I'm starting a thread to document my journey with my '56 Super 88 Holiday 4-door hardtop. I bought this fairly cheap as a driving project car. It is solid underneath and has only very minor spots of rust here and there. The 324 drivetrain is solid, and runs well.
The car has been covered in black bedliner however and the interior is rough. Since I was planning to customize whatever I bought, this is actually good as I'm not cutting up an all original car.
Here is a pic from 10 minutes after I bought it, just before I drove it 2 hours home. The drive exposed that the turn signals don't work, the front end is sloppy, and the cherry bomb dual exhaust is deafening


And here is a walkaround the next day.

 

Thanks for the video. Great car!! As you said, most of the parts for the broken things are easily available. Let us know if we can help you find anything. I know I have a lot of extra stuff in my "Parts Department".

 

Thanks! I will probably do a fair amount of video updates as they are quick and easy. In fact, here are two from yesterday:


I am sure I will find a lot more, but this is my current list of missing/broken parts:
-one front turn signal lens
-straight(er) front bumper
-heater switch
-inside rear view mirror
-passenger rear door supper 88 side trim (mine is badly dented, I don't know if this is hardtop specific)
-one tail light housing (a lens screw hole is stripped)
-taillight lens screws (I have 4 of 6)
-tiny trim piece between side trim on hardtop pillar (I'm not sure if one or both are missing).
-Would someone be willing to trace out their front kick panels & package shelf on a piece of butcher paper/wrapping paper/etc. and mail it to me so I can use it for patterns? I want to make it out of something that isn't cardboard, so buying the repro cardboard ones to use as patterns seems wasteful.

Info I need:
-Does anyone make decent seat covers to fit this car? I am not looking for factory original, just something that looks decent and period correct until I get a new interior done.
-Does anyone have alignment specs in case the local alignment shops don't?

 

Like you, I wanted to cover the seats with period correct seat covers. I got my entire interior (carpet, windlace, headliner and seat covers) from Automotive Interiors in MASS. I did the work myself.

Here is what the seat covers look like:

 

I'm sure Automotive Seat Covers isn't doing seat covers any more. I think, just carpet and headliners. When Lebaron Bonney bought them (and Rod Interiors), they soon went out of business. Automotive is still there, but with limited resources now.

 

Just a note that if this is the original engine it is a 324 and not a 350.
Frank, I think this guy is a candidate for afterburner lights for sure. Here is the link. Go to post #15 and see Franks car.

56 Olds Rocket - ClassicOldsmobile.com

 

Your car looks surprisingly complete and should be a lot easier than most to restore. It's defiantly a 324 with a Jetaway by the video and yes it would look classy with the afterburner lights. You might try or have a chrome shop take a shot at straitening that front bumper, doesn't look that bad and a good bumper guy can do wonders with something like that. Not only are used good bumpers hard to find they will be very expensive.
Not sure how far you are going with this build, have you checked out the prices on having stuff rechromed I was shocked when I priced everything on mine and chrome pricing hasn't come down any in the last 10-15 years. You will find rubber trim parts are going to be a shocker on price also.

Thanks for the video up dates, I'm sure it will bring back memories to others who were where you are a few years ago.

 

Yeah, I misspoke in the video and there is no way to fix it once it was uploaded.
Those afterburner lights look fun, maybe I'll hook them up to the turn signal circuits like some 70s cadillacs had in the fenders.
My current plan is to use Alsa Easy Chrome paint for "rechroming", it isn't quite as shiny as real chrome, but would cost a fraction as much.


I Just received my replacement left rocker panel from Classic 2 Current, and it looks like a nice piece. Need to decide if I want to take a grinder to the car now, or get some other smaller issues dealt with first.

 

Nothing's easy!!!!. The 56 Brochure called that engine a "T-350" although we know it as a 324/ 240 HP/4BBL.

 

Thanks Glenn!!

 

Looking forward to future videos, and a list of your sources as you find them or use them (that info is always helpful )
I don't know how much assistance I can be other than under hood/ interior/ trunk photo's if you need reference for things you wish to remain stock (my super 88 is stock except for disc brake mods ) glad to help if I can, keep the video's coming!
P/S Frank those seats look great !!

 

Found something odd. I can start the car by pushing the shifter all the way to the left. Is this normal or a sign of something very wrong?

 

Most likely your neutral safety switch is out of adjustment, probably the previous owner never did what you did and installed a start button to get around it. Myself I would put it back the way it came from the factory but I see cars being converted to push button start all the time now..... Tedd

 

Dang it,now you guys stirred things up again. I have to take another look at the rockets on my '57 again.

