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I was hoping for a 2nd but got a 1st at the AACA Nats Regional Meet last week in Gettysburg, PA last weekend. I guess all that work putting this car back together was all worth it. But the best part was driving the car there and back, about 330 miles each way. I was able to run the trip on ethanol free gas and I got about 26 mpg pure highway, not bad.

I wrote that, it's true. All Cutlass Supreme convertibles started as hardtops at the Doraville plant, sent to C&C for the conversion and then finished back at the Doraville plant.

These cars...are ANTIQUES? I'm gettin' old.

I joined the Doraville Plant Facebook group and asked about all of this. Check out this response from one of the plant workers. This is awesome history.

This mod is far too simple and unimpressive to warrant this level of procrastination, but procrastinate is what I do best. I've never liked the chrome trim on the 89 Cutlass taillights. Once, I Photoshopped them to black and I decided I like that much better. Terrible photochop, but the point is when I made it, Modified Date: Friday, October 16, 1998. BEFORE Chrome vs black trim AFTER Only took me 22 years, 1 month, and 8 days to get around to getting it done. Don't ask me when I'm going to get that bumper repainted.

^ me too....just older here 30 = antique, 25 = classic, but I still have a hard time calling this an antique. the GP still has to wait 5 mths to be declared an antique here, fell off the assembly line 05/91

For the A.A.C.A. any car that is 25 years or older can be entered. Interesting thing about that is there were 9 cars in that class this year (Production vehicles 1990-1995) which for a show that was initially postponed ain't a bad number. Next year I can enter my white 1996 CS. Time flies, that's for sure!

That's disappointing to hear. I almost wish I had not asked. I mostly like the look of the car when the top is down, but every now and then I am somewhat bothered by how the folded up top sits on the back of the car instead of presenting more flattened, streamlined appearance as vehicles designed as convertibles do. Makes me wonder how much better car could have been if a convertible variant had been designed from the ground up for assembly on the line vs the coupe conversion.

I do believe the 1990-91 tops are slightly different than the 1992-95 tops is what brought that up. But they were all, even the pace cars, were done at C&C.

You`d be the guy to know for sure, do you recall hearing about a second company doing the conversions? Sitting here thinking about when you take the measurement off that 3rd bar, it also seems like I read they changed it a bit to improve the design. My memory dont work too good sometimes. Hell I may be thinking about the T-Top conversions on 3rd Gen Firebirds now, I`m getting my car stuff mixed up guys so dont pay too much attention to me.

This started when I'd recently had the problem of my driver's side door not opening again. Been through this so many times I've lost count, but it had started lasting less and less. I ordered a Dorman replacement from Amazon, hopefully thinking it would be the best of the worst. It lasted less than a month. I'd had to set it at the limit of the adjustment right from the start, which wasn't a good sign. Sure, it worked at first. But it started getting harder and harder to open with seemingly every pull. Within a few weeks it didn't open the door anymore either. Looking more

I think we're long overdue for some current pictures of your Cutlass. Its truly one of the few OGs remaining here. Always loved what you did with it.

Yes, I think it looks much better! Nice job! Better WAY late than never, LOL! I have a 91 International coupe with the factory blacked out trim. As another International owner to another...I want more pics of your car!!!

Following.

Removed my blown transmission from one of my TGP's last week. Figured I'd share. Feel free to laugh. It made a hell of a boom and a hell of a mess when it went.

there is the issue. there is no technical drawings for any of those, at least not locked away in a dusty filing cabinet at Getrag's HQ. You'd basically have to take a worn one and its matching gears and first make a duplicate of it then build the friction surface back up till it does its job properly again. it would be a bunch of messing about to get it just right since short of taking apart a known good unit... of which I do have. basically getting the proper metals and buying them in bulk is the easy part, being able to recreate it in G code that a CNC mill can use to program is t

Thanks, makes me want to hold onto it for a while. And I know what you mean about seeing these around anymore. I saw red one like mine while on the way home traveling the other way in really nice shape. But usually when you do see these cars on the road they are used up junkers.

Thanks, this is the one where I am the original and 4th owner. Bought it new in 1994, gave it to my dad in 2012, dad SOLD it to my brother in 2018, wherein he promptly beat the s**t out of it, and then when my dad passed last January, he drove it up to me last Spring and handed me the keys. Fixing this one up has gone so well I am toying with the idea of selling my white 1996 CS. Stay tuned if I do decide to sell it, I will be offering it first to you folks on this site and nowhere else. I put a heck of alot of work getting the white one up to snuff and I don't want it going to the gener

Numerous times, successfully.......lol, that's a lot of work just to avoid replacing the intake gaskets..... and welcome to the club

Yes I would agree with that Jiggity I try to always lift by front subframe and rear pad feels more stable for me.

Those are cool pictures. I swear I used to have some pictures I took of the plant years back when I was down there.

Thanks Nate! I've been told these are cast into the rim or etched. With the refinishing process, only a few millimeters will be taken off and it shouldn't disturb the script. Then everything will have to be recolored and cleared. I will definitely talk to potential repair places who specialize in rim refinishing and get look at my option. I can definitely feel the letters when I run my fingertip across them. I don't really understand the whole etching process but I want to replicate them to as original as I can get them. You know me, 100% original if I can get it! Yes, I like the p

The oldsmobile script must be the matching color to the inserts on the rim. I'm not 100% sure on that but correct if I am wrong. I'm not sure how the factory would have done them. I bet you could replicate that look. Are you powder coating these wheels or painting them? Obviously the raw aluminum would need to be clean/polished/cleared. I'm 99% sure there is clear coat over the entire wheel even the aluminum. No matter what process of applying color you go with, there will be multiple steps involved since this is a "two tone" wheel. My advice would be to get them powder coated. Thi

not sure to be totally honest. I'd guess Chrysler did it themselves with the Sebring and Probably GM with the 4g F body. Don't quote me on any of that, just wild guesses to be honest. as for the lack of quality.... lol that was name of the game then. 80s custom cars were a real shit show. Ask any GNX owner to see inside the rear wheel arches, its a mess. I've never seen 2 Turbo Grand Prix that were exactly the same either, they were factory hack jobs by ASC. It was the wild west then. Pop rivets, self tapping screws and cut body structures lol

The Chinses company that bought out C&C would be the first step in finding out who made the seals, I thought someone there might be cool enough to look into it if I can get them on the phone. I dont have time this morning but might this weekend.

