Last week Joey Githens join the SX455 Club. Like most new Cutlass SX owners, Githens checked out the Tech and Spec and Spotter Tips sections of SX455.com to confirm or deny if he had a true Cutlass SX. But after doing his research Githens, from Poplar Bluff, Missouri still was had questions about his car. Githens decided to send SX455 Club President an email and some photos of his car.
Githens email stated, “This is what I know about this Cutlass Supreme, it was produced on 10/21/69 in the Lansing, MI plant and purchased new by the original owner Ray Zarazek at Bundy Oldsmobile in East St. Louis, Illinois. Upon Zarazek’s passing in the mid 1980s, his wife gave the car to her nephew who lives in my hometown in southeast Missouri. The car sat in a climate controlled garage for the better part of 24 years. I dated Zarazek’s daughter and that is how I learned of the car."
Githens builds and restores cars at his company 4N Motorsports. After Githens purchased the car his shop performed a 681 hour restoration.
Githens said, “The car was in excellent shape and we were able to reuse a great deal of the original parts. We did replace emblems and bumpers, put a new top on, new headliner and new front seat vinyl from OPGI. I am still trying to find an original steering wheel but for the time being I put a Fesler steering wheel in it. I held on to all the original parts that we replaced. All of the lights and switches work on the car and luckily it had no rust. The Bundy Olds dealer undercoated the car but we removed the undercoating and everything including the fender tubs that were in perfect condition. We didn’t even break one bolt on disassembly."
Here is what is interesting about this car. Githens has verified that all numbers match. It has the 455 with a 2 bbl Rochester and turbo 400 trans (OD stamp code on tag). As with all Cutlass SX hard tops, the car has the inner fender braces. The car had been repainted once. But there are no SX fender badges or rear cutout bumper. So is it an SX or some other rare Olds?
Githens said, “The car did not have SX badges on it when I received it. Factory rear bumper was still on the car and it did not have cutouts. There is a front sway bar and no rear sway bar. Factory a/c, limited slip rear, floor console and power driver bucket seats. The car has an AM radio only. No tic-toc -tac in the dash. Door panels, carpet, floor mats, dash and gauges are original and in working condition. The original spare and jack, owner’s manual and the Lansing Michigan factor line card from passenger seat came with the car. All of the wiring is original and there was no dry rot. The original radiator, condenser and AC works great.
So is this car a 1970 Cutlass Supreme or an SX? There has been a long debate that you could special order a Cutlass Supreme with a 455 but without the SX package. Others have stated the only way the only way to get a 455 in a Cutlass Supreme in 1970 and 1971 was to order the Y-79 SX Performance Package.
Here is what we think:
- This was built on 10/21/1969. Early in the model year. Maybe before dealers had all the details about ordering a Cutlass Supreme with the Y-79 SX Performance Package.
- This car has the 2bbl Rochester. So this car has the L-33 Engine, which was offered in other Cutlass models, like 4-door sedan, two door Cutlass S and Vista Cruiser station wagons.
- I’m willing to take Mr. Githens at his word that the car is numbers matching. Any car restoration expert would not remove the motor and check to see if the engine was numbers matching.
If there was a build sheet with this car, the mystery would be solved once and for all…but for now, SX455 is still waiting to find a factory documented (build sheet) Cutlass Supreme 455 car that is not a Cutlass SX. Regardless, Mr. Githens has a great looking and rare Oldsmobile and while this may not be a true Cutlass SX, our club welcomes this car as a relative of the Cutlass SX.
ADDED on 5/7/2013 from Terry Divelbliss
I just read the write up on the green Supreme. Attached is a build sheet documentation for a '70 L-33 Supreme that is not an SX. This is the has the full 8.5"x11" build sheet.