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Trim # breakout 55 Olds


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Glenn: Chris at the AACA Library responded simply that trim code 393 is blue. Well, in the Buick Master parts books the are more definite. Blue cloth wherith blue leather for example. Surely didn't Olds do better than saying simply blue? The car is a 98 and has blue cloth with blue leather or vinyl bolsters and seat edges. It also has a center armrest in the back seat. I think it is original, but Randy Rutherford wondered if the pattern is original.....I think they offered this combination as a deluxe appointment on the 98....because of a brochure I saw, but in that brochure the combination was listed simply a #33. What I know about any Oldsmobile wouldn't fill a thimble....been Buick all my life. But, the first new car I ever drove was a 55 Olds 88 that my aunt bought new and let me drive 150 miles with her and my uncle to their vacation place one Friday night when I was 15.....you could get a drivers license in VA when you werre 15 at that time. Earl

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Oldsfan you are D MAN! Not sure what they call light blue, but you have nailed the combination for me. I'd call it medium blue at best. I'll try to send a couple pictures for verification if I can figure out how. Car is original with original Frost Blue paint....I believe now I've found an HPOF qualified driver....do you agree? Arizon car with 115K I don't see how the seats can be original and look this good in pictures. Padded dash has to be repaired....paint could stand redoing I'm told. It is a post sedan. I hope to see it on the way home from Charlotte. Man, has the weather been TERRIBLE in Charlotte. I have a couple more pictures I can send. Earl Beauchamp

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Edited by Dynaflash8 (see edit history)
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Those seats are not original. They appear to be done nicely, but the materials are wrong. The vinyl bolsters should be a cloth material, and the pattern inserts are not correct. I believe SMS has the correct pattern cloth.

It should be like the cloth in my old Holiday Coupe, only blue instead of gray...

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To Paul Hartlieb: The owner of the car still says the upholstery is original. He sent me the following picture. Also in a brochure that the AACA library sent to me, it had a breakout on trim numbers, but they did not compute with the 393. One of them, listed as #33 there, called for cloth and leather in a 98. All is very confusing. I plan to stop by and see the car personally on my way home from Charlotte, NC on Sunday.

The first picture is the comparison of the car's door panel with the picture in the brochure. The second picture is another actual picture of the back of the front seat of the car, which is as I said before, a 1955 Olds 98 post sedan.

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Edited by Dynaflash8 (see edit history)
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Hmmm...

I don't know what to tell you. Glenn Williamson says "never say never."

I wish I still had my '55 Color and Upholstery album. As far as I know, the sedan cloth upholstery should be the same pattern as what I had in my coupe. That is what is shown in the sales brochure picture I inserted above. It does seem like someone went to an awful lot of trouble to match the door panels and the seat back, but I've seen a '54 coupe where they did that. Another red flag is the robe cords. I would think they would be of a plain cloth, not a pattern cloth.

I would say the vinyl is not correct, but who knows. Let me investigate a little more...

Paul

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I have my 1962 body parts catalog here, and the only 33 interior code I see is for 1954 S88 convertible. Indicates Ivory & Turquoise leather. This catalog doesn't break out all the individual interior component materials until 1957. An earlier one might.

The book indicates all of the 1954-56 sedan body styles used all cloth seats. Interestingly, it shows all S88 and Ninety Eight Holiday (hardtop) styles use a combination of leather bolsters and cloth inserts. Never knew the S88s used leather. 88s used Morocceen vinyl.

1955-56 393 indicates light blue covert cloth bolster and light blue pattern cloth for 98 4-door sedan.

1954 93 is dark blue nylon pillow-tuft weave with light blue nylon bolster for 98 4-door sedan and standard Holiday coupes. 1954 293 is dark blue nylon pillow-tuft weave with light blue broadcloth bolster in 98 Deluxe 4-door sedan. So it seems that last digit of 3 indicates blue.

Earl, I can't say with any certainty whether a leather & pattern cloth option was available for the 1955 Ninety Eight sedan. If the bolsters are vinyl instead of leather I'd about guarantee the seats have been redone. If they are leather, well, never say never. You never know what someone with the right connections could have gotten built back in those days.

I'm trying to think who I know that owns a 1955 color & fabric album. I don't know if Alton Bowling still has his or not. I know he paid a pile of money for it back in the late 80s.

Edited by rocketraider (see edit history)
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I am going to maintain my position that the interior has been reupholstered, door panels and all. I think the key is still the robe cords. They are normally wrapped in the same material that is used on the windlace around the doors, not the same material as the seat inserts.

How long has the current owner owned the car?

Paul

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I met a man named Al Banner (Olds Club member) at Charlotte today who has a 53 and a 55 98 Holiday...nice guy. He has a color and trim album and is going to copy or scan any pertanant pages and send or email them to me. He toldy me that after all the standard options they show, there is a "cop-out" paragraph that says something to the effect that "special orders are available, and a buyer can order any combination they want, so long as it is agreeable with ....I don't exactly recall....the Board of Governors, Board of Directors, Board of Designers....I don't remember what he said, but he's promised he will get back to me and make copies after he goes home this weekend.....he's from Statesville, NC. I plan to stop and look at and drive the car on my way home tomorrow as we pass through Jacksonville.

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From the "Dealer Data Book" which I still have...

"Special Note: Any combination of two standard colors may be ordered as a two-tone combination, however, any two-tone paint combination other than the recommended combinations listed above are subject to approval of the Oldsmobile Styling Section." While is doesn't specifically say it, I would imagine this would apply to interior trim, too, which also had recommended combinations. It says nothing about substituting materials.

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Okay guys. I saw the car this afternoon. And, in my opinion you are all wrong. This may be the rarest 55-98 sedan in existance, I don't know. But, it needs a full restoration, so I passed on it. That said, from the HPOF point of view it is an excellent example of one of those. The paint is failing close up, but the car is beautiful from 30 feet. Now for the upholstery: Rocketraider and Oldsfan this car is as it came from the factory or from some dealer in the beginning. The seat cloth matches the door cloth, and both are faded and old. The bolsters are some kind of high quality vinyl that exactly matches the padded dash, both in color and consistency. I am personally certain it is not leather, because it is smooth and nice, no cracks or comfort creases. The material on the front seat is intact, no tears or stains, but somewhat dirty, but it exactly matches to door panels which exactly match the brochure. Because of the condition of the paint as well as the cloth upholstery and the kick panels and headliner I didn't buy the car. I am so certain this car came with this upholstery brand new, it would be impossible otherwise. Nobody could use that old cloth and install new vinyl bolsters with no tears, pulls or anything like that. It's real. I'm still looking for a 53 or 55 Olds in good tour condition, but at 74 years old I don't want to tackle even a minor restoration. I'll leave it to you guys to figure out how somebody could have bought such a special 55-98 with this upholsltery combination. And, it would have been very beautiful when new, and would be now if restored to new. Sitting there, I could visualize what a beautiful car it once was and what it could be now. If I was younger, I would have bought it. Thanks for all of your help

Edited by Dynaflash8 (see edit history)
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