Words: Tommy Parry
Joe’s Oldsmobile has an impressive sheen of green, but perhaps more intriguing is the powerplant. The 442, bored out to a 468, uses Edelbrock heads, custom dished Diamond pistons, 7″ Scat steel rods from Rocket Racing, studs, main straps and oil restrictors.
That’s not the half of it. Also included is Canton Racing’s 15-502 baffled six-quart pan with a 15-503 pick-up, a Holley 770 Street Avenger with vacuum secondaries and an electric choke, a Crane Hydraulic roller cam, Hooker SC 1 ⅞” headers, a 3″ X-pipe, mufflers, exhaust and Oldsmobile trumpets to round out the engine modifications. There is a Be Cool aluminum radiator with dual electric fans to keep the mill operating after hard runs, and in its current spec, it produces a handy 528 horsepower at 5,500 rpm, and 563 ft-lbs at 4,300 rpm. That grunt is handled by a Richmond five-speed with road racing gears.
Once the power passes the gearbox, it’s sent back to a Chevy twelve-bolt posi with 3.31 gears and through Moser axles, and onto 18×10” Oldsmobile SSIs wrapped 305/45/18 Nitto Drag Radials, which required some fender massaging to avoid rub at full lean. There’s plenty of grip available, complemented by the comprehensive suspension.
To make good use of that power, Joe opted for Hotchkis adjustable uppers, Jegs lowers, CPP 2″ drop springs, an adjustable UMI Performance sway bar and QA1 single adjustable shocks on a fairly compliant setting. It’s a comfy setup that helps put the power down.
Up front, he employed a QA1 Pro Coil Over system with single adjustable QA1 shocks, SC&C adjustable tubular upper control arms, Global West tubular lower control arms, a Hotchkis 1.5” sway bar and AFX Spindles. A chassis brace, a new Lee 800 steering box and 600-lb springs give the big behemoth the sort of steering response one would pair with a much leaner machine – and it also aids in the parking lot!
It’s a large car, and with the tightly-packed gears and lots of accessible torque, it accelerates with the urgency of something much smaller. Therefore, he added a Hydroboost setup with Baer 13” rotors front and Baer 12” rotors rear; the former are housed within 18×8” Oldsmobile SSIs with 255/45/18 Nitto 555 tires.
Despite its focused footwork and potent powerplant, the Oldsmobile had to provide a comfortable driving experience when the throttle wasn’t wide open. A thick layer of Dynamat and lots of carpet keep things quiet inside, but in case he’s in the mood for a spirited freeway blitz, Joe’s devised a complete sound system comprised of a Sony MEX-GS610BT stereo, high output Boston Acoustics Pro Series speakers in front and Boston Acoustics CRX57 speakers in the rear. Completing the cabin orchestra are a Kicker 12″ subwoofer with a JL Audio amp kit. High-fidelity tunes in the ears with a white cue ball shifter in the right hand is a pleasant combination.
It’s a fantastic package for the driver, but the eye-grabbing aspect – that which grabs the attention of the person passed on the street – is the lime green metallic paint.
As the Oldsmobile was not exactly a featherweight at a cushy 4,300 pounds, Joe set off trying to put it on a diet. With aluminum heads, intake, a new A/C compressor plus all new glass, a ram air hood, fiberglass fenders and a fiberglass front bumper from Showcars Unlimited, a glass rear decklid and lots of cutting on core support, he cut an impressive 310 pounds from the total.
Once the car was rolling under its own steam, the combination of that high-compression motor’s torque and a wide rear tire sheared the teeth off of second gear – twice! Bring in the big guns: Joe replaced the five-speed with a Magnum TR6060 six-speed.
To prepare the car for its future sporting career, Joe installed a chromoly rollbar with a crossbar section, harnesses to keep him cozy in the middle of an autocross and an oil cooler to allow for some thrashing on a Virginian summer day.
The hiccups and headaches caused by switching between carburetors several times prompted Joe to take the futuristic route. A Go EFI 8 by FiTech solved most of his problems and gave him an increased level of throttle response that would make most Ferrari owners envious – regardless of the capricious southern weather. The build isn’t over yet, and soon, he’ll be impressing corner carvers across Virginia with that inimitable combination of style, practicality and performance.
