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1994 Cutlass Supreme- it's back!


bluecalais79
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Over this past weekend I was re-united with my teal colored 1994 Cutlass Supreme I bought new. I gave it to my dad in 2012 and my brother got it in 2018. My Dad passed away last month and my brother decided he didn't want to look at it anymore, I get that. As I'm the original owner it has different meanings to me. It's got 90,000 miles on it (my Dad put 3000 miles on it in 6 years and my brother logged in 10,000 in 15 months). I plan on using it to drive to work 3 to 5 days in order to keep the mileage off my white 1996 CS which I'll use for long trips.

The first thing it needs BADLY is a new O2 sensor, then a close 2nd is brakes, they are so bad I have to downshift all the way to 1st to get the car stopped. New Struts will follow and this will include the Rear Strut Tower Brace I got from this site from AWEB80 (I think I got his last one).The factory FTB I had my brother put on the front that only came on the convertibles stays put.

If all this works out mechanically I plan to get it re-painted. My dad let the car sit for months on end facing the same way and the paint on drivers side of the car is noticeably more tired than the passengers side.

Anyone have any thoughts on using MAACO to paint the car? It needs virtually no body work, no rust and it's never been in an accident. It looks like the Maaco premium  they offer might be good. This is not a high value classic car so it simply is not worth dumping big money into a paint job. My biggest concern is whether they can adequately match the code 43 Bright Aqua Metallic paint that's original to the car. Not looking to spend a fortune on a car that's worth $2000.
 

 

 

Edited by bluecalais79
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Conrgrats on getting the car back, sorry about your father passing away.

 

Paint jobs are all about prep.  Everything I've heard about MAACO is location dependent, and specifically dependent on the individual doing the work, so its really hard to judge MAACO jobs.

High quality paint jobs are very expensive, so you get what you pay for.  If it was for a car I was going to keep, and didn't want to put a lot of money into, I wouldn't have a problem with it, as long as I know going in, you get what you pay for.  

IMO its worth a try, but I think I'd start looking at junkyards, specifically car-parts.com just to see if there are the parts you need within a reasonable distance, that might not need painted.  Never know if there is something out there in a jy, that was garage kept, or at least cleaned and waxed regularly that might have the right color (and a bit faded too, in order to match).

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:iamwithstupid: 

 

Maaco's level of quality 150% comes down to the prep. If you pick the cheapest, they will literally just mask off the glass and lamps and spray right over the old paint and everything else. If the car is prepped properly (e.g. you pay a bunch more) their paint jobs are fine. 

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Yup, you both are on target, ain't no way I'm going on the cheap route, I'm looking into what they call their "Premium" job. While I don't want to spend big bucks on this car I don't want it to look off either. I've already contacted them & they say their cheap jobs start at $700 (yikes) and the Premium Level starts at $2400. I'm thinking of spending somewhere around $3000-$3500 or so. I could be dreaming, especially up here in the Northeast, but we'll see. As soon as I get it mechanically sound I'll see about the paint.

I wouldn't be even thinking about this for any other car, but since I bought it new, my Dad owned it for 6 years and my brother the last year, and I am hoping to give it to my nephew when he's old enough to drive later this year, it's the family aspect that's saving this car from being parted out.

I'll take a few photos of it this weekend and post them as proof that one should not buy a car sight unseen. Photos are going to hide the fact the clear coat on the drivers side of the car is shot.

 

 

 

 

Edited by bluecalais79
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Thanks, it's not often you get a second crack at a car you bought new. I got this from Woodbridge Oldsmobile (now Lucas Chevrolet) in Woodbridge, NJ. and it was the dealer's wife's Demo Car so it was already broken in for me as a demo leftover. I picked it up 10/01/1994, I still remember it like it was yesterday. I only drove it in one winter (1994-1995) so until 2012 it had a good life. Even then it was barely used for 6 years, it just sat and sat and sat.

 I remember taking it to an Olds show in 1996 in Long Island and they wanted to give me a No Chrome award for it. Nice.

I will say there is a very noticeable power difference between this one and my white 1996 with the 3.1, proof that 50 extra horses do make a difference.

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  • 3 weeks later...

The latest: I got word from the mechanic/shop that both intake manifold gaskets were shot and need to be replaced. Plus they are going to fix a huge oil leak they found. The brakes were down to only one working, the rear driver. Complete overhaul needed. Then I'm sure the new stuff will probably blow out a line or two. No wonder I had to gear it all the way down to first to get it to stop. Good thing first is a really low gear in this car. Once all this is done I will have them install a new timing belt and alternator, both are long due for replacement. All told, I am probably looking at about $4000 or so to make the car right again and that's before getting the 3 panels re-painted.

