“They say cars are built to be driven and this car is definitely a driver,” Oldsmobile lover supreme, John Trial, states, while demonstrating the ins and outs on his 455 Rocket-powered Cutlass droptop. “From day one, the goal was to build a car that I could hop into and hit the ground running.”
It’s not a coincidence that John built this car with all the goodies that would make it a great driver and an eye-catching stunner—and also give it the capability of heading anyplace at a moment’s notice. “The Olds is an amalgamation of my idea of what a muscle car should be; it’s built up to reflect my passion for these cars.” Besides the vintage outer skin and aesthetics, the car is assembled with some of today’s best upgrade parts, many of which were created with classic GM A-bodies in mind.
How John got to this point is a story unto itself, complete with all the typical highs and lows you’d expect in a full-scale build like this one. It all started with a phone call. “I found out about the car through a friend of mine. He’s really not a car guy per se, but mentioned to me that he saw a cool blue ride that I might be interested in. He gave me the owner’s phone number. I wasn’t looking at the time, so I basically just blew it off.”
John and his wife were running errands two weeks later when they unexpectedly saw the car in question.
“We happened to pass by it and thought to ourselves, wow, that’s a nice car. Then I put two and two together and figured out that this was the same Olds my buddy told me about. I went home, found that phone number, called the guy, and went to look at it the next morning. I drove the car home that night.”
What John bought was a late ’67 model Cutlass Supreme convertible. The car was originally bathed in Provincial White paint, but it had been sprayed over in light blue lacquer to match the factory blue interior. Overall, the car was in good shape for its age and its geographic location. “The Cutlass originally came with the 310-hp L-73 Jetfire 330-cu.in. Rocket V-8 and an M14 three-speed transmission, better known as a three-on-the-tree,” John explains. Other options included A01 Soft-Ray Tinted Windows, A39 deluxe front and rear seatbelts, A65 Strato-Bucket seats, N40 power steering, and the P05 optional Super Stock wheels.
John immediately started using the Olds as his sunny-day cruiser. “As nice as it was, I knew there were much bigger things in store for this car. I already had a Rocket 455 out of a ’68 Olds 98 that I had been saving for a rainy day, and the previous owner had converted the car to an M20 wide-ratio four-speed, so the transmission I wanted was already there. That finished the recipe for a perfect drivetrain in my mind.”
Next, the 455 was handed off to JA Performance in Lynbrook, New York, where the block was Magnaflux tested and bored .030-inch over. Speed Pro hypereutectic pistons were mated to a set of Scat connecting rods and hung from the stock crankshaft. The top end was built with Edelbrock aluminum heads that were ported and polished and topped with an Edelbrock Performer intake. A Comp Cams hydraulic roller camshaft was selected to complement the new cylinder heads; for fuel delivery, John chose to bring the car into the electronic age with a F.A.S.T. EZ EFI kit. The spark is provided by a F.A.S.T. Dual Sync distributor and an E6/E92 ignition system kit. American Racing headers, along with a polished Pypes 3-inch exhaust system, were installed to get rid of the spent gasses.
As for the rest of the drivetrain, Moonlight Garage in New Hyde Park, New York, performed the work. The M20 was rebuilt to handle the power from the newly born Rocket. “I decided to keep the Muncie because it’s a lot cooler to blast past someone at 3,500 rpm rather than 1,800 when cruising down the highway.” Out back, a new Moser Engineering 12-bolt housing was built up with an Eaton Posi and 3.55:1 gears.
When it came to the suspension, John wanted the Cutlass to lay lower than standard, yet still above the weeds. “The original frame was sand blasted and painted with POR-15 Chassis Black while the complete suspension was skinned in a bare-metal gray finish. New bushings were installed, and every nut and bolt on the suspension was either painted or polished.” Next, John used dropped spindles and springs to get the car lower and then installed four-wheel discs courtesy of The Right Stuff Detailing.
As the car started coming along, John decided to get the Olds back on the road by sticking the unaltered body back on the finished chassis. Knowing that the car needed some visual pop, he then set his eyes on the aesthetics of the build. First order of business was a big one: He needed to choose a color to adorn his new ride.
