455/4-Speed! 1970 Oldsmobile 442 Convertible
Even without the coveted W-30 package, the 1970 model 442 is considered by many Oldsmobile enthusiasts to be one of the finest cars to ever wear the name, sort of a rise to the top of its game with a 455 now as the standard powerplant, which was available only on the Hurst/Olds the previous year. Less than 3,000 droptops were produced for the ’70 model year, so if you like your Olds with a 455 and enjoy the rush of wind in the cockpit this 1970 Oldsmobile 442 Convertible just might be the car you’ve been looking for. This one’s located in Anderson, South Carolina, and can be spotted here on Facebook Marketplace, with the seller hoping to gain $62,500 from the sale.
Barn Finds reader Dana Gilligan sent this one our way, and we’d like to say thanks for the great tip! So let’s get the one bit of bad news I can see here out of the way first, and that would be the 455 is not the original numbers-matching motor. However, it is the correct date code, and some more good news is this one is a 4-Speed, plus there’s a 12-Bolt positraction rear end underneath. The seller says the car runs and drives great, and things are said to be detailed to factory specs under the hood, even down to the correct stickers and labels.
No information is specified about how long the seller has owned the 442 or any history about the paint, although we are told that Galleon Gold is the factory color and a new black convertible top is in place. What we don’t know is whether or not there’s been any sort of a restoration or a respray, or maybe it’s just always looked this good, but in any event, it’s hard to find much to fault with the outside appearance, with one minor detail I did notice is the back bumper appears ever-so-slightly lower on the passenger side. But that’s really nitpicking and pretty small potatoes in the grand scheme.
Things inside are presenting nicely as well, with that 4-spoke steering wheel just reeling with coolness. Would you believe I found one of these driving wheels at a salvage yard in the early eighties? Paid the proprietor 10 bucks, pulled it, and stuck it on my Nova that same day! Just spray painted the center horn button black and bam, it went from an Oldsmobile cap to no branding at all. There’s not any A/C here, but hey, it’s a convertible, just put the top down and enjoy the breeze. What are your thoughts on this 4-4-2? Is the asking price a good deal for what you’re seeing here?
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Comments
Nice looking car,except for the rear spoiler.
Why do so many sellers install these on their
cars?
I agree as I’m not in the spoiler camp to spoil such a nice car. She is a pretty site to see and no doubt hear. I picture myself driving around top down looking for a overpass or tunnel. Drop down a gear, give it the beans, and smile and laugh. Turn around and do it again!
I think the car needs an LS motor,,( cough,,bozo) the spoiler, btw, was a factory option. In the late 60s, there was this half baked notion, at over 150 mph, one needed more downforce on the body, and while this car would never do what the spoiler was intended for, it looked racy. They all jumped on the bandwagon, some more than others( Superbird). Naturally, I’m flabbergasted at the price, really? $62grand? For a ragtop Cutlass? Fascinating, Captain,,,beam me up, seems there’s no intelligent life on this plane,,
planET, grumbling about no edit on EAs
Actually, the Superbird and the Daytona’s wings were wind tunnel tested and the large size actually did give the car downforce on the rear at high speeds. The Superbird’s horizontal slat was adjustable , I’m not sure if the Daytonas were but those spoilers actually worked – although really just for racing on the high speed racetracks, not for general street driving
It is not a Cutlass, it is a true 442 check out the 344 Vin tag
So true ,you could not get a spoiler on a Olds 442 or Cutlass convertible unless you added yourself.
The Cutlass/442 rear spoiler is so overdone, just like the W25 hood. They look idiotic on a convertible or the Supreme body style, in my opinion anyway. Back in 1973 I installed a W25 hood from a wrecked Rally 350 on my 69 442 convertible. Looked absolutely comical until I could get it painted!
Wrong, Rear Wing was a W-25 Option except for Hurst/Olds- & 70 Rallye 350’s which came as standard equipment. I” owned Oldsmobile’s 54 years, I won’t own anything else, and nothing newer than a 1972, my daily driver is a 1971 Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser, in which I’ve owned 3 of these. I have owned 11 Oldsmobile’s since 1969, 442.s, Cutlass, Starfire’s, 1st car 1956
Super 88 I know these cars I’ve had 4 speeds & automatic’s and Tri-power and a 1966 442 4-speed convertible 400 ci with dual Quads. , I will Never own a New Junk and that’s what new cars are.Tuperware cars
Being I had a few of these olds back when they were new, 71 W-30 for one, the only ones with a wing were 70 Rally 350 and the 69 H/O. Crazy you see about half or more of the 442’s of that era today with a wing. I had bought a used one for my W-30 but never installed, deciding I didn’t like the look that well. It had Lucretia hand written across the top when I bought it😂
Yes, & if my feeble memory the spoiler is on backwards!
