regular lap belt seat belts and not shoulder belts. Shoulder belts will need a fixed point above the seat back like at a B-Pillar and seeing you have a convertible, you won't have that. Take your time with the job and you will do just fine. Ron

I agree with jr, but I believe that the engine is a flat head or L-head engine. You will have to remove the head and watch the valves. Some of them are more then likely stuck open and that is the reason for the lack of compression. Pulling the head is a rather simple and straight forward operation. You may also find that you have some rings on the pistons that are not sealing and stuck to the point that they do not allow for a good seal to the cylinder walls. I worked on a guys 37 Packard that had sat for a long time and that's what happened to his. I pulled the head and found two valves that would not close. I suggested an overhaul but eventually with the use of penatrating oil and working the starter remotely and some lite tapping on the valves, they freed up. After putting the head back on and starting the car they would still stick occasionally. Running the car for some time helped and he was able to drive it. Best of luck with the car. Ron

heidigirl is correct. It's just a matter of playing with it. Depressing the button and releasing it while pulling the light switch out will eventually get you the result you need. There is no other way around it. Patience will perservere. Having NO lights at all in the dash would also indicate to me the same as heidi in that there is probably a blown fuse or disconected wire someplace. The dark green wire at the switch sends power to the fuse when the headlights are turned on and then on to the heater control light, ash tray light, lighter illumination light and instrument lights through the printed circuit.The fuse in line with the flasher but furthest from it is that fuse. The Red wire is constant power to the switch. Keep us posted. Ron

Have you tried looking at 442.com ??

I don't think you can take them apart, but, you could spray some brake cleaner in them to clear any dirt that may be in there. It won't hurt the belt and dries quickly. Just do it over a tin pan of some sort so you don't have the excess going all over you car interior. Ron

You have to depress the button and pull the light switch knob out. The entire knob and shaft will come out of the switch. Once that's out, you will have a bezel that you need to take off the front of the switch. The light switch should now fall out the back of the dash. I would suggest that you disconnect the battery before you do this. Good luck Ron P.S. You'll do just fine. Take your time and everything will fall in order for you with this car.

Tom, In my Ditzler book for 1962 Oldsmobile there is NO "V" code listed. The red for that year was called "Garnet Mist Poly" and the Ditzler code is 50568. But, it is code "L". For 1963 and 1964 there is a "V" code and it was called "Holiday Red". I can find no "Chariot Red" for any Oldsmobile year to 1971. I also looked on the PPG site and they show a "V" code for 1962 called "Tampico Red" with the code being 70961. I hope this helps. Ron

Water is a by-product of combustion, so to see water dripping from the tail pipe is normal. If you're not adding any water to the radiator then I would have to assume that you do not have a problem. The black from the tail pipe when the engine is cold is due to the choke more then likely not adjusted properly and/or the choke pull-off not working or improperly adjusted. I would think you will have a 4GC and they have an internal piston in the choke housing that accomplishes the breaking of the choke valve at start up. They did have a tendensy to become stuck in their bore. When you hit the accelerator first thing before starting the car, the choke valve should slam shut, but when the car starts, it should pop open some to allow more air. If this doesn't happen you will run rich and the exhaust will be black carbon. That also will start to foul the spark plugs. Not to sound rediculous, but you have checked the fluid properly in the trans, correct? Sorry, I had to ask. 64 Starfires are great looking cars. The best of luck with it. Ron

Try Antique Auto Battery in Ohio - 1-800-426-7580 New Castle Battery in PA - 1-800-622-6733 I've also heard of a place that sells a look-a-like tap top cover that fits over your regular battery but I con't find the name. Ron

Have you tried Kanter - kanter.com USA Parts supply - usapartssupply.com Tamraz - 630-904-4500 I think there's a place called snake Oyl also that has exact replicas but they are expensive. I don't have there number. Good luck Ron

