455 Powered Project: 1970 Oldsmobile Cutlass

The General Motors A-Body offerings got a significant redesign in 1968, including the popular Oldsmobile Cutlass, which featured new sheet metal to kick off its third generation of production.  By 1970, the 2-door models came with two different rooflines, including the sporty fastback as seen on this 1970 Oldsmobile Cutlass S here on Craigslist in Burien, Washington.  This one’s a project, but it’s got a desirable engine under the hood, and might be worth considering if you’ve got the skills needed to get this Olds back on the road.  Curvette, thanks for another excellent tip here!

Unfortunately, this one’s been through the school of hard knocks, beginning when it was parked some 20 years ago after the driver’s door became stuck.  The car has been sitting ever since, and at some point, a dishonest gearhead helped themselves to the carburetor.  However, there’s still something to get excited about mechanically, as the seller says that’s a 455 in the bay.  It’s unknown if the crank will still turn, but even if that’s affirmed, I’m guessing plenty of attention will be needed to get this big block operating properly again.

Before this Cutlass was parked, it made contact with something hard up front, as the bumper, hood, and both grille sections were pushed in and damaged.  The owner also mentions that rust has developed in some areas of the body, but thankfully, much of the exterior is described as straight overall.  Hopefully, the corrosion here hasn’t eaten so far into the panels that most won’t be salvageable.  A repair has already been attempted on the right fender, but it’ll probably need to be redone, or perhaps source a replacement component for this section instead.

The interior undoubtedly looks the part of an auto that’s been neglected for at least two decades, and in addition to a thorough refresh, it will also need new floors installed.  However, the trunk pan is reported to be good, but there’s no information given about the condition of the undercarriage.  This 1970 Oldsmobile Cutlass S will require plenty of work, but I’d like to see it saved, whether that means returning this one to stock specs, going the Restomod route, or maybe creating a 4-4-2 clone.  How would you envision moving forward here?