I am thinking about buying a1959 OLDSMOBILE SUPER 88 4 door for a first car and am asking you all if there are any major problems that accrue with these cars that i should look out for and any other things that are prone to go wrong. Any info would be much appreciated. Lastly are there any companies that sell parts for these cars i can't seem to find many. Cheers
After 48 years likely everything has gone wrong at one time or the other. You likely can find any part you need to keep it running here. Just ask, odds are someone has it.
Peeps are getting desperate to use more doors. Now they say if its older than 62, you can hop it up. gag me with a flathead lifter tool
I say more power to him. He states it's his first car which means he most likely can better afford a 4 door. Far better decision for a young guy starting out (or anyone wanting a driver) to spend 2-3K on a nice 4 door driver than on a Taurus.
I had a '59 Dynamic 88 years ago. And I drove a '60 Pontiac for a long time. The transmission is probably the key to watch - they're a good unit, the dual-coupling Hydramatic, with 4 speeds, but if they go bad, you're SOL - you could probably replace the entire car for what it would cost to rebuild it *IF* you can find someone who can even fix it - and fix it right. Very few guys can do them anymore. The only bright spot is the same trans was used 56-60 in Olds, Pontiac, and Cadillac, and continued through '64 in Cadillac and Pontiac Bonneville. The '59 I had I think the timing had jumped a few teeth.. it was a long long time ago and I barely knew what I was doing with it. But parts are readily available for the motor, should be a tall-deck 371 or a 394. The rearends are virtually bullet-proof. I'd just watch for rot in the tops of the fenders along the hood opening, at the bottoms of the front fenders, in the rockers and lower quarters, and the frame rails where they kick up for the rear axle, where the rear suspension mounts, and the entire rear under the trunk. Especially on a single exhaust car, check the side that doesn't have a pipe on it. As for it being a four-door, who fucking cares already, #1 you can have just as much fun with a four-door as a two-door, and #2 if you look in old issues of the car magazines plenty of folks customized sedans back in the day - anyone who wants to call it non-traditional, or anything else, is an ignorant fool. Go buy a bunch of 55-64 Car Crafts, Custom Builders, Rod & Customs, and whatever else you can find and look at what people really did before you run your mouth.
The 59 olds uses a special battery, about 8 inches wide and 2 feet long. You can't just go out and buy one of those any where,you'd have to special order it. It snakes through the core support, so it is hard to find a spot to use a regular battery. The master cyl. for the brakes is under the driver floorboard and is a real bitch to service. the headliner in my 98 4 dr hardtop was made of cardboard from the factory, and it rotted and fell out. yours might be the same. you would have to use a repro chevy cloth one to replace it. For repro stuff ,you will find that there is some interchange with the other GM cars of that year, roof,glass interior, some rubber. There shouldnt be much that can't be fixed, and if you can't find a piece just customize it! By the way 4 doors are handy if you have friends. leave the 2 door cars for the lonley people.
Im not sure if there is an issue or not with it, but a friend of mine had 2 or 3 59's and there was a problem with each about bent control arms or them rusting out of the crossmember where they attatch? Something like that. Maybe someone else on here can help with it.
<TABLE id=HB_Mail_Container height="100%" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0 UNSELECTABLE="on"><TBODY><TR height="100%" UNSELECTABLE="on" width="100%"><TD id=HB_Focus_Element vAlign=top width="100%" background="" height=250 UNSELECTABLE="off">This body style is really somewhat under used and is quite cool. Lottsa great chrome trim and luxury cruising. My buddy calls more doors-'NoWaiting" and I personally think they are cool. Its not a hotrod performance machine, but a cool driver. I like them cleaned up, lowered, and enjoyed. Awesome taillights and cool dual headlights, I think, can't remember as well as I thought. Just drive it with respect and don't abuse it and it should give plenty of pleasure. My 2cents.-Sololobo/Roadburners of Omaha </TD></TR><TR UNSELECTABLE="on" hb_tag="1"><TD style="FONT-SIZE: 1pt" height=1 UNSELECTABLE="on"> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Buy it, drive it. Watch for a two door that needs parts. There's only one letter different between 4 door and 4 donor.
Sounds like a great first car if you don't mind your second (the beater you'll use while waiting for or making unavailable parts) being far behind.
NAPA will surprise you with what parts they stock and can get. They have a great website too where you can see pictures of everypart. Rock Auto has a lot too, but I've never used them.
Those big ass Olds' are cool. Wild roof line on the more doors. Front glass wrap around, Deeeeeeeeeeeeeep dish steering wheel.
