Lest we, forget. Dick Griffin, who campaigned a W30 Oldsmobile vista cruiser in Q/SA during the same time, which was always suspected to have been run through the engineering department at Olsmobile.
@HotRodHoarder and the youngsters nowadays think that their street sleepers are one of a kind and something they thought up. HA..... they have no idea...
What a terrific story! My Mother bought a brand new orange Oldsmobile Cutlass S in 1972 with white interior, Cutass orange wheels, and Hurst duel gate automatic shifter and console! She passed the car to me at 35k in 1976. The car is a survivor at 96k with original paint and white exterior stripes! Love those Oldsmobiles!
That's a badass car, I remember the Dr. Oldsmobile stickers when I was in elementary School. A 6th grade teachers husband worked at the Olds dealer and she would give kids the stickers, there's still one on my dad's garage wall.
Thanks so much for this. I owned a 70 W31 four speed Cutlass and pissed off many Camaro and Chevelle owners with it. That high winding 350 with the nasty cam lope was a factory masterpiece. All the W power plants were hand built by individual factory engine builders. The carb matched the aluminum intake which matched the cam and heads, basically factory blueprinted. At the drag strip, after learning how to pedal the street tires I managed a 13.90 ET. There we Detroit muscle that couldn't do that with 75 more cubic inches. Don't forget the Oldsmobile Dr Olds ad campaign in the early seventies. There is also video of Dick Smothers doing a burnout, staging, launching and banging gears in one of these cars.
I live 10 minutes from highland Ave where berejik Oldsmobile was , they had the best high performance car's , just got a 71 toronado with 31,000 original miles from George berejics collection , in storage for over 40 years , every thing on it is original !!!
This video really brought back some great memories ! I was 13 y.o. in 1968 and was into anything and everything to do with drag racing. As a fan of the Smothers Brothers TV show, I was doubly impressed when they put together their racing team. Those really were the days ! And many thanks to the Hot Rod Hoarder for doing such a fantastic job of showcasing historic drag cars, and their owners and drivers !
G'day from Australia, As Australia's number 1 Oldsmobile Fan this is a great story that I never heard of. You got to give it to Oldsmobile they were out there pushing the limits against GM racing ban. I am a Mopar man but after Mopar, Oldsmobile is my second choice of muscle cars & W31 are my favourite Oldsmobile but 1968 the Ram Rod 350. Just subscribed Cheers Louis Kats from Melbourne, Australia 🇦🇺 👍
God bless you for sharing all this history with the rest of us. The fact that Jimmy was from Lakeland just around the corner from Orlando, where we live is pretty special. Who didn’t love this mother’s brothers comedy growing up in the 60s? This Oldsmobile is a super special piece of Drag Racing history. JT Florida Dragstrip Riot Orlando FLA
Great video... In 69 I was only 8 years old. I had forgotten all about the Smothers Brothers cars. Back in the small town I grew up in, I remember seeing a W-31 Olds that ran around town. I knew what a W-30 was, but didn't know anything about the W-31 until I did some research. They were very strong running cars that nobody talked about...
The entire Waibel Family thank you for putting this amazing video, it has become an instant family treasure ❤ P.s. yes Mr.Griffin was an amazing Olds racer also
Growing up on the South Shore of Massachusetts I used to see the super Oldsmobiles out of Berejik Olds racing at New England Dragway. The Berejik speed shop was a must visit place in Needham, Mass for High Performance race parts in the 1960's and 70's.
I can relate, being raised in the 60s in Brockton, and living a few streets away from Loyde Woodland. You can't talk Smothers bros Olds, W/O mentioning Berejik Olds, and the team of Woodland, and Andresan. Good times
This is the first I've heard anything about the Smothers Brothers being into NHRA Drag Racing. I'm impressed. I really enjoyed their performance on stage, thihs adds to it.
I don't know how you find these cars and their stories, but I'm glad you do. Another superb, informative and almost shed a tear when Dickie came to the car. Bravo sir thank you!
Great story, great car, from a great piece of history that lives on because of two great people Jeff and Brenda. I really enjoyed the story which I didn't know much about because I was in the Army from 1969 to 1971. Thanks so much to two wonder full people Jeff and Brenda who are keeping our memories live. God Bless!.
