Arnold ‘Arnie’ Hartley has had his 1965 Oldsmobile 442 W-29 for 52 years. The story of it becoming his car started when an accident totaled the 1967 Chevelle he was driving and his dad began looking on his company’s bulletin board for potential replacement options.

Arnie’s dad worked for a farmers’ co-op called Agway, which made truck bodies for farm supplies. One day, he called Arnie to see if he was interested in a 1965 Oldsmobile 442 that was posted for sale for the price of $500.

While Agway was located in upstate New York, where Arnie grew up, the original owner of the ’65 Olds 442 worked for an affiliated company in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. That didn’t seem to matter much to Arnie, who says he couldn’t pass up the deal, and arrangements were made to transport the car from Pennsylvania.

Arnie took possession of the ’65 Olds in 1973; he was 21 years old, and it became his daily driver. In early 1974, he got a job as a field representative with International Harvester, where he was given an International Harvester Travelall, an early SUV-style station wagon produced from 1953 to 1975.

Driving the Travelall every day for work, he parked the Olds 442 in the family’s barn and didn’t think too much about it. His company transferred him several times within New York, then to Ohio, finally ending up in a suburb just west of Chicago. That’s where he met his wife, got married, and settled down in Illinois.

In 1983, his parents decided to visit his family in Illinois. With them, they brought the barn-kept Olds 442. “I’ve had it long enough, now it’s your problem,” Arnie’s dad proclaimed. Everything Arnie had taken off the car, intending to make upgrades, was all neatly packed in the car. Having four kids to raise, the car got little attention and sat unused in Illinois for many years.

It wasn’t until 2015 that Arnie decided it was time to get his Olds back on the road. He decided on a frame-off total restoration. Magnum Auto Restorations in LaSalle, Illinois, got the job. Everything was broken down, and the mechanical rebuild was sent to a different shop, specializing in classic cars. Magnum tore the car down and did the body work.

Since the car had been in the barn for decades, there was not much damage. Arnie did a complete repaint in the original color, Turquoise Mist. The interior has been reupholstered to its original form. The carpets were replaced with aftermarket materials to match the factory equipment.

Featuring a 400-cubic-inch engine, a Muncie M-21, a close-ratio 4-speed transmission, and a 3:55 Posi-traction rear end, the Olds 442’s drivetrain is the same as day one. All the parts that Arnie had upgraded from were refurbished and put back to their original condition. The radiator had to be re-cored, and the Harrison factory tanks were reused.

Some facts about the 1965 Oldsmobile 442 W-29: It was the first full year for this model; it was a special package, based on either an F-85 or a Cutlass model. The famous 442 designation originally stood for the featured 4-barrel carburetor, 4-speed transmission, and 2 exhaust pipes. Oldsmobile had two V8s before 1965, a 330 cubic inch engine and a 425 cubic inch engine. The 1965 model is the first year for the 400-cubic-inch engine, which is really an under-bored 425 engine. Many people still think that the 442 stands for 400 cubic inches, 4-speed, and 2 exhaust pipes.

The other things that make Arnie’s Olds 442 W-29 special are the upgraded suspension from a police cruiser, front sway bar, and larger brake drums (something Arnie opted to stay with). When the car was being worked on, the shop tried to get him to install a dual reservoir master cylinder. Arnie said that the brakes worked just fine for all these years, and they will be just fine, especially with all the new components. The whole restoration took around 14 months.

As far as tires and wheels go, Arnie has two sets. One set for everyday use, 14-inch radial T/A’s on 1966 Super Stock 1 style rims, and the others are for special Oldsmobile shows, 14-inch red line bias ply tires on factory steel wheels with “dog dish” hub caps.

Arnie is glad that he kept all of the original parts for his Oldsmobile because his car is as original as possible. He enjoys driving his car anywhere he wants to go. He takes it to as many cruise nights and car shows as he can, several a week! One thing he regrets is the fact that he didn’t get any of the paperwork from the original owner, but like he said, “it’s not something you think about when you’re twenty-one years old.”