And, when I am all done with these repairs I will be giving the car to my Nephew. He turns 17 in May, and he knew this car when my Dad had it (he was 11) so there is a serious family connection here: he can own a car that his grandfather and 2 of his uncles owned. I bought it new.

I think that's what the car hobby is all about. I will be 63 next month. I wouldn't mind getting this car to a family member, someone who just might care to own it another 50 years. Just a thought.

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Another Update. I got the bill: $2,970. For this I got it all, and it needed it. Both intake manifold gaskets replaced, and for anyone who doubts the merits of synthetic oil, check this out. This motor has 90,000 miles on it and has always been treated to synthetic oil since day 1. I got to see the motor when the mechanic pulled everything off and NO sludge, NO sediment, no bad smell, no grime build-up. It was really great to see. They also found where my motor was leaking oil, a suspected factory defect and if they stopped that, this alone was worth the price of admission! The car always needed a quart of oil every 1000 miles and on long trips as low as every 700 miles. That was a real pain.

It seemed everything they touched when taking the motor apart just broke away so I got new vacuum hoses, spark plug wires, etc. They also put in a set of iridium plugs.

The brakes? Total rebuild, calipers, rotors, pads, bleeders, hoses, one line that blew out.

All in all I am very happy with this job and I'm looking forward to getting the car back next week. They still have it to install the struts and the rear strut tower brace.

Also, the mechanic got me a rock solid lead on a reputable body shop that can address my paint issues with the car.

I'm starting to think/hope my nephew doesn't want this car...……...

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  • 1 month later...

Will post 'em this coming weekend. Over the past 2 weekends (due to other projects needing more attentions as in cleaning the yard) I installed new KYB strut cartridges in the front and capped them with the factory Front Strut Tower Brace. Big improvement, as the passengers side came out in pieces. It was amazing how many noises the car was making before I changed the Struts which are no longer there.

I'm going to have the mechanic change the Timing Belt, the one in it has been there since 1997, it's overdue to be replaced. No long trips until that gets done.

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3 hours ago, bluecalais79 said:

Will post 'em this coming weekend. Over the past 2 weekends (due to other projects needing more attentions as in cleaning the yard) I installed new KYB strut cartridges in the front and capped them with the factory Front Strut Tower Brace. Big improvement, as the passengers side came out in pieces. It was amazing how many noises the car was making before I changed the Struts which are no longer there.

I'm going to have the mechanic change the Timing Belt, the one in it has been there since 1997, it's overdue to be replaced. No long trips until that gets done.

A cool dude here with the username MemphisMan did a really in depth video of the timing belt change out.  If you want to save some coin and feel confident doing it.  He does an excellent job of explaining the entire process on his 91 CS LQ1 5 speed coupe.

 

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Yep, this was the very video I reviewed and it was key to my decision to not attempt this job. This video was very valuable to that end, thanks for the post. I will be advising the mechanic to get the kit for this job which includes 2 new idler pulleys and the tensioner pulley.

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I still have the cartridge tools. 

My front shocks leaked the oil into the knuckle. When I pulled the shocks out the knuckles were all oil.

After I eventually sold my Cutty the new owner hit a huge bump and one of the cartridge nuts came off.  I ended up having to replace the whole knuckle as it took the threads with it. 

Thats lovely New York State for ya

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I hear you on that, my brother owned the car for 15 months & 10,000 miles, I knew his commute, all bad roads in northern NJ......when I removed the passengers side strut it just flat out fell apart. I drained nearly all the oil in both as the replacement KYB's didn't need it so I got out what I could. This car went from wanting to flip over like a turtle around any turn to flat as a pancake with the new strut cartridges and the factory front strut tower brace (correct for the convertibles). MAJOR improvement all around.

I will say though, this car has the FE-3 ride, and my white 1996 CS has the FE-1 and has variable effort steering. My white 1996 also has the exact same front and back ST braces like the FE-3 car. Hands down the white car is riding and handling better than the 1994 FE-3 car. Tighter and smoother. Perhaps 15,000 miles less on the white car (and it was probably driven much easier before I bought it with 58,000 miles back in 2017), they are similar cars with a very different ride. My white 1996 (3.1) handles excellent at 85-90 but the motor hates that speed, whereas the 1994 (3.4) eats those speeds right up but man, I've got to work on the front end a bit.

Right now my choice for the Olds Nationals this July  is the white car, getting 32 mph assists that call.

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