 

Those afterburner lights look fun, maybe I'll hook them up to the turn signal circuits like some 70s cadillacs had in the fenders.

You guys with the 56's could do that since you have two lights. Since my 54 was a single engine rocket I only have one afterburner. I thought about hooking it up to the high beam indicator but decided I didn't want to start digging around under the dash. It was pretty easy to hook it up to my under hood light.

Frank I have not seen anymore posts from the guy that bought the car that gave us the idea.

 

Not much progress because I've been working on the garage so I have more room for the Olds, but got a few small things done, and started in on the bedliner removal.

 

While waiting on the fuel pump and other parts, I have been continuing to strip the bedliner & clean out the car. As seen in the first video, the front hood emblem had been covered in bedliner. Well while sorting through the bin in the trunk I found an old lens & globe from the emblem, which made me curious. So I took the emblem off, and disassembled it, the lens & globe were clearly new reproductions, with the lens coated in bedliner. Well with some careful removal and polishing, I got them back to looking new. So some prior owner spent almost $100 on these new parts, then covered them in bedliner. Weird.

I also did some experimenting and discovered brake cleaner and a plastic bristle brush will get the bedliner off chrome easily. Can't use it on paint, but it'll save me time on the trim.

 

Thanks for thread. It is really cool to see a four door done. I love 55 56 57 Oldsmobiles. I so understand why you aren't scared. Do what works for you. I get it. I will be watching your build. Thumbs up !!

 

Here is the cleaned and polished emblem back in place for now.




Progress is being made on on the bedliner stripping.



Found out the window tint was cling film, so that all came off very easily.

 

Fuel pump problem solved!

I found this old thread on the HAMB about an interchange for an olds 394, and found that a pump that crossed with the AC #41209 was $14 on rockauto, so decided to try it.

When I got it in and offered them up, the lever arm was shorter, but overlapped about 1/2 with the worn contact spot on the original pump.



So I hogged out the holes to take the 3/8" bolt, found some 1/2" shorter bolts and bolted it up.



I made new lines in & out ( 5/16" rubber line in & 3/8" hardline fitting out on the pump), and fired her up, and she runs perfectly.


No I can get rid pf this janky mess and I don't have to worry about the flooding issues I was having with the electric pump if I turned the key on but didn't start it immediately.



Now I have my next mystery, the hardline that used to go from the carb vacuum to the vac pump is jammed in a rubber line, which then goes to this clamped off mess. Anyone know how the lines for the wiper (and whatever else was fed by the vac pump) are supported to be routed?

 

Glenn, I'm going to do it! As soon as the weather gets warmer I'm going to convert my afterburners to directionals. It's just too cold right now and the wires on the '56 are very brittle from 50 years in Texas and Needles California.

 

That will be way cool Frank.

 

I'm glad you tried the 394 pump I had a idea it might work but never have seen it done. Now that you have eliminated the vacuum pump you might as well hook up a New Port Engineering electric wiper set up. You will be happy anytime it rains. You will lose your windshield washers with this conversion though because of The on and off switch feature eliminates that part of the switch function plus you have no vacuum to run it anyway. I have never regretted converting mine ever.

The old vacuum lines which you can eliminate go from the removed pump and washer bottle through a grommet in the firewall lower passenger side across the inside of the firewall to the washer outlets and the old wiper motor. even though I still have mine visible it is just for show purposes.

Should you decide todo this conversion some where I have a thread here on how I did it which may save you some time and grief. It is basic simple job with a few little twists that can hold you up.....Tedd

 

I followed Tedd's advise a few years ago and installed a Newport Engineering electric wiper. It works great!

Tedd, as I remember you made some studs to help in the installation. Saved a lot of time and swearing.

Take a bow, Tedd!

 

X2
Rick

 

That is in the plans, but a little down the list as I need to get it safer and more comfortable to drive before I will need wipers. I have also been looking at generic 180deg electric wiper motors for $30 and pondered trying my hand at making an adaptor myself.

 

Started taking things apart to work on the steering, discovered that someone really didn't believe it had left handed threads and stripped the hell out of one of them. Instead of tracking down one left handed stud I've ordered enough right handed ones to do the whole car, so this isn't ever an issue again.



Lug holes in the wheel are stretched out, probably from people driving the lugs in harder trying to get them off the wrong way. I haven't checked all the wheels, but I know I'm in the market for at least one replacement wheel.

