olds88

I bid on this Century on the first listing. You will notice it "sold" once already on June 21 for $10,300, perhaps a non paying bidder? If you look at this sellers other vehicles you will see the same words "no reserve, sold to highest bidder", yet his other listings are shown completed but then re-listed. I called him about the Century to ask about the advertised re-built engine and transmission and the claim of 2 owner history but he said he was unable to provide any paperwork on anything and that what you see in the pictures is what you get and he didn't have anything else. He said he is just a re-seller and doesn't know much about the cars he sells. I am reluctant to bid seriously on it.

Great topic! I have had these same thoughts too, about the aging population. Many of the older guys are selling off their cars. I don't see many Model A's at car shows nor do I know many guys who follow them. I love cars from the 50's the best but I like all antique or classic to about 1971. My first hobby car was 1956 Olds 88. No power steering, no power brakes. I admit it wasn't as much fun to drive as I had envisioned. Then I got a 1955 Olds 98 with power steeering and power brakes and power windows and power seat, even had power antenna. It was very comfortable to drive and I enjoyed driving it much more than the 1956. Then came the 1971 Chevelle Malibu 350 convertible, a very fun car but too much plastic and not enought chrome for me. I am now looking for a 1956 Buick Roadmaster coupe or hardtop. They seem to still be priced high. Someday we will all leave our cars behind so my plan is to enjoy them while I can, especially during the next five years.

What would be a good deal for this car? I was looking at Old Car Price Guide (an older edition) and a #2 car was $14,700, #3 was $9,450. I contacted the seller and he said the propane system could be removed. I wonder if there are some permanent mods from putting in that system that cant be put back to original, I will ask.

Thank you John s and MrEarl. Sorry to disrupt the thread.

I am looking for a 1956 Super 4 door hardtop or coupe or Roadmaster. Just curious how does one get to the craigslist listings. Is there a way to search Craigslist nationwide or do I have to choose each city or area and run a separate search?

I am interested in buying it. How much do you want for it and where are you located?

I reallly appreciate everyone's opinion and support for keeping cars original and enjoying them as they are.

Ok, I agree with keeping it original but with maybe adding options that could have come with the 1956 olds 88. My idea on adding discs brakes is on hold in that it sounds too complicated, or if even possible, if I could do it I would want to use my original wheels. But Power brakes would be nice! So do you suggest buying set up from 56 olds and how much trouble would it be to put it on? Right now my brakes pull to the left (just started doing this). Power steering would also be nice as well as air conditioning. Maybe just a add-on unit. More power from the 324ci would be nice too. Can I just get a olds 4 barrel and put it on or do I need to change the manifold? How about an Edelbrock? I've decided that anything I do I will do it such that it can be undone later. I looked at putting one of those spin on adapters on for using a modern oil filter but decided it wasnt all that necessary since oil changes arent that big of a deal even with the old canister type. Wish I could figure how to post some pics.

I am in Northern Nevada, next biggest city is Salt Lake, Utah 250 miles away! So we dont have much in the way of junkyards. I have tried a couple times to post pictures but it goes thru the motions but nothing shows up.

Ok, Joepadevano and ted sweet and others, I like that suggestion. Where do I start looking for these aftermarket spindles. would I have to get different rims too? I just put new wide whites on (and you know what those cost) so I was hoping to be able to keep the rims the same. And if you could direct me to where to look for other bolt on changes. Thanks

Hey thanks for the input. I tried posting pics of my car as it is today but for some reason it didnt work, maybe I will try again as I would like you all to see it. I think I see your point and maybe I should be happy with it as it is, its just that when I go to car shows and see cars that are more drivable it gets me to thinking how much more I would take it out and enjoy it if it was easier to drive. So maybe I will look into power steering and just doing things to it that will keep it stock. So would I have to find a power steering unit off another 56 olds? and can the brakes be converted to power brakes the same way? I wouldnt care so much about them being disc as being power. You may have noticed that I am not all that mechanically inclined on those things, I would have to pay someone to do it. I change the oil and can do tune ups on points and rotor setups, spark plugs and so on. AC isnt all that important if I dont plan on long trips in the heat. I will try again to post some pics. I appreciate all your opinions and support for keeping it original as that is what I intended when I bought it 5 years ago.

