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442 65 442 1965 442 Cutlass F85 F-85 442 BRO BRO 442
Hi BRO, I am an AVID Olds fan and life-long (so far) enthusiast. I currently own a 1969 W31 that was raced as a new car by Anderson Olds in Baltimore, MD for a little over two seasons in N.H.R.A. in F/S. Anderson had several cars beginning with a '65 442 in B/S and BB/S. I have submitted photos of their cars at different sites. I am the third generation in my family to work for Anderson ( I am 51 been there 29 years) and vividly remember going to the track with my dad watching the cars compete. My car is unrestored with 10,000 original miles and pretty much in as raced condition. I had it re-lettered to appear as it did in 1969-1970- I usually show it at the York U.S. 30 reunion.
I have a lot of neat stories about my car and other cars from Anderson including one that I am sure will interst you and all the '65 guys. This might sound like B.S. but it is 100% true. The factory gave Anderson some backdoor help with parts and info for their racing program and thats is why my car was NOT a 442 but W31. The first three race cars were 442's and the last (mine) was to be a little different-- a 350 W31 to be a better combination for class. Anyway, the REAL NEAT '65 story is this--- Anderson received a sort of MULE-- a '65 Cutlass 2dr Hardtop. The car was white, black buckets and console, automatic, full wheel covers, whitewalls, and a 425!!!. I remember the car being thrashed by Anderson's driver (Sonny Freeman) and subsequently being bought by one of the line mechanics named Peck Fischer. The bad thing was they couldn't compete in any sanctioned events because officially the car did not exist! Peck and his wife street raced the car for a couple years and then he opened a Esso (Exxon) station and it became the beater and parts chaser. TRUE STORY!!!
As I said before, the car was not really for retail sale and back then it was just another car. The people that owned the car are gone but the owner's sons are alive and about three years ago I was showing my car to one of them and the '65 came up in conversation. We both commented on how cool it would be to have that car now. I have seen some "weird" stuff happen in the new car business over the years. Back then it was different than it is now--rules were broken and not much happened. Cars were built that should not have been; paper trails were destroyed on purpose. I remember a factory rep. bringing a new "255 Q-jet" so the W31 could make a race because the one on the car was the only "255" they had---the parts dept. didn't have one in stock. I can tell you it is all TRUE and I am still there and hope to stay forever. It is my life!!! My grandfather died on the showroom floor in 1963. I have a copy of a local newspsper ad (1/2 page announcing the 1965 442 with pictures of all the sales force-- my father was sales manager--too cool! am happy to share any and all stories--only guys like us appreciate them. In '65 City Olds also in Balto. and also owned by A.D.Anderson had a green '65 442 that was raced as a new car and a kind of sibling rivalry between them and Anderson. That car was driven by Bud Guittere and was actually a little quicker in time trials,but Bud always got rattled and never did that good in eliminations. Bud is still around but for some reason refuses to talk about it and won't share any info. or pics. I don't know why but I respect his decision and will never badger him. My dad has been gone for five years now, but every now and then my mother (78 years old) will ask if I ever talk to Bud Guittere-- she remembers it like it was yesterday. We went every weekend and she sometimes would race in the "Powder Puffs" (female only drags) in '62 Impala wagon that was the tow vehicle for my father's race car, Dave Siltman
My grandson showed me your web site,after he drug home a1965 442, He was showing me all the pictures and stories. when we came acrossed a storie by Dave Siltman, this guys dad had a 69 olds that he raced in Maryland, Dave still owns his dads car. About halfway thru the story, I stopped him and said I know these guys,we all raced together back in the day. I ran a ford, different class than Sonny Freeman and Bud Gittere I did not know of Bill Siltman he must have been a little after us.I laughed at the part about Bud Gittere. Bud drove and wrenched his own car, Sonny had some help. Bud had 1956 442 called the Green Hornet. Bud and I met in the late fiftys, when he ran a red &white 1955 olds 88. The first time I saw the 65 olds 442 was at cecil county, Bud came to late to enter that day ,but did get a run in,with a et of 13.01. Sonny was running in the the high fourteens. The crap hit the fan that day. We all raced as hard as we could back then ,no bracket racing, you drove to win. We raced at Aquasco, Capital,York,Cecil county and 75&80. Bud held many track records in those days, and even helped me set some too. After telling my stories to the grandson about racing , he asked if maybe Bud would help with his car, I just said we can ask. I called around to my old race buddies and found out Bud Gittere was good friends with Si Mancini a engine builder, Mancini worked for Coleman Bros than started he own shop. This man knows his crap about engines, Mancini still races, He runs a S-10 truck with a small block, truck runs in the eights. After talking with different people I found out all about Bud, he still has a small auto shop, he is out of racing, but still helps other racers. A fellow named Dale Jackson, Dale runs a super fast chevy. Dale get Bud out to the track a couple times a year. Bud has a son , Dean who has a quick little 69 camaro street racer ( apple doesnt fall far from the tree). Dean also has one of Buds race cars ,a 1948 anglia in pieces. Anyway found Bud at his shop, grandson Mike and I talked for hours about the old days with Bud and his son. We picked a date to start on the 442. While working on the car, if we need a part bud would climb into the attic of the shop an come down with hand fulls of parts,he had so many gasket sets from the old days, he called them protest parts. Back then if you though a driver was cheating you pull up money to protest. and he would have to take apart his engine. If he was good you lost your money. The 442 rolled out of the shop two weeks later completed. Rebuilt engine, 4 speed, front end, and exhaust which Bud had a complete exhaust system from 1965 in the attic. Bud is now in his 80's the only thing different about him now is, like us all he has gotten older and slower, But I did notice one thing he stopped smoking cigars and started chewing toothpicks. Thank you for a wonderful web site, where old stories and friends will live forever. Thanks again for keeping us old guys young. Hank
Dave has contributed some great articles, pictures and information about the 65 442 RACING HISTORY.
