Had to take another business trip to Austin, Texas and made it back with John replying to some additional comments/questions I had.
For those wondering, a majority of the time, I actually call John or Rick and we discuss a whole host of items over the phone. John memorializes them in emails back to me. So a lot of time you will see a long response from John in response to a relatively simple email I sent him.
The conversation starts to go into the discussion of the 4-speed transmission. My take has always been to put in a Muncie M-22 Rock Crusher. I also wanted to go a little extreme on the on the console and make a modern console that flows into the back seat. John and Rick were dead set against it. Primarily because my vision has been to do a resto-mod that is a sleeper. After much further discussions, I eventually went with the original Olds 4-4-2 4-speed console. Boy am I glad they talked me out of that one crazy idea!
“I believe I told you that we have arranged to buy a complete 4-speed set up. That will include an original Hurst 442 shifter, transmission, and original stock 442 4-speed console. There are many, many more parts involved in the conversion and the seller (who is an Oldsmobile specialist) has them all and most are original GM parts. Original is always good when in nice condition and he assures me they are such.”
The conversation starts to go into the discussion of the 4-speed transmission. My take has always been to put in a Muncie M-22 Rock Crusher.
Just like my concerns with the wiring and electronic components work, John had introduced me to a guy from Pennsylvania and he was going to do the convertible top installation. I wanted a cloth white top. This guy was adamant that cloth tops only come in an off-white color. Pure white is only available in vinyl. After some research by John, we definitely got schooled, as this gentleman was absolutely correct. We went ahead and ordered a tan top and I envisioned the interior being tan leather as well. Again, nothing is ever set in stone, is it?
Finally, we got into the discussions about the rear bumper. Very hard item to find with the cutouts for the trumpet exhaust tips. Before you go into letting me know that they are available, this is in 2009 and there was no aftermarket for the 1968 Olds 4-4-2. The ones we did find were either deplorable or way too expensive to justify the cost.
Here is the original email exchange:
