There is a '61 Olds hardtop that I located and I'm thinking of buying for my son (who is 6). It looks to be complete, from a distance, you know how that is. What I am wondering is if things like brakes and suspension parts are interchangeable with Chevrolet or other GM products that are easier to find or later model stuff. Does anyone have experience with Olds'?
I have owned my '59 olds for about 7 years and have found that not too many other GM parts are interchangable. I have found ways to get many of the parts on the car rebuilt or some of your better local parts stores will locate what you need. I had to redo the brakes from master cylinder all the way through when i bought mine and have replaced shoes and drums since etc... It takes a bit more calling around but was not too hard to get the parts. Ebay has saved me on a number of hard to find occasions as well. I still have no trouble getting things like ignition points, spark plugs, wires, filters, etc ....although it make take a trip to more than one parts store in a day to find all that is needed for a complete tune up. I have had the starter, radiator, and exhaust rebuilt by local businesses who still take pride in working on old cars and the parts that keep them on the road.
Hmm, better start some serious research before I make any commitments. Wouldn't things like glass at least interchange?
Yes, and that at least makes finding new weatherstrips and window to roof seals easy, since it's all reproduced for the bubbletop Chevies.
I just bought a 61 bubbletop with intentions of putting a 455 in there along with disc brakes off of a '65 olds. I quickly changed my mind when I saw the "rear" steering. It would take way too much hacking into the frame to change it over to an a or b body style suspension. On top of that the suspension parts are expensive as hell for rebuilt or NOS parts. Luckily you can get the wheel and master cylider rebuild kits at car quest for cheap. The pads you will have to get from Fusick probably or on ebay if you need them. I'm pretty sure it uses the same rear-end as a chevy. If the motor needs rebuilding it will probably cost alot, but these motors are pretty solid. Mine set for about 8 years and it fired right up after i rebuilt the carb and added new points, plugs, and wires. A rebuild kit for the slim-jim trans is $360 plus install. Look at about 400 to 600 for weatherstripping. Just keep in mind that parts for these cars are hard to find and somewhat expensive. Figure about 2k for rechromed bumpers. Then add your interior and paint and you will probably have much more in it than it's worth, just like me .
Yeah, brake and suspension parts for the early '60s B-O-P stuff doesn't interchange and can be a real ass kicker to come by. I learned the hard way with my '62 Pontiac. If you plan to bag one, a really cool thing about the weird rear steer setup is that it allows you relocate the shocks really close to the backside of the control arm. My turning radius and front tire clearance was not dimished at all.
Just buy the car and sell it to ME! I'm still kicking myself for selling mine 2 1/2 years ago. Coolest GM product built in 1961 IMO. Had a 455/th400 already in it too! DAMMIT!....now I'm depressed. Josh
Go for it. They're great cars. The brake pads are no problem...Napa has 'em and I'm sure most of the others do as well. The hardware kits take a little extra time for them to get but can still get 'em. Same goes for the wheels cylinder kits. Suspension stuff can be on the pricey side but it's available. Not lookin' foward to the $400 rear bushings already mentioned so I'm goin' on a quest for an alternative when I get to those. Electrical stuff is easy to find on egay, and there seems to be just enough stuff available for the engines to get us by (but it's expensive). The tranny is a bit controversial. Most people hate them, but they have done me no harm. They shift a little funny from 1st to 2nd but ya get used to it. The rear end is Olds/Pontiac...not Chevy. Most seals are available from Fusicks (and a lot of other good stuff too). Glass is interchangable with same roof'd '61-'62 GM cars. Sheet metal, interior, and trim are where yer gonna have a tough time findin' stuff...but it does all trickle thru on egay. Plus, there's still a pretty decent amount of '61-'64 big olds parts cars floatin' around out there. If ya get it, go the easy route and grab a cheap parts car that has what you need for yours. I've got two '62 98's one's a driver and one's a solid texas car. Between the two I've got everything but rubber, seat covers and paint for cheap cheap cheap. Just don't tell anyone that it's not hard to find stuff for these beasts. Then folks might catch on and make it hard for the rest of us. Olson
My Dad has a resto-mod '61 Olds for sale if anyone is looking. I have pictures. really nice car 398 /500 HP. Transmission updated to a 400 turbo from the slim jim original. Doorhandles shaved and pop door opener. Interior is sweet. [email protected] if inerested.
I have a 64 olds dynamic 88 conv. and it is a really soild car. The slim jim sucks...I had mine rebuilt for 1100, and I still hate the thing. The best thing to do is swap it out for a different tranny. I just don't like the way it shifts. The 394 is as good as it gets...for me. Alot of power. The only thing I have found that interchanges are the brakelines (mine are for a 64 Impala). The shocks were a little pricey so I bought some shocks for a Nova, ground the washer down, drilled a hole in the top of the old shock mount, and bolted it right up. I have been all over this car (like a monkey on a grapevine) for the past 2 years and I trust it on the road more that my pickup. Be prepared to pick up a K***er catalog because they have everythnig for the Olds. (didn't know if I could post the whole name here)
glass interchanges on 1961 full-size chevy,pontiac and oldsmobile the door window glass interchanges between 1961 oldsmobile,pontiac,chevy and buick wildcat only but soory im still lookin for suspension for my olds too
The Jalopy Journal
