flatoz

I have been posting a few questions on finding some parts as I am in the process of getting my olds registered. Here in Australia its a lot more difficult to get a car registered than in the US.

I have to pass a roadworthy, which means, no oil leaks, brakes up to scratch, no rust to speak of, lights, turn signals etc work well. no cracks in seats or steering wheels. all lenses must be crack and scratch free and not faded. all steering and suspension good, including rubbers and tie rod ends/ball joints etc.

This may sound way out to some, but I'm also planning on putting my wife and son in this car to go to rod runs ( having a kid means the 32 roadster is left home now). So I'm not unhappy about having to go over the car, I want it safe for crusing and daily driving.

I got the car in November of last year and have been steadily working on it as well as my hot rod and other peoples cars/motors. so its taken a while.

The car was from Utah then titled and registered in Cali, as it was, it wasn't safe for the road, a drive around the block yes, but not a decent drive or highway speeds either.

there were a few things I needed to go through, including the lifters, as some had collapsed. My biggest problem has been that while these are red headed stepchildern in the US, their non existant here in Australia, no one locally carries parts for these cars as we never had them imported. And very few know about them. I should have bought a Ford to make my life easier, but I wanted something different. But given time I have managed to import what I need.

needless to say I dropped the car in for roadworthy inspection yesterday, I'm guessing I will still have a list of things to do, but happy that I have at least got it to the point that I'm happy to drive it on the highways.

bare in mind that the cost to me just to have the car sitting in my driveway has been double my purchase cost, so a 10k car becomes 20k. So you have to be committed to the project to import something as its not a cheap exercise.

this doesn't count the $$ I spent on a full set of rubbers for the car from fusick and carpet and underlay, new windscreen and 5 new tires.

here some photos from then to now.

pick up day.

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work starts.

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the underside hadn't seen a clean ever I think, but the motor had had a dulux rebuild.

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what I cleaned off.


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brakes new hardware


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wheels blasted and painted

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interior back in

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flatoz

I had issues with noisey rocker assembly, turns out no oil was getting there and most of the lifters had collapsed, as I couldn't buy them here, I had to rebuild what I had, took some time to ungum the ones I had and find some parts that would work. but got there. also gave the motor a new dulux rebuild closer to what it should be.

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had trouble with it running at higher revs, note to self check all and everything before driving a car that has sat for a while

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also don't trust what some people will do with brakes! this car was registered in cali.


front hoses

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rear hose.

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got rid of the rochester, so tried some other options.



ended up putting a holley 600 on, as the car is going to be converted to 'gas' as in LPG that we run cars on here in Australia so you use the base of the holley for the converter. its cheap to run and the engine runs cleaner and the octane is 100 so good from that angle too.

here the car is yesterday as I stopped to take some photos on the trip to the roadworthy place.




and there.




small video I shot. Nothing fancy, just to capture the moment really.




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citcapp

Nice work to date. See in the pictures you have a couple of helpers. Your starting the youngster off right. Doing it right and making the car safe is always the right way to go. We only travel through this life once so make the best of it. Good luck with the rest of the build and keep us updated.

88 coupe

http://www.youtube.com/v/FolA-D0TcVA&hl

Norm

Olds64

VERY COOL! It is good seeing in progress pics. That is definitely an AWSOME car!

kirkwoodken

If you had no luck with your original carb, the Rochesters are famous for the enrichment/power jets being clogged. The jets are drilled into the body and are located at the lowest point in the carb, so they are apt to collect sediment and they clog easily. They sit behind the two lead plugs at the front bottom of the carb. I have rebuilt 4 of my own, and ALL of those jet holes were clogged, and could not be cleaned out with 175 Lbs. of compressed air. If they are not working, the carb will act like yours, will not want to rev. Small fish weights can be used to re-plug the holes, and I put a dab of epoxy over the lead just to make me feel better. Even though the stock carb looks small, it is a good street performer and gets good mileage when all the parts work correctly. Of course, this is just my opinion. The jet sizes are about .030" and are best cleaned with a piece of wire about .015-.020", something which won't enlarge the holes.

redoldsman

You might not realize this thread is ten years old. Two of the guys that posted above (not Olds64) are deceased.

Tedd Thompson

It always makes me sad to to come across a post that has a member or two that has left the garage forever. It is good though that they are still giving good advice in their absence.... Tedd

Olds64

I actually got to meet Pat when I went to Ft. Lewis, WA for training years ago. He gave me a ride in his 57 Super 88 and we got dinner. It was a bad@$$ car.

I need to dig for my old cellphone and see if there are pics on it still of us together.

flatoz

wow, the cars been on the road 10 years. now.

