1965 Oldsmobile 442

Update your progress on your various car projects.

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GMJohnny
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Location: Auburn Twp, Oh

Re: 1965 Oldsmobile 442

Post by GMJohnny »

AK was pretty mechanically deprived, so a bit of wrench time did him some good!
I'm not certain I converted him to Oldsmobile-ism, but we enjoyed the project!

GM
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GMJohnny
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Location: Auburn Twp, Oh

Oil Change / Air Filter Upgrade

Post by GMJohnny »

I finally got around to doing an oil change today. I had the filter and oil ready for the change, so it was going to be a real easy job. EXCEPT, the oil filter couldn’t be removed with the band style filter wrench I had. The headers were in the way. I looked at the Harbor Freight website and they carry a kit that is like a socket that goes over the end of the filters and it’s a $16 kit. I had a 30% off coupon, so I was going to get the kit pretty cheap. Not wanting to drive 15 miles one way to the store, I called Fred’s Garage. I happened to catch him working on the TrackBird, and he said he had the tool I needed in stock. He loaned it to me permanently. The tool worked perfectly. It saved the day. 5 quarts of 10w-40 were dumped in the crank. I removed a Fram PH-25 filter and put in a Wix 51049. The Wix is longer than the Fram. It clears the header by a 1/2” so I’m ok with it, but, if the headers stay, I’ll by Fram next time. I also installed some birthday freebies from Mom & Dad today. This was a fun upgrade and one I felt was necessary. I removed the cheap decal on the air cleaner and installed the “tin pan” with chrome retainer. These are reproductions, but look 100% correct. Next up— Pertronix distributor upgrade.

GM
Attachments
New Tin Pan & Chrome Cup
New Tin Pan & Chrome Cup
Old Decal
Old Decal
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GMJohnny
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Distributor install prep

Post by GMJohnny »

There is a bunch of work that is required to prep for the Pertronix iii install. I started the day by installing a rubber cover over the battery cable junction block on the driver side fender. This cover was missing and a potential arc area. Especially when checking the oil with the metal dipstick. Problems averted. The old factory tach will not work with current technology distributors and it is in a horrible spot to see while driving, so I removed it and installed an Oldsmobile emblem. It makes the gauge area look neater and I like the look better than the tach. The column mount tach is en route, but I was able to get all of the wiring ready for it to be installed. That should go quickly when it comes in. While I had the console out, I switched the shifter lever to one for a late 60’s Camaro/ Firebird. It puts the shifter ball closer to the driver and offsets it about an inch to the center of the console. It feels much better in the driver seat and I don’t have to reach forward to grab the shifter ball. I also installed a rubber boot around the shifter under the carpet to keep heat from coming in the car. After putting the seat back in, I went under the hood. I ran the 12 ga. wire for the new distributor from the fuse panel and neatened up the wire loom that runs from the junction block on the firewall to the front of the car. It was a bit of a mess, but is now neat and tidy. I also changed the spark plugs and wires. The plugs are R44S AC plugs and the wires are Pertronix 7 mm stock look wires that can handle the new ignition system. Next weekend we should be able to drop in the distributor.

GM
Attachments
Plug / wire numbers
Plug / wire numbers
New shifter vs. old shifter (no Hurst logo on new)
New shifter vs. old shifter (no Hurst logo on new)
Shifter after install - no more tach
Shifter after install - no more tach
Rubber junction block cover
Rubber junction block cover
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Basement Paul
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Re: 1965 Oldsmobile 442

Post by Basement Paul »

A properly positioned shifter makes all the difference in how the car feels.

-BP
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GMJohnny
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Location: Auburn Twp, Oh

Distributor Upgrade

Post by GMJohnny »

Today was a big day for the 442. The Mallory distributor system that was in the car had no vacuum advance which made the car uncomfortable to drive. In my eyes, an Oldsmobile NEEDS vacuum advance. I stumbled across the correct part number ( 1111042 ) points distributor from a local guy who sold it and a pile of other valuable stuff to me for $80. I purchased the Pertronix iii points elimination kit (rev limiter set to 5500 rpm for now) and Flamethrower coil for my distributor upgrade. I used this package with success in my ‘66, so I felt comfortable purchasing another. I also purchased an Accel adjustable vacuum advance dash pot, and a Delco cap and rotor for the project. I had disassembled and completely cleaned and assembled the new distributor before today’s install, so all we had to do was remove the old Mallory system and bolt the new parts on. Almost everything went as planned. With Fred as my technical advisor, we had the project done in three hours. The stumbling blocks occurred when I ripped the steel end of a plug wire off while pulling it out of the old cap. I had to fix it three times before I got it right. We had the distributor in correctly on the first try, but didn’t have room to adjust the vacuum advance, because the firewall was in the way. It took two more removal and installs of the distributor to get the right setting, but when we got it, it was good! We set the timing at 10* and bolted the distributor down. Then we hooked up the vacuum advance and it pulled the timing to 18*. Beautiful! We took it for a couple mile test run and it was perfect. It’s so much more drivable than before. Literally, it changed the feeling of the car. It pulls pretty strong through 4900 rpm, so I feel very confident in our ignition work. This is a big project off the list.