Thank you for yet another great vid. I'm 72 years young and as a boy I lived in Crown Point, In. I don't know how far it was, (a long long ways) but my friend Benny and I used to get up at early thirty on Sundays and tramp through the corn fields and sneak into the pits at US 30 drag strip. this would have been in the early 60s. Man, the cars and big names we got to see run and to top it off we were in the pits. Those were some good days.
Great story behind this car. I was a 13yo car nut & Smothers Brother fan in 69. I vaguely remember SB involvement in racing and particularly Dickie's passion for racing. Living in FLA, I definitely remember the Waibel name but associate it more with 57 Chevys than Olds. Glad to get the whole story on SB Race Team, Olds partnership & the only surviving piece.
Awesome story, thank you for sharing as my group members know I had a couple of Oldsmobiles I have an Oldsmobile now custom cruiser 1991. But my brother had a 1972 custom 2-door with the 350 rocket motor gold block like this vehicle in the video? Once again thank you for sharing and brought up a lot of good memories for me.
Let me say, from a long time W-31 owner / fan / racer / restorer, you have done a fantastic job on telling this cars' story AND paying proper attention to the W-31 option. This is the type of exposure that us W-31 fans love! I still own my very first car 36 years later - a '69 F-85 W-31 and on our "page" , showcase our efforts on another '69 W-31 project -also Saffron with Red Hood stripes. Congratulations on a great job!
@@very5ick112 Yes, that's correct. I'm very familiar with W-31's having owned mine for 36 years. We have posted a fairly comprehensive video on what makes up a real W-31. I only asked the question because of your mention of a 455 W-30 (70-72) . Happy Oldsmobiling
We still have my dad and mother's HO number 166 from Eugene Oregon. My dad was 3 year deep pure stock champion in the quarter mile at Port Orford Oregon and at the eighth mile and Balboa in Eugene...
Listen to the overlap on that cam !! Thank you for this great video. Gave me goosebumps. Great memories. The smothers brothers tv show was very much ahead of its time. They were against the war in Vietnam. They had guests that went on to be America’s most famous artists The WHO were on that show and destroyed their instruments on tv . Tom andDick stuck to their beliefs and lost their show.
Just sold my midnight blue 1970 W31 4 speed Holiday Coupe, ordered it brand new when I was a oil and break change monkey at Hatfield Oldsmobile in Maumee, Ohio. After being my daily driver for over 50 years... I don't miss the car at all.
Garner custom restorations basically started because he bought my 72 w 30. All my years of collecting parts helped him to win the Mecum Corvette muscle car national show .
I am 75 years old, and I used to watch Jimmy Waibel race his 57 Chevy almost every Sunday at the Tampa Drag strip back in the late 60s. He was the one to beat in stock classes and was the National Record Holder in his Chevy. The Tampa drag strip was also Don Garlits home track, since his speed shop and home was in nearby Seffner, FL. only a stone's throw away. I used to watch Garlits do testing on his Swamp Rat cars there, and man was that wild. The drag strip is no longer there, as the track was demolished, and a Rooms To Go warewhouse is now at that location.
When I was a young man, my friend Rick Jones bought a brand new 68 Z/28 It was equipped with the token 7 inch slicks. 4.88 gears and headers. He raced it out of Louisville. He went 6 weeks in a row and a 68 W 31 outrun him every time. He was driving his Camaro past the dealership one day shortly thereafter and he saw the Olds on a car lot for sale. He bought it and raced it until the 70s came out and he bought another one new. He named the 68 Gold Digger. It was a specially prepared for a dealership but I don't know which one. He did well with it though at the drag strips at Kettlersville, Van Wert and Sydney, Ohio and Muncie, Indiana
Your videos are more than just entertainment, they are a journey into a world of beauty and wisdom. Thank you for your dedication!Your videos are always filled with deep meaning and emotion. Thank you for your creativity and effort!❤️🔥🐦
Great story learned a lot . Wished I'd been able to see them run however I got drafted and was out of action for a few years. When I returned I bought a brand new 1972 Olds Cutlass 350, bucket seats and the whole works . Chevy orange ,black interior,SS II wheels. It was a beauty. Mondello (Joe ?) heads and cam out of LA I believe, made my little 350 put out more than the 180 HP reported. Doctor Oldsmobile sold a lot of cars.
