f85 parts availability

[olcurt]

I am a new member. I am currently restoring a '66 Chevy pickup that belonged to my grandpa(curt), but my first car was a 1962 Olds f85 that the same grandpa gave to me when I was 16 (34 years ago). That car is sadly gone, as it was hit while parked on a side street and totaled back in 1975. I sure hope that some day I will own another. I'm wondering if parts are readily available for one should I find one I could afford.

Can anybody tell me if they are?

Thanks,

Bob Dale

Evansville, IN

[rocketraider]

61-63 F85/Cutlass/Jetfire parts are in short supply. Hardly any reproduction stuff, maybe weatherstripping. NOS or western used is your best and probably only bet for sheetmetal/chrome. In other words, buy the best one you can find to start with.

Engine stuff including hotrod parts are pretty easy to find as Rover of England bought the aluminum 215 cid engine tooling from GM and used the engine for years.

They suffer from the same RotoHydraMatic curse as their big brother Oldsmobiles. If one is acting up, nobody wants to touch it.

But the BOP-ettes, as they are known, were some of the most stylish and technically innovative cars GM ever built. They just weren't mainstream enough for most people. The more conventionally styled and engineered Ford Falcons outsold them (and Chrysler's Valiant/Lancer) handily.

[joe_padavano]

Engine parts for the 215 are pretty easy to come by. Not only are there parts for the Rover version (as noted above) but D&D Fabrications in Michigan specializes in these motors and has a wide variety of stock and aftermarket parts. There were a lot of aftermarket parts available when the motors were new and many of these show up on ebay.

Parts for the cars is a different matter. The repro market is virtually nonexistent, so good used is your only option. One thing I've always found cool about these cars is that the 61-63 Corvair, Tempest, Cutlass, and Special all share the same basic floorpan architecture. The Corvair was obviously rear-engine and air-cooled. The Buick and Olds versions used a conventional front engine and trans with a solid rear axle. The Tempest used the front engine but a version of the Corvair transaxle mounted in back. I'll never forget the first time I saw one of these Pontiacs in a wrecking yard. The transaxle had a torque converter hanging in the breeze where the Corvair engine should have been and a driveshaft input on the front end of the transaxle instead. Pretty wild.