I agree, but in it’s day it served a purpose even a little could gain some time. It also dates the legendary era.
Looks like the drivers side fender has been replaced as it has the ridges. The convertible top color should be gold according to the cowl plate.
Yes the H code is the dark gold – pretty rare. Any idea if you can still get tops in that color?
I have had 3 different ’70s with H code gold tops (2 with vinyl top and one convertible), but they ALL also had the 974 gold interior (and gold top boot where applicable). I think it always looks better when the top matches the seats, so the black top in this case I would not change since the seats were originally black.
The boot should definitely match the seats. But the top in a contrasting color to the body looks best in my book!
I sold a 2007 Saturn parts car on Facebook Marketplace for $1000 last week. Based on the amount of stupid calls and texts I got in three days, I can’t believe anybody would ever sell a car like this on that site.
lol man isn’t that the truth. In 91 had a 76’ Cutlass Supreme for sell, in the ad I put 76’ Cut. Supr $200 need’s transmission. Callers ask from color to every question you can think of. I answered, it’s a $200 car that needs a transmission. They act like they’re purchasing a new car.
I sold a car for my brother on craigslist, after it sold and he paid me a 100 dollars for my trouble he asked me if I wanted to sell another car for him. Told him after taking all the calls from stupid people I am never selling anything on CL ever again
I don’t get this Facebook Marketplace. It seems like a very lousy format for selling a car. Seriously lumpy to navigate, below it are a bunch of ads for totally random stuff having nothing to do with cars. Like Facebook itself, Marketplace seems to be a lot of hype over a lousy execution. The pictures are annoyingly small as is the description which you have to click on just to see it all on a page that’s full of irrelevant crap. Do you have to be a Facebook member to see these ads in a more impressive light? And to find the old car listings in one easily navigable place? Or is this Facebook Marketplace just another hangout for all the disciples just too comfy to leave Zuckerberg’s inexplicably popular mind numbing anti-Free Speech bubble for better platforms on the “outside”? The only thing that ad motivates me to do is close my browser. Just horrible in every possible way. GLWTS, you’re gonna need it.
Too nice. Too much. The way the economy is changing, even if I really wanted this car, I would be hard pressed to spend much more than 42k. Out the door. My biggest concern is where the market will be in a year or two. It seems to me that most cars are topped out, price wise. I think the best move for me is to wait about 4 months or so. There are plenty of other cars out there.
Asking an Olds expert out there, shouldn’t this car have the red front inner fender liners?
Unless this car was built in Canada, because all the ones I saw here, back in the day, didn’t.
Only the w30 cars had the red liners
No only W-30’s had red fender liners
442 W 30 out of Michigan had the red inner wells . I have a 1970 ultra rare F-85 W31 . No power brakes, no power steering, no Ac . No power anything . It’s a 2 door post . Has a th350 Jo automatic transmission with a factory 2,900 high stall speed converter. It also has the complete W27 rear end with 3.91 rear gears. I have it since 1973. It still does 12.5 and 110 miles a hour in the quarter mile
Not posting for quite some time, I had to chime in to say $62,500 is just nuts. I’m not knocking it, as it’s a nice example but it’s no Mopar, or SS or whatever. Yeah I know some will say Mopars are over priced, but the Olds is not in the same league. For $16,000 I would gladly choose that ‘67 Eldorado a few posts back – even if they were the same price, I’d still choose the Caddy. That Olds is just not that special.
I worked with a Olds freak some years ago, he go almost 100k out of one 442 he owned. (he had six or seven). Don’t know what was so special about it to garner that kind of coin. The wing was on every 442 of this vintage if I remember right, they look naked without them, imo. My dad’s buddy had a turquoise 70 or 71 couple with the wing and a buddy of mine had a orange W30 with one and the red fender liners. We had a kid at work about five years ago that drove a 70-71 W30 red with the wing and red fender liners. It was a very solid beater and he drove it in the Ohio winter! I tried to buy it but he wouldn’t go for it.
I understand that the spoilers were a factory option but I think it looks ridiculous. Otherwise a fairly decent looking Oldsmobile . The price is way too much. I had a 1972 Cutlass Supreme the same color and a 1971 that was the rootbarall color.
