Antique & Classic Cars Blog

To appease my friend Don from Philly, my hometown, I asked for any 4-4-2 owners out there to send me a pic or story–Don having ribbed me for not discussing his favorite car on the blog.

DG, from “somewhere in Minnesota,” as he puts it, sent in this car, and writes:

It’s a 1967 Cutlass 442 clone. I first bought it in 1977 for what I thought was the outrageous amount of $1,200. Someone had installed a 283 Chevy due to the gas crisis of that era. I replaced that with a ‘72 low compression 455 in 1981, and drove it for a while. Due to time and money constraints, I was forced to park it in 1991 [when it developed] serious mechanical issues. (After all, a hobby is something you do with your spare time and money. With 3 young sons, I had none of either.) I’m now in the process of (slowly) getting it back on the street.

Th[e photo] was taken in 1990. Yes, that’s a yellow 1974 Cutlass in back of it. I still have the 350 V8 from that.

Here’s what the engine looks like right now. 455 with Modello cam, Edelbrock manifold, other mods. 4sp.

Other work completed is a complete suspension refurbishment and new brake system. Future mods will include a conversion to disk brakes. On the wish list is a Tremac 5-speed conversion.

The 442 was, I thought, a more refined muscle car than the others. For instance, it had an upgraded suspension with anti-sway bars and stiffer shocks and springs, things not available on ‘67 Chevelles or GTOs. Even when stock, this engine had enough torque to pull my house off of the foundation.

If he’s not been there already (I’m sure he has) there’s the www.442.com website. It’s a goldmine of Olds information, with pics, technical info, the works.

Thanks for letting me brag about my car.
DG

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 9th, 2007 at 7:56 pm and is filed under Car parts, Car stories. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.