Excellent idea Bob Ron

You can try carnut.com for pictures of both original and customs. chevytalk.com has a section for that era that has many knowledgeable people that can help you with what you need and they are great people. Good luck with the project and keep us posted on what you're doing. Do all your research before you start taking things apart to help save you any unwanted aggravation. Ron

57 Chevies are a high dollar car that many seek. I like them but they are not as desireable to me as they are to others. Keep your dream and start planning how you will take care of that car. The saratoga is a nice car also. You better look around and see what's available for the car before you buy one though. Parts such as stainless may be hard to come by. Good luck with both cars none the less. Ron

I am assuming that you are talking about the inserts that fit around the several openings in the wheel. I believe that if you use a small hard rubber or wooden mallet, you should be able to get them on tight enough. Ron

Great find What are your plans for it??????? Ron

Back in the day, PPG/Ditzler didn't use the word metallic and called it poly whereas DuPont did. I'm pretty sure that in 1956 they painted these cars in Lacquer. Today you'd be very hard pressed to find Lacquer. They have pretty much outlawed it. Enamel is a very easy paint to apply and is much faster drying. When I worked in my father-in-laws body shop back in the late 60's early 70's we mostly used enamel but did some high metallic in Lacquer. We had to be very careful because you end up color sanding and buffing the paint and can burn through to the primer or metal easily. Today with base coat clear coat you can apply enough clear to factor in the buffing. The two stage paints that they have now are very good to work with and you can get a much better shine on the car with a little work. The codes that they give you with the paint chips can be taken by a paint shop and made in enamel or two stage. I would imagine that you are going to have someone paint your car for you. Do plenty of searching around for a shop, don't be afraid to ask them questions, be sure of what you are going to get for your money and be sure to compare apples to apples. Best of luck with the car. I always loved the 55 and 56. Great cars. Ron

No forgiveness is needed Olds88, you'll never know unless you ask and there's never anything wrong with asking. On the cowl near the left hand hood hinge will be a plate riveted on. On that plate will be information to your car. There will be a line that should say PAINT No. with a number after it. On yours it will probably have two sets of two digit numbers. The first set will be for the the lower body color. The next set of numbers will be for the upper body color. You can then go to the autocolorlibrary.com or Dupont and look at these colors. 1955 had 5 blues and three greens as part of their paint colors. The white should be Polar White. The color of a car is all up to the individual. My peference is to keep it the original color on a car like yours. The other thing you have to remember is that if you change the color on the car you will have to get in all the little places that need paint like the door jambs, under the deck lid and sometimes it's tough to do unless you are doing a frame off restoration. In any case, the best of luck with the project and never stop asking questions. Ron

DD, is this what you're looking for? Ron

I'm not sure where you got the numbers from. Have you tried Motec.com? They have a lot of good information. Do you have the numbers that are on the pad on the right front of the engine? Good luck in your search Ron

Keep em fireing is right, the 88's didn't have the script on the front fenders, plus, the Super 88 had exposed chrome roof bows (if you look inside the car the headliner has the the chrome bows running over them) and they had side interior lights where the 88 had only one domelight in the middle of the roof. If you open the front door on a sedan and roll the window down, there will still be a frame where the window was. The J-2 option back then was only $83.00 although $83.00 back in 57 was a lot of money. You'd never find one for that now. I've been partial to 57's and would like to see a picture of the car. Would you be able to post one or e-mail me one? I also agree that it would be an interesting project.

Here is the diagram. If this doesn't work let me know.

One of the terminals on your lightswitch is dedicated to the dome light. That wire runs from the switch to the lamp. The lamp fixture itself is grounded and that will allow the completed circuit to light the lamp. On the other terminal located on the domelight, two wires come off of there. One goes to one door switch and the other goes to the other door switch. The door switches complete the circuit to ground thus allowing the lamp to light. If you want a copy of the diagram, send me your e-mail address and I will gladly send you one. oldcarmechanic@msn.com Good luck

What year and model car do you have? I may have a diagram for your car. Ron

Great car. 57's were my favorite Good luck with the project.