Another super (beyond great) video! I love 60s muscle cars in general and owned as many as I could. The Oldsmobiles were a '65, '66 and '69, all 442s. The '66 was a 3-speed Hurst-shifted stick; probably not rare but the only one I ever saw. Your uploads never fail to both impress me and bring back memories.Thank you!
I remember back in 70 there's a guy in Allentown Pennsylvania that had a Vista Cruiser station wagon and his name was John Troxell I used to have pictures of it but I can't find it it had all the windows in the roof and stuff that was a heavy car and it ran pretty quick
My cousin has a 1969 W-31 442 convertible 4 speed, he's owned since new. They made 124 of them, with 11 being convertibles. His is one of the 5 known to still exist. It is a stunning survivor, complete to the top. He showed it once, and the people that hounded him trying to buy it, along with those that wouldn't respect it and tried to climb all over it, kept him from ever showing it again.
Im old enough I remember watching the Smothers Bros on TV.. not to mention their appearances on such shows as Laugh In, and what not. Back in the day when you had to actually have TALENT to be on tv... haha! Great Olds and racing history! So cool that one of them survived and is in pristine condition. Nicely done.
I'm friends with Jim Waible and the family, still out of Lakeland Fl. Jim built one of my Olds Stock Eliminator motors years ago and is still alive today (that is a great picture of him shaking hands with Jeff). You are correct about the King Olds was turned back into the dealer and sold to someone off the street. The story I have from Jim's son Jeremy is he is the one that found the King Olds which was actually being driven down the street. Either way, Jeremey took pictures of the car and tried and tried to contact Dickie Smothers. Dickie's secretary and etc just would not let Jeremy talk to him. SO, Jeremy sent a picture of the car after he found it (still in street garb), with a picture of his license proving he was Jim's son, Jeremey, and mailed it to Dickie Smothers (Tommy hated racing and hated the car if anyone didn't know lol). Dickie immediately called Jeremey (or Jim not sure which he talked to). Dickie was excited that the car was still around. There is a Facebook page devoted to the finding and restoration of the car if anyone is interested. Some of the tricks in those motors...well....let's just say Jimmy came up with many and if it passes tech it's legal right? 😅
Very cool I remember watching the Smothers Brothers TV show as a kid and they actually had footage on the TV show of Dicky racing one of the cutlasses. As a young gear head I just thought that was just too cool
Back in the early 90s I owned a 69 w-31 holiday s .coupe , now idk about the convertibles but in 69 there were 916 holiday s coupes built with the 350 automatic, or a 4 speed , the automatic was factory rated at 310hp ,4 speeds were rated 315 or 320hp can't remember ,they called the rocket 350 in the w-31 the ram rod engine ,wish I had it back, it was vagas gold gold interior, gold hoop carpet ,with a console shifter ,i put a 442 hood on it ,i loved that car ...but so did everybody else lol! & so with everybody Always after me about the car eventually somebody said the rite number & like a dummy i sold it i made really good money off it ,but lookin back i think id rather have what it would bring today ..lol,now for the part that will make your head spin,when i originally purchase the car ,it had a dented up quarter , carb problems ,guy didnt know what he had & i didnt either until i ran the numbers on it ,but i give 500 bucks for the car when i bought it ...easy come ,easy go i guess ..lol! keepemsmokin!
Oh wow never knew this story, I sort of have a small connection to it, my 81 Cutlass that I've owned since 89 was originally from chesrown Oldsmobile here in central Ohio where I live, so cool to hear about this, love the history, love the channel been watching since you first started been a awesome ride
That Buick GS beside the olds in the last shot looks pretty special too, what's the deal with that one, those GS were torque monsters its been said in stock form the top of the line GS of those years were the fastest of the GM A-bodies, even out running the 70 Chevelle 454 450hp
I’d like to know what the NHRA factored horsepower rating was for the W31. People are constantly saying engines were under rated, but it’s funny to see just how often they are re-rated to a lower horsepower rating, sometimes, like in the case of the L79, significantly lower.
