Many people end up buying or creating a car like they used to have "way back when." This car is a little different....it actually is the car that I had "way back when."

This is a car that I drove and raced from '81-'83, when I gave it to my little brother for his high school graduation present. He did the same from then until the end of '87, when he sold it to go in the Navy. Sadly, he died in a motorcycle accident in February, '88......I found the car for sale that summer and bought it immediately, always saying that I was going to restore it to its former glory and a permanent memento for me to remember all the good times that Mark and I shared racing it over the years.

The car stayed in storage for the next 12 years, either due to a shortage of cash or time, as many of you can appreciate. When I got started on it, I got the "mightaswells".....badly! The rear quarters had gotten cancerous over the years......so I bought a rustfree '77 442 in San Diego, drove it back to Michigan, and cut the two cars completely in half to take the perfect rear section for the Cutlass. Per the attached remnant picture of the white 442, we got our money's worth out of it. ;-)

We completely blasted, POR-15'd, and painted the entire frame. The seats are completely reupholstered with the proper fabric that I spent months finding. All interior panels have been re-dyed to the bright white they used to be. I got a driver's door from Florida.....a passenger door from Arizona.....a rear bumper from Georgia. Carpet and headliner....new. All door and window seals, windfelt....new. Underhood and trunk.....spotless. Until you hear it run or see the 3" exhaust hanging out the back, you'd think it was a NEW '76 S, freshly redone in a nicer black than Olds gave it 25 years ago.

Lest anyone think we retained a stock '76 drivetrain......many, many mightaswells here. '71 455 block .030 over decked to give true 11.75:1 compression, Arias Speedmaster pistons, Eagle rods, heavily ported G heads with 2.07/1.71 stainless valves tapped to accept 1/2" ARP studs, Torker intake, Holley 850 DP, Hooker Competition headers with Torque Tech full 3" dual exhaust, Holley blue pump with full -8 braided fuel line from the Competition Engineering fuel sump, Powermaster starter with remote solenoid, remote oil filter, Mondello JM 4-5 cam with his valvetrain and oil restrictor stuff, Milodon big oil pan with Melling HV pump, MSD 6AL ignition, TH400, Moser Engineering 33-spline spooled rearend w'/C-clip eliminators, 4.10 gears, Southside Machine upper and lower control arms, new suspension, brakes, and stainless brake lines all around, 235/60 front and 255/60 rear BFG Radial T/A's (street driving), ET Drag 30 x 9 slicks (racing), plus a million other things. We figure it should run low 12's all day long, not bad for a really big car, and better if we lean on it. We will not, however, do a single thing to lighten it.....if I want it to go faster, it simply requires more motor. Or a blue bottle. ;-)

Mike Evans

Richland, MI