Sun visor might be original. A number of makes offered them as factory options in this time period. Jon
I finally got my carburetor back from "Custom Carburetor" in Alma, AR. yesterday afternoon and the plan is to have it up and running today. I can't say enough good things about them, this the 5th or 6th carburetor that they have done for me and each one has been outstanding. Tim really pays a lot of attention to detail and won't let them go back out the door until he is completely satisfied with the work. I highly recommend them!
That base was brand new old stock which may have been a problem, I really do miss that car!! But been to cold and wet to even have any fun in the new ride!!! Sent from my SM-N950U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Try some NOS seat covers if ya can source them. Look great, wear well, and who knows, plaid is due for a comeback!
Nice car Grump! And as far as the opinions , you been around long enough to know the secret. Listen to what you like and let the rest go in one ear and out the other! lol But I agree at some time a white interior would be awesome ! Larry
Olds 4 doors are cool now but when I borrowed my parents' 55, super 88 I was shunned by all the classmates driving 2 door 55-57 chevs, Pontiacs, Olds, fords and even 2 door Plymouths! I put chrome wheels on it after I bought it from my mom but ended up trading it in for a 57 Pontiac 2 door sedan... I really like your Olds....very cool. Photo was taken in 1967
Thank you, Rocky! I grew up in Southern California in the early 60's, although the 2 doors were more popular there were a lot of very nice 4 doors around town. I can think of three just in the group that I ran with!
Beautiful Olds! Wish the interior in my Packard was that nice! I could live with the color! LOL! Good luck with your project.
No, not yet Dave. Spent the last week or so with that "creepin' crud" that's been going around and now finally feeling like doing something again! I'm still dealing with the starter issue's although I think that I have it figured out thanks to Dan Griffin. I've been pickin' his brain, since he was in the auto electric repair business when he lived in Hawaii, and has been hot rodding these old Oldsmobile's since the 50's. How are you coming along with the "A"? Hope the Holiday's were good for you and the family.
Sorry to hear you have been under the weather. Hopefully that is passed and now back to work!! Haha! Not much to report on the A. Hoping to tear it down shortly and get it down to earth. After that, I'll see how much time I have left before the SK and contemplate the interior and maybe some paint. I bet I just end up getting the suspension done and recover the seats and leave the rest for later. LOL
Grump, with 76K on the clock, how does it crank and start when warm? (I noticed it's still 6 volt) I remember scores of these coming thru the shop where I apprenticed. The old man used to say, "Hear that starter drag, Son? There's NOTHING as tired as a tired Olds." My '50 Coupe was converted to 12 volt when the J2 mill was dropped in...(1957 Olds) Prior to that, the old mill ('53 Olds 88) dragged the starter some when warm...when I tore it down, it had .012" cylinder taper! Hence, the '57 J2 w/ Tri Power! And...'37 LaSalle box! Car was black, too... Beauty! Goin' on a date, don't wanna be late; Picked her up in my Eighty-Eight! Drive on down by the Social Hall... It's a Saturday nite, and I'm gonna ball!
Mike... It started fine up until the starter hung and the armature exploded! I took the starter to a rebuilder in Ft Smith where they replaced the field coils and armature, I re-installed it and it would barely turn the motor over, after one or two attempts, it got to where the solenoid would only click. I returned the starter to the rebuilder and he replaced the armature once again but when it was put back in, it did the same thing. Christmas, New Years and the "creepin' crud" came and went and I finally got the starter back out, today I opened it up and found that the armature had been rubbing on one of the magnets. That's where I am now at!
So you're planning on taking the "A" to the 500? I am hoping I'll be able to take the Olds! That's why I bought it, so I had something that I could drive instead of trailering... I ran across this on Facebook the other day, it's a photoshop that was done by Cecil Hall of the Pharoah's Car Club and I thought hmmm............ I need to do this with mine! Whatcha think?
Well, with the carburetor and most of the starting problems behind me it's time to tackle the electrical system. I had found that I was not getting enough voltage to the Pertronix Ignition, according to Pertronix it needed a minimum of 5.2 volts and mine was only getting 5.08 volts. Doesn't sound like much but when your working with 6 volts, it needs all it can get! That in it's self was the cause of the miss at idle, just not getting enough juice. As you can see from the picture's, it needed a lot of help under the dash! Lot's of frayed wire's and poor repairs led to it's down fall. I looked at a couple of 6 volt wiring kit's but ended up deciding to wire it myself. Since the lighting system had been rewired sometime in the past, I made the decision to just tackle the ignition, starting and charging systems. I am now at the point of having nearly everything finished under the hood, except for a couple of wire's and am now getting after the dash wiring. It is, by far, the worst...
Fun stuff all upside down on your back trying to get the ol' eyeballs in a place they can focus. One of my favorite jobs! LOL
Grump... Glad to hear you got past the starter problem...Bet it was worn end bushings, huh? The 'underdash' is a Speed Mechanic's Jungle! I used to 'live in it'... "Hey, Mike's wiring most of the hot rods around here...Take that Caddy to him, wiring's his bag!" Grrrrrrr..... I wondered, "Who told?" When I asked, they said: "All of 'em." Damned near had to raise my prices. Seriously, though...Sort them out, 1,2,3 at a time; temporarily loom them up, zip ties loosely separating small 'looms' and 'harnesses', replacing what you need to, by gauge then length. Plan will change as you go, but patience and it will get done as clean as if it were ONE plan. Nice Olds, really shows off the curves...Love the Fiesta caps, skirts, whitewalls. Classy!
The Jalopy Journal