BRO
I stumbled upon your web site through Ebay...looking for wheels for my Chevy truck. I've got to tell you that seeing this 1965 442 brought back memories when I enjoyed driving my own. I had a burgundy color / black buckets with console / automatic trans., unfortuately had to leave it when I went to Vietnam. Found out that my dad had sold it to my best friend...I tried to loacate afterwards, but no luck. Anyway, have fun...good luck.
Van Norris, Athens, GA.
BRO
Thanks from an old street racer/drive-in cruiser. I had a '65 442 (red, black interior). Also had a '67 and a '68 W-car, but I loved that '65 best of all. J. T. Harris
BRO
Just visited your site for the first time and it is great. I don't know if anyone else has mentioned it but, in the late 60's Weise Oldsmobile in Kokomo, Indiana used to campaign a 65 olds 442 with a tri power setup. it was called "Reaction". I know because I know a guy that wound up with the setup and he used it on his 67 442. I bought my first 442 from Weise. a 65 blue on blue on blue convertible. keep up the good work. Ray Ebert
BRO
I know this is not official documentation of the 1965 Tri-Power set up, but when I was stationed in Norfolk, Virginia in 1965, I went to the drag strip at Virginia Beach. I had a 1963 Ford Galaxy with a 406/Tri-Power set up. I was there with my friend who had a 1965 2 door sedan 442. We both had 4 speeds. He is the reason I have had a life long love affair with the 1965 442's. His car had a 4 barrel. There was another guy there that had a 1965 4 speed 442. And he had a factory Tri-Power set up. Because I had 3 2's, we talked about the differences between my Ford and his Olds. He said that the Tri-Power would become a factory option in 1966. I don't remember where this guy was from, whether he was also in the service or not, or really, anything about him. But this was definitely 1965, because I was transferred to Hawaii before the 1966 models came out. And the reason I can say that is because I had a 1965 Plymouth on order from the Plymouth dealer. I ordered the Hemi with a 4 speed. Because I was not an E-5 or above, I would have to pay for my car to be shipped to Hawaii and I had to cancel my order. I was transferred to Hawaii in August of 1965. So there is not a chance that this could have been a Tri-Power from a 1966 model retroactively fitted to a 1965. And he told me that it was a factory option.
As I said, this can not be considered documentation, but it may lend a little more to the fact that Olds did offer a Tri-Power option in 1965. And it was a true Oldsmobile manifold. Or one of the best forgeries I have seen. I did not race him, so no bench racing stories there.
Regards,
Claude Conn
Kissimmee, Fl.
1965 442 Sport Coupe
Hi BRO, I finally got around to getting this pic to you. Bob Howard ( my grandad) raced this car for 7 years @ Youngstown Ohio Drag City and Sunset Drag Strip (Sharon, Pa.) through the seventies.This was a 1965 Olds 442 with the original 400 motor. A 3/4 Crane cam and headers was added. On the doors was "Just Passin' Thru". He was known as "The Tranny Man" because he owned the first independent transmission repair shop in the Tri-State area (1956). He changed his 4-speed trans to a variable-pitch 400 turbo for consistent E.T.s. Everyone knew and respected him at the track. Most racers knew Bob's 442 would send some guys home early. I can remember staying many Friday and Saturday nights until they were turning out the lights @ midnight as my dad helped him change the back tires and hook up the tow bar so we could drive back to East Liverpool. It wasn't long before my dad bought a 1964 F-85 Cutlass and put a 425 and v.p. 400 in it . His car was black with "Almost Heaven II" on the doors. He was also very consistent and won many times. His name is Tom Bailey from W.Va. Tom Bailey E.Liverpool, OH
This Is a good friend, Jasen Ramsey's, 65 Holiday Coupe On the cover of the December 2010 Muscle Car Review. Jasen did a complete frame off, every bolt, 100 point detailed restoration on this beauty. Every chalk mark, stamp, sticker, tag and detail has been meticulously recreated and applied to it's proper location. Every piece is finished in the correct green phosphate, black phosphate, cadmium, bare metal, chrome or what ever the factory used when they were originally built. He has every reason in the world to be proud of this 442 and I'm glad to see that the rest of the hobby enthusiasts are finally giving the 65's their long deserved recognition. Way to go Z!
