Ok gentlemen,

I am trying to restore a 1957 Oldsmobile 88. I am looking to see if anyone has the repair manual or parts. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. This is my first restore and plan to do it slow and correct.

 

Welcome, I'm sure the others in that group will pipe in. Pics are always appreciated!

 

While I wouldn't normally call them "repair" manuals, there is a factory service manual available for this car. These kinds of things are commonly listed for auction on ebay. I've purchased several manuals from ebay auction.

Here's one right now:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1957-Oldsmob...item53eb8ae51c


Here's something called the "carburetion suppliement"

http://www.ebay.com/itm/OLDSMOBILE-S...item2c632c5f07


Here's something called a "maintenance manual" that was apparently published in Canada, or at least that's mentioned by several sellers. Not sure what the significance of that is.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1957-Oldsmob...item45e7526c88



The point is, just do a search at ebay on "1957 Oldsmobile manual", and lots of things will turn up that would be of interest.

 

Welcome aboard, and x2 what Jaunty75 said, It will probably be the most inportant piece of literature you will ever need for your car....Tedd

 

Welcome to CO!

 

Thank you so very much. This car is very rough. Allot of rust but i think it will be worth it. I have looked and looked.... Can anyone tell me where the fuel filter is. I am not getting any gas to the carburetor.

 

I have heard that this is the place to get all my questions answered. I am really excited and have already gotten some electrical and got the engine to turn over. Some body work and brakes. But with the brakes i have no pressure at all. I cannot believe someone treated this car this way.. Shame!

 

The filter is in the glass bowl on the bottom of the fuel pump. If I remember right its just a spring clip that holds it on.

 

Ok friends... a little help is needed since I am freaking out. I finally got a spark out of distributor and added gas to carb. I tried to start and got a loud pop and the oil cap filler cap blew right off. Can anyone help me and tell me what to fdo next? I am trying not to open her up.

 

Could be a timing issue , check to see if # 1 cylinder is at top dead center and the rotor is at the 5 O'Clock position or near it. Could be gas in the oil, have you checked your oil for the smell of gas?The fuel pump could have ruptured a diaphragm in it's previous life and dumped fuel in the oil,this can be dangerous if not attended to. Check the harmonic balancer to see if the rubber has given it up and caused the timing to slip it's 50+ years old and probably original. Hole in piston. There are so many things, just eliminate one at a time and be safe, you don't want to burn it up getting in to a hurry. If you could contact the previous owner and ask what happened for it to be parked, could save you a lot of time and bucks... Tedd

 

Tedd you are the man. Thank you for the response. I am hoping it is not the last one you mentioned. The will check to see if the timing is an issue. No gas in the oil, I checked that. Harmonic balancer, that is a little out of my expertise but I will look that up. I am a novice mechanic and can do almost all major repairs. I contacted the previous owner but he had it sitting in a trailer park for 5 years and put a battery in and when it did not start gave up on it. When I towed it home, the spark plug wires were cut, distributor wire to coil was cut. so many little things. It took me a week to get the electrical to work properly. I am hoping that the timing is it. only other thing I can think of was the pcv.

 

Just remember an Olds distributor spins counter clock wise, opposite of a chevy, so if your mechanical dealings were on Chevy and Fords you could have your wires going back wards. I'm still not sure this is the cause of excessive pressure in the crank case, enough that it would blow off the filler cap. interesting problem......Tedd

 

In all honesty, that was something I was thinking. I might have the wires wrong. (did not want to admit it)....There was an explosion in the carb which made me think that the mixture blew prematurely, timing and possible wires. I really am fearing the piston but I guess we will see when I get there.

 

Welcome! That '57 is one fine looking car.

 

In one post you say the oil filler cap blew off and in the next you mention the carburetor backfiring.. Was this different times or the same incident?...Tedd

 

it was the same time. all this happened at the same time.

 

ok this is exactly what occurred. I think my fuel pump is clogged or not working. I found alternative way to get fuel to carb. I added a few drops of gas to carb. turned the key and as the engine was turning, there was a loud explosion from under the carb and the oil breather cap was projected off of the metal pipe.

 

FYI...I have ordered both books that were suggested by Jaunty75. I am awaiting their arrival.

 

Ok Gentlemen,

I have taken the carb and intake out of the car and have noticed two things. 1 is that there is a bend pushrod. 2. when I turn the engine the some of the valves are not opening and closing. This came after I checked compression on engine and got 60psi for all cylinders on the left and 0psi on the right. I was told the engine is gone. Was advised to get a 350/350 combo but I wanted to keep it as original as possible. Any suggestions?

 

My suggestion is rebuild the heads, you have valve problems, that all.... so far. You have the intake off already,about twenty more bolts and off come the heads, you needed to redo them any way to set the engine up for modern non leaded gas.

Once the heads are off you can reevaluate the situation( you haven't spent a dime as yet)and your car is still an Oldsmobile, not a hermaphrodite.

It's not that a 350/350 can't be done, probably one of the easiest conversions out there, but something is lost (for me anyway) when I look at a car that is so close to running completely original and then bail for a late model power plant. Now if everything is toast under the hood I think you would still be better off looking for a 371 thats a runner and bolt it in It's still gotta be cheaper than buying a engine, transmission both engine transmission mounts drive line radiator all the odds and ends that go with it, the list goes on. But in the end it's your car and I and others will try and help you make it what you want.......Tedd

 

Tedd,

Thank you for the response. That is my mentality exactly. Actually when I saw the push rod was bent it broke my heart. I am (like many here) working on a budget. I want to keep my car as original as I can and dropping a 350/350 combo in it just does not seem right. I am taking the heads off this weekend. How much do you estimate the cost would be to have them rebuilt? just a ballpark.

 

Just a WAG, I would think somewhere around $250 + push rods, might be a little cheaper in a different location, I live in California and everything seems more expensive here. You might only need a couple of push rods unless the whole bank went south.Someone may want to chime in here if I seem out of line.

You could just inspect the valves for major defects and if all looks well replace the push rods and put her back together. I would be worrying about why the push rods bent for the first 100 miles but who knows you could get away with a cheep fix .Best of luck...Tedd

 

Your compression reading is not entirely accurate because that should be done while the engine is at operating temperature, which you are not able yet to accomplish. The 0 reading on one bank is not good however. It is sometimes easy to tell if its the heads or the piston rings- after getting a reading, shoot a little oil in the spark plug hole, then check again. If the reading goes up significantly, you have a bad ring. If it doesn't change at all, it is likely to be a valve or a head gasket. As Tedd mentioned, you definitely have valve train issues. Once you pull the heads, take a look at the cylinder bores and make sure they're not obviously beat to hell. Hopefully you just need work on the heads... These are very stout engines and it would be a shame to swap it for something lacking character.

 

Gentelemen,

Thank you for all the knowledge you have given. I tyruly appreciate it. I am still going to ask more , so I hope I do not overstay the welcome. So after viewing thigns further I did notice a lifter was broken and peices of metal in the oil so I wil have to take out the oil pan and clean out. I have not taken the head out but will this weekend. Tedd, I am in California also in the Rancho Cucamonga, CA /Ontario area. Any further things I should look for before removing head?

 

You might run a magnet around and pick up what you can but the next thing you really need to do is pull the heads. I would do this even before dropping the pan, there is a chance it may be a waste of time if there is a busted piston or some other big surprise in there. Lets hope it's confined to the top end. Just curious what part of the lifter broke...Tedd

 

Jasoncoard, you might want to re-post this in the vintage forum where a bunch of fifties guys and gals hang out, lots of help there....See you there ...Tedd