Thanks for your persistence in looking into this.

I have also pressed my luck to see if anyone might have some insight on the top seals.

Thanks for posting the plant worker's reply. It is very interesting. Maybe you will hear from someone who worked for Cares and Concepts (C and C) and get some information on the conversion process from their point of view. When I bought my convertible in 2007, I thought I was buying a factory-built car that had been designed as a convertible. They still look pretty good for a conversion convertible, but from what ManicMechanic reported, there is a lot of sloppy work hidden under the trim pieces. And if Oldsmobile was losing $10,000 on every convertible, you have to wonder how much pressur

I'm done with Angelo, I think his cornflakes done gone soft..

It was quite an involved process for sure!

Quote from a supervisor over convertible production at the Doraville plant:

Very sloppy welds, factory welds would have been much neater. The front fenders looked as though they were cut with a reciprocating saw and two large holes drilled for bolts. Under a cover on each front door is where they hacked off the door b-pillar and re welded it back on and it looked like a baboon was using the welder, seriously.

I am sorry for dragging you into that discussion. I was hoping that he would be open to discussion and education about the car. Thank you for being a good sport.

I am not sure, you can tag me and see: Jay Beausoleil No, that would not make sense. The rear inner panels, the basket handle trim likely were but the rest would be installed at the plant.

Please understand that I do not possess any definitive information on this but form an efficiency standpoint, It would seem to make much more sense for the interiors to be left empty until after the top conversion. Otherwise, C&C would have to gut the interiors before they did anything else and then everything would have to be installed a second time, creating extra steps, both at C&C and at Doraville. Meanwhile, many coupe parts like headliners, window glass, rear package shelves and back seats would likely end up being tossed. It would be easier for that stuff just not to even be the

The roof was still on the car when C&C got it, it was cut off there.

I don't know how cars are assembled, so bear with me on this question. Did Cars and Concepts get coupes that had a roof on them, then cut the roof off the car? Or is it possible on a unibody vehicle to not install the roof and hand off the car to Cars and Concepts roofless. Just wondering how much "slicing and dicing" Cars and Concepts had to do when making the convertibles.

It was in an ancient thread here I read that there were two companies that did the conversion hence the two different size options when ordering a new top. I`ll try and dig it up and repost it when I have a chance as some of the best info was posted in threads approaching 20 years old and several updates since.

Maybe this is just me being loony. Seems like a giant heap of work to wind up with just another V-6. Wouldn't it be simpler, easier, and a more-productive use of your time, money, effort, and enthusiasm to buy a car with the bigger engine already in it? Sell the one(s) you have to offset part of the purchase price. "I" would much rather fix worn-out brakes, suspension, steering, etc. on a replacement vehicle than to trade engines, wire harnesses, computers, cradles, etc.

Got around to doing the heater core last week. The cowl does not need to be touched period. Just remove the in/out hose clamps to heater core from under the hood. Once the heater core cover is off, the heater core has one screw that needs to be removed. That screw is attached to a bracket clamp that holds the two heater core pipes apart. New cores come with the clamp. The core itself is held tight by a metal retaining bracket that has two slots on top where the core slides in, and the bottom part of the bracket is a flat piece of steel that is springy. Once the top of the core

MattMac recently finished doing this swap.... here is his thread on the job, you might want to message him on the in's & out's of what he came across........the actual process begins on page 10

You need the following parts from a 98-99 Monte Carlo z34/ lumina ltz wiring harnesses power steering lines exhaust downpipe (or have one made) heater core hoses if possible the alternator bracket/tensioner for the right angle heater hose connectors under alternator not 100% needed but nice to have. Other items Need to use the inner axle cups from the donor car and the outer shafts of the original cutlass Motor mounts bolt in no issues Donor car rad and hoses work Donor car auto trans cooler lines work Need a pcm tune to di

I wish I had some seals to make available to you for this effort, but the best I can do at this juncture is offer moral support. That said, I'd love to have a set if they could be made available for an affordable price. I did have a mechanic, who describes himself as a reluctant convertible top expert (he says he's really good at convertible tops but really hates working on them), tell me that periodically coating the existing seals with silicone grease is a good way to keep them pliable and extend their useful life.

I finally got a chance to get a picture today. Definitely not showroom floor new but for the mileage not too bad !

Unfortunately I don't have any New Old Stock seals to share, I'm impressed that you were able to find any at all. I would like a new set of seals, as mine leaks in many places, but I'm worried they would be too expensive for me to buy if a company did reproduce them in a limited run. I've tried to add an additional seal on top of the existing seals in the places where they are leaking, but I haven't had much luck with that technique. I wonder if the original drawings for these seals exist in a drawer somewhere at GM or at the company that bought Cars and Concepts. I found this tidbit

Take some relief in knowing that if you had the LQ1 engine in there to get at the heater hose fittings one has to pull up the upper plenum assembly to allow one to get access to them.

Is your Trans in good shape? I swapped Series III using my 3:43 FDR Trans from LQ1. Used 1997 GP PCM with 96 harness, and had Milzy reprogram for 3:43. I have a post about differences