Last Great Oldsmobile? 1985-1987 Oldsmobile 442 

The end for GM. F.W.D. GARBAGE TAKE OVER.

What's wrong with front wheel drive? USA first introduced it from 1938 ( cord 812)

I agree 100% only car they should of built FWD 8s their compacts and the Toronado. FWD ruined the prestige of their midsize and big cars.

@@73ac39 Cadillac Eldorado 1967 with front wheel drive still not prestige to you?

Talking about Olds. Sure the Eldo was. The 80 Seville and Riv too. The sucky cars in 86 when everything got ruined,no.

His voice not animated as the ones you hear at the gay bar? Betcha he owns a doghouse.

It's 'just the facts." No fake enthusiasm.

@@jeffreyrubish347 I think it's also a machine doing the talking.

My dad had a '73 model that I drove on occasion. Remarkable for all that front-end weight, that it could be steered with using a single finger. Sold it in 1992 after he passed away. The car still ran well, but, it was showing signs of age, such as a malfunctioning electric window, and my mother thought best to sell it before too many issues started arising with it. From my experience with that '73 Olds, I found it remarkable when I recently drove a 2002 Cadillac Seville that it had a familiar steering characteristic feeling to it that reminded me of the '73 Toronado. I guess the high-end GM vehicles have a legacy that transcends generations.

73 we're not a man's car but a little bit of coke

I'm glad you kept it because the G Body Cutlass Supreme is still a classy looking car, even today and it was the last of the RWD breed. I was never a big fan of the FWD W Body Cutlass Supreme that replaced it.

@@donaldwilson2620 Everyone knew they were going away and that's the #2 reason I bought it, #1 is because I liked it. It's still driven regularly in nice weather, in fact, my wife and I took it out to dinner last night.

Yep, nice cars and like anything else with a push rod V type American engine in it they weren't hard to get good horsepower increases out of, I knew plenty of guy's back in the day that turned these platforms into pretty fast cars and they had good looks and interiors that I myself consider to be nicer than what was in the late 60's muscle cars, the interiors of these cars were nice including usually having air conditioning and power windows and seats made out of very comfortable materials instead of vinyl that you'd stick to in the summer. I always liked these cars.

@@mezzyshredder Nobody can possibly compare something that they've never even laid eyes on to anything else so stop trying. Obviously, there was no 442 in 1988 but, all of the 442 equipment, except the exhaust, axle ratio and 15" rims were available options. Mine has the heavy duty suspension, as well as every other option available and, as I previously said, I changed the wheels/tires and axle ratio to 15" and 3.73. I have the window sticker to show how it came from the showroom. The 442 was no stripped down lightweight car in those days either as most of them were loaded with comfort options too. Their "dual exhaust" wasn't even real, it's a single pipe to the catalytic converter and splits behind it. At least that's better than a single with a dual outlet muffler I guess. Also, I never called anyone an idiot. A friend of mine actually has an 87 442 and they're very nice cars.

Mike Brown, I too own a 1988 Cutlass supreme classic and I gotta brag a little It is a black beauty! It has t tops ,v8, buckets ,all power and the chrome and black wheels. I have the standard instrumentation but would like to swap it out for the optional Rally cluster of gauges I think they called it and the optional Sport leather wrapped steering wheel. I want to keep this car all OEM . This car is near and dear to my heart as I inherited it from my dad and it was his baby! I worked at Pontic G Body assembly until the end where these cars were made, Cutlass,442,Buick Regal,Buick Grand National and TType also the Monte Carlo,Monte Carlo Luxury Sport and Monte SS. I wish I would have bought a 442! i would drive these cars off the line and some were peppy from the get go and you knew it was going to be a good one! I was told the Olds engines were built to a closer tolerances than the Chevy 305. The carbs on these cars were set lean at the factory somewhat. My mechanic says that you can tap out the limiters on the mixtures? He says when he rebuilds a quadrajet he used a heavy duty accelerator pump not the oem. It will give some better performance i have been told.

I like the 80s cutlass but I like more the late 60s cutlass and early 70s cutlass

72 was the best of the best

Yes indeed. Just think 🤔 the GN and other turbo Buicks are much better because those looks are backed by performance. The other G-body’s were dogs 🐕. All 3 Cutlass Monte Carlo & Grand Prix. Looked great but were sloooow! ✌🏻👍🏻💙🇺🇸🦅

@@JT-sl3ui The Cutlass, Monte Carlo, and Grand Prix were only dogs because of the crappy 305 engine GM put in them. Put a 350 or larger in them and they wake right up.

​@@bucknasty69a 455 resides under the hood of my '87 442, I give out high performance history lessons on the streets, when I drive it. People today think they were all that fast 😂

at the end it was just a badge

@@RayEttler - Olds tech was still being seen in the DOHC engines of Olds and Cadillac...

That day broke my heart. Buick?