Chaddilac on here has a 59 4 dr and I think its pretty cool. He drives it some, I have ridden in it. He has done some really cool mods to it as well. You might contact him and pick his brain.
luckily, most of the engine parts you can still get at the parts house, cause they go back to 59 and it was the same engine up to 64 I think. The thermostat housing, water pump, and the master cylinder is all I changed and the battery and it runs like a top! I had to rebuid the front wheeel cylinders, but the back ones I bought. Local parts place has the rear brake pads, but had to order the front ones. Those are the only "problem" I've had, which really aren't problem. I even picked up a second parts car on ebay for $250.
Boy, when you bring up the subject of a four door, you can really tell who the old people are. Anyway, as far as a '59 Olds goes, I agree that the tranny is top importance. If it's not working properly, it's going to be a nightmare to fix. You could adapt a different trans to the car, but that'll require more work than you'll want to take on for your first old car. Other than that, I'd just be checking on the trim. If all the chrome is pitted, or if a lot of it is missing or damaged, it's going to cost a fortune to fix it all. Bodywork and paint can be done easily enough, so can upholstery, but if you had to have all the chrome and stainless redone on that car, you'd spend 10K on it. Also, I'm betting windshields for those cars are really pricey so it'd be good to know if the glass is OK.
The flat top 4 doors like Chadillac's are pretty cool, IMO. The 4 door post cars, not so much. But for a first old car, if you take all the above comments into consideration, it isn't too bad. But, be warned: Oldsmobiles are cool and can become an addiction.
Transmissions are weak....I drove an extremely rare dark gold and white 59 Olds 4 door 88 loaner car when my 64 corvette was being repainted...I had it sieze the generator and I blew the rear end doing donuts in the snow....they look neat tho.
It'll be a cool car that will turn heads wherever you go. It just tickles my old bones every time I see another kid taking an interest in cars from the golden years of automotive styling. Nobody cared about aerodynamics or other practical concerns of today. Style was everything! The bigger and more chrome-laden, the better. If it was too heavy, hell just give it more power! You'll have more steel around you than four ricer-retards in their silly little Hondas.
Who says that a four door can't be cool? Not this guy back in the fifties! Check out this cool old '51 Olds Moredoor.
I didn't have any trouble using just a regular size battery I already had around in the '59 Olds 88 I had. In fact I think even a big-ass marine battery fit in the case. Since the Dynamic 88 and Super 88 are the small body series, I don't think that will be a problem; the 98s with the big 59-60 C-body may differ. The neatest thing someone had done to mine was to paint it with the fin white down to that character line on the sides, and it was white all the way up onto the front fenders in a long spear. Investing in some extra generator brushes, or a change to an alternator, may be a wise idea. I went through half a dozen scrounged sets of generator brushes, including one generator change, in 30,000 miles in my Pontiac, which admittedly had some electrical issues - but all I added to it beyond the stock equipment was a change from the stock AM radio to a cassette deck. Incedentally in an Olds, an aftermarket stereo would need to be installed in the glovebox (there's room!) or under the dash, the factory radio is designed to be part of the dash. With all those 4dr flat-tops out there it's a wonder no one's ever taken a spare set of doors and quarters from a 2dr and made a phantom 2dr flat top. That'd be one of those subtle customs it would take people a couple double-takes to realize what's different about it.
i found a great place called fusick feturing the most complete range of parts avaliable to oldsmobiles 1935-1977 licensed and approved general motors parts source the worlds leading supplier of oldsmobile restoration parts 22 thompson rd. po box 655 east windsor,ct 06088-0655 860 623 1583 860 623 1589 email:dj442c@ix.netcom.com website:www.fusick.com if that helps you out they sell EVERYTHING from trim to antisqeek body mounting bolts
I've got a '58 4-door hardtop and, in some ways, I'd rather have a 4DHT that a 2D post car. Parts availability's been pretty good for me so far. You can go to Kanter, Fusick, and US for parts (although I think I'm done with Kanter's BS, but that's another story), but first I'd check your local chains and rockauto.com. I got just about everything I needed for getting it going from rockauto. I haven't had any tranny trouble and the 4-spd auto makes for easy access to the right gear at any time. I did have to make my own brake pedal in order to use a modern dual-master, but you need to learn fabrication skills somewhere, right? Oh yea, rocket motors are strong. Sure, it's a boat, but it'll move out when it needs to...
Wow thanks you guys for all the awesome info i really appreciate it this has helped me a lot in making my decision to get this car and if it's still available i might just pick it up once again thanks allot for all the info and the 4 door is a much better looking car then the 2 door.
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