 

Try John, 2Bl 442 he might have a few wheels, freight maybe a issue as he is in Oregon..... Tedd

 

Another video update. Pulled the drag link to rebuild it (Need help with what is the left & right side as I didn't realize it was directional when I pulled it out), pulled the rear seat so my partner could measure it to make a cover, and continue to work on stripping the bedliner.

 

Got the drag link rebuilt and the tie rods replaced, new muffler that will hopefully be quieter, and an oil change.
I have ordered 5 new tires (the spare is an ancient bias-ply), but will need one new rim to replace the one with stretched lug holes. In the mean time, the bad rim will be the spare.

Last night I started replacing the lug studs, I knocked them out of the rear axle with a sledge after a ball-joint remover failed to budge them. I tried getting the new studs in, but I have about 1/8-1/4" of each one before they are properly bottomed, but I can't pull them any further in. I'm debating between getting a more powerful impact gun, or pulling the axle and driving them in with an air hammer.


I also replaced the oil-bath element with a WIX 42088 paper filter to make life easier. Found the wingnut rod was stripped, when I went to replace it I discovered it is some weird size between 1/4 and 5/16" and was stripped from having a 1/4" wingnut forced onto it. Replaced it with a 1/4"x20 rod, which catches the threads in the carb, but wobbles a bit. Why the heck did Olds use a unique thread size for this part?

 

New tires! I'd planned to buy some wide whites in a year or two when the bodywork/paint was at least closer to done. However one tire stopped holding air, and I discovered the spare was a 40+ year old bias ply.
I couldn't stretch the budget to proper wide whites, but I was able to get 5 1.5" whitewalls, which is what are on the front now, and look decent. Now I just need to get them mounted. The plan is to mount 4 of them, using 3 rims and the spare rim. And have the shop move the best of the 4 current tires onto the crappy rim with stretched lug holes as the spare until I can find a fifth good rim.

 

Smart going w all right hand lugs!

new tires are always nice no matter how the rest of the car is!

 

Video update from yesterday, got the studs replaced (did the 4th corner today). Replaced the inside mirror with a nice used one off ebay.
Today I dropped off the wheels & new tires at a shop to be mounted and balanced. Discovered a coolant puddle and a dribble down the radiator, so pull the rad & dropped it off as well so it can get flushed and pressure tested.

Also working on the interior. Found a "close enough" match to the seat upholstery, so instead of making covers, my partner is replacing the torn panels on the seat bottoms.



I also scrubbed the leather (still need to treat it), but I am having a problem with some rust(?) stains that don't want to budge. Any guesses how to get this off white leather?

 

Got the new tires mounted, sadly according to the shop all of the rims are at least slightly bent. So I will be getting new rims in the spring.
Studs are done, but I'm waiting on new front wheel seals to re-assemble the front hubs, and I'm waiting on getting the radiator back, then that is going back in with new rad hoses, rad cap, and thermostat. In theory this will button up the mechanical stuff for right now. The trans still has a significant front seal leak, but I'm not pulling that right now as I'll need help to wrestle that monster out.

 

Ah hell. Just got a call from the rad shop, the rad is cracked in several places in a way he says is due to major overpressure. He said if it hasn't been overheating (which it didn't on a 2 hour highway drive home), it probably has a bad head gasket. The coolant at the top of the rad was green, but the stuff at the bottom was milky brown, so that lends credence to that. I though the engine on this car was solid, but now I've got to pull the heads.

 

Before you pull the heads that brownish stuff at the bottom of the radiator MAY be old radiator stop leak. If mine I would repair or replace the radiator before getting in to the heads Then do a test for hydro carbon leakage in the coolant after you have ran it awhile. It's strange that It didn't over heat if the head gasket was leaking. Just a thought ....Tedd

 

AAfter thought, that radiator is setup to work on a 7 lb cap It should never generate enough pressure to crack the radiator unless something strange has been done to it..... Are you sure it didn't just rot out?....Tedd

 

Studs are all replaced, front wheel bearings are repacked with new seals, and the wheels are back on. I also cleaned ancient tar off the hubcaps and polished them up. After Tedd's comments, I've decided to do a quick flush of the engine, then re-assemble the cooling system for now so I can move the car around. I'll check for exhaust gasses in the coolant in the spring and if present do the head gaskets then.

 

That is cleaning up well. I hope to get started on mine this summer. I’m following along to pick up any tips.

 

The Olds got some sun while we worked on another car and did some garage cleaning and organizing.




I turned her around so I can keep stripping bedliner off the passenger side.




Something I discovered stripping the hood, a prior owner managed to immortalize themselves on the car by closing the hood with brake fluid on their hands. This is all the way down to the steel and is hilarious to me.