hey guys i'm a newbie and think i can help with some issues.

[STGBROOK]

let me introduce myself and give you a little backround on the cutlass convertible. i was a field service engineer for gm until last april when all the field engineers were laid off. as field engineers we worked on everything gm builds. one of my assignments was the cutlass convertible. i was the guy that was the troubleshooter on this vehicle and repaired mostly water leak problems as well as general top stack issues. i worked closely with cars and concepts in lawrenceville ga. 20 miles outside doraville where the cutlass was produced. at the time i was the field engineer for olds division when the convertible was introduced. the vehicle was suppose to come out approx. march of 1990 but due too numerous issues wasn't released until the end of august 1990. originally there were almost 1000 1990's convertibles built but only around 450 were released. the remainder of the vehicles were bailed. (destroyed). one of the reasons was that the vehicles were certified as 1990's and had to be delivered at the end of the model year 1990 which is the end of august. these 1990's were run through the cars and concepts line several times until they corrected all the water leaks and assembly issues. we ran out of time thus only 450 unit’s hit the streets. this is where i cut my teeth on these things. the 1990 vehicles were a bear to fix. to many issues to go into but after the 1991 model run the general manager of olds at the time call all 16 olds field engineers and asked if it was worth keeping the model running do to low csi (customer satisfaction index) or kill it off. i was the first one interviewed and said i think i have a handle on the field problems and to keep it going. after he interviewed the rest of the fse's he called me back and said it was unanimous, everyone agreed that it should be killed off except me… he then said congratulations it's all yours. at this point i visited lawrenceville several times a year and worked with the line workers to get a feel of the top. The line supervisor built me special tools to help out in the field to correct some problems and supplied parts overnight as I requested. The people at cars and concepts really supported me and anything I needed to correct the customers concerns. There were three generations of weatherstrips on the cutlass. The first on 1990’s and early 91’s then in the mid 91 run a slight design change and in late 93 the final and best design. This was an issue at the dealerships when ordering different weatherstrips during repairs, you never knew which ones you were getting. The line supervisor and I came up with a retrofit package at the plant that would change all previous year vehicles to the latest design. As far as getting any weatherstrips now there are a couple of odds and ends in gm inventory but again you won’t know what generation you are getting. Some of the first and second designs will work together but not the final design. Pretty much all by itself. One of the big issues is the tapes used during assembly. norton was the manufacture of the tapes. They were special made for the cutlass and not available anymore for the most part. I’ll try to answer some of the questions if you like but don’t expect an overnight answer as I’m not on the pc all that often. i don't know everything but i'm pretty good. I have a 95 convertible and going to reskin it in a few weeks with a stayfast set up. Canvas versus vinyl. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

[Crazy K]

I have decided that of all the posts I have read... I have already developed the biggest love/hate relationship I've ever had with you.

 

thank you for saving the cutlass supreme convertible.

 

damn you for saving the cutlass supreme convertible!

 

thanks for the info, which confirms and clarifys much of what we know.

 

 

[oldscsc]

Great! Sounds like you have a ton of insider information!

[Brian P]

Welcome to the forum!

[xtremerevolution]

welcome! man it will be great having your expertise around.

[slick]

Woah, welcome!

[GP1138]

I have a '95 and am looking forward to seeing your answers to our questions. Thanks for joining!

[ManicMechanic]

i worked closely with cars and concepts in lawrenceville ga. 20 miles outside doraville where the cutlass was produced.

 

Many people told me I was wrong about this. THANK YOU FOR CLARIFYING.

 

Do you have any pics or anything of when you worked there that you will share?

[Crazy K]

i worked closely with cars and concepts in lawrenceville ga. 20 miles outside doraville where the cutlass was produced.

 

Many people told me I was wrong about this. THANK YOU FOR CLARIFYING.

 

Do you have any pics or anything of when you worked there that you will share?

I kept asking for your proof! You haven't found the pic of a truck load of cars you said were being takne to be convertiblized...

 

hey... thought: only 94 CSs verts got HUD. could this be because HUD glass would be harder o deal with away from the factory?

 

How about the mythical 95 CS vert with HUD? Would you have seen that unicorn, Stgbrook?

[jake91]

wow. welcome!

[STGBROOK]

i think i need to clarify a couple of points. i worked for the corporation, gm, not cars and concepts or the doraville assembly plant. the body in white (bare body shell) was put together at doraville assembly and then sent over by truck two at a time to cars and concepts twenty miles away. it then was entered onto the first assembly line where the top was cut off after most of the structure was braced. about 425 additional braces were installed in the convertible at c&c. after it had the braces installed and it was lined up on the plate, (the truing device for the body) it then went back to doraville and was built as a normal cutlass except for the rear comparment trim. then another trip back to c&c where the top stack was installed and water tested. as far a a hud i never seen one built in the 95 cutlass convertible. as you guys i'm sure know the change of the dash in 95 probalbly some to do with it. as far as pictures i don't have any, gm and it's vendors aren't to keen on cameras in restricted areas. no bull just fact.

[Crazy K]

good info.

 

I will state that one of the biggest problems with the car is water leakage.