Jasen is also the creator of the 1965 Oldsmobile 442 Forum, the most informative on the web. Just about every member owns a 65 or a 64- 67, so if you're looking for answers, that's the place. They're all a great bunch of guys, but don't let them know I said that. I do have an image to maintain.
The legend, Joe Mondello going for a run in John Christensens Great 65 442.
The best part is that this was Johns Dads original 442
This info was sent to the "1965 Oldsmobile 442 Forums" by Bill Lester, owner of the Tiger Eater since 1966.
Hello: I finally heard about my car being on your Website....My Dad was buddy-buddy with the Owner of Money Oldsmobile at 7th St. & McDowell Rd in Phoenix, & talked Mr. Money into ordering this car just for racing....I obtained the car from the Money Olds dealership in Apriil, 1966 & have had it ever since....My car is a Fremont Build, with a date code of 1 C or the 3rd week of January. Since I am the original owner, I feel I know quite a bit about the 1965 Olds F-85 442 Coupes. this car was received into the Dealership just one week before it was raced at the 1965 AHRA Winternationals at the Beeline Dragway in Scottsdale, AZ Jan. 29-31 1965 & ran a best there of 13.94 with cheater slicks, a "D" series AFB carburator, 3:90 gears & cut-outs on the stock exhaust. The color picture you posted of my car at the drag strip next to the blue 1964 Chev biscayne was taken by me up in the bleachers using an old Ansco box camera at the AHRA World Championship at Lions Drag Strip on August 29, 1965 and Charlie Storr was driving it, turning consistant 12.60's However, he never owned the car, but did build the motor & race it for Money Olds. I would love to have that B/W picture you have of Charlie driving the tiger eater which was in the pit area at Lions Drag Strip.......Thank you very much, Bill Lester Please EMAIL me at wjlester@q.com or call me at (602) 826-6200 Cell # anytime
When I got the car, after about 50 miles I pulled the race motor & installed a like-new 1966 high-compression 4 BBl 425 that I used until 1997, When I put in a Mondello designed 1969 Toronado 455 & Richmond Gear ROD 6 speed overdrive trans. That set me back over $17,000.
I still have the original race motor with just a few hundred miles on it, left just exactly the way they raced it, with an Isky 505 cam, Forgedtrue 14: 1 pop-up pistons, a turned down & hard-chromed steel Crankshaft, & headers by Doug….. at the dragstrip it was strong up to 6200 RPM…….It was dynoed at Speed Engineering in Phoenix during 1965 @ 330 horsepower to the rear wheels / Drag Slicks using 4.88 gears & 900X15 M&H Racemaster tires that were 28” tall, tube-type, pinned with sheet metal screws to the wheel, running 8 PSI ….. 2 guys had to sit on the trunk to get an accurate dyno reading because of those 4.88 gears…..mfg by Getz Gears. Charlie was even considering 5.13 gears but they were backordered at the time he needed them….
I could go on & on forever about the car, cause I’ve had it since I was 17 years old…..PLEASE , feel free to ask questions ANY TIME & I’ll answer ASAP Thanks again, Bill Lester (602) 826-6200 cell or wjlester@q.com
Hello, Jasen: I would love to obtain some high quality 8 X 10 copies of that B/W side profile of the Tiger Eater to give to the Storr family. It was Charlie Storr who built the motor & drove it, & he was a mentor to me… My Olds was shipped in the last week of January, 1965 just in time to race at the AHRA Winternationals near Phoenix at the Beeline Dragway in Scottsdale, AZ……It was ordered & shipped with the Provencial White Top & Target Red lower, & in March was taken to Moe Allen Body shop in downtown Phoenix for it’s orange & Black paint….When I obtained the car in April, 1966, Money Olds sanded off the tiger stripes & gray-primered the car, then painted it back to its original colors…….At some point I will share many other pictures I have of the car……The interior was maroon padded dash, red vinyl seats, red rubber floor mats, heater, front-only red seat belts, radio delete plate, a special-order bench seat with its special shifter handle, a white headliner, standard 8” rear-view mirror, full tinted glass, red wheels & poverty hub caps, 3.90 posi rear, M21 4 speed, and, as you can tell from the pictures you’ve seen, 5 separate chrome trim options.
Custom 65 442 Built by Brian Ridzy
First in the 1960-1969 hardtop class
Serpentine Belt System
I own the Money Olds TIGER EATER & have since April, 1966. I have collected one of the larger groups of 1 1965 Olds 442 literature, also quite a few rare items for the 1965 Olds 442, & wanted you to know I have an original copy of the GM 1965 Oldsmobile INSPECTOR'S GUIDE. Some of the information is the same as the assembly manual, but it is unique for some other info. I wasn't sure if you had seen one from 1965, & have not seen them reproduced. Every time I get on your site I am impressed,& today I saw your assembly manual that is easy to read.. I'll be referring to it in the future. I went on a Lions Dragstrip website recently & found another picture of the Orange/black tiger eater in line to race, only this one is in color. The car was in California only for 3 days to race at Lions, otherwise always in Az for 50 years.
Look forward to hearing from you.
Thanks, Bill Lester
