1971 Oldsmobile 442 Joe Mondello 455 Olds

Here for your viewing pleasure is the 1971 Oldsmobile 442 that my dad bought in Mar of '85. It's much better to raise hell with the car on camera once and get to rewatch the video a million times than constantly be out riding it's ass. I'd like to be a custodian of the car in my time and maintain it for my son and future generations to enjoy. Mondello was the last one inside this 455.
There I was, all of 9. Dad proclaimed that he was buying something from the Hot Rod auction down at the Cincinnati Convention Center. I expected some kind of 30s/40s hot rod. Something like my Uncles 32 Ford with the 364 nailhead buick dual 4 setup, 4 speed etc. Nope, a puke cream '71 Olds 442. Car was complete with green vinyl top and gold brush painted engine. I had no idea what the car was and had no interest. I was let down... Dad bought the car. He swapped the plates from the family Suburban out in the parking garage and off we went. We exited the building and pulled out onto the street. My dad said, "lets see if it's a real 442..." He snatched up the weezy little column shifter, dropped her into 1st and smashed the go pedal. The car melted a tire and convinced me right then and there... things would be ok in the Somers world of cool cars... Within a few weeks, a group trip to Edgewater Dragway was scheduled and the car was able to cut a 14.27 et. At the time, the car was a bread and butter 442 with AC, open 3.23 gears and not so much as a tach in the cluster. Hell idiot lights at best... It wasn't long before the car was apart. Danny Asbury had taken on the challenge of removing the vinyl top and changing the body color to a beautiful dark green. Debold was responsible for the first rebuild of the original 455. I can remember the car coming back from Debolds in '86. I watched from my bedroom window as it was fired up on the trailer. No dog house, just the radiator shroud/assembly. It had a 2.5" exhaust with turbo mufflers at the rear axle and nothing else. It was pure music. Soon there after, The car was back together. Danny finished his wet sand work and the car was ready for the street. It wasn't long before my dad was bored with the show car scene. Lawn chairs and summer heat didn't quite offer the excitement he was looking for. There was a trip to Tri-State Dragway in Hamilton Ohio. My dad was having issues with the open differential. His best time that day was somewhere in the 16 second range.. He borrowed a set of slicks within a week or two and returned. The car was basicly stock at the time and clipped a 13.60. After not too long my dad had caught the bug and had the car running 12.7. He decided that 12.0 was the goal. He didn't want to have to install a roll bar per NHRA rules breaking into the 11.99 and quicker range. He was able to put the car on the 12.05 mark. Somewhere around '89 at an Olds meet up at Norwalk Ohio, Joe Mondello of Mondello Performance spotted the car. Somewhere in the mix he made a deal with my dad to purchase the car for his wife Mary. They eventually got the deal done. The car was loaded up in an enclosed car hauler and delivered to California. I eventually saw the car on the Back of Mondello's catalog. It was in a magazine in the Early '90s. They quoted it running 12.60. Mondello had built a '67 425 based 455 with the .921" lifters for his wife Mary. They had re-installed the AC and put 3.42 gears in it. I was in the military at the time and in school out in Petaluma Ca. I had thought about stopping in several times to see the car down in Paso Robles but never did. At the time I was driving a '79 Malibu Wagon with an Olds 330(with Mondello parts) 3.73 gears and decent stall. I should have stopped in... Fast forward to Jan 2018. friend of mine from the Olds world had been helping Mrs. Mondello clear things out from the cylinder head porting business as well as other personal items including some cars.One of the guys suggested that the green 442 might be the Somers car. Dave Worthington contacted me about it. It didn't take long to confirm that this was my dads car. Fortunately I was offered an opportunity to purchase the car. After some work and planning, we brought the car home to Florida. The car is a time capsule from the early 90s. I have made a few minimal updates to allow the car to live in the Florida heat and modern gas. Other than that, my goal is to maintain the car as it was when Joe Mondello was wrenching on the car. There are many subtle details to see on the car. I would love to ask Joe a load of questions but will have to do with what is there as a map. Notice the milled carb and primary venturies. Lots of little details. Enjoy.

