Projects Brought home a 1956 Olds 88 (waking up an old girl from a 36 year slumber)

Here’s what I know about the history on the car. The car originally sold from Starnaman Oldsmobile in Omaha Nebraska. The odometer reads 73k miles and from the condition of the interior I would say that’s correct. It still has a 1976 bicentennial Nebraska license plate on the back bumper. It has the original 324 with the 4 barrel Rochester carb, Jetway tranny, power steering & brakes. Sometime over 5 years ago it was sold at an estate sale in Omaha to a person I lovingly refer to as the hack. The hack is the one that started to work on the car, if you can call it that, more like screw it up. He removed the front coil springs, cut way too much off of them with a torch & then re-installed them upside down. He then started spraying rattle can primer all over the car including bumpers, chrome trim and whatever else he didn't tape up. His crowning touch was to paint the top metallic lime green. I don’t have a problem with lime green but it just doesn't go with this beautiful red & black interior. From all indications on the condition of the mechanicals he never drove it and I would be surprised if he even got it running.

A fellow hamb member Ryan bought the 88 off the hack about 5 years ago with the intentions of fixing it up for his wife. Ryan put it up on jack stands, started the engine with an electric fuel pump off a gas can. He ran the car for about 15 minutes, put it in gear, the wheels turned forward then in reverse, the wheels turned backwards. In the garage it went. Life got in the way, kids came and before you know it another 5 years go by and nothing has been done to the car.

Last weekend I bought the car from Ryan, he was nice enough to bring it over from Kansas to St. Louis. Checked out the trim tag on the firewall, the car is a Super 88 Deluxe Holiday Sedan. That's the top of the line for the 88's. The original color on the body was Juneau Gray with an Alcan White top.

I removed the seat covers that protected the seats over all these years. Seats still need to be cleaned but all I could do was stand back and say WOW!

The new front coil springs are installed along with new shocks & sway bar bushings. Rear shocks are off & waiting for new ones to arrive.

Found the battery tray in the trunk, it's been wire wheeled then coated in rust inhibitor, painted and installed. Gas tank is off and going through what appears to be a rather lengthy process of numerous cleanings to remove all the god awful fowl smelling gunk inside, not to mention the loose rust.

The belts and radiator hoses have been removed to find the coolant outlet on the top of the engine completely blocked with what appears to be white aluminum oxidation debris. The coolant neck is aluminum and was covered with that white powdery oxidation. When I went to remove it the heads of the bolts just snapped off. Not the first bolt that has snapped off on this so far and I'm sure not the last. Easy outs & a good tap & die set are a must for this kind of project.

Pulled one of the valve covers off and everything looked good, hardly any old oil sludge. Still need to change the oil, tranny fluid, and rear end lube.

Started working on the brakes this weekend. I already got the drums turned for the ridiculously low price of $7.50 per drum. Who does anything for $7.50 these days?

 

C-10, if you need a spare engine I have a complete '56 Olds 324, 4bbl complete and turning freely. Also have the change-over starter housing to move it to the passenger side of the engine and an Offy 3-2 intake w/carbs & linkage.

 

Kool looking project. Let us know when you get her running.Bruce.

 

Very cool. That body style has to be one of the best looking 4 doors ever.

 

Great looking project you got there.

I think the Oldsmobile's of the 50's were some of the best looking cars ever made inside and out.

 

I'll let you know on those parts but for now I think it's going to be pretty easy to get this engine up and running. I changed the spark plugs and they were not oil fouled at all. Five years ago Ryan had it running and he said considering the age and condition of all the ignition parts it ran pretty well and didn't smoke.

 

I might have a set of front springs in the shed,I parted a 56 years ago and can not remember if I let the springs go with the front suspension.

 

Thanks anyway junkyardjeff. I guess you didn't read the whole post or look at the all the pictures. I have new 1 inch lowering springs all ready installed.

