1957 Oldsmobile Ninety Eight

[Jon Dahl]

I'm new to these forums, but not antique cars. This is my first antique Oldsmbobile, and my second Oldsmobile. I inherited my father's 1991 Regency Elite after he passed away, and it's still going with 264,000 miles.

I traded my 1954 Dodge Coronet for this Oldsmobile about two weeks ago, and because of the cold weather, I've not done too much more than clean and wax it.

This is it on the lot the day I purchased it:


And here it is after I cleaned it up a bit:



I'm here to learn from people who know more about these classic Oldsmobiles than I do.

[442scotty]

welcome aboard...you will find lots of help here...the 57 was a favorite of mine when I was a kid but my interest lies with the 65's...This is a great site...think you will enjoy it

[Jon Dahl]

Thanks!

My first big task will be to rebuild the master cylinder. That's going to be a challenge for me as I've never had a project with power brakes before.
I'm still trying to determine if it's a Delco Moraine or a Bendix unit.

I've browsed the forums a bit and discovered Fusick and Kantar, both seem to be invaluable websites!

This is the full album of my Oldsmobile HERE.

[citcapp]

Welcome to the site Jon, I too have a 57 Oldsmobile. Mine is a super 88 2 door hardtop. They are great cars, get yourself a 1957 Oldsmobile factory repair manual it explains how to identify the different power boosters and will help you in your restoration. Have any questions just ask away.

[Jon Dahl]

Thanks!

You may be just the person to ask about a large canister tucked inside the passenger's side wheel well. It appears there is a line coming out of it and to the master cylinder, I cannot say for sure that it goes there, but it sure looks like it.
Any idea what it is for or what it does?

The top of it can be seen in this image here, right by the hinge attached to the hood (at the top of the picture):

[citcapp]

Its the vacuum canister for the power brakes. You can trace the vacuum lines from the carb. and from the power brake unit.

[Jon Dahl]

Ah ha! Well, as I said before, I don't know a whole heck of a lot about power brakes.

One other question, what is the large black box mounted on the firewall? (Bottom right of the picture, the larger of the two black boxes).
I assume is has something to do with the Autronic eye. I use to have a '56 Cadillac that had one, but I didn't mess around with it too much.

Thanks again.

[Lady72nRob71]

Welcome to the best Olds site on the web!
Nice looking project car!
How did you get the color to come out so well with just a "cleaning"???
Did you use a polish or something? Very nice...
Do get a factory service manual - it will be your best tool in the box.
Best of luck in the resto!

[Jon Dahl]

Originally Posted by Lady72nRob71

How did you get the color to come out so well with just a "cleaning"???
Did you use a polish or something? Very nice...

I did the whole thing by hand with MeGuiar's Cleaner Wax & Clay Bar, 3M Imperial Finishing Compound, TurtleWax Chrome Polish, and Windex for the glass.

I used a variety of cloths and foam pads to apply and remove the cleaners. That's just the initial clean-up of the car. I plan on really detailing it this spring.

Ultimately the car will have to be repainted, but I want to make it as nice as I can until then.

Thank you for the kind words of encouragement.

[redoldsman]

One other question, what is the large black box mounted on the firewall? (Bottom right of the picture, the larger of the two black boxes).
I assume is has something to do with the Autronic eye. I use to have a '56 Cadillac that had one, but I didn't mess around with it too much.

You are correct. I added one of these to my friends 54 Super 88. I bought it from a guy that rebuilds these things for all makes. He converts them to solid state and they work. If you get to the point you want to fool with it, I will be glad to go through my files and find his email address. I doubt it is working. This is a really pretty car. Good luck with your restoration. I will be another one to stress how important the factory service manual will be to you. Go for one of the original ones. I have heard that some of the reproduction ones do not have the schematics in color. Check the prices since some people have an inflated idea as to how much these things are worth. You should be able to get one for under $50. The payback to you will be very short.

[ozoneblue]

Jon welcome to the site & I would have traded 3 Mopars for that OLDS vintageozarks.com

[Jon Dahl]

Originally Posted by ozoneblue

Jon welcome to the site & I would have traded 3 Mopars for that OLDS vintageozarks.com

The old Dodge I traded was the first car I ever owned. My father and I purchased it back in 1994 and restored it.
I sold it in 1996, and the people who purchased it tried to make a hot-rod out of it by turning it into a two door convertible from a four door sedan.
After my father passed away I purchased it back off of eBay last year for sentimental reasons. It still had its 241 Hemi, but the car was just too far gone.

My wife and I decided it wasn't economical to try to restore my poor old Dodge. I live in Kansas and those old Hemi engines are in high demand with the hot-rodders around here, so I had no trouble trading it off.

The Oldsmobile is a much better choice for a restoration project. It's in great shape, it runs, and the style of the car is so much better. As far as sentiment goes my father loved Oldsmobile. I can also have my kids out there without fear of them getting tetanus.

[56oldsnub]

Welcome to the site
I'm currently restoring a 56 Ninety Eight
here's a pic of the canister without the fender on....it's huge on my 56
surprised me when I took the fender off

[Olds64]

Welcome to the website. That is an awsome car. It is amazing how good it looks after a washing and a little bit of wax.

