Hey everyone,

I’m restoring my 1958 Oldsmobile 98 Deluxe Holiday Coupe and trying to learn more about how rare it is. My body tag reads 58-3037SDX, and my VIN is 589K02540.

From what I’ve researched so far, there were roughly 11,012 of the 98-series 2-door Holiday Hardtops built in 1958. However, I haven’t been able to find any breakdown on how many were produced specifically with the SDX trim package or how many might still exist today.

If anyone here has:

Oldsmobile production data beyond the body style totals

Access to vintage dealer books or GM Heritage records

A registry of surviving ’58 98 Holiday coupes

Or just owns another 3037SDX car


…I’d love to connect and share info!

Thanks in advance,
Kaspian-Patrick Lasater
Blanco, NM

 

Welcome to ClassicOldsmobile.
My first suggestion is that you get an original 1958 Oldsmobile Chassis Service Manual. At this point, you don't know what you don't know> A 1958 CSM will answer many questions you don't know yet. From a quick glance at your serial number, the "K" says it was assembled in Kansas City. You could easily confirm this with a 1958 CSM.

Now, define for me what YOU mean by restoring.

Oldsmobile production data for a certain of production is not likely to be found. Any production totals would be basic body types and styles that can be found via the internet or GM Heritage Center. As far as how many were produced in a certain color or with options such as radio, A/C, Autronic Eye, etc. they don't exist.

I am unaware of any "Registry" for 1958 Oldsmobile's.

Is this your first Oldsmobile ? Jaunty will probably chime in with info you might enjoy.

 

Thanks for the warm welcome, Ralph — I really appreciate the info! I’ll definitely be picking up a 1958 Oldsmobile Chassis Service Manual to help guide me through the process. As for what I mean by restoring, here’s my rough plan: Full body-off-frame restoration Replace all metal floor pans, inner and outer rockers Sandblast the entire body & frame, then powder-coat the frame Upgrade brakes, new bushings, bearings, shocks, and brake lines Complete bodywork, fresh paint, and all-new upholstery I’m still deciding on the interior direction. Part of me wants to keep it 100% stock and period-correct, as if it just rolled off the showroom floor in ’58. On the other hand, a subtle restomod is tempting — better sound system, modern comforts, maybe a few hidden upgrades while keeping the vintage look. Haven’t committed one way or the other yet, so any opinions from those who’ve gone through this are welcome. I’d also still love to connect with anyone who has production data, dealer books, or knows of any surviving 3037SDX cars. Even just hearing from other ’58 98 Holiday Coupe owners would be awesome. This is my first Oldsmobile, but I’m hooked. The lines on this car are incredible, and I want to bring it back the right way. Thanks in advance to anyone willing to share advice, tips, or resources! —Kaspian-Patrick LasaterBlanco, NM

 

First, you do know that you will spend more money than the selling price when you are done restoring ? Some people claim that "Resto-Mods" are getting higher than restored cars. That might be true in some cases, I don't think its every brand or every era.

#1. Take more pics outside and inside, Fisher body tag and serial number plate.
#2. Jaunty just had a post on 1958's in the last 5-7 days.
#3. Charlie Jones and a few others are great sources for information.
#4. The rear 1/4 looks like from an "Eighty-Eight". The passenger side front fender has been replaced.
#5. BOP (Buick-Olds-Pontiac) will likely have body parts, glass and Delco-Remy parts that interchange. Charlie Jones has an interchange manual for older cars.
#6. 1957-58 engine parts generally interchange. There is a difference between #14 (1957) heads and #16 (late 1957-1958 heads and head gasket thickness.
#7. Start looking for a good upholstery shop because you'll have trouble finding any interior upholstery kits.
#8. I may have a source for front and rear floor pans but no trunk pans. These are NEW stamping..
This should give you a start on things. Do you have a computer with a spreadsheet program ?