GM
Attachments
Mallory system removed
Mallory system removed
Distributor part number
Distributor part number
Newly upgraded
Newly upgraded
Distributor - Before cleaning
Distributor - Before cleaning
New parts used
New parts used
New parts used
New parts used
Last edited by GMJohnny on Sun May 29, 2022 11:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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GMJohnny
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Tachometer Install

Post by GMJohnny »

I think I mentioned before that the factory tach on the console looked cool, but functionally it was horrible. You just can’t see it while trying to drive. I might have been convinced to keep it if it worked with new electronic distributor set ups. It doesn’t unless you purchase a $100 tach adapter. Too much money for little to no functionality. As stated earlier, I put in the Olds logo on the console and purchased an Autometer #2893, 2 5/8” chrome cup tach. I spent hours looking for a tach that worked in my mind with the dash set up. I’m pretty pleased with how this tach looks with the dash and it isn’t so big that you can’t see the speedo. The hook up was very simple and I was able to use some of the wiring from the old tach. It was a very easy install. I painted the worm gear clamp black to match the steering column. It’s nice to have a functional tach where I can see it. On to the next project!

GM
Attachments
Dash
Dash
Dash
Dash
New tachometer
New tachometer
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GMJohnny
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Power Steering / Voltage Regulator

Post by GMJohnny »

Last Saturday, I had some time to take a couple of more steps toward reliability. The power steering lines
were still holding and not leaking, but the pressure line was cracked and dry rotted and the fluid was
black. I purchased both the pressure and return lines (Gates brand) and had a quart of ATF in my inventory.
With parts in hand and time to work, I went for the install. The work wasn't that hard at all, the worst parts
were the clean-up of the fluid that got everywhere despite my best attempts at keeping it in a drain pan and
getting the pressure line off of the pump. (I had to sawzall the line off and use a deep well socket instead of
an end wrench to get the fitting off.) I also changed the voltage regulator. The old points-style regulator was
functional, but I was worried that it would fail. Solid state regulators are a better option and are less prone
to failure. That install went well except for the fact that I lost my 3/8" socket as gravity wasn't my friend
that day. I searched for 20 minutes and still couldn't find it on the car anywhere. I figured that, at my current
labor rate, it was a lost cause looking any longer and purchased a new socket on Ebay for $4.95 to replace it.
I test drove that afternoon, and on the way back, my ignition system developed an issue and the car won't
rev over 3,200 rpms now. Totally unrelated to the work I just did, I have some stuff to figure out, but I will.

GM
Attachments
Old lines
Old lines
New lines installed
New lines installed
Line part #’s
Line part #’s
Old regulator
Old regulator
Old regulator
Old regulator
New regulator part #
New regulator part #
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GMJohnny
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Distributor malfunction - Repaired

Post by GMJohnny »

In my last post, I indicated that the car wouldn’t rev over 3,200 rpm. When I felt this happen for the first time, I was driving the car back from breakfast with my wife in the car. I kept my mouth shut and just gimped the car home, thankful it was under its own power. After dropping her off, I took it back out for a run in my development. Again, wouldn’t go over 3,200. I pulled the car in the barn and, upon inspection, I found the coil leaking oil out the front and smelling horribly of burnt electronics. I ran to Summit and traded in the bad coil. They gave me a new in the box coil. I installed it and headed back out. Still the same issue. Monday night I went back to Summit and exchanged the Pertronix system. They didn’t have one in stock, but took my bad unit in and mailed me a new one. I got to the install yesterday. To ensure all was 100% right, I soldered the eyelets on the ends of the wires that connect to the coil. The rest of the job was simple. I took the car out and it revved to 5,000 without issue. I still want to see if I can get a couple more degrees of lead out of it, and I will do that in the near future. Today I took the car for a 40 mile drive with no issues. It’s getting there!

GM
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wxo
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Re: 1965 Oldsmobile 442

Post by wxo »

I can't help thinking, "more bad Chinese parts".
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GMJohnny
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Re: 1965 Oldsmobile 442

Post by GMJohnny »

wxo wrote: Mon Jun 13, 2022 7:16 am I can't help thinking, "more bad Chinese parts".

