 The original owner wanted a 442, but the pricetag on a 442 was a little out of reach, so this 1971 Oldsmobile Cutlass S was ordrered new with every 442 option except for the 455 Olds engine. It's got the bucket seats, 4-speed, Outside Air Induction fiberglass hood, sway bars, disc brakes... and a 350 4-barrel. It's an interesting car, and here's where the journey back to greatness begins. Our transformation includes building an Olds diesel-block based stroker motor with the help of BTR Performance , a Bullseye Power turbocharger, FAST XFI fuel injection, a Tremec TKO 600 5-speed, and a pro-touring style suspension and brake package. Follow the build here!
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 Here's the 350 in all it's taken-apart glory. After a degreasing bath, this block and oil pan are headed out to BTR Performance where Bill Trovato will work some machining magic and reassemble the mild 350 into a turbocharged street terror. Actually, the turbo motors allow for relatively mild cams and compression ratios, so the engine will still be pretty mellow, just much more powerful.
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 We finally got around to disassembling the original 350 engine from the S71 Olds project. We found a pretty significant amount of sludge, but no major damage at this point. This engine had never been apart before, although it appeared one valve cover gasket had been replaced, as one side was clean and the other was pretty grungy. It's another example of why you want to run synthetic oil! However, seeing that this mill dates back to 1971, some gunk was to be expected.
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 The bottom of our Olds project looked pretty scary when the car was assembled on the lift. However, after a foamy bath in Eastwood Under Gone undercoat remover and a shower from a pressure washer, we learn that the floors are in very good shape. The car needs a little wheelhouse repair and some trunk floor attention, but not as much as we thought.
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 Our 1971 Olds Cutlass S project begins with the disassembly of the car. The Olds is pretty crusty, but we're tring some new techniques to restore the parts and keep it as original as possible. One example is reusing the hardware after it takes a tumble in an Eastwood Vibratory Tumbler. The tumbler is a great way to clean parts without any effort from you. It's cool.
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 We pulled the Olds engine off the chassis for a look up on an engine stand. These Olds 350s are interesting engines, and we're developing our turbo scheme to make big power with the original engine. The original owner claims the clutch was never changed in the car, and it still seems OK even after 136,000 miles!
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 Tonight, we finally lifted the body off the frame. You only have to remove a couple bolts and disconnect the linkages and wiring and it's off. Kinda scary when you think about it. We like simple cars!
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 The front sheetmetal has broken free, and so have most of the body bolts.
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 Tonight, we pulled all the bolts out of the front sheetmetal to remove the front clip in one piece.
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 You find pretty bizarre stuff in old cars, but this time, the original owner left his signature - a cool set of vintage gauges mounted aircraft-style under the dash.
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Here's where you'll find links to all the parts and services used on the "S71" Olds project. Without companies that share
our passion for keeping cool American Musclecars on the road, we
wouldn't be able to make these projects come to life. If you happen
to contact one of these companies listed, please tell them V8TV says
"Hello!"
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 Our 1971 Olds Cutlass S - nicknamed the S71 - is about to start the transformation from junk to funk. From pile to Style. Here's part 1 of the saga where we take a look at the car, it's history, and try to formulate a plan for building a fast, fun car that stays true to the original.
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