1978 Oldsmobile 442

low miles Coupe

8 - Cyl.

Automatic

3G87F8G423923

Clear

Gasoline

DESCRIPTION: This is a rare 1978 Oldsmobile 442 W29 Cutlass Salon fastback coupe. It has the original 260 2bbl. engine and 3 speed automatic transmission. It is a factory AC car. It has the factory single exhaust system. It has power steering and power brakes. It has tilt steering and the 2 spoke sport steering wheel. The only thing that has ever been changed from original is the radio. It has had an aftermarket radio installed. It has bucket seats and console. It has manual windows, manual door locks and manual seat adjustment. It has the factory optional aluminum sport wheels. They are like the wheels that came standard on a 1979 Hurst Olds. CONDITION: Body: The black paint and painted-on gold 442 stripes are all original. The car has never been repainted. The paint is thin on the top surfaces. The body is straight except for the damaged right rear quarter panel. The right rear lower corner of the trunk lid had minor damage but was straightened. It comes with a good replacement right quarter glass. All of the other glass is very good including the windshield. The floorboards are good and solid. The trunk floor is also good and solid. The car comes with all the parts to repair it with except for one moulding. That is the belt molding that goes on top of the quarter at the bottom of the quarter window. Over the years I have not been able to locate one. There are 2 straight rear bumpers, (one with the correct nerf strip). There are several extra good taillights. It also comes with several good rear bumper-to-body fillers. There are good extra plastic body panels that fit around the rear license tag. It comes with several sets of good tight door hinges. Please see photo of all the parts and extra replacement parts laid out. The grilles are excellent and the front bumper is good and straight. The left front fender has some spots of surface rust on it and some rust in the front lower area below the battery area. There are some other smaller spots of surface rust in various places, but no rust-thru other than the lower front of the left front fender. After I bought it, I drove it to a local body shop that had measuring equipment and had them check it and make sure it was straight and did not have frame damage. The frame is straight and did not need pulling. The body shop did weld some metal pieces to the right quarter panel and pulled on them to pull the damaged outer panel out to make it easier to cut off and remove. They took the back seat out and left it out in the weather. The back seat is there and comes with the car, but it will need a back seat. Interior: Overall the dash is in good condition. The black vinyl pad is good with no cracks. It came equipped with standard dash instruments. I have a factory rallye gauge package that comes with it if you want to change it. A couple of the dash A/C vents have some of the divider ribs missing, but the car comes with several extra dash trim panels with good A/C vents in them. The 442 has factory tilt steering. It is good and tight, and not loose like some GM tilt columns are. It came equipped with the sport steering wheel. It has factory bucket seats and console with automatic floor shift. The door panels and arm rests are all excellent. The rear seat side panels are also excellent. The black carpet is actually still quite nice. The headliner cloth had fallen and needs to be replaced. The headliner board has been taken out of the car but comes with the car. The front and rear seat upholstery is original but all seat upholstery needs to be replaced. The radio had been changed sometime before I got the car, but there is an original Delco AM/FM with an excellent bezel that comes with the car. Mechanical: I have driven it a total of 22 miles since I have had the car. Just back and forth to a body shop and around my shop. On the road it ran good and feels tight. It has always cranked very easily and runs good. The automatic transmission shifts good and works fine. The brakes are good. The exhaust is all good. The A/C is all there except for the belt and has not worked since I have had it. The tires are all fairly good and usable. The right front wheel on the car does not have a center on it, but I have 3 new very rare factory centers for these wheels that will come with the car. SUMMARY: This is an odd year 442. I tried for a long time to find the production numbers for this year 442 only to be told it was thought to be anywhere from 200 to 600. According to Fusick Automotive (restoration Oldsmobile parts) only 1,380 were made by Oldsmobile this year. I have been an Olds enthusiast for a long time and I have only actually seen 3 of these in person, and a few more in magazines. This one was sold new at Tux Bowers Motor Company in Morganton North Carolina, so it's a local car. The original build sheet was found under the seat and is with the car. It has a large dark discolored spot but when you hold it over a light you can read all the options and see it is a real 1978 442. I have tried to describe this Olds as honestly and accurately as possible. It has been stored in this carport for several years and is not clean, but I am not able to clean it up. It has also been several years since it has been driven on the road so the buyer needs to arrange to trailer it or transport it by some means. This car is part of an Olds 442 collection I had been trying to collect over the past 40 years. The owner I bought it from had it titled to him in March 1988 with 45392 miles on it. When I bought it from him it had 85676 miles on it. It was located in the next town from mine and I had been after it for several years. He didn't want to talk about selling it until someone hit the passenger side quarter panel. The damage was limited to the right quarter panel, the corner of the trunk lid and the right end of the rear bumper. The right quarter glass was broken. I started looking for parts and after a search of several years, finally found a good used quarter panel. I had to travel to the next state over to get it. This aero coupe body style is really rare and they are few and far between. I used to do auto body restoration but now have Multiple Sclerosis and I am no longer able to work on my cars. I will have some other Oldsmobiles hopefully listed soon. My father-in-law had some Chryslers, but he died a while back and now I am unable to do anything with the cars he had either. Too many cars and not enough health or time. I am hoping there is an another Oldsmobile enthusiast out there that loves the weird ones and would like to make this 442 what it could be, to use and enjoy. If you have any questions I will do my best to answer them. Thank you for looking at and considering this Olds. TERMS OF SALE: This Olds is offered without warranty. It has a clear North Carolina title. Full payment must be made within 7 days from the end of the auction. Payment must be made in cash. Any other methods of payment will have to be discussed and agreed upon before they will be accepted. Auction winner will be responsible for vehicle pickup and transport.