[@bryandouglass9997]

Went to his shop in the 80s ......he sat and talked cars with me like a old friend... Glad to have met him...a true automotive legend 😁

[@timshannon6363]

There is nothing like the sound of an oldsmobile engine

[@farber442]

Music only a Rocket can make🚀

[@Ballenxj]

Mondello was legendary! He knew how to "Rocket" an Olds engine. Thumb up for showing the acceleration.

[@Edsrt-]

Joe Mondello and Doc Watson dear God I miss Oldsmobile

[@sheldonhinson8323]

The hills are alive with the sound of music again! Mondello lives. Awesome!

[@israelalvarado1695]

I have a 73 cutlass S with a 455 I got out of a 69 delta 88. It has C heads. Runs really strong. These motors have so much torque. I love the sound too.

[@SpressoHead]

I built a red one just like this in ‘91., 455 steel crank, Comp Cams 292H, Mondello heads, Hooker headers, Performer with modified Rochester, T-400, 3:42 rear. Ran 12.0 thru the mufflers on street tires. I got stupid and sold it. Enjoy, my friend. Few know the thrill . . . and painted my valve covers too, for the “Whuuuuu? Factor😎

[@engrcumins9809]

Bet you think of the good times with your father every time you look at that beauty. The gift that keeps on giving. Thanks for sharing. My dad worked at an Olds dealer when I was a small boy. I've been a huge fan these 60 odd years later and am looking for the one that has my name on it.

[@Thrashest51]

Jezus was that thing breaking traction in every gear!? That's insane! Oldsmobile 💪

[@tombeyer375]

My father got me started on big block Oldsmobiles as a kid. Used to cruise Woodward Avenue in the Motor City. Love the sound of the Olds motor and the torque that would twist the front end! Memories!

[@samniro370]

God bless music to my ears Thank God I restored mine

[@jamesdurrance5242]

Love it ! Had a 71 in 1999 in high school, miss that car .

[@barbarahewes4201]

Thank you for not holding back. My first car was a 1972 442 all original. I heard you catch 3rd....lotsa power!

[@angelorivera3611]

That 71 is an eye catcher, the body and the grill has an iconic look . The 455 cu in, carburator was a 4 brl quadra jet she was a monster of power, Just get up and go! Especially with that and never forget! the 4 speed tranny, man ,I'm drulling here. 390s gears at the rear end, limited slip possi traction, What a sweet ride, classy, dressy to go out in and fun in the sun. My era had a nice selection of cars back then.

[@user-wf5sv3rr2o]

Green with envy! This IS your father’s Oldsmobile: Four on the floor, four-barrel carburetor, and dual ( trumpet) exhausts! It speaks for itself. No voice over needed.

[@charliejamz.]

It’s an automatic. Great car and video none the less.

[@dannydennis318]

I love Olds. I had a gold 70 W-30 4sp in HS in 1978 and it ran a best of 12.61 open headers and slicks on King of the street night @ Green Valley in Fort Worth. It was by far the fastest Streetcar out there that night.

[@oldsman4446]

Wow what a story and an amazing car!!! It's a dream of mine to own an olds with a mondello drivetrain very cool!!!

[@joemontero725]

Awesome. 1980 Miami Florida this rich Cuban guy lived across the street from my high school and had the very same car in candy apple red. Every Friday he would give the first 3 kids that arrived at his house after school and would invite them on a ride to the Carvel for ice cream. Great I love this car and brings back great memories of muscle cars.

[@chrismc.4437]

Yikes!! Sounds like a total creep! Did any parents ever investigate him or his inappropriate behavior? Do you notice odd gaps in you memory?

[@joemontero725]

@@chrismc.4437 only a creep would think like this. In 1980 things were not like today's freaks, plus this Man was well known and had a holsum friendship with the school kids. His son and daughter attended the high school 3 years prior.

[@chrismc.4437]

@@joemontero725 No Joe, you sound like you're in denial. The 80s weren't so long ago that the concept of sexual predators wasn't unheard of anywhere in the world. And I think you mean "wholesome" friendship. Idk Joe may have all been innocent but seems odd for a neighborhood guy to taking the first 3 kids to the dairy queen. All a bit suspicious.

