Looking good Dave! While you're on the OW subject, I have a minty NOS OW heavy duty HiPo fan clutch on ebay right now. Not sure if it's right for Bob's car. https://www.ebay.com/itm/133640949116
Interesting you posted that. He just picked up an NOS that is OS. Not sure what year OW clutch is for? It’s not listed in 71 or 72 assembly’s. Maybe it’s a 70?
Dave, the OW clutch is a bit more HD than the OS. OW is correct for 1968-69 HD Olds like 442's AC equipped + W-30 W31 W32 Ram Air cars. Then it was used on HiPo W 70's with HD cooling, too. I don't know about 71-72's and not a lot of references here. The OS is a very good HD clutch, too. They just had so many different clutch numbers back then, it was crazy! Buicks, are like that, too as you know. If you have a visor mirror in your car do you really need a different fan clutch? lol As GM started condensing numbers the OW was one of the last made. I guess they figured if it was HD enough for 455 W-30 with A/C it would cover anything smaller and they just dumped the other numbers.
Ab Absolutely amazing how many there were Frank. And the info in Assembly manual shows there were at least 2 optional for each application. At this point you use what you find.
Plastic part of dash has several cracked mounting towers where screws hold accessories etc. several were even broken off. These things just aren’t meant to come apart I’m convinced. We had a saddle colored dash around we took out of a 72 Vista wagon we stripped years ago. It was in better shape but still had some damage that needed attention. We had a third donor dash that I cut a small screw tower off with a Dremmel. I then used plastic weld. I wrapped steel wire around it and embedded it in multiple layers of the plastic weld. It’s not pretty but appears to be strong. I coated all the screw towers for added strength.
The nail is to keep the screw hole aligned while the glue dried. After 15 minutes I almost couldn’t get it out. 1 more minute I wouldn’t have. Strong stuff.
Was going to swap wood grain from original dash to this one which was missing. I changed my mind when I saw the fade after I took off bezels. The red tone is lost. Looks like a new one from Fusick Olds.
Have to ask, did all convertibles from GM era say 68-72 come with sound deadener on the interior floor? Was it really for sound or rust issues being a ragtop? Really a 5 part question as its also on under carriage and frame and did GM do the spraying from the factory and was it on the Buick/Olds dealer option list? I can't see after the fact off pulling the seats and carpet? Iv'e seen only seen one other example years ago in MA of such a solid car on a friends 69 442 but it was a sedan. I had my 82 Regal undercoated by a outside company at the dealer. "I think it was Armor"?? It didn't last and take at alot of the places underneath the floor boards as it was on the lot for so long because the 83 models had just come in. Copper, this is one great thread and thanks for all the details!
Most GM cars of the era at least ones with carpet had the interior sound deadener. Both hardtops and convertibles. It was like a brown paper coated tar paper layed down in sheets. it was installed by Fisher Body before any interior parts were installed. Car was put in an oven and the stuff was baked to the floor. GM was not in the habit of pulling interiors to add things. Nothing was sprayed inside the car on floor. Intereting thing is Olds on a 442 or Cutlass offered an option to delete some of this stuff to save weight if the owner wanted. That option may have been 1970 only? It may have just been deleted from the rear seat area? Sprayed on undercoating under the floor boards or frame was a dealer deal and not GM. the W30 we are building has lots of it under the car. I love the stuff because the most well presered cars I have seen have it. Amazing for a New England car. it usually covers the gas tank as well. The only similar stuff GM/Fisher applied was inside the rear wheel wells, lower rear quarter extensions and far rear of car that bumper hides.
Funny thing is the brown wire to the gas tank sender that goes rearward into the trunk connector was covered with black undercoating. When you see things like wires with undercoating you know its not factory.
Here is a great read. Not Buick or Olds but pretty much the same. It talks about the sound deadener and melting in in place in the reflow oven. http://www.camaros.org/assemblyprocess.shtml
Oh ok iv'e seen the tar patches on a few cars of mine floor boards, 90% of the cars iv'e owned were GM's also. I just never seen so much and so well placed. It even reached the floor panel were the Body by Fisher panel goes. I don't think this convertible leaked much at all and you mentioned it spent quite some time outdoors even. The Camaro plant link is awsome! Wondering if the guys working with the L-6 motors are new employees needing time to move up the ranks to the BB?
