We first caught up with our pal Dalton O’Neal at last year’s SEMA Show when he rumbled into the SEMA Battle of the Builders Young Guns competition behind the wheel of an incredible AMC Javelin. You can check out our story on his Trans Am-inspired Javelin SST here.
Well, Dalton’s back with a new ride: a stunning 1967 Oldsmobile Cutlass Holiday Coupe.
We tracked down the Olds in the Original Parts Group booth and got the scoop behind the build from the man himself.
“We bought it, and then asked ourselves if we should build a regular car for shows around town, or go over and above,” Dalton explains. “And that’s exactly what we did—over and above.”
And it starts on the outside, where the Olds is wearing a one-of-one custom shade of green.
Underneath that custom paint resides a 6.0L LS2 engine and a built Stage 2 4L60E transmission.
“The Olds engines are reliable, but it’s a whole lot harder to find parts for them, so we decided to go with the LS platform,” Dalton says.
But despite its show-ready appearance, Dalton explains that this Olds build is far from over.
“We do have plans on boosting it,” he grins. “We’ve got tubular control arms, going to make a bit more stout suspension.”
When the Cutlass came into Dalton’s stable, the car was in OK condition. “It was (air quotes) running and driving…ish,” he laughs.
Though the body was seemingly straight, Dalton admits that there was about a one foot section of about inch-thick body filler.
A full frame-off restoration ensued, and Dalton happily reports that now you can walk around the car with a magnet and stick it to every inch of the body.
And that effort carries on underneath the car too, where the chassis has been lined with a heavy coating and the underside of the body is the same color as the rest of the Olds.
Take a look inside, and you’ll see that every attempt was made to maintain the Oldsmobile’s vintage aesthetic as well.
In other words, with the hood down, no one would ever suspect that there’s a modern 6.0L LS monster lurking between the frame rails.
Dalton and his father have big plans for the car, with a road trip involving the Oldsmobile and that aforementioned AMC Javelin SST along the fabled Route 66 on the horizon.
“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” he smiles.
He plans to keep the Cutlass, while other projects enter the family shop—including a G-Body El Camino that we’re particularly excited to see.
All told, Dalton describes the build as a best-of-both-worlds mix. “Being able to take the Oldsmobile format to the next level and still have the beautiful, restored product, that’s the goal.”
Suffice it to say, from our perspective, it looks like that goal was met.
OnAllCylinders is on-site in Las Vegas for the 2023 SEMA Show, and we’ll be posting more vehicle features, product profiles, interviews, videos, and photos all week. You can click here to see all of our current SEMA Show coverage.
Here’s a quick rundown of some of the key parts used in the build.
- GM 6.0L LS2 Engine
- Stage 2 4L60E Transmission
- FiTech Fuel Injection System
- Summit Racing LS Serpentine Drive Accessory Kit
- Black Widow Exhaust
- Willwood Disc Brakes
- Mickey Thompson Tires
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