As a lifelong Stock and Super Stock racer, and friends with Jim Waibel (which built one of my motors for me 20 years ago), I can tell you how HP ratings go down. This is a game we all Stocker racers use. The NHRA uses an average of ET under the index. When a car/motor combination constantly goes far under the index (1.20 under or more) they get weight, and/or HP *added* to them, which makes the HP higher, and the body/motor combination slower, sometimes throwing it into another class altogether which kills the combination. SOOO...we...hate to say it, but nearly ALL Stock racers sandbag. We don't "let it all hang out" at most events. To keep the HP factor from moving. Now, on the other hand, there are some body/motor combinations that "need help." ... so at times HP comes OFF of a combination (lower). If you have a 327 ChevyII rated at say 250hp.....and you and all the other Chevy II's with a 327 are barely running the index. THEN...NHRA will look at it and lower your HP to make the body/motor combination more competitive. The NHRA competition committee has a final end of year ratings change...and at times during the racing season. This is a constant struggle for tech (what little there is any more), and racers as we ALL play the HP ratings game lol.
he is talking the only W/31 olds Cutlass not 442 . . I remember all those smothers brothers racing cars ... and don't kid yourselves, those olds had upwards of 650 lbs of torque when they were done massaging them, also the smother bro's won a lot of SCCA GP races in 1968 ..
I found a 1968 cutlass it was a orange hard to with white buckets and console, I told the guy I had a $100 on me I’ll give you to hold it and I’ll go right now to get the rest of the money, he was like no I trust you I’ll hold it for you NOPE!! Got back with the cash and the guy sold it already to someone who had the cash on him😖🤨😡I Was pissed!! The car was nice I want to say 350rocket auto no rust or dents , woodgrain dash factory sport wheels! It was the one that got away!
Lest we, forget. Dick Griffin, who campaigned a W30 Oldsmobile vista cruiser in Q/SA during the same time, which was always suspected to have been run through the engineering department at Olsmobile.
Gotta love those wagons in the lower stock classes. So cool!
@HotRodHoarder many races at US 131 Dragway came down to mister griffin and myself, and he always came out on top
That would have been cool if that rumor could be verified 😊
this car was not run through any enginerring program.
like all w31's raced,they came from dealer stock and had their engines rebuilt for racing.
@HotRodHoarder and the youngsters nowadays think that their street sleepers are one of a kind and something they thought up.
HA..... they have no idea...
What a terrific story! My Mother bought a brand new orange Oldsmobile Cutlass S in 1972 with white interior, Cutass orange wheels, and Hurst duel gate automatic shifter and console! She passed the car to me at 35k in 1976. The car is a survivor at 96k with original paint and white exterior stripes! Love those Oldsmobiles!
Still have?
@@steveib724 yes
@@very5ick112 great 👍
That's a badass car, I remember the Dr. Oldsmobile stickers when I was in elementary School. A 6th grade teachers husband worked at the Olds dealer and she would give kids the stickers, there's still one on my dad's garage wall.
God I miss oldsmobile they such classic styling my last cutlass was a 77 I put a 1970 455 rocket in it that car was fun it did like gas❤❤❤❤❤❤
Great 👍 I've saved a 350 glad I kept it it's a 70 block with the 68 heads and done up nice 325 hp sounds nice has that Oldsmobile sound lol
Thanks so much for this. I owned a 70 W31 four speed Cutlass and pissed off many Camaro and Chevelle owners with it. That high winding 350 with the nasty cam lope was a factory masterpiece. All the W power plants were hand built by individual factory engine builders. The carb matched the aluminum intake which matched the cam and heads, basically factory blueprinted. At the drag strip, after learning how to pedal the street tires I managed a 13.90 ET. There we Detroit muscle that couldn't do that with 75 more cubic inches.
Don't forget the Oldsmobile Dr Olds ad campaign in the early seventies. There is also video of Dick Smothers doing a burnout, staging, launching and banging gears in one of these cars.
My dad always brought home brand new 68 and 69 442s as his demo what a great era to be 14yrs old❤
Fascinating history! Thank you for sharing! ...."Mom always liked you best" 😅😅😅
I live 10 minutes from highland Ave where berejik Oldsmobile was , they had the best high performance car's , just got a 71 toronado with 31,000 original miles from George berejics collection , in storage for over 40 years , every thing on it is original !!!