@@BuzzLOLOL Yep, the Quad4 was Oldsmobile's last engine breakthrough

@@miker8379 Buick ducked the corporate axe because...it sold well in China. Just like Hollyweird movies these days cater to the government censors. In the end, Detroit only builds cars to cut a profit

Buick is very much alive. I agree about the lack of individual style- everything looks the same now, very bland and boring. Even the colors seem lifeless. I think the industry is more responsible for current trends.

Yes, Buick is still going strong. But you better like SUV's; that is all they have now. _(5/14/2022)_

@@knowbodiesfull5768 Unless you live in China. The cars sell like hotcakes over there.

Older generations said that about the '80's cars. I know what you mean but today's cars do have their appeal. You just have to know where to look. I do miss those cars from my childhood having said that. What can I say? I'm just a fan of the automobile.😅😅

Same here down in Texas.

They let Olds reach 100... then killed it off... would rather have seen weird Buick go than Olds or Pontiac...

They actually DID make a prototype with all kinds of goodies included in the upgrades. Think they called it a Darth Vader,as it was all blacked out just as the GN.

@@myleslong5584 never heard of that, thanks!

@@BuzzLOLOL Buick the division that GM built on. Also the most popular make in China which is the worlds biggest car market.

@@edwardpate6128 - GM built on Ford's Cadillac... and Louis Chevrolet's Chevy...

The G-Body GP and Monte were quite muscular looking, especially in higher performance trim.

Chevy "Monte Carlo", Pontiac "Grand Prix", Buick "Skylark"

I always thought the Monte SS was pretty badass looking. I may actually prefer the cutlass now, though. Especially with those wheels, and I was always a sucker for T-tops. Regal is awesome too in the right trim. Tough choice. I’m an 80s kid.

@@darcychu9652 Buick Regal in the G-body, wasn't it? Skylark was an 80's fwd, I think.

Don't ignore the Pontiac Grand Prix Aero coupe that same era with the expansive rear glass

In what?

Even if they bought it back under Buick it would just be some SUV type monstrosity. Let it rest in peace and dignity.

@@MikeBrown-ii3pt "In an ideal world"

@@troynov1965 Well, it never hurts to dream my friend!!!

@@troynov1965 Think about the Ford Mach E. If GM ever threatens to build a 442 E, I'd have to shoot myself!

An Olds 403" with high compression pistons and mild cam would be even a more perfect fit..

Buy a V6 Ecoboost Mustang, swap in a V8 and sell off the V6 engine.

I bought an 81 Cutlass that originally had a diesel, but someone had swapped a 350 Olds into it. The engine was knocking, so I took a 350/TH350 out of a wrecked Camaro and put that in. The problem was the 2.41 rear gears made it slow.

@Driver 637 Why would you tell the government?

@Driver 637 Using Calif as the proxy; rule of thumb was/is a swapped in engine had to be the same year or newer than the recipient vehicle and, 'truck' motors were something of a 'no no'; discussing emissions. Note that state no longer tests anything 1975 or back.

@Driver 637 They would look for whether the engine has been swapped? Really? Instead of simply sticking the probe up the exhaust and waving it through? What state are you in?

Those turbo Buicks spoke loudly when it comes to performance especially the GNX, those were some of the fastest cars ever to come out of America including the legendary large displacement performance cars of the 60's. And any car with an American V8 engine was no problem when it came to hopping up the engine, any high school kid who took shop class and had a basic set of hand tools was capable of doing the work and the aftermarket parts and support made it possible them to do exactly that, or at least find a built engine from a wrecked car in a junk yard and do an easy engine swap including throwing a shifter kit in the tranny, unlike something like a Ferrari or a Porsche an American V8 car is easy to dramatically increase the horsepower in, they're not like those kinds of cars where beyond putting a K&N air filter in it you're stuck with what you got, that's why I don't understand all these people who look at a car like a 78 Trans Am and dismiss them because of the factory power rating, their ease of modification is exactly why unaltered examples are so hard to come by and are worth a considerable amount, first thing everyone did back then was cut the belt to the smog pump and buy a "test pipe" to eliminate the catalytic converter, that and a good tune up would put a 5 to 8% increase in power right there and you only spent about $50, after that the basic concept of "Speed's just a matter of money, how fast do you want to go?" took over. I saw plenty of these platforms built to run back in the day, it didn't take a whole lot of money to turn one into something that if you disrespected it it'd kill you real fast.

@@dukecraig2402 I have a 87 grandnational the engine has only been opened to replace the rings. Still the same bore as factory and same flattapet cam. Slightly bigger turbo running a light ethanol injection, bigger injectors, fuel pump, maf sensor and I have a car that has 500hp and around 600tq that can consistently do 11.5 in the quater.

All of the GM cars of this platform look good

Swap the 307 for a '70 350. Instant power.

@@t.l.robinson2162 There was one year I think 70 cutlass has a 350 ramrod engine. That was the blueprinted high performance 350 that had big block power.