[@impopn3]

God I love this video, I have the same engine in my 1979 Trans AM, 455 Olds, turbo 400 shift kit, 3,500 stall speed and 488 gears. Car's been sitting in my garage for 35 years, no time, no money, had to raise 3 little boys on my own, couldn't waste money on her (TA) while raising them, hopefully some day, engine is in, transmission is in, just needs a bunch of time and money to make her Purr again like back in the day.

[@capers84]

Sell it to me. I need it!

[@chrismc.4437]

Hey man we all have a story and more than a few excuses. No need to ramble

[@impopn3]

@@chrismc.4437 Sad lil man you are. Happy now?

[@chrismc.4437]

@@impopn3 So not sad. Always happy. Why so salty?

[@dextervandemark7082]

Oh wow she's beautiful! We have a 72 Cutlass convertible. It's a rolling restoration right now but when she's done she'll be beautiful hopefully as nice as yours is!

[@williamlawrence1422]

Absolutely beautiful

[@charliejamz.]

Great video.

[@janivarsrvaag5137]

this is the best oldsmobile w30 video i have seen yet mondelo 455 v8 tums upp

[@shawnbrooks8746]

Love olds rockets sounds stronggggg

[@Richard-vu7kh]

Gorgeous car !....awesome clip. It looks like it’s cruising at around 75 / 80 mph @ 2,500 - 3,000 rpm ? BIG top end if the engine redlines around 5400 rpm. I owned a ‘68 442 (long stroke 400]. with a 3.91 posi rear-end - 80 mph was near 4,000 rpm !....it was super quick off the line, but running out of air at the top end....still, I loved the car!....it smoked my ‘69 GS 400...also a beautiful car, but no match for the Olds.

[@harry-s9p]

Great Bigblock - Love the Olds

[@bigtexas7580]

When I was 19 I had an 87 olds cutlass with a 455 olds motor. 455 had the crappy J heads which are smog heads when I bought the car so I replaced the heads with G heads and an edlebrock torker 455 intake and that car passed everything except a gas station then. I couldn't keep a pair of tires on the back of that car that weren't bald from burning rubber so much. Modello knows Olds motors and between them and dick miller racing they are the 2 best oldsmobile doctors and have been for many years.

[@krazykozey2259]

This car is still for sale by me in Florida.😢 I was entertaining it until we got nailed by Idalia. I'm just finishing my 69 up now. Crank/rods and heads just had to go back out because of the storm surge. Luckily that was about the worst of the damage on the car but my home is gutted along with part of my shop now. Toy buying days are done for a moment.

[@beanssomers7930]

Must have been another like it. This car won't be for sale in my life time ;)

[@krazykozey2259]

@beanssomers7930 same exact bench, I believe Jade Green interior, which is the darker green, and Mondello built 455, which obviously he did a lot. Car was listed for 65k and was down to 50k. When I just looked it up it's gone. Was up for the whole summer. Happy you still have yours. Beautiful car.

[@deandee8082]

had a W30 when I was like 21-27 yrs old, paid $685.00 for it, napa salesman round oh 1980? Napa on Lake City way, dood if you read this, it was such a good car thanks for the deal, I gave it away, I already know, she was mint too

[@tyonnahenderson6854]

Love it omg it sounds awesome

[@jdgreen214]

I love the violent tourqe of old muscle cars. I know hellcats and stuff are faster its just the aggressiveness and power of these cars. The tires can barely contain the power.

[@imanafrikan]

I miss my 1971 442 auto

[@jameskarchner8218]

Me too ,

[@DMR67442]

Joe told me he built this car for Mary his wife. I spoke with him many times at the nationals. This car was in a magazine article years back and I think some of the details of the engine or in it

[@christophersomers7874]

Thanks for the comment. Mary was kind enough to give me a couple copies of the magazine.

[@haasformulaonefan9795]

I swear you can make a asmr video with that beautiful sound. By the way, I love how the speedometer says 120mph as it's max, but that baby can easily go 180mph.

[@richardherron7670]

Mondello the man and the 442 the car . American legends. I'm an Oldsmobile guy. Great video!!! Beware fast and furious cars.