This video really brought back some great memories ! I was 13 y.o. in 1968 and was into anything and everything to do with drag racing. As a fan of the Smothers Brothers TV show, I was doubly impressed when they put together their racing team. Those really were the days ! And many thanks to the Hot Rod Hoarder for doing such a fantastic job of showcasing historic drag cars, and their owners and drivers !
G'day from Australia,
As Australia's number 1 Oldsmobile Fan this is a great story that I never heard of.
You got to give it to Oldsmobile they were out there pushing the limits against GM racing ban.
I am a Mopar man but after Mopar, Oldsmobile is my second choice of muscle cars & W31 are my favourite Oldsmobile but 1968 the Ram Rod 350.
Just subscribed
Cheers
Louis Kats from Melbourne, Australia 🇦🇺 👍
God bless you for sharing all this history with the rest of us. The fact that Jimmy was from Lakeland just around the corner from Orlando, where we live is pretty special. Who didn’t love this mother’s brothers comedy growing up in the 60s?
This Oldsmobile is a super special piece of Drag Racing history.
JT
Florida Dragstrip Riot
Orlando FLA
I pretty much grew up at Orlando Speed World because of growing up in Orlando....
Great video... In 69 I was only 8 years old. I had forgotten all about the Smothers Brothers cars.
Back in the small town I grew up in, I remember seeing a W-31 Olds that ran around town.
I knew what a W-30 was, but didn't know anything about the W-31 until I did some research.
They were very strong running cars that nobody talked about...
The entire Waibel Family thank you for putting this amazing video, it has become an instant family treasure ❤
P.s. yes Mr.Griffin was an amazing Olds racer also
Growing up on the South Shore of Massachusetts I used to see the super Oldsmobiles out of Berejik Olds racing at New England Dragway. The Berejik speed shop was a must visit place in Needham, Mass for High Performance race parts in the 1960's and 70's.
I can relate, being raised in the 60s in Brockton, and living a few streets away from Loyde Woodland. You can't talk Smothers bros Olds, W/O mentioning Berejik Olds, and the team of Woodland, and Andresan. Good times
Great Olds history! Thanks for the video.
This is the first I've heard anything about the Smothers Brothers being into NHRA Drag Racing. I'm impressed. I really enjoyed their performance on stage, thihs adds to it.
I don't know how you find these cars and their stories, but I'm glad you do. Another superb, informative and almost shed a tear when Dickie came to the car. Bravo sir thank you!
Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Great story, great car, from a great piece of history that lives on because of two great people Jeff and Brenda. I really enjoyed the story which I didn't know much about because I was in the Army from 1969 to 1971. Thanks so much to two wonder full people Jeff and Brenda who are keeping our memories live. God Bless!.
That was an amazing video! It's so great to see a survivor from drag racing's golden age!!
🏁 Another GREAT vid!!!!! 🏁
Thank you for yet another great vid. I'm 72 years young and as a boy I lived in Crown Point, In. I don't know how far it was, (a long long ways) but my friend Benny and I used to get up at early thirty on Sundays and tramp through the corn fields and sneak into the pits at US 30 drag strip. this would have been in the early 60s. Man, the cars and big names we got to see run and to top it off we were in the pits. Those were some good days.
Great story behind this car. I was a 13yo car nut & Smothers Brother fan in 69. I vaguely remember SB involvement in racing and particularly Dickie's passion for racing. Living in FLA, I definitely remember the Waibel name but associate it more with 57 Chevys than Olds. Glad to get the whole story on SB Race Team, Olds partnership & the only surviving piece.
Great story and one awesome car, and I'm not exactly a huge Olds fan, but one must admire the story and car for sure.
Such an awesome story! Not all cool factory drag cars got this lucky to have owners who keep the story alive. ❤
Awesome story, thank you for sharing as my group members know I had a couple of Oldsmobiles I have an Oldsmobile now custom cruiser 1991. But my brother had a 1972 custom 2-door with the 350 rocket motor gold block like this vehicle in the video? Once again thank you for sharing and brought up a lot of good memories for me.
Great story. I'm from Lansing Mi. Home of Oldsmoble. Always loved the W31. Had a couple friends that owned 1. I had a 67 442 myself 👍
Very cool video. I remember the tv show when l was a kid. Beautiful cars.
Smothers Brothers had a wildly popular TV show when I was a kid.
