Classic Wheels Spotlight: 1966 Oldsmobile 442

When Bill Fritz’s brother acquired a 1966 Oldsmobile 442 W30 from a friend at his high school, he intended to create an all-out racecar. However, in 1979, when he lost interest, Bill bought the 442 from his brother—and that’s just the start of this true survivor story.

When it comes to the 1966 Oldsmobile 442, the 442 stands for a 4-barrel carburetor, a 4-speed transmission, and the signature dual-exhaust. Later models of the 442 would feature a 400-cubic-inch engine, a 4-speed transmission, and dual exhaust.

In the beginning, Bill used the car as his daily driver. In the early 1980s, Bill was involved in an accident, which he says was not his fault. The person who hit him ran a red light and hit the front of his Olds. The impact spun him around, and he managed to hit the back of the car, too.

When the insurance company told him the car was totaled, Bill’s father, an Oldsmobile fanatic, looked at the car and felt it could be repaired. Bill’s uncle had a friend who worked for Wilrae, who checked it out and told him he could straighten the frame. That’s when the rebuild process began.

According to Bill, once the Olds 442’s frame was straight, it went to a body shop on the North Side of Chicago, where new quarter panels and some front-end sheetmetal were replaced. Having worked as an apprentice at Haggerty Oldsmobile, Bill was able to acquire some key parts, and the project continued on.

While the Olds 442’s original color was Forest Green, Bill repainted it a brown metallic. He did some upgrades to the car and took the leap to enter it in the 1987 World of Wheels. The judges looked at the car a couple of times, and when the judging was done, one of the judges told him, ‘If the car had been red, he would have gotten first place.’

Bill decided it was time to go all out with his project. He pulled the engine and sent it to Joe Mondello (aka, The Olds Doctor). The 400-cubic-inch block was bored 30 thousandths, and the standard two-bolt mains were fitted with four-bolt main caps, making the bottom end more stout. The cylinder heads were cut, ported, and polished. The 10.5:1 pistons were replaced with 11.1 flat-top pistons because domed pistons would have hit the valves at higher speeds.

The Olds 442 cam specs are: 308 duration and 584 lift, which is the largest possible hydraulic cam that could be used. The factory Muncie 4-speed transmission was replaced with a custom-built M22 Rock Crusher speed unit. A 12-bolt rear end with a 4.11 Posi replaced the 10-bolt unit.

The all-steel body was stripped down to bare metal, some areas of need were addressed, and the Olds 442 was painted—GM Garnet Red with silver and gold metal flake. Most of the body trim was left off the car. The interior is original to the car, except for the door panels and the tilt wheel steering column. Bill had the panels and the trunk redone with 1-inch pleats.

Over the years, Bill has done many upgrades to his 442. The engine has been bored out to 60 thousandths, making 425 cubic inches, at Markham Machine Shop. It now puts out 600-plus horsepower.

There is a lot of chrome and powder coating under the 442’s hood. Up top sits a factory, tri-power set up (three 2-barrel carburetors) that supplies the fuel. Bill is searching for an original Ram air system to install. The 442’s exhaust has Hedman headers (ceramic coated and chromed) into 2.5-inch polished stainless steel pipes and mufflers, with electric cutouts.

Last year, Bill completely replaced the wiring system. The harnesses came from Lectric Limited in Bedford Park. This year the front brakes are being updated with a Wilwood system, including powder-coated spindles and 4-piston calipers. The car rides on Cragar SS mags, with Mickey Thompson tires, 70’s in front and 50’s on the back.

Bill says the 4-speed is fun to drive. This 442 W30 is the rarest of the rare; approximately 54 of them were built in 1966. This Olds is definitely a classic survivor car. Bill did enter his car in the World of Wheels again, and this time, in red, he took First in Class prize!

If you have a car you would like to see featured in Classic Wheels, contact Rudy Host, Jr. at Classic.Wheels.Rudy@gmail.com.