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This article is originally from 2003 and was recently uncovered. All information is unaltered from the original article.
This car was purchased from Keller Pontiac in SC. It was bought by a female which I have never been able to contact ( Maybe married now and the last name changed). It was very strange to have a female owner on a Judge. The first owner put all the options on the car, the base price was around $3000.00 and $2000.00 of options were added. The original owner was either a Pontiac Nut or had heavy coaching on what options to add. This is also one of the few Judges that was not ordered in the orange. The color is Liberty Blue with a Parchment interior. By the 80’s the white interior looked a bit out of style but now in the 2000’s the color combo always draws a crowd.
As you can see from the photos no detail was overlooked. This car was completely apart and every nut, bolt and piece was bead blasted, plated or painted and put back together.
The engine was Bored, balanced, ported, polished and a little more horse power added, as if 366 was not enough. All engine compartment marking, labels, and tags were reproduced to match the factory markings.
The body was striped, sanded, patched, primed, sanded, sealed and painted all to the original specs. and colors. All Judge decals applied over the liberty blue mirror finish. All the stainless steel trim was polished to look new.
The interior is completely new, recovered seats and door panels, replaced headliner & carpet, all interior chrome re-plated, all interior plastic pieces re- dyed to match the seats and door panels. The shifter knob, seat belt covers, and gauge faces were also sanded and polished to new.
The trunk still has the original spare, but the rim was repainted. the jack was restored and the correct spatter paint applied.
The underside is as clean as the rest of the car. The bottom is equipped with new Inline Tube’s brake, fuel And transmission lines, new brake cables, rubber flex hoses, brake & fuel clips, and Inline Tube's front and rear disc brake conversions.
The handling was improved with the addition of a late model Monte SS gear box. this cut the steering ratio down by a third. The front and rear sway bars were also increased to the Max Diameter. The front is a 1.5" and the rear is 1". The bars keep the car more level and the sway at a minimum. This GTO is also 1.5" lower than stock so it cuts down under chassis air flow and gives the more aggressive stance. This lowered stance is achieved with lower custom made springs and drag air bags in the rear to prevent any potential wheel hop. The 15 x 8 wheels with factory height tires fill the wheel wells a bit more than the old 14 x 6 and provide more meat to the road surface. If you go fast you have to stop fast. Look closely because the front brakes are 2" bigger than stock, and the now parallel control arms will negotiate a turn at any speed. The now parallel tubed upper control arms provide late model geometry that eliminated the tire toe problems. The rear has both upper and lower boxed control arms to provide all the corning capability you can handle. The wheels stay straight and parallel thru and curve at any speed. The front brakes are 92 Trans am rotors to provide a full 12" of stopping power. The spindle, caliper are from a 78 Impala wagon with big brakes, and the backing plate is 77 Chevelle. Put is all together and you have serious stopping power. The rear brakes are no exception to the mix. I of course chose rear disc. This is a Chevelle kit that has been cut, modified, and welded to fit the Pontiac housing. The axle was also turned down to accept the 79 Trans Am disc, with 79 Cadillac caliper with build in parking brake feature. Of course the rear cables were modified, custom hoses and lines were needed but that is why I own Inline Tube. The rears are a full 10" of stopping power that most people think were an option on this car. This judge is equipped with a Ram Air III that packs with in plenty of extra horse power. The compression is factory 10.75 to 1 but the the oil flows since all the rough edges in this block were ground to provide a smooth oil flow to the high volume pump. The factory modified carb delivers more CFM thru the ported intake and heads which are also matched to the factory high performance exhaust manifolds. The flow continues thru the 2 1/2" custom exhaust. The engine would not get to high RPM’s with out the Hei Distributer backed up up a MSD box quietly hidden away. The driver side solid motor mount helps in the launch and keeps the power plant steady. I have estimated conservatively at about 450 HP. Being a long time GTO owner has helped me recognize the performance down falls of the original car. This car competes at all area shows and has always taken best car in class.
The best of both performance and originally can be achieved. This car has all the modern convinces without noticeable altering the car. Most restorations achieve one or the other but rarely are both showcase technology and classic styling.
This article is originally from 2004 and was recently uncovered. All information is unaltered from the original article.
Here is a photo taken in the spring of 73 at F&W Oldsmobile in Buffalo, NY. The original owner bought a new Oldsmobile every 3 years. The body styling was now changing and it was time to buy a new 1973 442 Hurst Olds. The 71 W-30 was so clean it found its way back in the dealer showroom.
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For all of you that don't know - This character Dr. Oldsmobile created the W-30, W-machines. He is a fictional character used in the advertising as a wacky professor making up horse power potions to increase performance of the base 442.
