Keieljun

My dad drove his 1954 Super 88 Holiday Coupe until 1969, at which time he parked it in the Quonset for 34 years. I was ten years old then and don't remember what it's condition was. I've got it now, and it's all pretty usable, and could be a daily driver as it is, but certain areas are disasters.

Why is it that there is no rust anywhere around any of the wheel wells, but there is a big rust hole in the wide-open space between the door and the rear wheel opening?

Why is it that the bumpers just need a little steel wool, but the bumper guards on the rear seem to have been designed for the specific function of capturing mud and then rusting from the inside out?

What were they thinking when they designed these things? Were they thinking that it only had to last a few years anyway? Did Real Men back then think the things they made only needed to last for a certain number of years, dictated by GM, and then they would be recycled? I thought that was Modern Thinking only, but it looks like it will be 20 years before rust even begins to be a problem on my 2000 Ford Expedition.

Maybe Rust is a recent invention, and car manufacturers didn't know about it yet in the fifties???

What do you guys think? Does your favorite model of Oldsmobile seem just brilliantly designed in some ways, but other parts were designed by the mail clerk on the engineer's day off?

Oldsguy

Engineers are engineers, designers are designers, sometimes the designers win out over the engineers. Bumper guards were an upgrade on many cars then, mostly for looks. Perhaps there was some functionality in them at one time but just like any thing else, a car is a product intended to be sold to the public. If something can be done to the car to make it more desire-able, hence more market-able, then it was done; like bumper guards. Corrosion is a common problem on everything, I spent 21 years in Naval Aviation and aircraft required constant cleaning and maintenance to prevent corrosion. Those bumper guards would not have been so much trouble if they were maintained better (not trying to insult your father any). Probably 80% to 90% of the automotive owners do not maintain their vehicles properly. About the big rust hole on the side of the car, it may have been to an impurity in the steel at that point, or something of dis-similar metal was inside the panel that caused/encourage corrosion. The world isn't perfect....and I do agree that there are some items that seemed to have been designed by a mail clerk.

Keieljun

I'm sure that salt water was way worse even than the salty roads of Minnesota winters.

The problem with the bumper guards was that there WAS no way to maintain them. Assuming I restore the car with the guards back in place, they will be re-designed with a drain in the bottom large enough to rinse out the dust that they seem to accumulate.

Dan, did you do anything similar with your '46? That is, did you "improve" body design with a mind to keeping bad things from ever happening again? I know that things like brake systems are often brought technologically up-to-date, so that's a given, but did your car have any horror stories?

Keith

Oldsguy

Yes, many corrosion problems with it. Interestingly, the front bumper guards have corroded more than the rear ones have. My '46 has a few corrosion problems like the bumper guards that need attention. There are also a few spots on the frame that have some pretty bad corrosion but without doing a frame-off restoration, or at the least taking the body off just to correct the frame problems, it will have to wait. I concentrated on brakes first, then steering and front end, then the engine/drive train swap. I hope to finish wiring the lights and primary circuit this spring so I can drive the car for once. I have owned it for over two years now and still haven't driven it. Getting itchy. The interior is presentable but the body needs some attention. That will have to wait. To answer your directly, the corrosion on the frame is probably the worst of it, along with the bumpers, they are pretty bad. Good luck with your project, and yes, Naval Aircraft got a LOT more esposure to salty air.