Let me say, from a long time W-31 owner / fan / racer / restorer, you have done a fantastic job on telling this cars' story AND paying proper attention to the W-31 option. This is the type of exposure that us W-31 fans love!
I still own my very first car 36 years later - a '69 F-85 W-31 and on our "page" , showcase our efforts on another '69 W-31 project -also Saffron with Red Hood stripes.
Congratulations on a great job!
L77 455 olds w30 ram air
@@very5ick112 What are you referring to????
@@theautorefinery w31 is smaller 350 ramrod
@@very5ick112 Yes, that's correct. I'm very familiar with W-31's having owned mine for 36 years. We have posted a fairly comprehensive video on what makes up a real W-31. I only asked the question because of your mention of a 455 W-30 (70-72) . Happy Oldsmobiling
Great video!! Remember those car's!! Just awesome. Thanks again for sharing it.🏆🏆😎
Thanks for watching, wish I could've been around back then to see these cars in action.
Great story and history
Once again. Well done Tommy! Thank You!
Incredibly historic Oldsmobile thanks for sharing Tommy
12.66 at 110 mph is flying, and in a full weight convertible at that!
Very cool Oldsmobile I like to see the 4 car's still round.
So far, the King Olds W-31 car is the only one of the 5 that has surfaced.
We still have my dad and mother's HO number 166 from Eugene Oregon. My dad was 3 year deep pure stock champion in the quarter mile at Port Orford Oregon and at the eighth mile and Balboa in Eugene...
Lots of great history and the SB cars deserve recognition.
Listen to the overlap on that cam !!
Thank you for this great video.
Gave me goosebumps.
Great memories.
The smothers brothers tv show was very much ahead of its time.
They were against the war in Vietnam.
They had guests that went on to be America’s most famous artists
The WHO were on that show and destroyed their instruments on tv .
Tom andDick stuck to their beliefs and lost their show.
Great production!! Good story. Thank you for sharing.
Great video, as usual. I remember the W-31 cars from back in the Sixties. You didn't see many around, but the ones you did see flew!
Truly excellent video. Thanks very much for posting the history of this iconic race car.
Just sold my midnight blue 1970 W31 4 speed Holiday Coupe, ordered it brand new when I was a oil and break change monkey at Hatfield Oldsmobile in Maumee, Ohio.
After being my daily driver for over 50 years... I don't miss the car at all.
Garner custom restorations basically started because he bought my 72 w 30. All my years of collecting parts helped him to win the Mecum Corvette muscle car national show .
Such an amazing piece of drag racing history. Thank you for making this . Love hearing the stories of these amazing cars
Thanks, The story is a great one.
I've seen this car a few times. Great restoration. I remember the original build.
Love your passion for these carts and love stories like this. Thanks so much for sharing. I hope you're happy and well.
I appreciate that. I enjoy putting these videos together.
Awesome story! Im so glad it got restored and preserved while the OG guys were alive to see it. Great car
I was about to comment about Dick Smothers drag racing an
Olds iirc. I was six in ‘68.
What a fantastic story!
I miss my old 70 model w-31..4spd..4.30 rear..or 4.33..cant remember
Headers and better ignition
Shifting at 6500...oh yeah
I am 75 years old, and I used to watch Jimmy Waibel race his 57 Chevy almost every Sunday at the Tampa Drag strip back in the late 60s. He was the one to beat in stock classes and was the National Record Holder in his Chevy.
The Tampa drag strip was also Don Garlits home track, since his speed shop and home was in nearby Seffner, FL. only a stone's throw away. I used to watch Garlits do testing on his Swamp Rat cars there, and man was that wild.
The drag strip is no longer there, as the track was demolished, and a Rooms To Go warewhouse is now at that location.
