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Thank you all for the kind words. My -40 coupe still got the original flathead eight with a 3-speed column shift. The car now run on 12 volt with airride in rear and a 3.63:1 third member compared to the stock 4.30:1. Otherwise the car is original. I have just spent half a day to lower the front bumper almost 4". I think the car have great lines from every angel except
straight from the front. I don't understand why Oldsmobile's
design department drew the front bumper halfway up on the grill? Well now it looks way better imho. Jerry, I sold my 47 Coupe a few years ago.
Here's two pics from before and after lowering the front bumper.
[QUOTE=Ornberg;978232]Thank you all for the kind words. I have just spent half a day to lower the front bumper almost 4". I think the car have great lines from every angel except
straight from the front. I don't understand why Oldsmobile's
design department drew the front bumper halfway up on the grill? Well now it looks way better imho.
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Ornberg, I also think the front bumper looks better lower down.
I'm just guessing here but I would bet the height of the front bumper was dictated by the average height of other car's rear bumpers. Positioning the Olds front bumper at about average rear bumper height would protect the front end of the Olds against people carelessly backing their car into the front of the Olds and damaging that nice grille or fenders.
Also it was common in those days if someone's battery failed to offer to "give them a push" with your car to get theirs started. Alternatively if it couldn't be started you could at least give them a bit of a push with your car to help move them to the side of the road. We were maybe more thoughtful and gave a helping hand more readily back then. If you were going to push their car you would want your front bumper to match as closely as possible the other car's rear bumper. Most cars then had standard transmissions and could be push started. Early Hydramatics could also be push started because of the 2nd fluid pump in the transmission. After they eliminated the 2nd pump in the 1950s (?) Hydramatics could no longer be push started.
Jerry
Last edited by 47 Convertible; December 28th, 2016 at 11:25 PM.
Great looking car, my question is your car does not appear to have running boards, in 1940 did you have the option of running boards or stream boards like the 1939 models
had ? Any way what you looks have way better than boards. Can post a closer picture of them? Thanks Gary
Great looking car, my question is your car does not appear to have running boards, in 1940 did you have the option of running boards or stream boards like the 1939 models
had ? Any way what you looks have way better than boards. Can post a closer picture of them? Thanks Gary
Here's another photo who shows the side of the car. As Funkwagon455 wrote, the 90 series was the only Olds with smooth sides.
Jerry, your explanation about the height of the bumpers sounds credible.
December 27th, 2016, 10:50 AM