No one has even noted the fact this car is a 4 SPEED! I understand it’s not worth the asking price but that’s a pretty big plus in my opinion. Would almost pay for it because it’s not auto. Bet it’s a blast to drive.
If it were numbers-matching, with all original body panels the price wouldn’t be too high.
Aside from the lame-o incongruent Facebook listing, what’s not to like? This car has everything that’s been lacking in cars for the better part of 50 years. It’s called sex appeal and I’m not talking about it getting you laid, it’s just an inate lust such a car conjures that’s missing on all the plastic front wheel drive SUV fuel injected Irish Spring and cinderblock inspired passionless things we’ve had to settle for ever since. Sure, technology and your freaking Chinese microchips have led to improvements in drivability, efficiency and acceleration, but none of these modern buckets sets the soul on fire like this stoneage or shall I say Romantic Period Olds does. Keep your new Porsche. I’ll gladly take two of these instead. Any day.
Crazy platform to advertise to the necessary market. That said? Kool car and could not build one to this standard for the ask. So step up or get back on yer lawn swing!
Am I wrong or does the 977 on the data plate indicate a white interior?
Is it still available, it is $61,500 now.
If you haven’t noticed, but these cars have skyrocketed. The average cutlass is pulling 12-20 thousand. This is a 442 4 speed and a drop top to boot. They are selling these cars for over a 100000 at mecumn and barret Jackson. So I don’t like the price either but that is the lay of the land these days.
sad thing is…… most of us car lovers don’t have the kind of pocket books to swing these kind of purchases. But the rich minority that have to have something just drive these values up out of proportion
Sad but true. The old car hobby is now beyond the reach of the everyday Joe The Car Buff. It’s become a buy it and flip it at a profit game for the deep pocket crowd.
Had one of these on order after graduation, 3-way white with air, no spoiler. Uncle Sam got me to go play overseas. Went to cancel, the salesman gave me the refund and said “I’m not canceling, that car won’t last a week on the lot”. Often wondered who go it.
I believe 1970 BOP never had a 12 bolt rear. I have a 1970 442 W30 with a W27 10 bolt
Hmmm, no argument, but every other Olds I have seen (or had) that I remember was equipped with the type O 12 bolt rear end, which was different from the popular and more desirable Chevrolet type C12 bolt rear axle. The type O rear end, while having 12 bolts on the cover is visually different, but the real difference is that the ring gear is attached to the carrier with 10 bolts, while the Chevy rear actually uses 12 bolts. The other main difference is the Olds rear axles are retained at the outer bearing, while the type C uses “C” clips at the ends of the axle shafts in the differential. Most of us have seen GM cars that break the c clip retention system, and the wheel, brake drum and axle shaft all exit out of the car. Fairly common event a a drag strip. The NHRA mandates axle retention systems for any car running 10.99 or quicker. There are aftermarket kits available along with the axles to solve that issue. Interestingly, Pontiac used the type C 12 bolt rear on the 455 cars, and I believe certain Grand Prix drivetrain combinations. The W31 covers are available in the aftermarket in both 10 and 12 bolt versions.
You are correct, Olds had 12 bolt covers but a 10 bolt ring gear but not the Chevy 10 bolt. Was confusing back then when getting different gears.
Wrong, there is currently a complete 70 W27 rear (center section aluminum as well as only 70 has) and it has count them 12 bolts. My 71 W-30 had the factory W-27 cover only and I don’t remember how many bolts it had. My 68 H/O had 12 bolt cover on the 3.91 rear.
One can ask anything they want for their treasure. As we all know… What one is willing to pay establishes what the treasure is truly worth. At $60k or anything close, I wish him luck! I was a gambling man… Let’s make two bets… Selling price: $45k (over or under) Time to Sell: 4 months (over or under)
I’ll take the first at under and the second at over for $2. Anyone else want in?
Gentleman. I’m trying to figure out some specifications on my 1970 Oldsmobile 442 convertible, AC, 4speed Hurst shifter.
Car is all power PW PL and power top. I’m trying to decode the data plate. I’m trying to share the data plate but im not having any success. Any info would be greatly appreciated.
datatagdecoder dot com
I also had a 70 442 convert, automatic that was sold approximately 40 years ago, and it was featured here on BF, it was fun to see it again. Just a few weeks prior, a friend forwarded me a Craig’s List ad that was for my 69 Firebird convertible, weird stuff! Both cars stayed local to the Washington DC area.