scored a 1948 olds 98 fastback

i couldn't say no. saw it on craigslist and beat feet out to maltby. it's pretty rare to see one of these. one owner. no rust to speak of and very straight. i did a tuneup, new wires, optima and stuck a 6V mallory coil on so it starts readily. the flathead straight eight just purrs.
so does anyone have a decent instrument cluster with gauges and misc trim item stash? they had a 8v battery in it and the gas and temp gauges didn't like that. there's Fusick for repop parts, but who else should i be calling?

 

Thats a 48? I would have thought 49 but either way, that is one fine looking car.

 

'48 was the first year of the larger C body. straight 8, small round front turn signals, side trim on the front fenders and doors and a few minor details. otherwise, basically the same as a '49, which had the 303 V8.

 

I thought that was a misprint. thought it was a 49, maybe it was a very early car.. (my 51 looks like a 52). nice ride..

 

that car looks pretty cherry , a good score indeed , bet it rides nice

 

Very cool find.

 

Nice looking car.

 

Olds marketed them as the Futuramic didn't they, a totally different body to my 'B' bodied 46 Olds that shared the same body until 1948 as well. Earlier 'C' bodies up to 48 were different again. Earlier models had flat windshields, later like this had curved gl***.

 

check vin and ***le paperwork

 

Nice pick up, hope it all works out, as far as it being a 48.

 

Gents, it is a 48 for sure. Olds could be had in both body style in 1948. The body that looked like the 47's and the Futuramic body style.
http://www.oldcarandtruckpictures.com/Oldsmobile/ Scroll down.
http://www.hemmings.com/hcc/stories/2006/06/01/hmn_buyers_guide1.html

My dad almost bought a project 48 Dynamic rag top but got pissed because the seller didn't want my son who was about 9 at the time out in the area where the car was.

 

That's really a nice looking car. My dad had one that was almost like yours back in the '50s except it was a '49 with what he liked calling it, "the big six". He always said if you tried pushing it from the rear you'd end up on the roof because of the slope of the fastback.

 

Nice, nice, nice car.

Brian

 

Nice! What a find, indeed! The 98´s are a surpisingly rare breed. You´re correct, the Olds and Cadillac top-of-the-line "C" bodies did get the whole new body for the model-year of 1948, yet came with the side-valve "flathead" engines their first year out, still. The only difference was, Cadillac´s "flathead" carry-over was a V8.

 

Very nice.Don't change the grille

 

Wow! I think those are the absolute prettiest of all GM fastbacks from the '48-'52 lines. Interesting that yours has dog dish hubcaps; I would have expected something fancier on a 98.

I hope you have grand plans for this (not altering it, but making it gorgeous) -- it deserves it!
I'd do WWs, detail it (if the paint and chrome are good), maybe lower it a bit.

 

well how about some ripple discs? for sure needs to be lowered a tad.

 

good look'in car

 

Great score! Congrats, awesome looking ride!

 

ww and rippled caps would be killer.

 

Those cars are beautiful. Awesome lines.

 

Fantastic car!

My suggestion is lowing the visor... some mild de-chroming (not really necessary, but the overall looks will be a bit cleaner) and lowering.

Two Photoshopped versions




And a bit lower with sombrero like hubcaps.

 

I'm with Rikster in that loosing the visor would be a huge improvement along with lowering the car.
To me visors are stuck on items similar to propeller hood ornaments that don't add the looks of an otherwise really clean looking car but some people subscribe to the add a scab theory of customizing and think it's great.

 

If you'll permit me to pontificate a little on the design of this body style: The family resemblance a**** all the GM fastbacks '48-'52 is very clear. Large or small, they all had the same dogleg quarter window, bulging quarter panel, similar wheel cutouts, and so on. The genius of the family look directed by Harley Earl was that each make had its signature details that distinguished it from the others; Cadillac's fishtails, Buick's portholes, Olds' (from '49) bags under the eyes, and so on.

But my sense is that THIS one -- The '48 98 -- was the ancestor of all the others. It doesn't have ANY gimmicky styling cues, as nearly all the others do; it's just a clean, pure, uncluttered expression of a really handsome body profile.

P.S. I second Rikster's adjustments. The sun visor adds nothing that the car needs. I might keep the dog dish hubcaps and add beauty rings (with WWs) or spring for some true Cadillac sombreros.

 

i agree that the visor has to go. damn thing is screwed to the drip rails and the center bar. i guess holes would look better than that thing. only had it a few days, so just started getting it in shape. i do have a new set of diamondback 4" whites that will probably go on it. it had skinny whites when i got it, so i turned them around for now. rik, i do like your photochops. hmmmmm.

 

Well put, the first of any series that comes out is almost always the cleanest and after that they start adding stuff that it doesn't need to "update" it.
Rikster's suggestions as usual are right on the money for having a clean and timeless mild custom.

 

visor deleted.

 

I vote for the Cad sombrero covers with a bullet center, also.

 

Nice find.....agree.....lose the visor.....personally i wouldnt go crazy lowering it

 

A very sweet find!
I'm also a post war Olds enthusiast, and have never come close to finding anything this nice in 30 years of looking. Do have a clean '57 88 hardtop, love that car, but this would really be a last and final keeper for me.
Would love to stop by and see it in person if possible one day when I am in the neighborhood....
Aloha,
Willy