“During that time, I must have imagined the car in every color combination from black on black to silver with a red interior. One night while sitting with my best friend and fellow Oldsmobile connoisseur, Angelo, we were kicking around color ideas when his wife, along with mine, chimed in and said, ‘How can you not leave that car blue? You never see blue hot rods.’”
That conversation sparked the idea of doing a Chip Foose-inspired two-tone paint scheme. “The next day I was on the phone with Ben Hermance of Hermance Designs, and my ideas were put on paper. Having that ‘blueprint’ made the build a lot easier and saved a lot of what-ifs throughout the project.”
Once John had his ideas in order, the car was sent out to Northpoint Restorations in Westbury, New York, for a complete teardown. Once it arrived the Cutlass was put on the rotisserie and the crew forged ahead by adding some body modifications, including Kindig-It frenched door handles, a custom third brake lamp made from a ’68 Cutlass marker lamp, a shaved firewall, a hidden wiper motor, a body-color engine bay, and fresh hidden wiring for a clean look. The car retains most of its original sheetmetal; a small rust repair around the windshield was all that was required during the renovation.
The paint scheme was finalized with paint colors from Bentley. Dark Sapphire Blue was used for the upper portion that goes through the engine compartment, and Silverlake Blue was used for the lower section that continues through the undercarriage. His local Axalta rep Erik Turner happens to be an Oldsmobile connoisseur and took an immediate liking to the project. As both colors were waterborne and out of the norm, Erik personally came down to Northpoint to assist with the painting—and had Axalta donate all the paint, to boot. The car then sat for about three weeks before it was wet sanded. The pinstripe colors are inspired by those used on period 4-4-2 emblems that the Cutlass would end up wearing; they were laid down one color at time by Don “Figgy” Figilozzi.
More custom touches were added. “Dr. Oldsmobile provided me with a reproduction fiberglass OAI [Outside Air Induction] shroud that was exclusive to the 1967 year, which we painted body-side color. The upper and lower intakes were provided by Ken Dennison. This gave the car that W-30 flair that completed the true Oldsmobile muscle car feel.”
As the end of the build neared, John decided to enter the Olds for eligibility for the upcoming 2015 Detroit Autorama. “Not only was my car accepted for the show, but it was picked to be a Ridler Contender. Now the pressure was on to not just finish the car on time, but to make everything perfect.”
Upholstery and the convertible top were handled by R&R Seats in Plainview, New York. They drew inspiration from both ’66 and ’67 Olds interiors; the cockpit was constructed as an amalgamation of both and finished off in light blue Ultra Leather. The design on the door panels was continued into the trunk. The convertible top was done in canvas to give an upscale flavor to this high-end Cutlass.
A rare U21 Rally Pac dash cluster was sourced and restored by Instrument Specialties. “They modernized the tach, converted the ammeter to a voltage gauge, and converted the clock to quartz movement.” They also restored all the chrome on the dash, the 4-4-2 shifter, vacuum gauge, A/C vents, and the added D55 sport console’s cover. The Vintage Air HVAC system is controlled by microswitches behind the stock controls. “The two-tone blue steering wheel was a Christmas present that year from my wife; it was designed by my daughter, Caitlin, and it was produced by CON2r.”
For added flash, John chose polished Centerline Boulevard Special wheels in 18 x 8-inch front and 18 x 9.5-inch rear. They are shod in Nitto rubber; 245/45R18 and 295/45R18, respectively. “We added silver to the inside of the wheels, which is continued on the grille, chrome trunk molding, and taillamp surrounds, which are normally black on 4-4-2s.” The lighting was also changed to LED throughout the entire car, including the sequential taillamps and halo headlamps
With only four months until the show, John, along with family and friends, worked day and night to assemble the Olds and get it to a Ridler-worthy state. “Those last three weeks were spent in my garage prior to the Detroit Autorama. My wife, Laurie, would make dinner for all of us every night as we were racing against the clock to complete the car.” Although the car did not win the Ridler or make the Great 8, it did take first place in the custom convertible class. Acceptance to the show and being chosen as a Ridler Contender all John needed. The car was a hit in Detroit among the Oldsmobile crowd—even among the purists. John feels lucky to have been a part of the event and to have met so many great people along the way.
