One thing that has not been mentioned was that the Super 88 had the same horsepower engine as the 98 in 55 and 56. My dad bought a new 55 Super 88 and I had a 56 98. The 55 was actually faster than the 56 was. Dad's 55 would outrun anything on the road except a Buick Century (which was the Buick version of a short wheelbase car with the egine from the long wheelbase car), and possibly the Chrysler 300. Nobody in our end of town had a 300 because they were SO expensive. The 55 Olds was a great car. JB2wheeler
Wanted 1956 olds radio delete plate!!! will pay$$$ Let me if anyone has one? OK thread hyjack over!! Dave Hitch
I have a '56 Olds Super 88 Holiday coupe. The difference between an "88" and "Super 88" is most noticeable in the beltline trim- the Super 88 is thicker and goes all the way up to the window edge, while the 88 does not. There was a Super 88 and a 98 convertible at Barrett Jackson yesterday and both in gorgeous condition. In my opinion, a '54-'56 Olds is much more of a snatchwagon than any Chevy was...look at an Olds, then look at a Chevy...at least that's my opinion. I can't find any pics of my '56 on this computer, so I'll add em later maybe...but here are the two from yesterday- the black one is a Super 88, and the white/green one a 98.
Did you get this car? 98s are usually loaded with acc btw just found this topic here's mine before and after still a project and far from done
I haven't seen mentioned that Super 88 and 98 had Jetaways and 88 was the hydramatic my old Olds 88 and my Son's Super 88
One of the fastest ways to tell the difference between a '55 & '56 Olds is the chrome trim on the sides: '55 has angles, curves, and dips; '56 has a rounded curve in the rear quarter with a continuing "spear' on the '88's and a much larger curve on the '98's...with no "spear". PLUS: the '55's have a full-width bar in the grille with an oval pod on each end; the '56's have a full-width oval surround grill/bumper combo with a vertical bar (or, "tooth") in the center of the grille. ALSO, the '56 Olds dash with the Oval dash pods is easily recognizable and is one of the most iconic & sought-after for "transplanting" into other makes & models. BOTH of these are among my all-time favorites...always wanted a '56 Super 88 ! Jonnie King www.legends.thewwbc.net
Below is a photo of my 55 super 88. for comparison. I have read most of the posts here but if I double up sorry. the 324 motor used was run from 54 to 56. the 54 had number 7 heads, the 55 #8 and the 56 #10 thats cast into the heads, so its easy to tell if the heads are the right ones. the 55 super 88 motor was rated at 202hp, the 56 was rated at 240 I think from memory there was an increase in comp and and I know the cam was changed and the bearings are different to the earlier 324 cam bearings ( do a search on ebay and you will see) the super 88 and 98 used the same motor which was a 4 barrel so again if you buy a super 88 car you should have a 4 barrel motor. the auto should be a hydromatic, but in 56 they changed to the 'jetaway' and I think the standard 88 had the slant pan like the 55 models. Alot of hot rodders feel that the combo is the 56 motor with the 55 hydro. the windscreens interchange in the 54-56 years and a lot of interior parts do too. as well as a lot of suspension and general mechanical parts, but not all. the 54/55 dash use a circular setup, where the 56 used an oval setup. the buicks also used similar sheet metal but not 100% the same. the 88 rocket on the trunk was the trim for the super 88 but easy enough to purchase and place there to make your standard 88 look like a super. the 55's have chrome hood bows in the interior, I would think the 56 probably have the same, but I don't 100% know. there is a community here on the HAMB for 54-6 olds and buicks, check it out.
Some pics of our 56 Holiday 4dr ht Go here for a build thread; http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=393929&highlight=watson+olds
'56 was a changeover year and early Pontiac, Olds and Caddy had the slant-pan Hydramatic, most had the dual-coupling or jetaway type, which is a 4-speed (final 1:1) trans. How to tell them apart? Slant pan doesn't have a Park position.
Rusty: Pontiac and Olds did have the slant-pan hydro in 56, but Cad went with Jetaway throughout 56. The Olds 88 and Pontiac Chieftain had the slant pans standard with Jetaway optional. All others had Jetaway (Stratoflight in Pontiacs) standard. The 56 slant pans were the most durable (except for truck boxes) hydramatics and are the most desirable for use.
Flatoz offered some helpful info for identifying a '56 engine. The #10 is a raised number cast on the top of the center exhaust port on the heads. They are the best 324 stock "power heads". Chances are that the engine is a '56 if you see the #10 heads. I think the '54-55 blocks are the same but the '56 has larger cam bearings. Be a "Rocket Man"!
