Rat Stock Eliminator Racer? A Cool, Four-Speed 1969 Olds F-85

Olds F-85 is Part Unrestored, Part Tribute

Seeing is believing, right? So what do your eyes tell you about this 1969 F-85 Oldsmobile? Most believe that they're seeing a great vintage Olds, a rare find from Olds' golden era. That much is true.
They also believe that they're seeing a long-lost racer that used to tear up the stock classes in NHRA drag racing. The F-85's vintage racer appearance is completely convincing, but that part of the car's identity is a recent addition. But it looks so legit that even veteran enthusiasts are sure it's the real thing.
Here's the story. James Kryta loves to comb salvage yards for both personal and business reasons. As an active Olds guy and restorer, he's always on the lookout for cars and parts that will help his impressive collection of Oldsmobile A-Bodies. As a businessman and operator of Inline Tube along with his brother John, he's always scouting for clean, pristine parts to use as patterns for parts he's reproducing. It was during a salvage yard safari in Tucson, Arizona, that they came upon this weathered but straight and complete F-85, the lowest of Oldsmobile's intermediate line. Even in its humble condition, something about it spoke to James, and he bought it as-is.

2/9

Rat rods were trending, and James, after a string of extensive and expensive concours restorations, was in the mood to do something different. The F-85, faded from decades in the scorching Southwest sun, had a look that he liked.

I located the correct Olds 350 motor and rebuilt it to factory W-31 specs

"I wanted to do something that would not require the car to be painted, as the paint was faded and worn off in spots perfectly as the car was used over the years," James recalls.
Scanning some old issues of Hot Rod, he made another discovery. He says, "I found the '69 W-31 that was raced by Ron Gary and sponsored by the Smothers Brothers and Chesrown Olds, a dealership in Columbus, Ohio, that sponsored numerous Olds racers. The F-85 was perfect for a retro race car."

3/9 Could we be seeing the start of a new trend? A salvage yard rescue is easy on the wallet and packs a powerful vintage punch. It is styled after an old W-31 F-85 campaigned by Chesrown Olds and the Smothers Brothers.

The direction was set. Next came the specifics. "I researched the time period and looked at the speed parts from that time and gathered ideas," James relates. "Back in the day, the cars changed from week to week. As sponsors gave the teams parts, their logos would go on the car. I found pictures of the car with few sponsors and some pics with many sponsors. So I picked a spot in time and created the car."
Key to the look are the vintage logos and lettering with faux fading, expertly applied by George Garner, using light brushstrokes and years of experience. James says, "George was very excited about doing the car. He knew exactly what I wanted. I was pleasantly surprised at how well it came out."
The final look is incredibly authentic. Over the faded original paint, the accelerated aging looks like the car was just recovered from some old pasture.
But even though it's now spec'd out just the way you'd want it for drag racing, it was originally a six-cylinder three-speed with no options. You gotta love that. To turn the car into a vintage racer, James had to come up with a driveline. "I located the correct-year Olds 350 motor and rebuilt it to factory W-31 specs," he explains. That meant changing pistons to bump compression up to 11:1, installing bigger W-31 valves, and the hotter W-31 cam.

4/9 The powerful W-31 makes a glorious noise with the exhaust dumps open.

The rearend is a 4.33:1 Anti-Spin, and a set of exhaust dumps just under the doors provides plenty of roar when it's called for.
James is pretty well connected in Oldsmobile circles, but a few parts proved challenging, even for him. "Some of the engine stuff was quite expensive," he says, "like the very rare W-31 harmonic balancer. And the cast iron four-barrel intake manifold took a bit to find. But if I was going to do it, I wanted it period factory correct."
A W-31, essentially a reduced displacement 455 W-30, is very tough, and very powerful.
"I built the engine and put it on the dyno with the help of Dan Jensen. It made 366 hp. I painted the engine with just enough color to barely cover so it, too, would look like a weathered original. I found an original factory air cleaner. The hoses and scoops are aftermarket. I had Ed Hartnett build an M21 four-speed, and I put a Centerforce clutch in it. I found a four-speed tunnel hump and the correct Hurst shifter. The handle is a hard one to find because it's not a 4-4-2—the 4-4-2's had 4-4-2 on the handle. This one just has Hon the handle for Hurst."
The body needed nothing other than a couple pieces of replacement trim. The interior, however, needed some help. James says, "The original interior and most all the rubber parts were sun baked, so I found a dash and some factory gauges and restored them. I restored the interior like I would with any other restoration because this was a driver, and I did not want to sit in filth." James installed a new headliner, replaced the worn-out door panels, and found a used rubber floor mat and redyed it.

5/9 The interior got the most restoration, as it was pretty ratty after years in the blazing Arizona sun. Check out the rubber floor mat and Hurst four-on-the-floor.

The end result is a knockout, completely different from the thousands of concours restorations we've seen for years. It's also a fresh and fun experience to drive.
"I drive this one, and I've raced it too," says James. "Best e.t. was 13.44, not too bad for a stocker with a four-speed. It sure is fun banging through the gears. It feels like you're going faster than you really are, just like in the old days. I drive it to cruise nights, and it's been on Woodward Avenue several times for the big Dream Cruise."
Not having to pamper a show car is a welcome change. "It's fun when you don't have to worry about driving it. Getting another chip in the paint or someone touching it or leaning on it does not bother me a bit. It's also been rained on—no big deal."

Best e.t. was 13.44, not bad for a stocker with a four-speed

At a Glance
1969 F-85
Owned by: James Kryta, Romeo, MI
Restored by: Unrestored; modifications by owner
Engine: 350ci/366hp W-31 V-8
Transmission: M21 4-speed manual
Rearend: 4.33 with Anti-Spin
Interior: Base F-85 bench seat
Wheels: Cragar S/S
Tires: BFGoodrich Silvertown blackwalls front, 8.00/8.50-14 M&H Racemaster cheater slicks rear Special parts: W-31 350, vintage-style graphics/lettering by George Garner

---

 

 9/9 Cragar S/S wheels are among the period-correct, day-two parts James found for the F-85.