 

why did late 94 and 95 verts not have a drain in the well?

why did all others have a drain only on one side?

why would they put normal underlayment under the carpet, instead of a water-proof deadening material instead?

[jake91]

ken. my early 94 has no drain in the well, and it was buit in march of 94

[Brian P]

ken. my early 94 has no drain in the well, and it was buit in march of 94

 

that's not an early '94, that would be considered a late '94. Early models would be made in late '93.

[Crazy K]

ken. my early 94 has no drain in the well, and it was buit in march of 94

FAIL! <3

[jake91]

ken. my early 94 has no drain in the well, and it was buit in march of 94

 

that's not an early '94, that would be considered a late '94. Early models would be made in late '93.

oh okay

[ManicMechanic]

i think i need to clarify a couple of points. i worked for the corporation, gm, not cars and concepts or the doraville assembly plant. the body in white (bare body shell) was put together at doraville assembly and then sent over by truck two at a time to cars and concepts twenty miles away. it then was entered onto the first assembly line where the top was cut off after most of the structure was braced. about 425 additional braces were installed in the convertible at c&c. after it had the braces installed and it was lined up on the plate, (the truing device for the body) it then went back to doraville and was built as a normal cutlass except for the rear comparment trim. then another trip back to c&c where the top stack was installed and water tested. as far a a hud i never seen one built in the 95 cutlass convertible. as you guys i'm sure know the change of the dash in 95 probalbly some to do with it. as far as pictures i don't have any, gm and it's vendors aren't to keen on cameras in restricted areas. no bull just fact.

 

It's all good.

 

I did find a 1995 Dark Teal/Tan convertible WITH HUD...It was in Germany of all places.

[Crazy K]

I did find a 1995 Dark Teal/Tan convertible WITH HUD...It was in Germany of all places.

 

I would still like more info on that. pics???

[ManicMechanic]

All my Cutlass crap went out in the garage when I got pissed. I will dig it out in a few days.

[ripp]

thanks for comeing on line and talking about the verts .I know many people that worked at c&c and they told me the some thing 15 years ago .I have said the same thing on here before but now We have a insider telling it.

one more thing are you from mich? if you are did John make your top?

[swift13]

oh this is going to be sweet !!!

 

oh yeah and welcome to the site!!!LOL

[95 vert]

Hey, Brook! Glad to see you joined up on here. This is Perry, we talked on the phone last week about my vert. Looking forward to seeing any tips/info you may have on these cars.

[STGBROOK]

guys not sure on how to post replies yet, should i respond on this thread or to the specific thread? i responded to the windshield mldg. question but will reply here also until i know how to work this board.

 

the outer windshield mldg. was always a problem more seen in the hot humid areas of the country. replacements at the time done the same thing. once and awhile i would use a heat gun and get it stretched out and use 3m 8011 sealant to secure. we also used what at the plant they would call two week. it was a black gel type super glue and if you got it on your hands............... my 95 is doing the same thing. interested about the comment on using a 2007 caravan cowl seal though. have to look into that. as far as not having a drain on late built 94's and then into 95, i disagreed with the decision to stop using it but olds division felt at the time it wasn't that big an issue and could save a couple of bucks. seems ridiculous but that's the way manufacturer’s see things. not to hard to make one up. find a piece like a grommet with a nipple installed typically in the pass side of the boot and use clear surgical tubing and go over to the rear antenna drain. install a tee and that's it. planning on doing that to mine when i get it back on the road. another point was the outer black aluminum windshield mldgs.. the reason the early ones and occasionally the later ones would blister up was gas... the impurities in the metal would cure over time and as the gas created by this left the metal the only thing between the metal and the atmosphere was the paint. olds division came out with a detailed bulletin on the sealing procedure and specific paint to be used back in 93 or 94, not sure but the bulletin is out there.

as far as the question why only one drain, the boot insert to catch the water was skewed to the pass side slightly when installed. the drain was placed on the pass side because of the access to the antenna drain. Just a easy place to tee in and shed the water. and why was normal underlayment under the carpet used versus waterproof type material, not sure but probably easier for the vendor to make up the carpet with the normal jute backing. remember, no water was suppose to get there anyway…….. right///

has anyone come up with a vendor to replace the carpet. the convertible was vehicle specifc versus the coupe. i think the only difference was the rear wheel wells being a little smaller. i have the tan/beige carpet and thinking of dying it. still in good shape but want to freshen it up. any thoughts?

 

[Crazy K]

I replaced the underlayment in one of my verts with a double layer of HVAC type silvered bubble wrap. (free junk to me) I could imagine a few layers of dynomat or e-dead would work just as well, if not better. punch a few drain holes, lay the carpet with all; the backing removed and it looks and feels good... though i haven't tested it for noise deadening...

 

 

[jake91]

as far as not having a drain on late built 94's and then into 95, i disagreed with the decision to stop using it but olds division felt at the time it wasn't that big an issue and could save a couple of bucks. seems ridiculous but that's the way manufacturer’s see things. not to hard to make one up. find a piece like a grommet with a nipple installed typically in the pass side of the boot and use clear surgical tubing and go over to the rear antenna drain. install a tee and that's it

nice move olds, and thanks for the tip on how to make one. ive just been keeping a towel back there