Brian King’s AWD 1982 Oldsmobile Cutlass - Customer Spotlight

08/22/2017
10 min read

Brian King’s AWD 1982 Oldsmobile Cutlass - Customer Spotlight

08/22/2017
10 min read

Many of us have fond memories of our first car. The good times spent in those early days of open-road freedom last a lifetime. Sadly, most of these cars and trucks don’t. Wrecked, broken down, parted out, traded in, sold, whatever its fate may have been, very few people can say that they still own their first automobile. Brian King is one of those rare few.




Purchased for $400 back in 1994, King’s ’82 Cutlass has been with him since day one. Making it through high school and college, Brian’s Cutlass took him from point A to point B and did so in relatively stock form during that time. The only real alteration came in the way of a 403 ci motor sourced from a friend’s wrecked Delta 88. This engine replaced the blown, and we’re not talking supercharged, 307 ci stock mill that was present in the car at the time of Brian’s initial purchase. King’s Olds ran the streets for years with the carburetor replacement powerplant, but after a less-than-ideal meeting with a deer, the vehicle was once again in need of repair. Brian decided that it was time to step things up and he did so in a very big way.


The LS upgrade was a no-brainer. Today, these swaps are pretty much commonplace, but King took his Cutlass rebuild and leveled up on the everyday drivetrain enhancements used by most of his pro-touring protégés. Brian picked up a Lingenfelter LS2, strapped on an F1x Procharger, and made sure that traction wouldn’t be an issue by installing an AWD unit from a Chevy Trailblazer SS. “I have converted the car into an all-wheel-drive monster,” said King. This is no exaggeration. Imagine the look on his neighbors' faces the first time Brian unleashed this Kraken of a Cutlass from the depths of his suburban garage.


The custom H/O-style paint still shines like it did the day it was laid down 7 years ago and compliments the Lightning Rod-shifted 4L70E trans backing up King’s supercharged LS. As you could imagine, Brian’s Hurst Olds tribute is host to a plethora of other necessary and strategic improvements like 4-wheel disk brakes, an upgraded 8.5” rear end, a 3k stall converter, race buckets, and harnesses, the list goes on. “I have done so many mods to this car, I just can’t stop!” said Brian. We hope that he doesn’t. King is in this for the long haul and in a world full of 6-month, high-dollar, bolt-on builds that are quickly auctioned off to the highest bidder, Brian’s ’82 Cutlass is a breath of fresh air. Unless, of course, you’re caught downwind during one of his tire-consuming burnout exhibitions.


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