I have a 1956 Olds 88 4 door that I bought 5 years ago when it was in poor shape. I decided at that time to keep it original so I had the dents fixed and had it painted original color, re-upholstered the seats in same fabric, new wide white tires, etc all the time keeping it original. It is essentially done and I have enjoyed it for the last 2 yrs in parades and our local car show. So the question is should I make a street rod out of it? I have decided I would enjoy it more if it had more of the modern conviences like power steering, power brakes, and ac, and maybe a better(as cool sounding) exhaust. My options are to 1. street rod this one (if this option is chosen I would keep the exterior stock) 2. sell it to someone who appreciates it as it is and then buy a street rod already finished, or take on a project and build one as I like (looking at cars in the 1930's to 1940's time period, or 3. keep this one for what it is, just drive it once in a while. The wife (and garage space) say I should only own one car at a time. So does anyone have an opinion as to what I should do? When I first bought the Olds a lot of people told me to street rod it, shave the door handels, paint it a different color, etc. If I do decide to make the changes to it does anyone know how difficult it is or how much it cost ot feasibility of changing the brakes to power disc brakes, installing power steering, and air conditioning, modifying the motor, and exhaust system? And is there something I could do to the 324ci 2 barrel motor to give it more hp I am sorry this is such a long post but I really want to hear your opinions and insight from those who have gone this route before. When I first bought the car you people on this forum were really nice to encourage me in the restoration process. I would appreciate your opinion this time too. Thanks

I have tried unsucessfully to buy the original flooring material for my 1956 Olds 88 4door post. One company (in Washington state) said they had it but then sent something else. So now I have decided I can perhaps make it myself if I could get the material. I know I could get the carpet but I wanted to put it back to original which is the rubber matting. Any ideas on where to get this material? The front needs replaced because the heater core leaked on it and the drivers side is chewed up from wear. The back floors look pretty good except for water stains. Any ideas on restoration. I was thinking of painting it with some sort of elastic paint but wasnt sure what might work. Thanks:)

studemax, are you saying that all I need to do is install this alternator and I can keep everything else 6V, can you provide a source to get this alternator or generator?

thanks, I hadnt thought about all the other stuff you would have to change out. can 6 volt parts still be found easily? from like a napa or checker parts store?

I would get radials for sure because of better ride and easier steering especially if you have manual steering. I have a 56 olds 88 and I just received my wide whites from diamondback, they look really good and the transaction was smooth with the purchase. They came in the 2 1/2 weeks like they said. They will advise you on the phone as to which tire will work the best. I took my 5 old rims to walmart to have the tires taken off (they did it for free) and then I took the rims to be painted before I get the new tires put on. Even tho only a little of the rim shows around the hub caps it is amazing what a differnce it makes to have the rims painted. Some cars came from the dealer with blackwalls but if you look at old pics you can see what your car generally had on it, in my case I found that the cars with the smaller moon hubcaps had blackwalls (probably because much of the rim was exposed for color anyway) and the ones like mine with larger hubcaps had whitewalls. good luck with your tires.

I was looking at a 1955 chrysler new yorker for sale which has a 6 volt system. dumb question does this mean just the battery and generator and bulbs are 6 volt? should I have any concerns about it being 6 volt? I have seen vehicles in this range say they have been converted to 12v, what are the reasons for converting and is it just a matter of changing the battery and generator and bulbs? what are the reasons for leaving it as is (other than to keep the car original)? thanks

My 56 olds 88 4 door post has been painted torquoise with alcan white top and now it is time to paint behind the wheels. should it be painted black or same color as car body?

I am also restoring a 56 olds 88 4door post and the body is painted back to original turquoise with alcan white top. my question is what color should inside the wheel wells be painted, black or color of the body?

Thanks for the lead, I looked them up and ordered a catalog and it looks like they have what I need.

My 1956 oldsmobile 4 door post is getting painted next week after 18 months in the body shop and I plan on putting new tires on it. I will take off the old tires and then have the body shop paint the rims and then take the rims back to the tire shop to have new tires put on. Does anyone know what tire size I need? the tire shop said probably 215/75R 15 and that would be a radial tire which is what i think i want, they said they could get(from coker)a bf goodrich tire for $228 each plus $15 freight and they would include mounting and balancing for free, this would be a 2 1/2 wide whitewall, or they can put on a blackwall that they have in stock for $340 all 4 tires and they said they would paint the whitewall side black and turn it inside so it doesnt show. I am undecided as to what to do. Does anyone know what the car would have come with from the factory or was that an option? my plan was to put as much back to original as possible which i have done with original paint cover and seats have been reupholstere with matching fabric. my car is a plain 88 4 door post, turquoise lower, alcan white top, no pwer steering or brakes, just radio added, black and white interior, so I am wondering if since it is a basic model maybe it did not come with the wide whites, does anyone know? i have seen pics of cars with just plain black tires but most dealer brochures show wide whites. even if you dont know tell me your opinion. there is a huge cost difference too, another thought is that my car has hubcaps that cover most of the rim and i notice that some of the pics i have seen of cars with black walls have had the smaller moon type caps. also i could get bias ply tires which would be like they had in 56, so what are the advantages of going with radials? thanks for your help and maybe i can post some pics, i tried before to post but wasnt successful. thanks

I couldnt see how to post pics to this forum so i posted 2 at the aaca link, is it not possible to post pics in the forum anymore?