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Black Beauty: 1976 Oldsmobile 442

Who knows where Cypress, Texas is? Well, you may want to find out because this 1976 Oldsmobile 442 is for sale here on eBay and is located in Cypress which is about 24 miles from downtown Houston, Texas. This 442 has 3 days remaining in the auction and has a starting bid of $12,999. The seller also has a Buy It Now price of $15,000 on the car. Only 9,576 442’s were produced in 1976. If the W-29 Appearance and Handling Package was ordered, a buyer received special paint and decals along with the FE2 Rallye suspension. The 1976 and 1977 442 came with an aerodynamic sloped nose with split grilles and four rectangular headlights.

This particular 1976 Oldsmobile 422 is equipped with the 350 cubic inch V8 engine (5.7 liter) and a floor shifted automatic transmission. This engine was rated at 170 horsepower and was typically matched to a highway ratio rear end that ranged from a 2.41:1 to 3.08:1 gear ratio. Many enthusiasts are unaware that the 442 could be ordered with a 260 cubic inch V8 engine and 5-speed manual transmission. Also, 1976 was the last year that the 455 cubic inch V8 engine could be ordered in the 442. Unfortunately, by 1976, the 455 cubic inch Rocket V8 only delivered 190 horsepower and 350 lb-ft of torque.

As always, the interiors of any Oldsmobile was very nice. The 442 came with bucket seats that swiveled. This car has a nice interior and appears to be well taken care of over the years. The car is equipped with new tires and a new exhaust system. Originally, the car had air conditioning but a prior owner removed it. The parts are in a box and come with the sale of the car should the new buyer want to reinstall it. I am surprised that the current owner has not done that since he/she is living in Southeast Texas with black on black car.

The odometer on this car is approaching 100,000 miles. My best friend in high school, Russell, had a 1977 442 with this same engine. Since the car did not have Positraction, he was a master at smoking the rear passenger tire going around a corner. He got three tickets in that car before I got my driver’s license back in 1980. While heavy and underpowered, this is a cool car and I like that the seller has retained the stock Oldsmobile rally wheels. Would you feel proud cruising in this black beauty?

Comments

  1. Avatar Moparman Member

    A military bud had one of these in black w/ gold. Always thought the angled front end looked good on the car. This is a nice one; GLWTA!! :-)

    Like 2
  2. Avatar GARY

    Why would you remove the A/C……….if you dont want it,dont use it

    Like 10
    • Avatar Phil

      Probably didn’t work and was removed to save weight?

      Like 3
  3. Avatar OIL SLICK

    My buddy had a blue and black 77. Dog but hi perf back then.

    Like 1
  4. Avatar Rosko

    A guy in my neighborhood had one when I was in high school. Deep green with white graphics, white interior. No one was mechanical in our pack so adding ET mags and flipping the air cleaner lid upside down was as trick as the 442 got. Man, was it pretty though.

    Like 3
    • Avatar Gary

      That’s funny! I remember flipping the air cleaner lid upside down on my chevelle in high school.

      Like 6
  5. Avatar Jcs

    Flipping the air cleaner lid added an immediate 25 horsepower. Everybody knows that.

    Like 10
    • Avatar Rosko

      And painting the pumpkin ball…another 15 hp…lol!

      Like 5
  6. Avatar Rhett

    The 73-77 A Bodies are one of GM’s best platforms, so much so they carried on with minor changes as the basis for the 77-96 B and C body cars. While this car may be underpowered, I’m willing to bet it’s a blast to drive. And I’m not sure there’s a penalty to having the 350, in 76 the 455 was a REAL dog, not strong enough to justify it’s own weight (but still an excellent towing motor). This particular car is well optioned and I like the color combo. I don’t think 15k is outrageous pricing, and in a few years is likely to look like ground floor money, these cars are gaining popularity at a fast rate.

    Like 5
  7. Avatar Clement Feldman

    I’m not a big fan of the ‘73-‘77 GM intermediates. They got fat, had much less attractive styling and the smogged motors killed any real muscle car performance.
    There’s a reason only 9700 442’s were sold that year: nobody wanted one.
    If you’ve just gotta have this version, this is pretty nice example.
    But I’d pass and get something more interesting…

    Like 4
  8. Avatar stumpwi

    I don’t understand how the weight of air conditioning would make any difference?

    Like 1
  9. Avatar Gransedan

    Nice car. The bucket seats would have been optional in a 442 equipped Cutlass. Buckets were standard, however in Cutlass Salon models of ’73-’77, in both 2 and 4 doors, though no 4 door Salon was offered for ’77.

    Like 0

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