@ryan sullivan It may even be faster on a good day!!!😂

@akrocuba: Bout 5 seconds faster than the regular version.

I stand corrected you do talk about the hurst olds

GM killed itself. It doesn't make interesting vehicles anymore. It's all cookie-cutter SUV's and trucks that look the same as everything else on the road. Boring appliances and military style wannabe tanks.

I agree

@@derrickjackson6737 Nothing a Rocket 350 or 455 can't fix 💪🇺🇲

The Lighting Rods were such a ridiculous idea... Just stupid...

@Speedy rapacki when you wrap up 100's of millions of dollars in fighting the government against environmental regulations, engineering loses funding

Also, earlier GM A-body starting in 1964... Cutlass, Malibu, GTO, Skylark, El Camino, Sprint...

Indeed. And a neighbor's two door Alero was a fantastic car.

Quad 4 ran well. Too bad it was a FWD throwaway that few people remember. Maybe they should of put the quad 4 in the G body.

@@20alphabet 🤣🤣《😔》

I'd put my money on the quad 4.

@@73ac39 It would have been nice is these were still around when the 3800 was available

These are cool!!

You're not the only disappointed guy here. I lived within walking distance from an Oldsmobile dealer when I was little, then when I got older, I went to look at the car's inside the showroom. I never actually went inside, but it was exciting just the same. And with no job at the time, there was no way in the world I could afford a 1987 "4-4-2" - or anything else! This "4-4-2" was more cruiser than bruiser, IMO. (Anyone who begs to differ, feel free.). _(5/14/2022)_

Most 302's were weak... unless got the special Mustang version...

I respectfully disagree with your assessment of the Ford 302, especially the earlier 289s. The A code 289 was producing 200 to 225 hp in the 1965 Mustang, with the K code 289 producing 271 hp in the GT. Carroll Shelby ramped that up to 306 hp in the naturally aspirated 289s and around 350 hp for the rare supercharged 289s. The Boss 302 was putting out more than 300 in the late 60s to early 70s. You don't need crazy horsepower numbers to propel what was then a car that weighed between 2,700 to 3,000 pounds. Pile on emissions equipment and the increasing weight of the vehicle and the story goes downhill from there. Not Ford's fault. Only so much you can do with a 1960s engine design in the face of tightening emissions and fuel economy regulations. GM, Chrysler and AMC (until 1987 when Chrysler bought them out) had exactly same challenges. Car companies had to keep redesigning the football, government keeps moving the goalposts. Remarkable that GM and Ford were able to keep their overhead valve engine designs alive into the late 90s.

The 307 is a useless boat anchor when the 350 Olds is readily available and has so much more potential. 403's can still be found as well. Got one under a tarp, just nothing to put it in.

@@FMChimera Joe Mondello, king of the Olds builds, made 300 hp out of his 307--by replacing everything in the short block with 350 reciprocating assembly. then you have to change the roller block to the earlier 307 heads just to get an aftermarket intake to bolt on. sorry, the only thing worse than the 307 is its 260 little brother.

I've seen another example on RU-vid where the guy has got 500 000miles before developing a rod knock.

Olds 307 was a great engine 👍

@@capricetony yes they are!

I agree Donald!

Liked the styling of those years of mid sized T-Bird/Cougar... Cougar had enough rear headroom for adults...

My buddy still has one. Early 90’s I forget which one exactly.

Yeeeaaahh...first time I EVER heard that...

Yup. Muscle cars were so cheap. Plus, they weren't all that hard to find.

I beg to differ with you, but almost all US cars of the 1980s were undesirables.

@@Marc816 The reason why this period was such a good time was because the OEM's were back in the performance arena again. 1982 was a big year for performance because this year kicked off the start of the performance craze. There is a book more of things I can talk about. I will give one example of what 1982 has led up to. Who would have thought a bonestock Mustang GT would run high eleven's and cruise the highway getting 30 miles to the gal.

@@Marc816 Yep, with the exception of the 82 Camaro and Firebird and the 84 Corvette, there isn't anything else American made from the 80s I find that desirable, and I say this as a huge American car fan. I did like the 80s Olds Delta 88 too. I'm also a fan of the 1988 GM10 cars.

That was the FWD car, wasn't it?

Ryan - it’s a thing of this channel, alright, it is intentional and the regular viewers like me love it...! I guess us older folks who favour this channel find Kevin’s speech pattern comforting is this otherwise crazy world of fast-talk...

@@jeffreynolds3848 Same here. I prefer deliberate speech.

I slow it down to .75!

When. You. Get. Olds. Things. Don't. Need. To. Be. That. Fast. R. Y. A. N. (Upthespeed to 1.5x)

I'm pretty sure it's a machine doing the talking.

He said shart LOL

What’s the ECM prom for if you have a new carb?? Goofy over here making up stories.

Now, that's a collector car!