Year One Customer Car Show

1971 Cutlass

Extent of Restoration: Frame-off restoration.

I started in 1988 with fiberglass rear quarters. In the last 10 years I can quote every 1971 item from the Year One catalog. I also have a receipt for each one of them.

The frame-off restoration started with blasting and galvanizing the frame and all related components. These were then dp'd and durathaned. All rubber and all lines were replaced with new. New rear bumpers and a replated front bumper. Re-upholstered interior and carpeting, new top .... heck! new everything. If I could buy it new, I replaced the old one. The body was stripped and repainted in white pearl. Three coats of strong white, three coats of pearl at a 3:1 ratio and three coats of clear. The 350 c.i.d. was replaced with a 403 built to Mondello specifications. The 403 is topped off with rocker rollers, a Comp cam, an Edelbrock intake and a Holley carburetor. Most of the engine bolt-ons were chrome plated. The whole package rides on SSIII wheels mounted on Goodrich radial T/As. The factory radio and 8-track are there for looks with an am/fm/cd hidden behind the ashtray door (I quit smoking). An Alpine radar alarm system protects it all.

I bought the car for $1,500 dollars in 1986 and to date I have over 10 times that in parts and materials alone. But now I'm done. All that work and hours out in the garage were worth it. I'm cruising every chance I get in a brand-new 1971 Olds Cutlass Supreme Convertible. She's a show'r and a go'r.

Special thanks to those that helped me most in this project-Year One, Visa and Master Card.

PS-You don't stay married for 25 years and spend all your time working on a car without it being HER car too!

Good Oldsmobiling,

Gypsy (Steve and Raemarie Kovaly, Erie, PA)




Back to Cutlass index