One of the reasons I purchased the distributor parts from Summit Racing was so
I had an otion to return to a parts counter and talk to a human if i needed a replacement.
It was nice that they took the parts back no questions asked. The real frustration came
with trying to diagnose the Pertronix module. Their website states that the unit is a
go or no go part. This was not the case with mine, or a bunch of people on car forums
everywhere. I made the call to return after quadruple checking all of my other work.
I’m hoping it will continue to work as it should and the issues are behind me.

GM
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wxo
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Re: 1965 Oldsmobile 442

Post by wxo »

The reason I stopped ordering from Rock Auto is their returns process. They make it very difficult and frustrating to return parts. On the other hand Amazon Prime is the opposite. I use them most of the time. I like Summit, too, Although I usually find Amazon to have better prices. Returns for inferior Chinese parts must be frustrating for these sellers, too. I cringe every time I buy an "ACDelco Professional" part and see "Made in China", especially those parts that are difficult to replace. In many cases, we have no other options. We pay our money and hope for the best.
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GMJohnny
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Location: Auburn Twp, Oh

Odometer repair

Post by GMJohnny »

38,481… For the first time since I’ve owned this 442, I can post the mileage as the odometer in the car hasn’t functioned since I owned it. I purchased a nice cluster on EBay for $125 shipped to me. After cleaning it, lubing it, and learning how to change the mileage on an old speedometer (there are no YouTube videos on how to do this!) I decided it was finally time to do the install. Fortunately for me, I purchased some manuals for the car and they gave me the correct guidance on how to remove the cluster. There are only three nuts holding it to the dash, but they aren’t the easiest to access. With some struggling, removing a bracket and lowering the steering column a bit, I was able to get it out. Truth be told, the unit in the car didn’t look as clean as the one I had just purchased, but I decided to keep the original cluster and just change the speedometer head. I spent some time touching up the orange on the indicators for the fuel gauge and the speedometer as the orange was pretty faded. I had a bottle of the correct Testor’s paint left over from my ‘69 Chevy truck project a few years back. After final assembly, I put the cluster in without much trouble. I taped the nuts to the socket to keep from loosing them while installing on studs I couldn’t see. This worked sweet as I didn’t drop any! The project came to a crawl after I hooked up the main wiring harness to the dash. No lights AT ALL on the dash. I was stumped for over an hour. I got out the wiring diagram and studied it for a bit. Embarrassingly, the issue was an easy one to diagnose. With a test light, I found that the harness was hot. So was the peg it clips too and the rest of the dash. The issue was that, when I cleaned the little bulbs in the dash, I installed them on the dash and NONE of them was making contact with the circuit board. I had to pry little brass tabs down on all of the bulbs and they worked. Talk about a waste of time. Anyhow, after all of that, I then lubed the speedo cable and bolted it up. When all was said and done, I took it for a spin and both the speedo and odometer work. Woohoo! I think I had a strong five hours into this whole ordeal. Hindsight being 20/20, I could’ve saved myself some time by bench testing the purchased head unit and bolting it straight in. Hopefully there won’t be a next time to have to use that mentality.

GM
Attachments
Old assembly 38,400 miles
Old assembly 38,400 miles
Assembled “new” speedo assembly
Assembled “new” speedo assembly
The old and the “new”
The old and the “new”
Mid-way through the project
Mid-way through the project
Socket trick
Socket trick
Indicator paint
Indicator paint
The bad (dark grey) gear on the old odometer
The bad (dark grey) gear on the old odometer
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MostMint
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Location: planning a race

Re: 1965 Oldsmobile 442

Post by MostMint »

Any idea from prior owner how long the odometer was not working?

I know this unit is quite old but odometer fail at 38k seems unlikely. do you know if gear fail is common in this unit?
[quote="Basement Paul"]Is that a mint rocketship on the hood?? :shock:
-BP[/quote]
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GMJohnny
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Location: Auburn Twp, Oh

Re: 1965 Oldsmobile 442

Post by GMJohnny »

The previous owner didn’t mention the odometer not working. With little effort, I was
able to make it work, but I’m not sure it would’ve been reliable. I was unable to find anything
about 1965 Cutlass dash failures in my searching. My guess is that a tooth was chipped and
it couldn’t quite engage. My title reads 38,400 miles, which would need to be verified with
records or reciepts to actually state that the mileage was actual. I think with a car this old and the fact
that speedometers were limited on mileage ability, most people purchasing don’t worry
about “actual miles.” I didn’t use mileage as a determining factor on my last three vintage
vehicles, but rather the condition of the car itself. The real reason I wanted the odometer to
work, aside from maintenance recording, was it drove me crazy that it didn’t work and I knew
I could make it work with some effort.

GM
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MostMint
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Re: 1965 Oldsmobile 442

Post by MostMint »

Makes sense. I’m not in the space with this age vehicle so I was curious.
[quote="Basement Paul"]Is that a mint rocketship on the hood?? :shock:
-BP[/quote]
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