[Parts availability 1950's Buick vs. Oldsmobile]

18 hours ago, auburnseeker said:

Looks like as nice driver.  

I have a 56 Olds.  

I do a search on eBay each night for parts.   I don't really need anything in particular but have picked up some nice stuff cosmetically for it,  sometimes cheap, if you catch your competitors sleeping.

I have bought lots of service parts as well that were just too good to pass up,  like switches and stuff, that are specific to these Oldsmobiles. 

I have found with Olds there are 4 ways to search that will yield different results.  

try

57 olds

     1957 Olds

    57 Oldsmobile

and

1957 Oldsmobile 

You can eliminate words by following that with key words to eliminate so try copy and pasting this in your search block.

1957 Oldsmobile -Suzuki -Honda -Kawasaki -Harley -Volvo -Patch -Decal -omc -evinrude -johnson -mercruiser -sign -watch -watches -nardi -wood

 

It will filter out a lot of junk.  Some of these words may not pertain as much to your searches,  but I use it as a general filter and gets rid of most of the repo overseas crap that doesn't fit your car.  

 

Thank you. Much appreciated. Stefan

[Parts availability 1950's Buick vs. Oldsmobile]

14 hours ago, Roger Zimmermann said:

The second Hydramatic transmissions generation began with the 1956 model year, 1957 on cheaper Pontiac and Olds. The first year had some  problems; 1957 saw some changes to improve the reliability. I overhauled about 20 such transmissions, mainly from Cadillac cars; they are very similar from 1956 to 1964. Some parts are interchangeable, other not. As somebody wrote, those transmissions are rather complex, most parts are available either as repro or NOS.

Thanks Roger, your location shows as Switzerland. So I guess we are practically neighbors. I might be in touch regarding my transition. It doesn't need anything right now but I'd like to learn as much as I can about them. Do you still work on these things? Stefan

[Parts availability 1950's Buick vs. Oldsmobile]

11 hours ago, Rusty_OToole said:

Looks like you have a beautiful car there, congratulations. If I may make one suggestion. Put on a new set of quality shock absorbers. You should be able to buy a set locally, made by Koni, Bilstein, or other European maker. The original type are shot after 20,000 miles even though they are not leaking and look ok. They should not be expensive and they will transform the ride and handling. While it is in the shop get an alignment and the wheels balanced, you will feel like you are driving a Rolls Royce.

 Thanks Rusty. Just had a quick look at the websites of both Bilstein and Koni but could not find anything for my car from either manufacturer, unfortunately. 

[Parts availability 1950's Buick vs. Oldsmobile]

Just wanted to let everyone know that I ended up buying a 1957 Oldsmobile Sedan. It's in good shape. Body needs no work. Has been repainted once years ago but never welded. No bondo on the car. Very nice interior (blue fabric). Drives, shifts and brakes well. Vacuum wipers don't work properly. Have ordered a New Port Engineering electric conversion. Some play in idler arm. Have ordered that plus bracket and bushing. Trunk weather strip was bad. Already have the replacement. Fuel gauge doesn't work. Already have new sender unit. It looks like that's all the work it currently needs. I have been impressed with the pretty good availability of most parts for this car. I found that between USA Parts Supply, Fusick Automotive Products, RockAuto and a few specialist shops and dealers (found mostly on eBay) most parts (engine, trannny, suspension, steering, brakes etc) are available and most times the prices are not outrageous. Not cheap but that's to be expected. Thanks to everyone for their input here. Stefan

[2/1957 Motor Trend Road Test wanted]

I have asked a friend who lives in Phoenix to get me a copy off eBay. He has bought it and will scan the relevant pages when he gets it and perhaps mail it to me if not too expensive. Otherwise I'll pick it up next time I see him. I'll leave my original post and this one here so that it can be found through the search function. Happy to help if anyone needs an electronic copy of any article in this particular issue.

 

Stefan

[2/1957 Motor Trend Road Test wanted]

Dear fellow enthusiasts

 

Apologies if this is in the wrong forum. I'm looking for the February 1957 Motor Trend road tests of the '57 Dodge, Buick and Olds. If anyone has this issue and could make these articles available that would be fantastic. I don't think copyright will be an issue after sixty years? Send me  private message if you prefer. 

