The Right Direction – Getting an Oldsmobile Cutlass Ready for Miles of Mayhem with No Time to Spare
It’s an all-too-common story; a project car sits for an extended period of time before it gets sold, or the owner has a moment where they finally decide the direction of the build.
For Sean Jones, it took fifteen years of the twenty he has owned this 1986 Oldsmobile Cutlass to figure out what to do with it.
“After changing directions and plans numerous times, the last five years is when I got serious about it,” said Sean. “I wanted an 80-percent street car and 20-percent race car.”
So, his Cutlass got to work, with the Miles of Mayhem 2022 drag-and-drive event in Canada as his target. “I just got it road ready the day before leaving for Miles of Mayhem 2022, and still ended up leaving 10 hours later than planned,” said Sean. “But we made it to the event and just had the goal of going start to finish during the week and not worrying really about any times for the car. We hit the goal and did complete the week.”
Sick The Mag keeps its web articles ad-free thanks to merch sales and magazine subscriptions. Thank you to all of you who wear our stuff and read our books!
To get the Cutlass to survive the week, Sean checked the box for a LS-swap, and started with a 6-liter short block with a stage 2 turbo camshaft from John Bewley. 317 casting cylinder heads and a stock LS1 intake top it off, and a Full Proof Performance-spec’d Borg Warner S480 turbocharger directs additional air to the combination.
A junkyard-fresh 4L80E overdrive transmission backs up the engine, and a Quick Performance Ford 9-inch sits at the rear. VMS Racing wheels in big and little sizes sit at the corners on Mickey Thompson rubber.
“To be 100-percent honest, up until Miles of Mayhem 2022, I had no racing experience,” said Sean. “I took a fresh home-built car untested 10 hours to an event and crossed my fingers that I'd learn stuff, make memories, and most importantly have fun, and that's exactly what we did.”
When it comes to the challenges of a drag-and-drive, Sean was brutally honest. “I would have to say keeping everything working, together and happy, but also adapting to whatever issue cones up along the way,” said Sean. “You could be one and done on the road, you could be 5-plus passes and struggling, could be on the side of the road doing a repair, you may not show up to your hotel till 2,3,4 in the morning and a couple hours of sleep, and you have to do it all again.
But know that the people you cross paths with and shake hands with and tell stories with are in it for the same reason you are. It's a week-long adventure.”
For Sean, having the right people involved makes doing a drag-and-drive event more successful and enjoyable, and his co-pilot is also his girlfriend. “We've been together for fourteen years, and she's just as much into it as I am,” Sean said.
“Her hobby is automotive photography, she's been a big supporter of the build over the years, and always willing to help. It's just a bonus we can both enjoy it kind of in different ways.”
Sean is currently participating in Miles of Mayhem 2023 this week, and made it to the third day in competition in the Pro Street class.
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Sean Jones.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com