Last week I made a deal with a buddy of mine to buy his '50 Olds coupe off of him. It used to be an old g***er, but it hasn't had a drivetrain for nearly 10 years. Last year is was sandblasted and primered, and the body looks really solid. I plan on turning it into a taildragger-styled custom. I will post pictures as soon as I get better ones, the only ones I have now are at dusk with flash, and they didnt turn out too good. Does anyone have pics of a 50 Olds turned custom? I've searched and couldn't find but just a few... Still trying to decide what motor to put in it... I have a few options as of now, just don't know which to choose. Caddy 500, Chevy 454, 350, or 79 Trans Am motor (don't remember the size... ). Not that there's really a point in posting this, I'm just really excited about this one... Should be pretty easy to get it on the road, and a step-by-step how-to will be posted as time goes, so look forward to that!
You don't have to do much to a 50 Olds coupe. Going the semi-custom route back in the day brought forth a really nice car. Olds coupes are somewhat rare nowadays. That due to a lot of them were used up in the circle track wars. Nosed & decked, lowered a reasonable amount, full TJ tuck and roll (usually all white with black or gray rugs, pipes exiting from under the rear bumper, chrome wheels and baby moons or painted wheels with 55 or 56 Olds Fiesta wheel covers and a built engine did the trick. Nowadays I'd recommend a mildly built 455 Olds with T-400 and a Ford nine inch rear for ease of obtaining parts. When the original Oldsmobiles were running the streets, a stock one running dual pipes killed most other cars in an across-the-intersection drag race. The 3.45 low gear in the 4 speed hydro got em off the line in a hurry and their ladder bar style rear suspension planted the tires fairly well. Then . . . there were the GMC 4-71 and 6-71 blown Oldsmobiles, but that's another whole story. The good running blown Oldsmobiles chewed up and spit out most other cars of the era with no problems. They were kick-*** killers....
Nothing wrong with a Rocket motor, just that parts can be difficult to get and matching the performance of a mildly built 455 is gonna take a bit. I like - and keep in mind this is just my opinion and doesn't necessarily work for others - to build cars utilizing easily obtainable parts. The only thing I'd have a tough time replacing in my 32 is the shortened axle on one side. Everything else can be found at a good parts house. Friend of mine just finished a 50 Olds sedan. He put an SBC in it. First, cuz he's familiar with them and likes them - and it is his car - but the little Chevy sitting in the Olds engine bay is akin to spitting in church in my book....
Yeah, I agree about the Chevy motor in the Olds... I would love to get my hands on a 455 and ******, I'll have to ask around about one. Hopefully tomorrow after work I can get some pics to post...
I don't know the details of a 455 - or 400 or 425 - swapped into the Rocket era Olds, but it looks to be easy. A couple of guys I've talked to said it was no big deal. One with a 53 and the other with a 49 fastback. Lots of performance available. My little brothers drag racing Henry J in it's first iteration - solid front axle, HJ frame, 6 point roll bar, 463", hydraulic cam, single 850 Holley, stock distributor, Mallory coil, forged pistons, shot peened rods, headers all pretty mild stuff clicked off the quarter in the high 10's at a little over 120 mph. Granted, a 2800# car, but a 50 Olds coupe weighing probably 3600# could touch on the high 11's with the same engine and gears....
Heres pics of the Olds... 13 of 'em if my math is correct... Here's my prize I found while taking the seats... Also, can somebody tell me what these wheels are? I haven't been able to figure them out yet... Let me know what you think...
Go with an Olds engine, you'll have better re-sale value and re-sellabilty factor later. A Mild 455 ought to be a great choice, unless you are planning on running little tiny exhaust pipes. IF you have extra time and money at your disposal, you could do a 371-394 Olds and have slightly greater sellability of the car. Seriously. But it will take more time and money to do that.
IMHO, a '50 Olds coupe is worth the extra time/money. Rare bird man. On a side note... let me know if you end up with any extra parts or what not, mine is obviously lacking. hehe
It's hard to beat the horse power of a "455" but it's also hard to beat the look of a dressed up rocket motor.You have probably seen it before but here is mine. Cheers "Dago"
Not really dealing with your motor decision, but I wonder if this Olds has some local race history that goes back beyond your buddy racing it? I saw the Quaker City Dragway (Salem, Oh) win stickers on the windwing. It might be worth putting the taildragger plan on the shelf temporarily to find out. An honest to Gawd '50 Olds G***er restored to it's original status would be cool too...
The guy I bought it off of didn't race it, the guy he bought it off used to. And the thing is, I saw him today, and didn't even think to ask him about the contact information for the guy he bought it off of. I'd love to be able to track down the car's history...
Nice car to start with! I am envious. Someone somewhere wants those wheels, and if you're lucky they'll pay for the car. I like the radiused rear fenders - if you lower it until the wheels are centered in the opening. Very late-'50s style.
Thanks for all the comments guys. I can't wait to get this thing on the road! I am headed to Canfield swap meet tomorrow to try and find some parts for it... Updates to follow
Also, does anyone have any idea how much these wheels go for? I was thinking about cleaning them up and selling them... If you have any links or info about these wheels, it would be mucho appreciated!
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