1969 Oldsmobile 442

Convertible

400

TH400 Auto

344679Mxxxxxx

Clear

1969 Olds 442 Convertible! With the rare w-30 option. Very presentable older restoration! As the 1970’s approached neither GM nor the rest of us had any idea how close we were to the end of the American muscle car era. 1969 was a pinnacle year and Oldsmobile’s peak offering was the 442 w-30, particularly rare was the 442 convertible automatic with the w-30 option, only 30 were reportedly made so when my father in law told me he had one I was pretty excited about it. Have to admit I would have liked it as a wedding present but he wasn’t quite done with it. He did let me take it to the Oldsmobile Nationals a few years ago and it won a 1st place award. He was pretty proud considering the car had been restored quite a few years ago and I’m glad we were able to share in that but times are tough and having been retired for some time now he can no longer drive the car which has turned the cars heated storage costs into an expense he cannot justify any more. I love the car but the family can use the money so he asked me if we could bring it to auction (he saw the Mecom Auction and the 100K 442 w30 post coupe a few weeks ago). I suggested we try E-Bay first and told him we should keep a low reserve to encourage bidding so hopefully the car will find a good home. So let me try to describe the car to the best of my ability. First thing everyone will ask is “is it numbers matching” and the answer is yes and no, the numbers matching block was removed and a freshly rebuilt 69 400 short block was installed about 5k miles ago (maybe 6 or 8 years back) The original block goes with the car if the buyer wants it. 2ndquestion will be is there any documentation and the answer to that is no, I searched but found no build sheets so like most w-30’s this is an undocumented car and sold as such as is. However on the bright side when I was at the nationals another 69 w30 owner helped me look over the car for originality right next to his very original car and he was satisfied and told me he felt it was authentic, he verified that the car has true original OEM D heads, true original red wheel wells, Real original scoops, real original air cleaner and even has the original OAI hoses, the Correct 7029254 carb was on it then but we had a rebuilt 7029253 put on it this summer, (don’t worry we still have the 254 buyer can choose which carb they want) , correct OW trans tag on TH400, and correct 69 w30 3:42 TM code posi traction rear. The only thing he felt wasn’t original was the alternator because it was newer looking and my father in law confirmed he had swapped that out with the engine and the core is long gone, starter is probably the same story if his memory is correct. In addition to all those original W30 parts the car is also came with an original rare 69 black sport wheel, factory Rally Pack (Note the gage side was replaced after the original one we had just wouldn’t work anymore), Buckets seats, console, and AM/FM radio. All the standard Chrome is on the car and is in very good shape including the side molding, wheel well molding, and all the badging and trim that makes this car stand out so nicely. The car has a set of 7 inch wide ss2’s on it with radials and is sold with those only although in some pictures it has other tires and rims on it. The car is an original red car and is painted as such although I cannot be sure what paint was used and if the shade is identical to the original but it appears to be. I had a body guy look at the paint closely and he confirmed it was base coat /clear coat which explains the brilliant luster it has but we personally cannot confirm that or any other details on the paint brand or color code. The milage on the odometer reads around 63K and I have no way of knowing if this is over 163K or just 63K so I will ere on the conservative side and tell you to assume its over 100K just to be safe. I beleive the state has it recorded as being below 100K though so maybe its original and I know the car hasn't been driven much in recent years so the engine definetly is low miles as are most of the new parts on her. A little added piece of mind is the car is currently Appraised at 50,000 dollars so it can be insured as such before you pick it up if you like, I have checked with the appraiser and he is willing to transfer the appraisal into your name for a fee. I believe I have covered the basics but encourage any bidders to call with questions. I will do my best to answer. I hope that the car will bring someone a lot of fun in the sun so enjoy the auction. As always the Car is sold as is where is with no warranty expressed or implied, sold with CT Q1 state bill of sale form and a current CT registration for proof of ownership (CT does not issue titles on cars this old but if you discuss with your DMV you should find a bill of sale and CT registration slip will allow you to get a title or register in your state but verify before bidding if you are unsure of the laws in your state. You can call to discuss if you like. I will help my father in law as needed to allow buyers or bidders to view the car before the close of auction and answer any questions I can. In case I missed anything in the brief above I will go over the car again in a little more detail: Exterior: As you can see from the pictures, this car presents very well and besides the first place at nationals in 2010 it has placed in several other shows including the new England olds show just a couple months ago so while it is not a fresh restoration the paint and body work has held up well and is still shows well, it seems all the proper decals are in place, The paint seems to be in very good condition showing luster and shine like it’s fresh. The chrome is in good condition as is all the stainless. The top has been replaced and operates as it should. All the lights and marker lights work as they should (just checked before I wrote this ad. A set of original 69 ss2 rims are available to go with the car if the buyer wants them in place of the 4 7 inch ss2’s but the car is being sold with the 4 (pictured) 7 inch wide ss2 wheels which were refinished in silver paint and have period style raised white letter tires on them. The pictured spare was borrowed from another car for use at the show and does not go with the car but is shown to demo what we believe the original tires and rims looked like on the car. The original red inner front fender wells are a w-30 only option, they are not aftermarket reproductions, and are in pretty good condition considering their age. Any reasonable person will not be disappointed in the outward appearance of this rare muscle car but please make sure you come see it in person if you have very high expectations of the condition or freshness of the restoration as I don’t want any disappointments with the winning bidder after the auction is over. I think some people watch Barrett Jackson and think every car should be a fresh frame off restoration and shouldn’t be driven so I have to encourage a in person inspection for buyers in case they feel that way. Please look at all the pictures