The "56" Hydra-Matic 2nd gear was refered to as SUPER RANGE "S" Also you could push start the car : To start the engine by pushing the car, move the selector lever to the "N" position and turn on the ignition switch. When the vehicle reaches a speed of 25 mph move the selector lever to "Dr"(Drive) range.
I owned a couple of 57 super 88's. Sold them to buy my house in 80. First year of the 371 rocket. And also offered the J2 package. 98's had a longer wheelbase. Dam it to hell I wish I had those cars back. Drove like a magic carpet..............
here is some pix of my friends "88" that he is wanting to trade for a '57 chevy, don't know why, his Olds will out look and out-class 57 chevys in my opinion.
back in 1966 my buddy bought a 56 olds from a car lot on south tacoma way in tacoma, wa. it was a 2dr sedan painted orange and had mickey thompson chrome mags with tri bars. the interior was all black rolled and pleated. the engine was a 324 with trips and a three speed stick. it was also lowered all around. it was an ex california hiway patrol car. he ended up changing it over to auto and had it painted dark blue. it ended up in or around santa rosa ,calif. in the early 70's. it was a real eye catcher when it was orange.
Here is a photo of my '56 Super 88 4-door post...Just got it a month ago and I'm in love. Soft spot for Oldsmobiles though; my first and second cars were both Olds, and now my 3rd is too! Definitely a project though, but hey at least I get to finish it the way I want! I posted my intro with more photos and info about the car here: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=495880
Saw this car at the Great Lakes Goodguys a few years ago. The owner is a local guy and the car is a standout, all in stock trim. This is just one beautiful car. I love those Olds front bumpers and grills.
thanks guys for the info! i appreciate it! now im teachin my friends. was it just 56 that had the real fancy dash with the clock on the passenger side or were they all like that? that 56 dash is gorgeous!
54 was the first year of the body style change - so 54-57s are pretty close. I do like the lower hood line of the 56, but my 54 will do.
Has been discussed several times on the Pontiac-1950s list that all 1956 Pontiacs after a certain date got the Jetaway, there wasn't any "optional" about it, they stopped making one and started making the other, early in the production run enough to make the slant-pan fairly rare in a '56. Given Olds and Pontiac used the same trans I'm presuming the same goes for Olds. The Olds I'm trying to get has a Park position on the indicator, even though the original motor and trans is long gone. And it's a bottom-end plain 88 4-door -
The Hydramatics had always suffered from a huge ratio gap between 2nd and 3rd gears (2.63-to-1.45:1) The Jetaways (and Strato-Flights, as Pontiac called them) had better ratios at 2.55: 1, and-1.55:1) which were closer, and beter suited to drag racing. The few 1956 Pontiac Dual Range Hydro transmissions that got into dealerships were different.... they had a unique 1.55:1 third gear which accomplished several things: The more advantageous front planetary unit ratio increased the stall speed (hydros send power through the front planetary unit before it goes to the fluid coupling the first gear was now 4.08:1 instead of 3.81:1 for more breakaway torque (Hydros had no torque converter,) just a fluid coupling, which didn't multiply torque, like a converter does; and the new third gear ratio closed up the egregious ratio gap between 2nd and 3rd.... a really significant advantage for the guys who used that transmission for drag racing (and, a LOT of them did!!!) I had a '56 Olds 88 which came with the strangest-looking 2bbl carb I ever saw. Olds only used it that one year ('56) and I never saw it on another car. It was mounted on a manifold that looked like the bolt pattern for the carb was for a 4bbl, but the manifold only had two holes for airflow from the carburetor. If you'll notice, the difference in the 2bbl and 4bbl engines was only 10 HP in '56.... whereas the 2-to-4-bbl difference was usually 15 HP. I think it was probably due to the high flow capabilities of that BIG 2-bbl. If anybody could post a photo of that carb, I'd sure appreciate it. Thanks for any information.... Bill
So Please tell us one more time which is the most desireable trans.Hydro or jetaway; In my 56 "88 Olsmobile" owner Manual it says "hydra-matic" indictor shows N Dr S Lo R But I was just up at my shop and seen that it does show a P on indictor is there any codes in the vin# Thanks
Hydramatic is more desirable. Since you have a P on the indicator, your car was equipped with the dump and fill dual coupling Jetaway.
In your opinon is this a strong trans. I have the org v8 in frt and just plan on usisng it as a daily driver. /////Thanks Is this something that is better left stock and is there a filter that needs to be maintained?
The Jalopy Journal