[@rogerpopcorn4444]

BEAUTIFUL!

[@Wanous-hv7zo]

Very nice car. You should put the repo tic tock tach in

[@christophersomers7874]

I would love too. I would put the column shift back in for factory stealthiness as well however keeping the car the way it is has been my goal aside from maintenance.

[@gingerelvira6587]

And get some buckets, and get rid of the

[@chrismc.4437]

Should is a terrible word.

[@68mustangmustang77]

Awesome. Love it👍

[@chrismehos5035]

Best cars produced by GM 1965 to 1976 minus the rust

[@grinch382]

Still own my 71 olds just got the motor done and ready to be put back in the car

[@steve21061]

I miss my 455 Cutlass :(

[@gshock3092]

My dad had had a 70 Cutlass. It was his first new car . He bought it a year before I was born. Then traded it for a 74 Monte Carlo that had a power moonroof! Then in High school i had a part time job and a coworker just bought a 71 Cutlass SX 455 which I was jealous of! I remember he let another coworker take it for a drive and the guy had a permanent smile on his face when he got back! Sad thing is a few months later the stupid ass wrecked it after a night of drinking!

[@censored1360]

Nice I'm a driveshaft away from putting my 1970 under its own powers 1st since 2005 road worthy prob by fall

[@chrismc.4437]

Based on your tragic grammar, you really do need to be "censored."

[@censored1360]

@@chrismc.4437 Blow it out ur Azz

[@Wireman134]

Miss my built 72' and my 70' Cutlass Supremes

[@chrismc.4437]

It's not about you lol

[@tyonnahenderson6854]

@@chrismc.4437 LoL 🤣

[@chadsgmabodies2637]

nice!! Sounds great!

[@lamontwhitehead1809]

This this is making me drool 🤤

[@thehemiolds455]

Sweet ride it would off been sweet if it had a mondello hemi olds 😍😍😍😍😍

[@Wireman134]

W43

[@thehemiolds455]

👍👍👍

[@chrismc.4437]

Ummm yeah....

[@alvinkarpis5755]

nice

[@peterrivney552]

Looked more like a '68 olds hood... And the beet goes on.... Sounds like idle a little high not bad though mine a little ruffer & liked to stall when idle to long but had Edelbrock Torker single plane intake manifold.. What letter heads on this one ?? Looks , Runs , Sounds great I pulled mine off road 4:56:1 locked Posi & 4000 stall converter was a little to wild with manual steering & breaks... To many tickets shifting into 2nd. & 3rd.. running 1/4 mile @ 12:50's @ 104 m.p.h in '67 442 motor is '66 425 c.i. punched 40 over making it a 442 c.i. @ 500+ h.p. also got '67 Cutlass Supreme Ragtop with 330 done with 4-speed and 3:90:1 Posi 400+ h.p. running 13:70's @ 90mph. W-30 automatic grind camshaft and #4 330 heads rework with 455 valves and 403c.i. connecting rods ... Just love the sound of olds they have there own dusty sound...

[@christophersomers7874]

B Heads

[@dandowodzenka8864]

1971 and 1972 cutlass base and cutlass 'S' had this hood with the 'faux' louvres. 68' had skinnier ones that were closer together on a raised center section of the hood.

[@chrismc.4437]

Say Pete, anyone ever mention you're long winded and a bit of a humble-bragger? Which is kind of funny since you clearly have zero sense of basic punctuation and or elementary grammar.

[@ricjames3259]

Nice exhaust tips buddy! Lol

[@marceverard7149]

Awesome, Ive also got a 71.....What exhaust and mufflers are you using?

[@chrismc.4437]

Old chambered units from a '79 diesel chevy

[@Wrong_gear-3411]

W-Dirty!

[@chrismc.4437]

Wise guy. You too 😎 cool.

[@markperry2827]

8:35 She Gone

[@jdgreen214]

I have a tribute 442 with a mondello drive train. I turn the music down just to listen. Car will pass everything but a gas station.

[@chrismc.4437]

Haha, that old line

[@stetwaard46]

What is the exhaust setup? Crossover, pipe size and mufflers?