Since the Autorama, John has shown his Olds at several national events and has won a lot of top awards with it, including a Builder’s Choice Award at the Goodguys East Coast Nationals. He’s also been to countless cruise-ins and attended local car shows with the Olds; he is certainly not shy about taking it on the road.
In fact, John decided to take the car on a long-haul bucket-list trip for the ages. “In 2019 my son Nicholas and I decided to do the Hot Rod Power Tour—seven cities in seven days. That was a tall order, but we felt confident in the Olds. Everyone told me I needed to swap the four-speed out and put overdrive in, but Thomas Perito and Richie Hoffman at Moonlight Garage convinced me to keep the drivetrain intact. I’m glad I did! My son learned to drive a four-speed on that trip, and we made friends from all over the country that I still keep in touch with.” Ultimately, the duo got 20 mpg with the Cutlass running the four-speed, fuel injection, and 3.55 gears.
“I consider myself blessed to have been able to do this project. I would not have been able to do it without the support of the shops and my friends, especially my wife, Laurie, along with our two children, Nicholas and Caitlin. They have all helped tremendously, and the time I spent with my son over the five years of this build has turned him into a complete motorhead. Even though we’re restoring a Camaro for him, I know he is an Oldsmobile man at heart. I call the car ‘Rocket’s Revenge’ because you rarely see an Olds chosen for this kind of build, especially on Long Island, where almost every other car is a Chevelle or a Camaro. The journey I have been on with my Oldsmobile has been a wild ride, and it’s far from over.”
Specifications – 1967 Oldsmobile Cutlass
ENGINE
- Block type: Oldsmobile “second generation” tall-deck OHV V-8, cast-iron, 455 cu.in. (Currently 462 cu.in.)
- Cylinder heads: Edelbrock Performer RPM aluminum, 2.15/1.680-inch valves, intake/exhaust. 77-cc chambers, ported and polished
- Bore x stroke: 4.126 (Currently 4.156 w/ .030-inch overbore) x 4.250 in
- Compression ratio: 10.5:1
- Pistons: Speed-Pro hypereutectic
- Connecting rods: Scat H-beam
- Horsepower and Torque: not tested
- Camshaft: Comp Cams hydraulic roller
- Valvetrain: Crower roller rocker arms
- Fuel system: F.A.S.T. EFI w/ Edelbrock intake and in-tank electric pump
- Lubrication system: Melling gear-type oil pump
- Ignition system: F.A.S.T Dual Sync distributor and E6 / E92 Ignition System Kit.
- Exhaust system: American Racing tube headers w/ 3-inch pipes and Dynomax mufflers
- Original engine: Oldsmobile “second generation” low-deck OHV V-8, 330-cu.in.
TRANSMISSION
- Type: GM Muncie M20 wide-ratio four-speed manual
- Ratios: 1st/2.52:1 … 2nd/1.88:1 … 3rd/1.46:1 … 4th/1.00:1 … Reverse/3.11:1
DIFFERENTIAL
- Type: Moser Engineering Chevrolet-type 12-bolt housing w/ Eaton Posi limited-slip and Moser axles, built by Moonlight Garage
- Ratio … 3.55:1
STEERING
- Type: GM/Saginaw recirculating ball, power assist
- Ratio: 12.7:1
BRAKES
- Type: Right Stuff detailing hydraulic four-wheel disc
- Front: Single-piston calipers, 11-inch cross-drilled/slotted rotors
- Rear: Single-piston calipers, 10-inch cross-drilled/slotted rotors
SUSPENSION
- Front: Stock GM A-body independent w/ drop spindles, stock-type upper and lower control arms, Bilstein shocks, and oversized anti-roll bar
- Rear: Stock GM A-body four-link w/ lowering springs, Bilstein shocks, and oversized anti-roll bar
WHEELS AND TIRES
- Wheels: Centerline Boulevard Special, polished
- Front: 18 x 9.5 inches
- Rear: 18 x 8 inches
- Tires: Nitto 555
- Front: 245/45R18
- Rear: 295/45R18 front
PERFORMANCE:
- Not Tested
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