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New to here and new to Oldsmobiles. Ive always been a massive fan of 57 Oldsmobiles and have has Buicks, Chevs, Holdens, Fords, etc but Oldsmobiles are sorta scarce over here in Australia. So otherwise, ive never owned one until now.
Ive been into Hearses for the better part of 15 or so years and have owned a few, I currently own an Australian built stretch 59 Ford Fairlane Hearse which was/is my long term project i funded the build for via selling my old 47 Buick.
I was pretty well versed on the 47 which conveniently transfers to the olds in some aspects.
As of the start of April i've since picked up a 46 Olds hearse, Which i saw go for next to nothing at auctions in 2021 since only the brave were buying! (Auction video here, sold for 12k -
I got whiff of the Olds around March and hit up a friend of mine and asked what he thinks about it, being a Hearse historian since the late 60s. He rekons he inspected it in 1977 and it was offered to him for 1600!
I ended up paying the guy who bought it at auctions for what it owed him, which was a fair whack of freight being it went from Sydney Australia to Tasmania!
Getting it home was trecherous to say the least since it was running like a bucket, but, got home via a tow anyway so alls well.
Surprisingly, the car has no body rot at all, just the front floor pan! Ran like a bucket of ***** when i got it, but pulling the head off and freeing up 3 valves made it from a beep beep 3 cyl back to a flat 6!
I've since lowered it via VS Commodore rear springs (Did the same on my Buick) and cut a single coil off the front springs, got the lights working, changed the bulbs etc, put an order in for all new brakes bar the lines n drums, and spent several hours scrubbing it with dish washing liquid and boiling water to get off all the grime and tree sap from the past 4 decades. (Its last registration was 1981)
I plan on cutting and buffing the paint once i get all the gunk off and out of the paint, and keeping the patina its earnt over its life time.
i've got a sun visor for it i need to install and some skirts im halfway through the deal on, and some firestone 6.00 white walls since its current tyres are 7.00.
The hood sits wonky and it looks like its trying to impersonate Billy Idol so i need to adjust that - if anyones done so before, some help would be appreciated!
I need to also track down a Thermostat for the old girl since it has none i discovered this morning.
Plenty to do, and plenty im forgetting, but heres some pics to get it across the line i have saved.
If you noice above, the glass on the rear and sides is acid etched and engraved, alot of work!
Close up of the rear.
When i first inspected it, sitting in the clouds.
Close up detail of the engraving, the flower is actually several different levels of etching, all up about 3mm deep.
In the shed after about a 6" lower!!
I took this yesterday afternoon after getting the headlights working. Notice someone in the drivers seat or is it just me?
Progress shot of scrubbing the body, its gone from ripply and bumpy to now smooth to touch! Getting there.
When i got it off the Boat from Tasmania, i liked the stance on the front of the car in this photo, once i put 6.00 on it not 7.00 tyres it'll look the ticket!
Boy that has to be one rare beast. Good luck with your progress. Lots of potential there. Good starting place. The etched glass is very cool. Keep us updated on the progress. Welcome to Classic Oldsmobile 👍
Boy that has to be one rare beast. Good luck with your progress. Lots of potential there. Good starting place. The etched glass is very cool. Keep us updated on the progress. Welcome to Classic Oldsmobile 👍
Cheers mate! The coach builder is John Dawson and Sons Co. A previously unknown builder to me and my friend! His 46 Mercury hearse looks VERY similar and no one knows who built it, this coming from decades of funeral directors conventions too. So, could be the same builder!
Far as how many exist? I can say at the very least two. An admin of an Olds group in Australia asked me if my hearse was the one he inspected in the early 80s. The photos he showed me were of a different coach being it had a broken rear window and all grey interior. Thankfully, this one has an intact rear window and a red roof liner with purple carpet!
You mentioned you need a thermostat for the flat 6 engine. Would these flow restrictors be an option? I can only imagine how difficult it would be to find parts. Good luck.👍
Wow, a rare beast indeed! Welcome aboard! Keep us updated on your progress; "Major Builds & Projects" would be a good section to post in. We wouldn't mind seeing some pics of your other projects as well!
Very impressive! I owned a '48 years back but it was just a standard 2 door sedan. I love, love, love the hearse body style on that thing! The single door on each side and all that metal and glass behind it, so cool. I think you have a great plan for it and commend you for doing it that way. Good luck with the build and keep us informed in future posts.
WOW! Welcome to CO! Totally LOVE the parade (and etched!) glass in the back, you don't see that anymore except for the Pope. Can't wait to see your further progress. If I had that car, I'd buy a casket to put in the back just to make people wonder (great for storage too!).
Last edited by JohnnyBs68S; May 6, 2023 at 11:48 AM.
Your car is very rare. For any help the 46-48 Tech Advisor and Hearse / Ambulance Advisor from the OCA should be a wealth of information to you. It would also be a good idea to reach out to the Professional Car Society. Best of luck with it and thanks for sharing.
Radiator is out getting rebuilt, so retaining the top and bottom housing and replacing the entire core since the original was clogged and essentially unusable.
New thermostat coming from the states too!
Some brand new 6.00 firestone wide whites and the front doors/quarters polished were mainly just hours n hours.
Filed n regapped the points to 0.022 and installed an electric fuel pump n an inline filter and it now fires and runs great.
There's more I'm forgetting but I've been doing huge weeks at work so bare with me! Will do a photo dump and more updates this week. Stance and wheels sorted! Bonus photos from the funeral home in 1977! To this day, 46 years later the clock hasnt moved an inch! Chrome was a bit nicer! My friend and fellow hearse enthusiast took these photo's and was offered the car for $1600aud in 1977 from the funeral home.