[Jon Dahl]

Originally Posted by Olds64

Welcome to the website. That is an awsome car. It is amazing how good it looks after a washing and a little bit of wax.

Well, "a little bit" being 20 hours of waxing by hand.

[fiftytwos]

[quote=0ne other question, what is the large black box mounted on the firewall? (Bottom right of the picture, the larger of the two black boxes).
I assume is has something to do with the Autronic eye. I use to have a '56 Cadillac that had one, but I didn't mess around with it too much.

Thanks again.[/quote]

Hello,I too am new to this forum. I was looking for some Autronic Eye stuff and ran into this forum. It looked like a good one so I joined.I am the proud owner of a 52 Coupe DeVille and a 52 Chieftain. Sorry, no Olds, but I am always looking.I have been repairing/restoring Autronic Eye systems for several years including the one in my Caddy. I would be happy to get yours going. I noticed where someone mentioned that a restorer was making them “electronic”. This is not the approach I take. I am a purist in that I try to get them back to original as much as possible. This includes using the original vibrators that give the amplifier that nice hummmmm. It would be very anti-climactic to turn on an old radio and not hear that re-assuring hum. Kinda like kissing your sister.Anyway, respond to this if you are interested. I am recently retired (40 years at GM) and am always needing something to keep me busy. Good luck with your 98. Looks like you have a good solid car to start with.Rick

[csstrux]

amazing what a little elbow grease will do for a car I had a 71 skylark vert that looked about as pink as that pup when I got it, wet sanded and buffed the snot out of that thing...and waxed weekly afterward to keep it shiny Wish I still had that one, as well as umpteen other ones I let go of over the years. Nice ride and welcome to the site

[Jon Dahl]

I'm not sure the the Autronic Eye works or not. The wires to the headlights are brittle and have both snapped in half, but I'll let you know this spring.

Originally Posted by csstrux

amazing what a little elbow grease will do for a car I had a 71 skylark vert that looked about as pink as that pup when I got it, wet sanded and buffed the snot out of that thing...and waxed weekly afterward to keep it shiny Wish I still had that one, as well as umpteen other ones I let go of over the years. Nice ride and welcome to the site

Thanks! My elbows still ache.

I've been browsing this site, the knowledge base here is impressive.

[Oldsguy]

Jon, good work on the car paint. I can appreciate all the hard work you have done to it. I've done it before. Your car is really nice by the way.
Fiftytwos, not a problem joining us but you simply MUST get yourself a '52 Olds 98 or 88 to go with those other two cars.

[Jon Dahl]

Originally Posted by fiftytwos

Hello, I too am new to this forum. I was looking for some Autronic Eye stuff and ran into this forum. It looked like a good one so I joined.I am the proud owner of a 52 Coupe DeVille and a 52 Chieftain. Sorry, no Olds, but I am always looking.I have been repairing/restoring Autronic Eye systems for several years including the one in my Caddy. I would be happy to get yours going. I noticed where someone mentioned that a restorer was making them “electronic”. This is not the approach I take. I am a purist in that I try to get them back to original as much as possible. This includes using the original vibrators that give the amplifier that nice hummmmm. It would be very anti-climactic to turn on an old radio and not hear that re-assuring hum. Kinda like kissing your sister.Anyway, respond to this if you are interested. I am recently retired (40 years at GM) and am always needing something to keep me busy. Good luck with your 98. Looks like you have a good solid car to start with.Rick

Well, the weather's been nice, and I've been working on my Olds for the last two weeks.
I rewired the headlights and tested the Autronic Eye and it still works fine, but thanks for the offer.

The rest of the car is coming along nicely as well. I drove it to work every day this week, I fixed a bunch of little problems, and discovered a few more too.

This car has a lot of vacuum lines, they're all dry and brittle. I have to get those replaced now.

[Olds64]

Try your autronic eye on the road. I've heard that they are blinded by modern headlamps. If it is working then kudos to you for fixing it.

[85T]

Nice car!

[ricdiculus]

Howdy!
another newbie here. Nice ride! I'm working on a 57' 88 that was also in decent shape when i got it. engine has been re-built, re-wired the entire car from scratch, and a healthy shot of body work & paint with wheels and tires. By the way, I have a shop manual in pdf format for the 57' 88 and 98. you could umm.. 'borrow' a copy if you like. I've also ben known to do a little custom wiring schematic design. let me know.

[citcapp]

Nice looking 57 ricdiculus. Always nice to see another 57

[Jon Dahl]

Originally Posted by ricdiculus

By the way, I have a shop manual in pdf format for the 57' 88 and 98. you could umm.. 'borrow' a copy if you like. I've also ben known to do a little custom wiring schematic design. let me know.

Yes, that would be helpful.

[bpwordman]

Welcome to the forum and congrats on the trade up from Dodge!I have a 57 88 Holiday coupe (2dr hdtp for the uninformed)-it is the first car I ever owned-I got it when I was 13 years old.Though no longer very sound,a lot of dreams were born in its drivers seat!If I can provide any info,don't hesitate to contact me.