 

Happy to see that you want to save that car.it brings back warm memories.The color looks like it’s Tropical Mist
My father had a Ninety Eight 2 dr hardtop like yours in that color. I was 10 yrs old when he bought it. Gorgeous car with spinner hubcaps, power windows and a trans portable radio! I’ll never forget that ‘58.

 

Very nice car!

First off, not that I'm anybody, but I've never heard of an "SDX" trim package on the '58 98, and there's no mention of it in the 1958 Oldsmobile sales brochure. Do you have any documentation on this? What tells you that it has an "SDX" trim package? I know that the car's body tag ends in "SDX," but does that refer to a trim package or something else? Are the three letters meant to be read as a group? Or does each individual letter mean something? I've always assumed that all 98s from a given model year had the same trim on them.

As has been said, there are no records breaking down production of these cars by trim package, color, options, engines, whatever. The only record that exists is what you have. A total of 11,012 '58 98 Holiday Coupes (two-door hardtops) were made. Of the four body styles offered for the 98 that year, the Holiday Coupe was the third most popular. By the far the most popular was the Holiday Sedan (four-door hardtop) with production of 27,603 and then the four-door sedan with production of 16,595. To round things out, production of the 98 convertible was 5,605.

Your car's base price was $4,020, which was a pretty good sum of money in 1958 (equivalent to about $45,000 today). The 4-door sedan was $3,824 while the Holiday Sedan was $4,096 and the convertible was considerably more at $4,300. The base engine was the 371, which was the same engine used in all 1958 Oldsmobiles. For the 98, it was a four-barrel putting out 305 hp. This engine was optional in the two lower lines, the Dynamic 88 and Super 88. The one optional engine was the 371 with the J-2, three two-barrel carburetor setup. This put out 312 hp.

As far as how many exist today, there is no central record of such things. For one thing, how do you define "still in existence?" Running and driving, titled, registered, and on the road? Do you include non-driveable and sitting in someone's garage undergoing restoration? How about a not-yet-crushed example sitting out in a junkyard somewhere?

One rule of thumb says that 1% of any vehicle's original production is still on the road 25 years later. Once a car reaches that age and it's still intact, it starts entering the world of collector cars and starts being preserved on purpose.

Of course, this is VERY average as different cars were kept at different rates. Convertibles and two-doors are more popular than four-doors and station wagons. 1955 Chevys are more popular than 1955 Ramblers. Watching the various auctions on TV like Mecum, it seems that every "mid-year" Corvette (1963 to 1967) ever made is still around. Etc. Taking the 1% number, that would mean that 110 vehicles like yours are still around. Of course, the number is certainly different from this, but it's probably not horribly far off. I would guess that the number of cars like yours still around is in the low hundreds.


Here's the page out of the 1958 Olds brochure showing your car.






Here's the specifications page for 1958 Oldsmobiles.

 

Below is a page from the 1963 Olds chassis parts book.
Note that the style number 58-3037 SDX denotes a 98 deluxe hardtop coupe with power windows and 2 way power seat.
The "X" designation in a Fisher Body style number was an indication of power windows.

 

Thanks for the info. This answers the question I had. The OP refers to the "SDX" trim package as though it was some special package that could have been had on the 98 but wasn't standard equipment. He wants to know how many were equipped this way. The answer is ALL of them.

This is the key thing in what you presented. What it shows is that all 1958 98 two- and four-door hardtops came with the options designated by S, D, and X. So asking how many "had the SDX trim package" is the same as asking how many two and four-door hardtops were made. I answered that question above. 11,012 Holiday Coupes plus 27,603 Holiday Sedans equals 38,615 1958 Oldsmobiles had the "SDX trim package."

 

Here are a couple of links to companies who make original upholstery fabrics and mix original paint colors.
upholstery;

1958 Oldsmobile – Tagged "model-Ninety-Eight Holiday Coupe 2-Door Hardtop" – SMS Auto Fabrics
and paint;
1958 Oldsmobile

If you post a pic of the fisher body tag on the firewall I can decode it for you.