 

I am so bored with the cold weather my mind cant take everything in I read.

 

you have another watcher....lets see what fun you can have

 

man you cant beat that for an original interior, looks great! you going to paint it the original colors or match the red and black. either way, great looking car, shouldn't take much to get it road worthy.

 

1954rocket98

The Juneau Grey is a very nice looking silver that is in the trunk & door jams so I will probably use it with either red or black. I'm tinking of doing the two tone where the top and trunk rolling down the sides are one color and the hood & down half of the doors is the other color.

 

Looking like a VERY COOL project! That 324 will probably run fine pretty hardy engines helped my brother with his 56 Holiday 2 door a few years back.

 

Good luck with the project. I will follow the progress with interest.
Rusell

 

Be sure to keep posting your progress on getting the old girl back on the road. Sounds like it should fire back up with a little fussing and if it does you'll have a ball with it.

Frank

 

C-10, Excellent grab! I was watching that in the classifieds, hoping that someone would buy it before I did. I just don't need another project right now!

You just can't beat the styling of the '56 & '57 Olds in my opinion. Good luck with your project! It sounds like it found a great home.

 

glad to see another one getting on the road.....congrats.......john

 

Was out in the garage until 2 am last night or should I say this morning. Got the rocker arm covers all cleaned up the best I could, anymore rubbing and I was starting to take the paint off. You can see how clean everything looked before I put them back on. Not the cleanest I've ever seen but I was pretty happy with the way everything looked considering it's 58 years old.
I was more than disappointed in the color of the distributor cap when I took it out of the box but I installed it anyway for now. $6.50 Rockauto purchase so not worth sending it back.
More interior photos for you.

 

Thats' gonna be smoken.

 

That`s going to make a swell project.Those mid `50`s Olds and Buicks were a sweet ride.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

 

The lifters are going to clatter - don't worry about it ...

 

I really like that particular year Olds, and the 57's also. What movie had a 4 door hardtop Olds, painted gold and black I seem to remember, where the actor first washes the car, then burns it up? Was supposed to be a "special" edition car or something? Burt Reynolds? I thought it was such a waste to burn a car like that, and it was many years ago then. Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

Cool card. Love the mid fifties Olds. My fav mid fifties car.

 

Good buy, the interior is amazing considering its the original, I know you said the original silver but black on that car would be amazing. Keep the updates coming.

 

Yes black would be amazing but the body has to be amazingly prefect for black paint. I owned a black car once and what a hassle keeping it clean & looking good. I don't want to be one of those guys always running around with a California Duster in my hand. This car isn't going to be a trailer queen it's going to be a road king. I'm going to drive the hell out of this thing.

 

C-10,

Nice job on the Olds. Will be a very cool car when you're done with it!

NRM

 

If you search "WW & The Dixie Dancekings" you'll find an entire thread on that movie. I see a source for it on DVD now too, Coastal 181 has it.

 

C10, where did you get the info about Starnaman Olds in Omaha?? I have been in Omaha since 1960 & never heard of them. maybe they went out of biz before I got here.

 

I got the information right off the trunk lid.

 

I replaced the thermostat housing. I originally painted the new one that Rustoleum Hunter green and it looked like I painted it John Deere green, it looked ridiculous. So I repainted it satin black. I don't think anything is going to match or blend in with that rusty old engine but the fact that it won't leak and has a new thermostat under it is good for me.
Brakes shoes and wheel cylinders are installed, now I need to get all the new brake lines installed this weekend.
I tried to see if the fuel pump worked by seeing if it would pull gas out of a can. Nothing, so I tried to prime the pump by purring gas down the inlet line. It all ran out the bottom of the pump. Now I need to decide if I'm going to run an electric pump or rebuild the original. The original is a twin action that supply's the vacuum to the windshield wipers. I would rather have electric wipers but that's more money. Anyone know a good inexpensive conversion for the car? I'm familiar with Newport but that's $260.00.