Originally from Indiana, but have been in Florida since '01. My name is Nick, young guy @ age 26, USF grad.

My father-in-law recently purchased a '63 Super 88 Holiday hard top for me to restore. 40k original miles. Doesn't sound like it needs a ton of work, but I am picking it up this afternoon and will know better.

I'm fairly competent when it comes to mechanical work, but I am a chemist by profession. This will be my first restoration, but I'm sure it won't be the last. I have a particular fondness for old Chevy trucks.

I'm an avid outdoorsman, I hunt and fish a lot....blah blah blah to the good stuff. (that's not my neighborhood in the background)

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Beautiful car. The four-doors don't often get the respect and attention that the two-doors do, but I always liked the lines of the four-door hardtops.

 

Welcome to the site, looks like a solid start.

 

Looks like a nice project. Car looks pretty straight which is a good thing

 

Welcome to CO, nice car.

 

my dad had a 63 olds holiday 88 its a shame I was way too young but I do have very few memories about riding in that car but I do remember the one trim piece on the trunk pass side its about the only vivid memory I have of the car except it was a light blue I was around 6 or 7 but it is a nice car you have there

 

Nice car. There's a guy somewhere in your town who always has interesting older cars on ebay, big cars like yours. I think he's a dealer, maybe you know of him?

 

Nice ride. Welcome to CO.

 

Hi,
I'm doing a 63 Holiday 2 door myself. I'm doing a complete resto.
Your car looks great! Looks like all you need is a paint job, bumpers re-chromed, a little seat upholstery, and maybe a few mechanical things like a brake job and a tune-up. Then you will be ready to "cruise".
I'm near Orlando, if you need any help or advice PM me with your phone #.

 

This guy?

http://www.mjcclassiccars.com/philos...-we-sell.shtml

That's where this one came from. I didn't meet him or anything, but my FIL purchased the car from him on epay.

I picked it up last night, motor fired up as soon as I touched the key. Didn't really drive it much, other than on and off the trailer. But I did run the motor a bit and it sounds really good.

The frame needs some attention to stop the rust, but I don't think there is any serious damage done. There are a couple cracks in the dash that I'm not sure what to do about yet.

I'm moving this weekend, so I won't be able to really dig into it much until the following weekend. First plan of attack is to give it a good tune up, oil change, brakes ( I hate drum brakes) and then go from there.

Appreciate the welcome.

 

Yeah, that must be him. I go to Florida once a year or so, maybe I'll take a ride over there some time and see his inventory. Good luck to you.

 

What is your end game? are you going for the party barge or factory original restore. It is in fantastic shape. Welcome to the site. upload pics as you go!

 

It looks good. Make the mechanicals work and drive it!
I believe there are after market parts available to change over to power brakes.

 

I'm not sure what my end game is. I'm new to this old car thing, always knew I'd get into it, but never knew it'd be this soon.

I'd like to keep it as original as possible, but I am not looking at turning it into a show car
or anything at this point. Any deviations from factory, if at all possible, I would want to be fairly easily reversible.

Reading on this website makes me wish I would've somehow dug up the cash for my grandpa's 72 cutlass when he passed away!

This isn't going to be a rapidly progressing project, especially on the cosmetics. Work on the mechanical aspects first (and making it cruise worthy) and then start addressing the upholstery and other cosmetics.

 

Considering I don't really have any experience or clue as to value....what are ya'lls suggestions for something like this? I know you don't restore something to make money on it, but this isn't something I'm married to and don't want to end up way upside down either.

 

You're going to be upside down no matter what you do. Actually, you said your father-in-law bought the car, so he'll be the one who is upside down. If this is going to be a concern throughout whatever fixing up you do, you might as well sell the car right now before a single dime is spent on it.

You never buy an old car with the intent of restoring it and then selling it and getting back what you put into it or more. This is probably the oldest truism in the old car hobby.

In your case, it's worse, because you have a four-door, and they just don't command the overall interest and value that the two-door coupes and convertibles do.

That's a beautiful car that should be enjoyed for its own sake regardless of how much or how little you end up doing to it and regardless of how much value it has or doesn't have when you decide you've done all you want to do to it.

 

I'm aware that this hobby is about spending money, not making money. As almost any hobby is...

Hell, I hunt a lot. It always cracks me up when people talk about "meat hunting".... unless you are lucky enough to hunt in your backyard....once you figure in gas, guns, ammunition, licenses, lease costs, dog food, time, stands, feeders, corn, etc etc etc that's the most expensive meat you can find!

That's what I was looking for. I don't have a problem spending money on it. I've never dreamed of coming close to turning a profit on it (providing I ever sell it), but I'm not going to bust my ***** and wallet striving for perfection and 100% originality on something that isn't "worth" it. (I use worth loosely as it can be very subjective.)

I'm excited about working on it, as I will get into some things that I have not done before. This will be my first time doing body work and interior/upholstery work, so I reckon this is a good "starter" car.

 

Since you asked for advice ,here's mine.
First get an Oldsmobile factory service manual. There are several on E-bay right now, in either CD or book form. It has complete instructions for removing and replacing most items. Priced between $50 and $100 it is invaluable when working on your car. The 1963 Oldsmobile shop manual is complete and covers both body and chassis, there is no separate body service book.
Next I would check with the dealer that your FIL bought the car from. He may have already done a tune-up or a brake job. If not, then a complete inspection and probably rebuild of the brake system is a priority. Especially If the car has been sitting unused for a long time or it's history is unknown. Also check under the car for heavily rusted brake tubing or old and cracking hoses.
The original drum brakes are adequate for modern driving conditions, However, If you want disc brakes the following thread will tell how.
https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...elta-88-a.html
In my opinion, rear disc brake installations are totally unnecessary and I would not advise doing one. The scarebird front disc brake conversion is totally reversible as long as you keep all the original parts.
You may be totally surprised what a can of rubbing compound and a couple old towels will do for your paint. Be careful around the sharp edges that you don't rub through the paint and into the primer. Especially if you use a power polisher.
A trip to a dept. store for a driver seat "cool cushion" should take care of the upholstery problem for now