Picked up this 54 Olds 88 a couple months back, always wanted a hard top 50s car finally got the chance. The price was right, the only thing is it was in pieces per say when I got it. A buddy I work with picked this car up in South Dakota last year at some point and had no space or time to work on it. (Hes currently restoring his 57 Seville). The past owner had started to restore the car and health issues kept him from finishing his retirement project, his kids pieced what they could together and posted it for sale. The plan is to have this car driving by summer to have some fun with the family in. I have the engine all put back together the 324 runs and sounds great. The interior is the exciting part about this car to me original door panels, head liner, and the dash is immaculate. Seats are getting redone as we speak, dark green with pleated white inserts, ill post pics of the seats once they are done. Carpet is ordered and ready to install as well. The last picture in the thread is a 54 88 coupe painted by Larry Watson, owner unknown. I found this picture and it has inspired me to eventually turn this car into a bitchin mild custom. It will get lowered, lake pipes, wide whites exct. I also plan on nosing and decking the car when I get to the point of patching the rear quarters, and body work this spring. Hope to see some of you at the Pikes Peak Hot Rod Rock and Rumble this year!
As a kid I remember a hoodlum in town who drove a 54 Olds hardtop,all white with skirts that always looked so bad ass cruising through town. IMO these great looking cars are seldom seen these days. Good luck creating your dream.
The 54 Olds is a gorgeous car. I think the offerings from Olds in the mid 50s were among the finest looking cars from the factory of the era, and certainly the best trim packages. Looks like you have a nice example there, keep us posted with your progress.
I agree ! The mid 50s Oldsmobiles don’t get enough credit. I’ll park it next to the tri fives and be different for sure.
We had a 55 Olds 88 bought new. They had it my whole childhood. My folks sold it when I was 15, so I never got to drive it. That should be a cool car once you get it going
I know its crunch time the next few months! The best part is that my girl is super into it pushing me to keep making progress.
I have a 54 Olds 2 door sedan as a stalled project. I got it from a relative of the original owner. I got it in 1990 with no engine or trans. The story goes the first owner owned a Sohio gas station in Lancaster, Ohio and it was built as a midnight street racer and done real good until about 64 when the start of the big engine muscle cars started hitting the streets. I was gung ho when I first got it, I had a 58 Pontic Tri-Power engine with a hydromantic behind it that my cousin built up and had in a pulling tractor for one season before he switched to a 69 427 Chevy for power. I got the Poncho and trans in it then money got tight and life and other projects got in the way so it has set in my garage, covered with everything else for the last 33 years I need to do something with it but I am getting so damn old and crippled up I don't know if it will ever happen. I do have a grandson that keeps talking about it but so far no action!
Just get out there and do one thing per day, no matter how little it is. You will find that you will feel better after a week or two and start to build some momentum. Buy the parts that you are missing and keep at it. You will be surprised at how fast it will get done. Don't worry about it being perfect, just make a nice driver out of it. It will also give you a purpose in life and a reason to keep going on. Maybe your grandson will want to help once he sees some progress going on. Good luck, Brian
Found these pictures on the internet. This is the car Burt Reynolds drove in W.W. & the Dixie Dancekings. The movie came out when I was about 10. I thought it was the coolest car ever. Then a couple of years later he had another movie that he drove a black and gold car in. That movie became pretty popular.
Just two screenshots from the movie you mentioned, the endless cool Jerry Reed plays Johnny B. Goode. Here a link to the movie:
My dad was the quintessential "Oldsmobile man". (Remember Jean Shepard in "A Christmas Story" : "Some men are Baptists, others Catholics. My old man was an Oldsmobile man"). He had a new '49, a new '51, a new '53 (Super 88 2 door sedan no less), a new '55, a new '58 (with a J2), and finally a '62. The mid fifties were the best. The '58 was an Autumn Haze (purple) 4 door. My dad had the J2 disconnected at the dealership when he found out what my older brother and I were up to. I love those cars. Because of them and the '54 Buick Century 2 door hardtop my high school girlfriend's parents had, I have never had any interest in tri-five Chevrolets. Good luck with your project.
I have been wanting to see this done and have yet to, so please please do this! lol '56 98 tail lights with antennas coming out through the reflectors ( below is a quick photoshop)
Love the 98 taillights. I've always liked them; it looks like you've found a way to use them. That being said, I'm not fond of the antennas. Too much "cutsies-poo".
In high school, my buddy, Lynn drove a 54, 88 4 door sedan...black with a white top. . We used to double date in it. One Saturday night we were taking the girls home and the engine quit. Lynn had a can of lawn mower gas in the trunk so he took the air cleaner off, found an empty beer can and poured some gas down the carb. "Try it" he said to me. I hit the key and the engine backfired. Caught the can on fire in Lynn's hand and he tossed it into the dry field next to the road, catching the grass on fire! We stomped it out but I don't remember how we all got home. My girlfriend's mom drove a 54, 98. I doubt she ever changed the oil at it clicked and clacked louder than any other engine I ever heard! Photo my my folk's 55 super 88 after I bought it from them.
Talking about my Olds has brought up a memory I have not thought of in many years. In 1955 Dad bought a new Buick, the first time we went to visit this friend of his, this guy was looking over the Buick and told Dad he bet it was pretty quick. This guy had a 50 Olds coupe he though couldn't be beat so it was on. I do remember after all these years that I had to stay with Mom and this guy's wife and kids and had to miss the race. Dad told me the story a few years later. When they came back the Olds man never said a word, pulled the Olds in his garage and started draining the radiator. He told Dad the day he couldn't beat a stock Buick was the day that Olds got some more go power.
Home for a bit off work back on the car. Found that the radiator had a crack in the upper tank. Soldered that up pressure test passed. Figured out all my pulleys, found a fan at a local guys junk yard, and built a generator bracket. As luck would have it after I installed the radiator, new hoses ect I did my pressure test on the cooling system with 2 gallons of water and seen a leak. The exhaust port for cylinder 3 and 5 was leaking water out of the exhaust manifold gasket there. I also had a leaking freeze plug at the back of the block so decided to pull the engine. Cylinder #5 showed the lowest in my cylinder pressure test I did today at 90 PSI. I had 115-135PSI on the other 7. Hopefully the head will be off tomorrow and I can see if its a cracked cylinder head or just a head gasket. Wish me luck.
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