OK guys I need a little help here, I have a 70 442 convertible and cannot find my rear quarter panel extensions so I need a set. Does anyone have any extras? Duane
Hi Duane. Try posting this on the Olds site, www.realoldspower.com. Shouldn't be that difficult to find.
Duane---a pair popped up for sale yesterday on ROP and I pm'd the guy and told him I was interested and asked him some questions. I am getting ready to check my pm's over there and see if he came back. He wants $40/pair+shipping which seems like a decent deal. I wouldn't have been able to go look for any others til tomorrow anyway so I pm'd this guy on ROP last night. You should be able to see the ad over there and I was planning on having him deal with you directly if they looked decent, which they do from the pics. I'll be back. They are in the NY/NJ area I think so it wouldn't take long for you to get them. Patton EDIT--I just checked my pm over there and the seller says "they are in perfect original condition. No cracks. Small scratches and chrome (the diecast eyebrows...my words) lost it's shine on one side" Go take a look and tell me if these sound good to you...if so, I'll get a number/address info from him and you can contact him directly.
Patton, Thanks for looking into that for me, I really appreciate it. The price is fine. Dave, I really should get my password straightened out so I can post on that site. I often look over there but never finalized my info. Duane
I shot the guy a pm and asked him to send me his phone#/contact info which I will then send to you. The one guy here in Austin that I thought had these only has one set and since he owns a bunch of converts and some aren't yet restored, he wanted to hang on to them. Thanks
Duane---I shot you a pm with the seller's phone number. I think they look pretty good and let me know how they look if you get them. Thanks
Patton: I know the deck lids interchange with a 4 door and so would the bumpers, would these fender caps (or quarter panel extensions) interchange with a 4 door, or are they unique to convertible?
Dave-- "That's a good question and I'm glad you asked it"o No: (The response every politician uses when they don't have a clue what the real answer is and they need to buy some time to make up one of their BS answers. I think they should all be the same and interchange. Possibly some don't have holes or cutouts for the chrome diecast eyebrow trim but otherwise same piece (now the admission that you really don't know and hoping no one is paying attention). I've never done a side to side comparison but I can't see any reason they wouldn't work.
:laugh: Sorry, Patton, not intended to put you on the spot. I get a kick out of some people that have to have a genuine 442 part, not a Cutlass part (that's usually identical on a Cutlass S except for the punched holes for emblems, moldings, etc.). Saw the same thing on Shelby door handles, etc. with the Mustang group. Just wondered if this might be one of those. Had numerous arguments years ago with people that did not want a 4 door decklid on their convertible....:laugh: But then again, also see parts sellers trying to get more out of "W30" fenders, etc. Since the quarter panels are so similar between the 57, 67, 39 and 69 models, I'd almost hazard a guess that those extensions are the same, but also have not done a side by side.
:TU: Not a problem Dave---anyway, it's questions like yours that get all this stuff hashed out and good info out here. You, being the "Godfather" of all things Oldsmobile, are supposed to be the guy looking down over all us young punks and making sure we keep the right info out here anyway. I've never seen that question asked and it IS A GOOD QUESTION, no matter what the politicians say. Duane, being a big Buick guy, will probably not know the difference anyway and we can pass all these "wrong" parts off on him:idea2: Keep it quiet and he'll never know the difference til a big show Speaking of Fords...I remember one of those Mustangs (Shelby I think) used the same hoodpins as the 70-72 W25 pins....hmmm...is there an arbitrage opportunity b/n the Olds market and the Ford market?
Dave H, Qtr panel end caps were only found on Cutlass Supreme models (same body style as the conv since it was based on the Cutlass Supreme). The 4dr and 2 dr models do NOT have removable end caps.
Nope, no trick question. Just don't know much about the 4 door models other than their potential as "organ donors" for 2 door models. Just couldn't remember the quarter extension story. The deck lid was one of the things that was saved. I had a 69 Cutlass Supreme 4 dr HT (4239) back when they were new, and it was a very neat car. Still seems strange that you could have the same width interchangeable deck lid on the convts and 4 doors, but one had fender extensions and the other didn't. We used to kill for commonality and saving back then, you'd think if it wasn't required on one (4 dr) but was on another (4267 and 4257) the deck lids wouldn't interchange and the 4 doors would be same as the fastback 77 and 87 models. Oh well........ Did Buick follow this same pattern? Thanks, George.
Patton, I contacted the guy and will be getting the parts. Thanks for the help. I figured the end caps were the same as the Cutlass Supreme coupes, but all the cars we scrapped were the "S" type so we had no spares between us. I think all the 4-doors were the Cutlass "S" type so they had no end caps, but I sure needed one of those trunk lids for my conv. Dave H, Buick used the same quarter extensions for all 2 & 4-door varieties. They kept the same quarter panel lines throughout. Now to answer the question about which year heater control bezel came with the red light and which didn't? Duane
Was that red light for the fasten seat belts warning? I recall it was an added separate little thing on top of the I/P the first year, then incorporated somewhere in the gauge or control the next year. At least on Olds. Agree on the 4 doors using the S design quarter design at the rear without the rear extension, I'm sure that's correct. Just having a problem figuring out how the deck lids were the narrow Convt, C/S 2 door width without the fender extensions to make up the width difference. They all used the same rear bumper, so the car widths must have been the same. ????????? Probably will now have to wait until the first big Olds show next summer to see a coupla of them together and see how they pulled that off. Only 9 months away up here in Mich. :ball: :ball:
I will have to say 70....I have and had several 71-2 models...fastback, Supreme and Supreme conv.....never had one with red lights. As for the deck lid fitment.....the Supreme conv uses a different contour once you get past the qtr end cap when compared to the Supreme coupe.
Guys, Here is a better description of what I am talking about. My 70 442 conv is an AC car and I believe it came with a rear window defogger. (I found pieces of one in my trunk when I bought the car.) Anyway I saved quite a few of the heater control assemblies and noticed there are two different faceplates. Some of them have a small hole punched out of the faceplate with a red plastic lens behind it. I believe this lights up when the rear defroster is on. The date code stickers on these parts are so faded that I can't read them, but I think the ones with the lights are from 72 cars. Can anyone verify this? Duane
The control panel with the red light is for cars with an Electric grid rear window defroster. These were introduced in 1971 and continued in 1972. 1970 cars had blower type defoggers and did not use a light. The light was to let the driver know the grid was activated. Convertibles did not have an electric grid defroster,until the big cars of 1973 to 1976. I have seen and do have a blower type defogger offered for "A" body converts. I believe this was a dealer installed item as I have. I have only seen them on 1972 model cars.