Awesome video there Sir you do some darn good work and research thanks for your time and effort good jobs
When I was a young man, my friend Rick Jones bought a brand new 68 Z/28 It was equipped with the token 7 inch slicks. 4.88 gears and headers. He raced it out of Louisville. He went 6 weeks in a row and a 68 W 31 outrun him every time. He was driving his Camaro past the dealership one day shortly thereafter and he saw the Olds on a car lot for sale. He bought it and raced it until the 70s came out and he bought another one new. He named the 68 Gold Digger. It was a specially prepared for a dealership but I don't know which one. He did well with it though at the drag strips at Kettlersville, Van Wert and Sydney, Ohio and Muncie, Indiana
Your videos are more than just entertainment, they are a journey into a world of beauty and wisdom. Thank you for your dedication!Your videos are always filled with deep meaning and emotion. Thank you for your creativity and effort!❤️🔥🐦
Great story learned a lot . Wished I'd been able to see them run however I got drafted and was out of action for a few years. When I returned I bought a brand new 1972 Olds Cutlass 350, bucket seats and the whole works . Chevy orange ,black interior,SS II wheels. It was a beauty. Mondello (Joe ?) heads and cam out of LA I believe, made my little 350 put out more than the 180 HP reported. Doctor Oldsmobile sold a lot of cars.
Your stories never fail to impress. Glad to see great cars restored to this level and original owners having an opportunity to see them again.
That's a very cool story thank you for sharing
Thank you for watching!
Great research, great story, great video especially the end as the car starts up and drives away
As a Oldsmobile man this is purely olds some !!!!
Man, that was awesome! Good job.
Awesome video Tommy!
Another super (beyond great) video! I love 60s muscle cars in general and owned as many as I could. The Oldsmobiles were a '65, '66 and '69, all 442s. The '66 was a 3-speed Hurst-shifted stick; probably not rare but the only one I ever saw. Your uploads never fail to both impress me and bring back memories.Thank you!
Well done. Very interesting. 🙂👍
Oldsmobile engines get built the same way as the others maximum horse power maximum torque!!!!!
I remember back in 70 there's a guy in Allentown Pennsylvania that had a Vista Cruiser station wagon and his name was John Troxell I used to have pictures of it but I can't find it it had all the windows in the roof and stuff that was a heavy car and it ran pretty quick
My cousin has a 1969 W-31 442 convertible 4 speed, he's owned since new. They made 124 of them, with 11 being convertibles. His is one of the 5 known to still exist. It is a stunning survivor, complete to the top. He showed it once, and the people that hounded him trying to buy it, along with those that wouldn't respect it and tried to climb all over it, kept him from ever showing it again.
You mean W-30
Im old enough I remember watching the Smothers Bros on TV.. not to mention their appearances on such shows as Laugh In, and what not. Back in the day when you had to actually have TALENT to be on tv... haha! Great Olds and racing history! So cool that one of them survived and is in pristine condition. Nicely done.
I'm friends with Jim Waible and the family, still out of Lakeland Fl. Jim built one of my Olds Stock Eliminator motors years ago and is still alive today (that is a great picture of him shaking hands with Jeff). You are correct about the King Olds was turned back into the dealer and sold to someone off the street. The story I have from Jim's son Jeremy is he is the one that found the King Olds which was actually being driven down the street. Either way, Jeremey took pictures of the car and tried and tried to contact Dickie Smothers. Dickie's secretary and etc just would not let Jeremy talk to him. SO, Jeremy sent a picture of the car after he found it (still in street garb), with a picture of his license proving he was Jim's son, Jeremey, and mailed it to Dickie Smothers (Tommy hated racing and hated the car if anyone didn't know lol). Dickie immediately called Jeremey (or Jim not sure which he talked to). Dickie was excited that the car was still around. There is a Facebook page devoted to the finding and restoration of the car if anyone is interested. Some of the tricks in those motors...well....let's just say Jimmy came up with many and if it passes tech it's legal right? 😅
Thanks
The king Olds dealer is still around 2024
sweet ride, steeped in history ❤
Awesome job. Great video
Smother brothers!, omg a new respect for the brothers!. They were a little to controversial to stay on TV. The Show was my favorite as a kid.
Love the pic of the old Gainesville Raceway tower at :43
Incredible History Thankyou
Watched the Smother Brothers run at Indy in 1968.
Very cool I remember watching the Smothers Brothers TV show as a kid and they actually had footage on the TV show of Dicky racing one of the cutlasses. As a young gear head I just thought that was just too cool
Sounds great
Great Stuff! Thanks fer sharing!
