Well after a month of title waiting I am the owner of a 1955 Olds Super 88 4 door. The work now begins on the final car build that I will under take. Never thought I would consider an Oldsmobile since I have been driving a 1940 Ford coupe that has been in my family since it was new, only GM car that until now that I have owned was a 1967 Camaro when i was in my twentys. I was originally thinking of a 55-57 Buick but could not find one in Los Angeles area that was in my price range or skill level and did not want to deal with having to pull a rear end to work on Dynaflow trans. This Olds has not been driven for years and was sitting in a garage until moved and covered. The heads were pulled for a valve job but the work was never performed so it sat under a cover until I purchased it. I am looking forward to the becoming more involved with everyone in this forum. Just have a few pictures now but will post as I go.

 

Congrats! Looks like a pretty complete car!

 

Its too bad whoever pulled the heads didnt keep the cylinders oiled, otherwise I bet you could get away with just slappin it back together, looks like it needs to be pulled, honed and re-ringed. Its a beautiful car, I would love something like that to just put back and forth to work, it doesnt have to get good gas mileage if your just driving down the street! haha, best of luck to you!

 

Right now just getting old vines that grew under the car into the frame along with old Black Widow spider eggsacks and cleaning up. Hooked up a battery to see what would power up. Turn signals work, radio works, guages work, power windows work. Now just have to free up the engine to separate the Torus unit with the trans.

 

How hard is it to pull the engine and trans together. Anyone have any tips?

 

Welcome to CO. In my experience, pulling the engine & tranny together is the best way to go. Whether the engine will turn over or not. Wrestling the transmission loose from the engine under a car on jackstands is something to be avoided. Plus you get to keep all the mechanical linkages in place. Remember that there is nothing supporting the tranny once it is separated from the engine. Looks like very straight, rust free, well optioned car with the potential for plenty of fun. There are several CO members knowledgeable as to 1955's who would be ready to help you with information, experience, opinions and maybe a laugh or two along the way.

 

nice project. welcome to the site

 

Found pictures, will take more later.

 

Looks like a great project. Keep us posted on the build

 

Welcome and congrats on the car. I love those mid 50's Oldsmobiles.

 

That looks like a nice find; much nicer than the one I tinkered with 30+ years ago! Have fun with the rebuild. Keep us posted on the progress!

 

Looks like a nice project.

 

Looks like my garage...'55 Olds 4 doors partially disassembled! Great car - looks super clean...don't see many 88 sedans with power windows...nice option.

Be very careful with the hood lip moulding and the fender extension mouldings behind the bumper...they are very very hard to find and the ones you have there look to be pretty good. You won't find others unless you have real deep pockets.

Good luck with it

 

Thanks for all the good information. Going to pull the lower bellhousing unit and fill the cylinders with 50/50 of acetone-ATF and try to free up the pistons before I try to pull the engine and trans together.

 

Greetings Olds Scott

I also prefer to pull the engine and trans together, otherwise the car is stuck in it's position till you get it back together and you will need to move it sometime.

I think you will find a bunch of 55 owners here with a wealth of knowledge and experience, many of us have had our cars all apart at one time or another and are anxious to share our experiences, welcome again.....Tedd

 

Just about ready to pull engine and trans together. I am pulling out the front grill and radator support cross member Will I need to pull any of the steering linkage for clearance. Pulled driveshaft and linkages. Any tips from the 55 guys would be appreciated.

 

No reason to dismantle any steering parts.

 

Very nice project. Look forward to the resto pics!

 

The Paint Scheme On The '55 Just Set Them Apart From The Rest! Hope Both Hood Hinges Are Good,Looked For One For 3 Years And Then Lucked Up On A Pair. Very Solid Looking Ride.Just Never Give Up! Larry

 

If you haven't already done so I would remove the hood and mark the mounting bolts for location . The engine /trans should clear without removing any steering parts and you are correct as far as removing the grill and radiator supports. These engines and transmissions are VERY heavy so use a good engine lift, A Micky Mouse lift may handle a SBC but will be a dangerous overload with the Olds.

I don't know if you have ever separated the engine and transmission on this vintage Olds but there are I believe 28 1/4 X 28 bolts holding every thing together, a impact wrench can be your friend if time is important. If you have pulled engines before the rest is pretty straight forward....Tedd

 

Thanks for the feedback Tedd. I have pulled SBC's and a Ford flathead but never such a heavy engine with a heavy automatic trans. I guess a piece of plywood should be cut to fit the oil pan under the trans for a floor jack to support and roll out the assembly. Should I pull the hydramatic dipstick tube. I have a set of tail shaft bungs after pulling the drive shaft. Since heads, intake manifold, generator and power steering pump have been pulled it should help to lighten the load a little. The previous owner had already pulled all the Torus bolts out (why I don't know).

 

A guy gave me a 57 motor out of the convertible he had subframed. It was complete but badly stuck. I soaked each bank in kerosene for a week with no luck. I also tried ATF fluid. I ended up beating the rods upward one by one and saved the block. 3 of the rods are nicked however. I have a parts car which sat in a junk yard for years with one head off. Its block is a gonner but I am thinking of melting the pistons out to save the rods and crank. Has anyone done this?

 

I'm a little confused, are both engines 371's, or is one a 324, if not the same the parts will not swap. Rods are different and so is the crank. Even if they are the same engine there are good rebuildable blocks out there that would be an easier build than two rusty roached beat on units that may not clean up or balance after you have a bunch of money in them.

If it were me I would salvage what I could ( there are some good parts there) and look for a clean new old block that will turn over. J. M. H. O. Your mileage may vary...... Tedd


Sorry Pat I was really confused I have mistaken your post of the original poster, I see you have 371's but I still would look for a better engine to start with.....Tedd

 

Hooked up a battery today to check electrical system in interior. Brake handle light works, Amp guage shows discharge, Gas guage works, heater motor works, interior lights all come on, all power windows work, radio lights up but does not work. When trying to turn over engine there is a clicking in a relay (wish I knew what it is?)under left side kick panel. I shorted the battery on the starter motor to the key side wire and the engine started turning without effort.

 

That should be the relay for the power window