I was at work Friday and a semi pulled in with a sedan delivery on it. From a distance I thought it was a Pontiac or a Chevy but after looking at it up close I discovered that it was a 1950 Oldsmobile 88. It was definately all Olds and not a homebuilt creation. It also was not a hearse. It was a sedan delivery. The driver said Olds only made four of them? and this one was headed to Minnesota. I took pics of it but WalMart lost my film. Anybody ever see or hear of an Olds delivery?
My understanding is that they built a very low number for use by the factory zone service managers only.Never for sale to the public.If you know or can find out how many different zones GM had in 1950,thats how many they built....
Saw a 50 Olds sedan delivery at a cruise night in Lancaster Ca. a few years ago,owner swore it was real and it certainly looked it, only one I ever saw.
That's the one. If I didn't know any better I would swear the car pictured is the same car that was on the hauler. The truck driver said the new owner paid $50,000 and it was going to Minnesota. He told me they only made a few. Thanks for the pics, you guys rock!!
I know Pontiac made them but knew nothing about a Olds,years ago I was thinking about using pontiac and chevy parts to make a 53 to 55 Olds sedan delivery or 2 door wagion.
I think the Olds stays here in Lake Havasu City and it's entered in our Run to the Sun car show that will be starting next week. The guy who owns it also has a 53 Pontiac Sedan Delivery so I'll talk to him to see if he sold the Olds. Did the truck driver say where he picked it up? Lake Havasu City, AZ? (288)
They wouldn't be hard to clone. One Chevy delivery body, one Olds 76 or 88 4dr sedan; combine parts as needed. The front clip should bolt right up to the body shell, I know a Pontiac clip will (you need to use the Pontiac hood hinges). They tell me the delivery front doors differ slightly from the sedan doors, though.
^^^ I think if I were to build a clone I would use the complete cowl and dash from the olds too. I'm certain the firewall is different. delivery doors are 2-door doors with different tops on them.
The delivery doors are the same as 4-door doors except the top of the outside window frame on the strike side is radiused instead of square
makes you wonder if its not a clone, didn't olds use 1 piece windshields? his one has divided chevy style.
Good point, and I'm forgetting that to change out the dash, the Chevy is welded in on these cars - it's probably easier to weld up 2 a-posts and across the floorpan. But still it's not that hard of a changeover, just a lot of labor. I'm surprised the factory one uses Olds taillights and not the same delivery taillights the others used. The 49 Olds still had a divided glass, 50-51 had the one piece.
I think they are actually taller like the wagons??? or maybe not. I know wagon windshields are like 2" taller. I know a guy with a delivery, who has an olds for this project?
Did Cadillac make a short wheel base that the front clip would fit on a chevy sedan delivery? My guess would be a 46-7-8 Cadillac would fit. I think the 49 Cad would be extended.
There was a magazine story like 25 years ago that had all the tips on how to pull it off factory looking.
all of a sudden there is hope for my 50 chev delivery to get dressed up for a party and to think i looked every fricken where to get the right tail lits for my chev and olds stuff never entered my brain.........i like the olds rear view even if that plate placement seems suspicious hmmmmmmmmmmm and if n it does come here to minn. i may get to see it ...
I don't think any Caddy shares body shells with Chevrolet until '59, and those are more work because you need to make up and change out quarter panels. The 49-52 delivery glass is the same as Styline cars, though.
'46-7 Cads used 2 bodies: Model 61 is shared with '41 Cad/Buick, model 62 with '46-47 Buick Roadmasher. '48-9 Cads shared bodies with '48 Olds 98. I don't believe any of the front ends would fit Chevrolet.
Several clones in this area, one Pontiac based, the other is a '49 88 4 door cowl & chassis with a Chev sedan delivery body mated at the windshield posts. A friend who went to the Olds 100th year meet in Lansing saw several "factory" cars & said some have gas caps exposed, some are under a door.
Pontiac actually marketed a sedan delivery for several years. And don't forget that they were also built in Canada on a Chevrolet chassis. 1957 Pontiac Sedan Delivery (290)
The owner of that one is a HAMBER. Its one car I would like to have. There is another 57' like that one near me, but its a rusty wreck that is only good for parts.
Well, it wasn't the car I know of because it was at our car show a couple of weekends ago and here's the proof ..... And his Black 53 Pontiac Sedan Delivery was parked next to the Olds ..... (306)
This is a great thread. I never really thought about Olds sedan deliveries. When I was a little kid in the early fifties I remember a fleet of late 40's Pontiac deliveries around our town. They were brown with the company logo on the sides.
Olds did not make 1950 sedan delivery. A olds member Woodie Hyde in Riverside Ca. made one from a 1950 Chev. Early 1950 Olds came with a split windshield, I have one.