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Back in the early 90s I owned a 69 w-31 holiday s .coupe , now idk about the convertibles but in 69 there were 916 holiday s coupes built with the 350 automatic, or a 4 speed , the automatic was factory rated at 310hp ,4 speeds were rated 315 or 320hp can't remember ,they called the rocket 350 in the w-31 the ram rod engine ,wish I had it back, it was vagas gold gold interior, gold hoop carpet ,with a console shifter ,i put a 442 hood on it ,i loved that car ...but so did everybody else lol! & so with everybody Always after me about the car eventually somebody said the rite number & like a dummy i sold it i made really good money off it ,but lookin back i think id rather have what it would bring today ..lol,now for the part that will make your head spin,when i originally purchase the car ,it had a dented up quarter , carb problems ,guy didnt know what he had & i didnt either until i ran the numbers on it ,but i give 500 bucks for the car when i bought it ...easy come ,easy go i guess ..lol! keepemsmokin!
great job
Again awesome story
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Oh wow never knew this story, I sort of have a small connection to it, my 81 Cutlass that I've owned since 89 was originally from chesrown Oldsmobile here in central Ohio where I live, so cool to hear about this, love the history, love the channel been watching since you first started been a awesome ride
That Buick GS beside the olds in the last shot looks pretty special too, what's the deal with that one, those GS were torque monsters its been said in stock form the top of the line GS of those years were the fastest of the GM A-bodies, even out running the 70 Chevelle 454 450hp
Great video!
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I’d like to know what the NHRA factored horsepower rating was for the W31. People are constantly saying engines were under rated, but it’s funny to see just how often they are re-rated to a lower horsepower rating, sometimes, like in the case of the L79, significantly lower.
As a lifelong Stock and Super Stock racer, and friends with Jim Waibel (which built one of my motors for me 20 years ago), I can tell you how HP ratings go down. This is a game we all Stocker racers use. The NHRA uses an average of ET under the index. When a car/motor combination constantly goes far under the index (1.20 under or more) they get weight, and/or HP *added* to them, which makes the HP higher, and the body/motor combination slower, sometimes throwing it into another class altogether which kills the combination. SOOO...we...hate to say it, but nearly ALL Stock racers sandbag. We don't "let it all hang out" at most events. To keep the HP factor from moving.
Now, on the other hand, there are some body/motor combinations that "need help." ... so at times HP comes OFF of a combination (lower). If you have a 327 ChevyII rated at say 250hp.....and you and all the other Chevy II's with a 327 are barely running the index. THEN...NHRA will look at it and lower your HP to make the body/motor combination more competitive. The NHRA competition committee has a final end of year ratings change...and at times during the racing season.
This is a constant struggle for tech (what little there is any more), and racers as we ALL play the HP ratings game lol.
I’m from Texas kept with. Oldsmobile on nhra.
she sounded purdy darn healthy ..
he is talking the only W/31 olds Cutlass not 442 . . I remember all those smothers brothers racing cars ... and don't kid yourselves, those olds had upwards of 650 lbs of torque when they were done massaging them, also the smother bro's won a lot of SCCA GP races in 1968 ..
For those unsure, "...pacifically" means the same as 'atlantically'
After many Chevy small blocks, I got my first Rocket 350 olds and never went back!👍
Yo Hi Hot Rod Hoarder from the D Mi 😎 USA 😁 thanks for sharing this great video of a/some Awesome Car/Time 🤩🔥💞😎💪🤙😁
Reminds me of the way cool Olds ads. "Hairy Oldsmobile" & "Dr. Oldsmobile".
I know cnvts. are heavier, so why did some guys race them?
Just subscribe great show. Doc Watson.
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Don’t remember that,but very interesting history.
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I found a 1968 cutlass it was a orange hard to with white buckets and console, I told the guy I had a $100 on me I’ll give you to hold it and I’ll go right now to get the rest of the money, he was like no I trust you I’ll hold it for you NOPE!! Got back with the cash and the guy sold it already to someone who had the cash on him😖🤨😡I Was pissed!! The car was nice I want to say 350rocket auto no rust or dents , woodgrain dash factory sport wheels! It was the one that got away!
Best friend has a 1970 W31 Cutlass, it is an SX coupe
cool!
Remember the show well , Gm lost mind killing olds bad judgment.
Man, that was a sketchy trailer even in the ‘60’s!
Nothing tops 1960-1990s GM.