1968 Oldsmobile 442

Convertible

Automatic

Clear

Gasoline

unrestored 442 convertible, extremely clean, original purchased by a little lady in Kansas, her daily driver until 1978 when it was purchased by a farmer in ND for his wife. He was passing through town with his brother picking up an Edsel of all things!? and the car was for sale on the side of the road. So he bought it and brought it back. The pretty blue 442 had 81k miles on it then and now, 32yrs later it has 83,522!! Since 1978 it was driven to town occasionally, driven in parades with her grandkids and used in their daughters marriage. It sat in a steel quonset the rest of the time. The last couple of years the man's health had been in decline, congenital heart failure, he passed recently. They had a large farm that she was left with and many old cars, trucks and farm equipment dating back to the 30's. She couldn't bear to see the stuff auctioned off and has chosen to stay there until her time comes. I found out about the car through her insurance agent, who was letting some people know about it and that she wanted to sell it to raise some cash for mounting expenses with her husbands health. She actually doesn't drive much anymore (she is in her 80's). I contacted her and went to look at it, I brought a battery and some gas, she said it hadn't been started in a year "..or so". Dumped gas in the carb, cranked it up and if fired right off with no smoke or noises! Drove it around the yard and everything worked great. My intent was to clean it up, give it a repaint and sell it. Once we got it back to the shop and looked it over, we decided it was just too nice to turn it. This thing RUNS great, purrs like a kitten, doesn't knock or smoke, has awesome power (premium fuel), drives great!!! THE GOOD: 99% original, take a good look at the pics, motor has not been messed with, I can't see any gaskets that have been replace or silicone seal hanging out, the air cleaner is there along with the heat tube (which is extremely hard to find). The carb, radiator, brackets, tabs, water pump, bolts, everything looks original except for some maintenance items like hose clamps, spark plugs, dist cap, etc. The bottom of the car is dirty (it was driven on gravel roads and I'm sure it just got hosed off on the outside once a year wether it needed it or not) but nothing appears rusted badly or pitted. It would seem the transmission, exhaust, driveshaft u-joints, shocks, etc. are all original.The trunk has the vacuum operated release that functions perfect and the trunk light still works. The interior is in great shape, the original floormats are there, the seats are way above average, the carpet is still good, etc. The plastic seat backs are starting to chalk but may be saveable. The rear door panels and convertible top hardware covers are in great shape. The front door panels are curling on the bottom and losing there shape. console is in nice shape (shift ball was missing), original radio, (doesn't work), all interior lights work, dash in perfect shape, convertible top is excellent, hardware is great and it works superb. The stainless trim is all there and in nice shape, couple of dings but easily fixable. Bumpers are decent and look good for being 42 years old. Emblems, trim, grille, lights, lenses, etc all above average and restorable. The body, floor pans & trunk are excellent. NOTE: the original red line tire in the trunk!!! You can clearly see it was rotated and is an oe tire. THE BAD: -both front fenders have small rust at lower rear, gravel roads! (the rest of the body appears excellent!!!) -the car had a simple repaint at some time in the 70's, the jambs are untouched but the job is old and looks ok -one exhaust gasket is leaking -the trans dipstick tube o-ring leaks when it sits -AC system is complete but needs to be charged -the tires are old, probably mid-70's, not dry rotted but... -the convertible top rear window is split if you are in the area, please contact us, you can inspect the car, start it, etc. nothing to hide! On May-05-10 at 13:19:52 PDT, seller added the following information:THE VIN NUMBER IS 344678M401722, the 344 indicates a real 442On May-18-10 at 16:15:31 PDT, seller added the following information:the motor is numbers matching, the car is for sale locally, 325hp 4bl motor, the reserve is set very fair, willing to deal, need capital for our business!