 

I would also buy a copy of the entire magazine but I have only seen them for sale in the States and shipping to Germany seems to be 20 bucks or so which is a bit crazy.

 

Stefan

[Parts availability 1950's Buick vs. Oldsmobile]

Thanks Gentlemen. All great info. Will let y'all know what I end up getting. In the meantime, please keep the info coming.

[Parts availability 1950's Buick vs. Oldsmobile]

That's some great info Todd. Thank you so much. The 1957 Pontiacs are very nice, too. Between the 55 Buick and the 57 Oldsmobile I'm considering,  I am now leaning more towards the Olds. In my opinion it's even prettier, and I like the that the drive train is easier to work on and it sounds like I would enjoy the Hydramatic more than the the Dynaflow transmission. 

 

 

[Parts availability 1950's Buick vs. Oldsmobile]

Gentlemen, many thanks for your input. Much appreciated. I will do a bit more research on the torque tube. Also, it's good to know the differences between the transmissions. 

 

About the cam of that Rocket Engine: I guess it's very likely that the issue has been addressed in the 60 year since the car was new. I doubt the car I'm interest in comes with detailed service records for covering its entire life. Will find out, though.

 

I must say I really like the looks of the 57 Olds, both inside and out. The Buicks are beautiful cars, too, though. Hmmm. decisions, decisions.....

[Looking for career advice]

As a new member I just wanted to say that I have been impressed with the many thoughtful responses to this thread. Myself I am not good at tolerating injustice towards me or anyone else so I would definitively try to address the personal attacks from the coworker/colleague with the boss, provide that addressing them directly with the person causing the trouble has failed. If I had the feeling that I can't approach the boss with my concerns then that would be a good reason to start looking for something else. Yes, sometimes we can sit things out and time will take care of our problems for us, but sometime we have to do what we deep inside know needs doing. This may well include accepting a lower income, at least temporarily. I know this may be controversial but money is not everything. If you can't stand the thought of getting up in the morning to go to work then no amount of money in the world will make you feel better.  Bottom line, try to effect positive change in your current company but if that fails then don't give them any more of your time. Life is too short. 

 

Stefan

[Parts availability 1950's Buick vs. Oldsmobile]

Thanks auburn seeker. I do appreciate the input. I had read about the torque tube and also about the Dynaflow not being the best in terms of performance. Apparently it also has a different characteristic as it is more like a "hydraulic CVT". I'm wondering if it's also more difficult to get fixed should something ever go wrong with it. Good to know that most essential parts should be readily available. I haven't yet found anything that looks like a one stop shop with a good, easy to use online parts catalog and a full range of parts at reasonable prices. I'm probably spoiled by the air-cooled VW world (although reproduction parts are often poor quality). 

 

Any further input will be most appreciated.

 

 

[Parts availability 1950's Buick vs. Oldsmobile]

Hello all,

 

My first post hear so I hope this is in the right section. I'm Stefan from Heidelberg, Germany. I have had many classic VWs and currently own a T2 bay window camper but it's time for my first American classic. I am looking at a couple of 1955 Buicks (2 door Special and 4 door hard top Century) and a 1957 Oldsmobile Super 88 Sedan) here in Germany. I think I already know that parts availability for either of them isn't going to be as good as for the tri-five Chevys , for example. But which one would be easier to get essential parts for? I'm looking at complete, rust free cars in good working order that don't need body panels, bumpers, lights etc. So I'm not looking at a restoration but am mostly concerned about mechanical parts (steering, suspension, brakes, engine, transmission) and rubber seals (windows, doors, trunk etc) to address normal wear and tear. I get the impression that 1957 Oldsmobile parts would be easier to find and perhaps less expensive than 1955 Buick parts but I am not sure. Any pointers including links would be most welcome.

 

On a related note: Which of the two cars would be less likely to cause trouble? I'm thinking automatic transmission for example. It seems the Buick transmission is a bit unusual compared to the Olds and others. Are there parts available and are people out there that can still fix one?

 

I am mechanically inclined and have worked on late models Olds and Cadillacs but that was years ago and the cars were from the 70s to the 90s so the whole 50s car scene is all new to me.

 

Generally, any dos and don'ts for a first time buyer of a 1950s American Classic would be most welcome.

 

Looking forward to many replies.

 

Stefan