This is my daily car, which sometimes is starting to become difficult to juggle when something goes wrong or needs fixing. But I hope that Pat is happy that all the help he gave on this board is still here for us to refer to.

as to the rochester, that's long gone. I'm running straight 'gas' as we call it or propane as you call it. I'll try and dig up a current picture of the car. Since this post its had a 455 and T400 put in it - killed 3 of them so now has a 200-4R , the front end's been rebuilt, then a disc brake conversion put on - that was a headache , and the rust cut out and repaired. But I'm keeping an old Oldsmobile on the road daily, not an easy feat in this country where parts aren't available.

flatoz

It's a work horse too.

therobski

That is turning out great, piece by piece and $$ by $$. I have bit left on the interior of this 7 year build....

Tedd Thompson

Kinda made me sad to see that compost in the trunk of that beautiful car. Mine is a driver/ show car it's doubtful she will ever see compost in the bonnet...... Tedd

flatoz

Hi Tedd,

You've got to remember that this car is a different focus for me. Its equivalent to what ever is your regular car.

I'm sure you put your shopping and timber and hardware purchases in that car. Well that's what I do with this one. My good cars like your Olds are my Hot rods. This is literally the family taxi. It's just I love old cars and couldn't bring myself to daily drive a late model.

So because of that it has to perform all the duties your every day car would. But really isnt it better that it gets used and appreciated, seen on the road and in supermarket car parks, school pick up - for young kids to wonder what it is. Than being parked up in a shed and only driven hand full of times a year?

I wish it was show car quality, but then it would be useless to me. I don't need another weekend car. I need one that has a big boot (trunk) to take the family away, do the shopping and haul whatever- you know, that car you use every day. And while I'm doing that I'm flying the old car flag. Keeping an old car on the road so people can see them and appreciate.

classicmuscle442

Your car is beautiful, like that you are able to use it as a daily driver, as they were meant. Be interested in seeing your propane setup.

flatoz

Hi Chris,

I will dig up some photos, but I did do a post on here about putting the 455 into the car and it showed the gas set up. Uses an impco 425 'carby' which has the original bat wing air cleaner adapted to it so the motor looks more like the original. I also have planned on putting some 55 olds valve cover tops onto the 455 ones to really make it look closer to the original motor. Most don't even pick it as a big block Olds.

flatoz

Love the tow pull. but sort of hope you don't have to use it except getting back from the end of the strip

ignachuck

Teddd, he put the compost in the boot, not the bonnet.

Olds64

It is a surprise to see compost hauled in the back of that beautiful Olds. I'm glad you're driving it though. The worst fate for a car is to become a trailer queen.

flatoz

its not compost either its Mulch, well at least here in Australia ( and I worked at a garden supplies for 6 years ) compost means it generally had manure in it. This was just wood chips mulched up by the local council free to rate payers.

Anyway, the car had been sitting for 20 years when I got it, and now its been back on the road for 10. So I think thats a good thing. if its on a trailer or a truck- its broken.

Tedd Thompson

My daily driver is a sports car, not much hauling going on with it except a$$. With a lady and a box of chocolate and its full up.

I don't know why I called it a bonnet? I've been driving British and Japanese sport cars cars for years. I fight with a boot almost daily. Still no manure or wood chips in my cars that what trucks are made for...... Tedd

Russ P in MD

This reminds me of stories my dad would tell us of his days as a farmer, when he'd wrap up calves in a blanket and haul them in the trunk of his 55 S88, to the livestock auction a few miles up the road. Must have been before PETA.

flatoz

I don't bash my cars, but I do use them. They certainly are not babied. This one more than others I guess as it's not one of my weekend cars. If it was it probably would be treated differently. Its had some strange things in it.

R_CK_R

oh yeah
love it that you are using your Olds as it should be used, as a driver.

would like to use mine also as a daily but that would be a financial ruin here, so it only comes out for a weekend cruise.

flatoz

R CK R , use it as much as you can. I get your winters can be brutal compared to ours, and petrol is expensive, but you have to spend your money on something. better than chasing a little white ball around in the weeds.

Daiv8or

In this day and age, if I were in your situation with this being a daily driver and you going to all the trouble of switching motors, transmissions and adding the straight gas system, I think I would have just gone electric with motors and batteries from a Tesla Model S. Basically install the powertrain that the Oldsmobile engineers and designers dreamed about in the '50s. Go dual motors and the full 120kwh battery and you could smoke anybody and the drag strip. Maybe wrecked Tesla parts aren't easy to get there though. They're easy to get here.

I'm a big fan of all original and correct vintage cars, but I'm also a big fan of electric cars, so if I was ever to ditch the original drivetrain in favor or reliability and power, electric it would be.