Jump to content

1988 PPG Gold Cutlass Convertible Pace Car


IRONDOG442

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 166
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • IRONDOG442

    34

  • Crazy K

    33

  • ManicMechanic

    30

  • AWeb80

    8

http://www.sconet.state.oh.us/rod/docs/pdf/0/1996/1996-ohio-116.pdf If you guys would read this case there is nothing else to duscuss about this car. PPG bought this car from GM and modified it into a pace car.

negative.

PPG had the car converted, but who did the work? is this a cars and concepts built car, paid for by PPG? Is this a body style experiement done by GM that PPG then bought and modified further?

I am inclined to say from the looks of things... that PPGs handwork covers all the low quality work done on the car(excluding paint), which includes the radio delete and the hideous installation of switches and a light bar. IMO the rest of the work was done by someone else.

 

 

I wonder if the VIN tags for the 88 will be present on body components specific for the 92?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

ok. But I believe the book remains open. Let me ask. are any of the other cars (which i am less familiar with) shown and built using components not consistent with the model years they represent?

 

Alternatively... while the car is an 88 model... therein lies another possibility... that PPG updated the car when the 92 body style was introduced, using genuine GM parts, in order to continue exhibiting the car as a modern vehicle. thoughts?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No A/C was RPO C40 and 1988 only... :cool:

 

I've never seen a W body without A/C...Seen a few 1990s J bodies though...I'm betting most were sent to northern states and Canada.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I saw one in a Canadian junkyard once. Big blank space there just like in this car.

 

 

So do we really think the cladding, hood, all lenses, etc were made for this '88 model?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

OMG SO XCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

......

Link to comment
Share on other sites

leaving to get there by one. have camera, will take pics... but #&*# pc has usb 1.0 so I can't upload currently :( at least... not without massive upload times :(

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Do it some of us may actually be interested in buying this car, hint, hint.

 

I would really appreciate that gift Rob....how would I ever repay you?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No A/C was RPO C40 and 1988 only... :cool:

 

I've never seen a W body without A/C...Seen a few 1990s J bodies though...I'm betting most were sent to northern states and Canada.

 

Dude ... try driving around here in summer with no A/C. You'd pretty much jump out of the driver's seat choke an Eskimo if one walked anywhere near the car.

 

Non-A/C cars were made as the bottom rung of optioned vehicles for people who THINK they were getting the cheapest car they wanted to buy.

 

Anyhow... back to the PaceCar. GM more than likely had the Convertible on tap. The PPG car was a custom that they made/had made and working with GM, more than likely had access to the CS design team's parts bin. Having owned an 88' and a 93' ... there is not much difference in the interior so it wouldn't be hard to slap extra plastic here and carpet there. My kicker is the huge ass vent on the hood above the engine.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I spent 4 hours looking at this car and everything else.

 

I took nearly 150 pictures of just this car and was able to crawl around and beneath it, open it up and look at everything.

 

This car has a awesome paint job, an #@$& awesome drivetrain, and some damn nice seats... but the rest of the interior finish quality sucks.

 

I also will have to dispel the myth that this 88 car was built as a 92+ body style in 1988. That is utterly and completely false and must be laid to rest.

 

There is evidence that the car may have been black, then red, and now gold. But there was also light metallic blue too. Blue??? yes... part of the car was once light metallic blue.

 

 

a full explanation will be coming forthwith... but ladies and gentlemen... I believe I was looking at the desecrated shell of the 1988 race version pace car. I simply want to puke.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I spent 4 hours looking at this car and everything else.

 

I took nearly 150 pictures of just this car and was able to crawl around and beneath it, open it up and look at everything.

 

This car has a awesome paint job, an #@$& awesome drivetrain, and some damn nice seats... but the rest of the interior finish quality sucks.

 

I also will have to dispel the myth that this 88 car was built as a 92+ body style in 1988. That is utterly and completely false and must be laid to rest.

 

There is evidence that the car may have been black, then red, and now gold. But there was also light metallic blue too. Blue??? yes... part of the car was once light metallic blue.

 

 

a full explanation will be coming forthwith... but ladies and gentlemen... I believe I was looking at the desecrated shell of the 1988 race version pace car. I simply want to puke.

 

 

Get to it, I want to hear this before you forget everything or something else happens.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

facts:

 

exterior mirrors, mirror triangles, windshield surrounds and rollbar are the same metallic black as the 88 pace car.

 

Exterior mirrors are manual mirrors. no cable is visible. passenger side switch panel has the square holder for the cables, but no cable present. drivers side switch panel is plain. passenger mirror flops, the mechanism is broken, but glass is ok.

 

interior rearview mirror: completely plain with no maplights,

 

HVAC system: absent. entire dash is hollow underneath, no speakers, no radio, no ashtray, nothing. block off plate installed on firewall plate to seal openings for a/c and heater core. Why is there an HVAC controller installed? I have no idea. I could feel and follow the wiring but I could not tell if it went anywhere.

 

interior otherwise... well. cruise control switch, but IIRC, no cruise control. (gotta get my pics uploaded to see em)

 

hey, this car had wipers!!!! (thought you might like to know!)

 

the dash and steering column in this car and NOT black. they are not DARK GRAPHITE. they are BLUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You can't see it except in when my flash goes off, and may not be distinguishable in most photos.

 

This car has TWO international medallions inside. one on the headlight bezel, and one one the front of the console, which is an addition to the car, since it did not come with the current configuration of a manual transmission, and the console is a 5 speed console.

 

this car was not originally equipped with a quad 4 motor. the holes on the radiator support where the 2.8 and 3.1 dogbones mount are threaded, therefore the car at one time had a 2.8.

 

COULD THIS CAR BE A Q4 5speed at the 1988 race, and we just don't know???? Or was a Q4 5 speed conversion done later, with a Q4 automatic for part of it's life?

 

rollbar: appears to be removable type consistent with known 1988 pace cars, but I could not locate a release to remove it, or maybe you just need to pull up harder?

 

trunk lid: uses hydraulic lifters (same as the 50 real verts from 1988)

 

front fenders: are full 1992 style fenders, on the 1988 verts only, they are full fenders, and the area of both fenders below the side trim was no painted during the last paint job. these fenders were light metallic blue previously.

 

the hood: is a 92+ hood. the front rim edge where the 88-91 has it's nose is not a hacked and fixed area, the hood metal was properly formed into 92+ hood as evident form the skin edge. The hood is a 92+ hood.

 

the hood vent: it appears to be similar or same as that used on Shelby Daytonas. it is recessed into the hood, and the opening of metal surrounding the vent was transplanted and welded into the current hood. While the hood surface looks perfect, you can see the rough area where the welding and grafting occurred.

 

all lens on the vehicle are 1992 DOT approved, except the headlights. those are 1990 DOT approved. This car could not have existed before components constructing it were manufactured and DOT approved. ergo... It was not built as a 1992+ car originally.

 

 

 

Gasps..............

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


×
×
  • Create New...