and let us know if you have any question. Interior: As you can see from the pictures, the interior is not original but was replaced at some point with correct style quality original or aftermarket parts. The replacement seat covers and front door panels seem as good as new, I’m sure if you look hard enough there are signs of wear, I noted a small spot on the rear door panel where a small piece of material is missing for example but the interior has shown well and is in overall great condition. The seats and foams seem to be in excellent condition and were surely replaced at some point. The dash, door panels, seats and carpets are all in very good condition. The gauges are clear and haze free. Please look at the pictures and let us know of any questions. Drivetrain: The original numbers matching engine was removed as I indicated above but the block goes with the car, and the machine shop says it can be rebuilt if buyer chooses to have the work done, If winning bidder wants it rebuilt and swapped out before they pick up the car I will assist to have it done for them for minimal cost but only after they own the car. As far as I can tell the other parts under the hood were freshened up and reinstalled with the exception of the Alternator and starter as I mentioned above. The TH400 shifts strong and true and the car runs and drives excellent. Much of the suspension looks newer but I cannot be sure, I did have a mechanic look it over and nothing was found to be needing attention except a loose shock which he took care of. Below I have included the bullet points which document the originality of the w30 parts and their #’s are specific to w-30’s only. None of the parts below are aftermarket!! · Heads are “D” casting and have the correct 6 digit cast number · Original Air cleaner, scoops and hoses · Original Red wheel wells · Carburetor 7029254 (or 7029253 seems to run better with this carb) · Transmisstion– TH400 with “OW” tag · Gear Ration – TM 3.42 posi · Vin# 344679mxxxxxx I think the car is a great piece of American History. Hope you can appreciate it also Thank you for viewing!! Payment: We would ask for a $500 deposit via paypal immediately after auction ends. Full payment due within 7 days or unless previously discussed. Please feel free to contact me at any time at 203-631-0184 and I will do the best I can to answer questions about the car. The bottom line is this is a great looking cruiser that is ready to go. If you’re looking for and affordable classic to bring the family pleasure this is a good car to consider. I'm told the Car is underpriced for what it is and you probably could not buy and/or restore a similar car for the asking price. So don’t let this slip away and miss driving a classic next summer. If I can be of any help please call John at 203-631-0184 evenings to discuss Other info: I saw the info in green below on a ebay add for a 71 w30 conv which was at 100K a couple weeks ago and I thought it was kinda cool so I am adding it for your “reading pleasure only” so please understand the car in the below paragraphs was a different year w30 and nothing in green text below is meant to describe our car but it’s just good info for a potential buyer as it describes a similar W30 equipped but undocumented convertible : By mid-70’s horse power was a thing of the past as our car buying culture began to change, but what will never change, and what people that built these muscle cars never thought of, was that 30-40 years later these cars would be the most sought after collector car of all times. Reaching numbers over $200k-$300k at famous auctions like Barrett-Jackson and Mecum, muscle car owners of the past never saw it coming and the famous phrase that was cliché, was ever so true, was, “If I only knew then what I know now……”Well, one of the fortunate things about our struggling economy today is that the muscle car prices are down and now are more affordable than ever to buy. A car which once achieved high auction numbers is now back to Sunday classified prices. But as sure as the sun will rise tomorrow morning, is as sure as these muscle cars will soon be reaching higher $$’s than ever before. So, what makes something a smart buy today? Is it the fact that the top goes down or is it the fact that production numbers are very low? Could it be the amount of cubic inches under the hood? Or could it be the combination of a few letters stamped on the fenders of the car? The answer is all of the above and then some. Finding a true collector car that will consistently rise in value over time and will encompass all the right ingredients is a painstaking process that takes a lot of time and a lot of research. It’s been said if the car doesn’t have proper documentation that the value is lower than one that does. However, this is not true. Cars that were built back in the 60’s and 70’s and were restored in the 90’s have often lost the little documentation they had, because their broadcast sheets were stuffed under the seats, under the tanks and in the headliner if they were stuffed at all. Also, when ordering these muscle cars from the factory, the salesmen didn’t properly document the order sheets and there was a lot of verbal communication that went back and forth from the buyer and the seller. The salesmen didn’t really care about completing the order they just cared about making the sale. But there is one true way to identify a rare car and that is through the painstaking way of matching the numbers. (End of info from other add) Reading that add made me want to point out that the 69 w30 conv automatic was one of the rarest Oldsmobile’s ever numbering just 30 in 1969, and probably only a handful were red and still around 43 years later. Now as I said above there is no build sheet or any representation of a guarantee but at least the car has all the original parts you expect to find on an authentic car so you won’t have people pointing out all the aftermarket parts other “supposed” w-30’s try to pass off as original. . Again Car is sold as is where is and buyer agrees to hold seller and I harmless on all issues subsequent to completion of sale as the car is available for inspection prior to end of auction so buyer responsible for verifying and inspecting and or asking any questions prior to purchase making all sales final. A 500 dollar deposit due immediately after auction, balance expected within 10 days. Car should be picked up within 1 month. Buyer assumes responsibility for pick up. Again if you have any questions Please call me at 203-631-0184 day or night. As you can see from my feedback there is no concern with us trying to burn anyone, but we have been burned by bidders who never pay or try to back out of purchases because they don’t have the cash so sorry for all the rhetoric on making sure you want the car before you bid but I don’t want to miss a sale to a legitimate buyer because someone else makes a frivolous bid. Thanks for understanding and again good luck John I want the buyer to be happy so talk to me before the end of auction, You can reach me at 203-631-0184 I will cooperate with transport companies if you choose to use one.