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This car was purchased from F & W Olds in Buffalo, New York. The original owner really wanted a 70 rally 350 but by the time he got to the dealership it was late in the year and the 1971 models had already started. The original owner knew exactly what he wanted, he bought a new Performance Oldsmobile every 3 years. This car was ordered with all the performance options and since the car was going to be driven on long trips all the luxury options were also added. The car was traded in on a 74 Hurst Olds three years later and was so clean the car found its way back on the show room floor. The Dealerships son could not resist the chance to get his hands on this Gem. He also knew the W meant performance and peaked that performance with a blown motor a year later. The car sat for many years until another guy bought the car and fixed the engine but by now the car had seen better days and the white interior was quite out of style and the car needed too much to list. Now in 1987 I was looking for a GM A-body but at this time W-30 Meant nothing to me. $2400.00 drove it home and a the big dream was free. What I found as a long time owner is that the car could be always be faster, the brakes could be better and the handling was down right sad.
The handling was dramatically improved with the addition of a late model Monte SS gear box, this cut the steering ratio down by a third. To Keep the steering pump cool a custom power steering cooler is place at fresh air behind the front grill. The front and rear sway bars were also increased to the maximum diameter. The front bar is a 1.5" and the rear is 1". All urethane bushings and larger bars keep the car more level and the sway at a minimum. This 442 is also 2" lower than stock, so it cuts down on under chassis air flow and gives a more aggressive stance. This lowered stance is achieved with lower custom made springs and drag air bags in the rear to prevent any potential wheel hop. The 15 x 8 wheels with factory height tires fill the wheel wells a bit more than the old 14 x 6 and provide more meat to the road surface. If you go fast you have to stop fast. Look closely because the front brakes are 2" bigger than stock, and the now parallel control arms will negotiate a turn at any speed. The parallel tubed upper control arms provide late model geometry that eliminates tire toe out problems. The rear has both upper and lower boxed control arms to provide all the cornering capability you can handle. The wheels stay straight and parallel threw curves at any speed. The front brakes are 92 Trans am rotors to provide a full 13" of stopping power. The spindle and caliper are from a 78 Impala wagon with big brakes, the backing plate is 77 Chevelle, put is all together and you have serious stopping power. The rear disc brakes are no exception to the mix. This is a Chevelle aftermarket kit that has been cut, modified, and welded to fit the Oldsmobile axle housing. The axle shaft was also turned down to accept the 79 Trans Am disc and 85 Cadillac caliper with build in parking brake feature. Of course the rear cables were modified, custom hoses and lines were needed but that is why I started Inline Tube. The rears are a full 10" of stopping power that most people think were an factory option on this car. This W-30 is equipped with a 455 that packs in plenty of extra horse power. The compression is 12.00 to 1 with increased oil flow since all the rough edges on this block were ground to provide smooth oil flow to the high volume pump. This Olds has a ground pounding 560 lift cam for that extra rumble and added vacuum pump to provide the necessary 22 inches of vacuum for the brake booster. The factory 3/8 main fuel line is now replaced wit a beefy 7/16 to provide more fuel through the rejetted modified carburetor that delivers more fuel threw the match ported intake and heads which are also matched to the factory high performance exhaust manifolds. The flow continues threw the unrestricted 2 1/2" custom mandrel bent exhaust. The engine would not get to high RPM's with out the Hei Distributer backed up with a MSD box hidden away. The driver side solid motor mount helps in the launch and keeps the power plant steady. This Olds is also equipped with a transmission over drive unit behind the original T-400 with a racing 3500 stall torque converter. To keep this combination cool a 1970 factory trans cooler is adapted to separate the engine and the trans cooling. This enables highway driving at very low RPM's. Cruising the highway or hitting the drag strip has never been this much fun. I have estimated conservatively at about 500 HP.
Being a long time A-body owner has helped recognize the performance down falls of the original car and make the appropriate adjustments to get the best performance with out altering the original styling or design. It has been my goal to make these modifications nearly impossible to discover because they are hidden by using all factory components. This car competes at all local and some national Oldsmobile shows and has always taken the best in class award and most best of show awards.
This is an archival post from March 19, 2003.
Inline Tube is located 40 minutes North East of Detroit in Shelby Twp, Michigan. Nine years ago this company started with 2 partners out of a small 2 car garage making a few different line sets. Today Inline Tube produces thousands of undercarriage parts.
