After two years of searching I found and bought the missing "Mustashe" chrome (3 pcs) for my 1951 Olds 98 Sedan. To my amazement when I started to install it I found that it is about 6 inches to short.

My best guess is that the car was involved in a front end accident and maybe the sheet metal has been pushed back and flattend. However, it did not appear to be not normal until I tried to fit the Mustashe chrome.

Does anyone have dimentions from an original 51 that they would share?

Any suggestions, recommendation, or ideas would be most welcome.

 

Wasn't the 88 6 inches narrower??
Back in the day, a buddy had a '54 88, and I believe they were both narrower and shorter than the 98.
Or maybe you've the wrong year?

 

There are TWO Eighty Eights for 1951, and I expect you have the pieces for the 88A- which is for all practical purposes same as the 1950 car. It's smaller than the 1951 Super 88/Ninety Eight.

1951 Ninety Eights may have been different from the Super 88. I always thought they were the same.

 

88 (A body) and Super 88 (B body) not to be confused with the 98 (C body)

Norm

 

Thanks for the prompt replies and comments, all of which are very useful to me. My Olds is the 1951 98 4 door Sedan. The 3 pcs of "mustashe" chrome came off a 1951 88 2dr hard top.

The center piece which mounts under the hood does seem to line up OK. However, the two end pieces if I start with the very end bolt progressively moving to the front does not line up with the holes nor the contour of the fender (this may, in part be due to accident damage). In addition, if I were to be able to mount them there would be about a 3 inch gap between each end piece and the center piece. However, if what you guys are saying is fact the end pieces for a 98 must be a little different in length and shape. Can anyone confirm this as a fact.

Does anyone have one of those parts interchange catalogs to confirm exact part numbers and applications on these trim pieces?

Looks like the search is ON again ... does anyone know of any end pieces for sale? Any condition will be acceptable. Again, THANKS!

 

Assuming "mustashe" is another name for the grille, it came off a Super 88.

Both 88 and 98 were unchanged from '50. Super 88 (new for '51) was similar (in appearance, not size) to the 98.

Norm

 

As 88 Coupe says above, the 98 and Super 88 were distinctly different body assemblies. Your car is most similar to the 50 98, dimensionally, as they share the same Fisher body. If your pieces are from a 51 2dr hdtp, non 98, then they are S88 pieces. Sorry about that!