[@beanssomers7930]

3" pipes to 3" in/out Flowmaster Super 44s. No crossover. Tailpipes are 2.5"

[@stetwaard46]

Sounds great. I had a feeling it was 3 inch, since it sounds quite deep. 2.5" tailpipes due to clearance issues?

[@beanssomers7930]

Joe had originally installed some big three chambered flowmasters on it. I think his idea was to keep the noise levels down which may explain the tail pipes. The bottoms of the three chamber flowmasters were falling out when I brought the car home so I replaced them with the super 44s for more music...

[@stetwaard46]

@@beanssomers7930 which camshaft are you running?

[@beanssomers7930]

I only know that the car was featured in a magazine in the early 90s which stated that it was a custom Engle grind around .560 lift.

[@bodazaphfa]

Watching this beast take off I got the same feeling as I did the first time I was ever with a woman, if you know what I mean.

[@Wanous-hv7zo]

Solid cam in it?

[@christophersomers7874]

Hydraulic.

[@Wireman134]

Nope sounds like the JM 20-22

[@chrismc.4437]

@@Wireman134 No again.

[@martinpuentesjimenez1025]

mucho ruido épocas nueces homy!

[@christophersomers7874]

Here's a short appearance at the opening of this Power Nation episode on Joe Mondello. Bitter Sweet. kzbin.info/www/bejne/m3etc6mFepalja8 Also: kzbin.info/www/bejne/enynh3huepJ4gqM

[@noahgaray7923]

So what happened to the original 455?

[@beanssomers7930]

Only Joe knows. The original carb ended up on a 65 Chevy pickup with a small block Olds and 2004r out in Seattle. As a kid, I never thought twice about it. The original air cleaner housing and fuel line from pump to carb had been chrome plated and was sent with the car to Joe in California. Mrs. Mondello allowed me to search the cylinder head porting school for it but it was gone. The chrome accessory brackets and pulleys are from the original 455. The original fan was chrome plated but is now gone. The original th400 had been replaced with a B&M unit. It had an 11 converter when this video was made however it failed... The car now sports a 10 inch converter.

[@ben68442]

Clearly this car is equipped wit the incorrect trans speedo gear. The speedometer shows 30 mph just going around the corner at idle, and 80mph at 2300 rpm.-----I don't think so.......

[@christophersomers7874]

You are correct. It's been corrected since this video was made. Here's a video made since then. Other than delay, it's pretty much accurate compared with gps now. kzbin.info/www/bejne/enynh3huepJ4gqM

[@chrismc.4437]

Gee Ben you're quite the Sherlock Holmes! Keen eye Benny!

[@frankminakin1080]

Speedometer seems to be a little off

[@beanssomers7930]

It was and has been corrected.

[@chrismc.4437]

So do you Frank!!

[@johnjohnson2129]

Name of that color

[@beanssomers7930]

I don't remember but it's an early 90s GM/Chevy color. You'll see it on trucks etc. Lot's of metallic and pearl. I think they still use it.

[@jerrycerda4658]

😝🍺🚬🌪️🚬👍🌪️👉

[@Schlipperschlopper]

Sadly from 2030 on all combustion cars including classics will be banned from public streets in entire EU and Scandinavia :-( In Germany the Green Peoples Party gave order to shorten fuel supply from 2025 on by reducing all conventional fuel stations to only one state operated central gas station per city or county. Now they want to slow down all the gas station fuel pumps from 20 litre per minute to 2 litre per minute...From 2027 on in the EU certain car spare parts will be banned too....as exhaust systems, turbo chargers and even some engine and gearbox oils...California and New York will do the same from 2027 on.... So no investments should be done in oil burning cars any longer....They even created a new kind of crime here, called emissions and smoke crime.:-((((

[@christopherohara3725]

I'm a 69 guy i broke up with my 69 and cheated with a 69 ss camaro but i will all ways miss my 442 . ps you're car is flawless.

[@chrismc.4437]

Say you're a witty fella ain't ya!

[@kone.linngus3651]

Not a factory 442 and can't be called a 442 with an automatic transmission in it.