A lot of people ask "how you start a company like this". First you have to love what you do and realize it is not for the money because there may be no payoff. The payoff is the pride you take in the parts you make and the cars you see the product on, knowing you were part of the restoration process. There is an extreme amount of hard work that goes into every part made. In order to make a part you need to have an original part. Where do you find a set of transmission lines for a 56 Buick Special? You hunt them down at swap meets, in junk yards, or find them on a part’s cars. Once the part is found, it is time to start the duplication process. First an exact duplicate of the part must be made by hand, this is the prototype. The prototype is then scanned by a laser to get all the measurements of the lengths, angles and rotations. Once the blueprint is made and the bender is programmed you’re ready to make parts. The entire process can take months for one part. So how many 42 Cadillac brake line sets do you think you could sell ? You can never tell what you will sell and at the end of the year they are always surprised what the top seller was. In the top 100 of course you have your Chevy Trucks, Camaro, Chevelle and GTO but who would guess International Scout, Ford Bronco or Pontiac Fiero. If you make a exact reproduction in the right market and it is a part that is not currently being reproduced you have a start. If you listen to the phone calls the customer will also tell you what to make because it is the items they are asking for the most. So always listen to the customer. In the market of low production parts what brings you to the top is having phone Techs that can walk you through the process and know your brake system better than you do. The final step is to get the product to the customer in a few days. As car guys, we know waiting for parts for more than a few days is frustrating. I have waited 16 weeks for chrome to be polished and 12 weeks for the engine shop. So when my parts come in a few days I am a repeat customer.
Inline tube has grown to be the largest tube company in the country that specializes in classic car plumbing products. They make tubes for all American cars and trucks from the 40’s and as late as the 90’s. They not only have the brake lines, but carry all the tubing for each particular car. So if you need fuel lines, choke tubes, caliper lines, transmission cooler tubes or the wiper line for a 52 Buick they are sure to have it in stock. If somehow they do not have your tube in the thousands of patterns they keep, it is as simple as making it off your original.
Once Inline Tube secured patterns for all the American cars and trucks it was time to move on to other products. Inline Tube is the only company in the country that makes reproduction parking brake cables the way the factory did with the spiral wrap. You can still get some cables from the auto parts store but it will not look like the original. These guys have reproduced the correct housing, rubber boots, end fittings for a factory correct reproduction. These cables are offered for all the popular muscle cars and trucks from the 60’s to the 80’s.
Over the years Inline Tube has expanded to make many of the undercarriage parts that transfer fluid. Another expansion included the street rod market. Inline Tube makes all there own stainless brake fittings, and carries everything needed to plumb a custom application. Products include: straight tubing sets, master cylinders, valves, stainless braided hoses and any combination of fittings you can dream up. Other products include stainless and OEM rubber flex hoses, Disc brake conversions, Brake and fuel line clip sets, Proportional valves, and even the sending units. If you plan on moving any fluid whether it be brake, fuel, or power steering these guys make the products that connect the components.
In February 2001 Inline Tube was featured in Classic Trucks magazine. This cable technical article incorporated Inline Tubes stainless steel parking brake cables- these cables were custom made to incorporate aftermarket rear disc brakes in the factory drum locations. This article shows from start to finish how the product is made and installed.
In August 2000 Inline Tube was featured in Custom Classic Trucks magazine. This extensive chassis restoration incorporated Inline Tubes stainless steel parking brake cables- these cables were retrofitted to incorporate Cadillac rear disc brakes in the factory drum locations. Brake cables were lengthened in some areas and shortened in others to activate the existing parking brake hardware. Brake lines and fittings were provided to run fluid throughout the system. Custom front and rear flex hoses were fabricated to accommodate aftermarket disc brake calipers. Keep your fluids flowin by keeping it Inline.
In August 2000 Inline Tube was featured in Mopar Muscle magazine. In this special tech article Inline tube provides useful information installing and bending hard lines. The 70 Duster used in this article is custom fitted with brake, fuel, and transmission lines. Read the full four page article in Mopar Muscle's August issue.
In May of 2000 Inline Tube was featured in Muscle Car Review magazine. In this special tech article Inline tube provided all the brake and fuel lines, parking brake cables, clips, and flex hoses to assure this was a concourse restoration. Featured in the article is a 1970 GTO A-body frame. This is only one of the many automobiles that Inline tube provides parts for.
In May of 1999 Inline tube was featured in Super Chevy magazine. In this how-to article, Inline tube provided all the materials to plumb a 1966 Chevy Nova. Inline Tube provided the tubing, fittings, benders, and other tools to complete a custom brake line upgrade.
In October of 1998 Inline tube was featured in Mopar Muscle magazine. In this technical article, Inline tube helps change over a single master cylinder to a dual master cylinder, providing a straight line tubing kit, residual valves, and the tools to perform the weekend upgrade.
Inline Tube provides technical information for many magazines to bring you the how-to articles you read every month. If you are interested in reading other articles that Inline tube has been a part of, or are interested in seeing our many product reviews, see the complete listing below.
