Ask any historian, and they’ll tell you 1972 was a terrible year for humanity. There were a host of terror attacks, a scandal at the U.S. White House, and a bizarre plane crash rescue where survivors had practiced cannibalism. On the brighter side, the NASA Space Shuttle program officially launched on that year, and closer home, Oldsmobile unveiled the 455-powered 1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass.
Kevin of Junkyard Digs YouTube channel recently stumbled upon a barn find 1972 Oldsmobile A-body Cutlass S in Henderson, Texas, that had been sitting since 1999.
According to Kevin, the previous owners of the car inherited it from their mother, who’d bought it new. When she passed away, her kids only signed over the title ( no one ever drove it). As a result, it’s been sitting in a barn for 23 years untouched.
The A-body Cutlass had a few visual updates from the 1970 and the 1971 models when it arrived in showrooms in 1972. The Cutlass S was the sportier version of the base model (two-door) and came in a hardtop or sport coupe variables. It featured a 350 two-barrel V8 engine, a three-speed manual transmission, and a single exhaust.
Kevin’s Cutlass S find was in a fairly decent condition with minimal rust. The quarter panels had little dings here and there, and the interior looked great for a 50-year-old car.
If you know anything about the Junkyard Digs, they are obsessed with breathing life into dead cars. To ensure the Oldsmobile Cutlass drives out of the barn and not on a flatbed, Kevin got $1,800 worth of parts, including tires, an aftermarket aluminum radiator, a fuel tank, a battery, and disc brakes.
Fortunately, the engine wasn’t gummed up, and it turned over on the initial ignition test. After a close inspection, Kevin noticed the point’s condenser was slightly corroded despite being new.
Their next attempt to get it running was positive, but they still had to replace the fuel tank since it had some gunk that could otherwise clog their fuel system.
After a few tries, the Cutlass S roared to life.
“Holy cow, that’s the first time in 17 years this car has seen the sunlight. We did learn today that it sat outside for five years prior to sitting here. For the first time in 23 years, she’s running again,” Kevin revealed.
We recommend catching the rest of that action in the video below. The '72 Oldsmobile Cutlass S gets its first clean after 17 years.
Humphrey is a car enthusiast whose love and passion for automobiles extended into collecting, writing, driving, and working on cars. He got his passion for cars from his Dad, who spent thousands of hours working on his old junky 1970 E20 Toyota Corolla. Years later, he would end up doing the same with a series of lemons he’s owned throughout his adult life. Full profile
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