OK, this might be a silly question for some folks, but one that has always puzzled me. The odometer on my 56 Ninety Eight reads 56,215. I'm guessin because of her age it's probably 156,215, but she's in pretty good shape.
How can a person tell if the odometer has flipped over 100K?

 

Other than finding an old oil change sticker with more than the currently shown mileage, or a repair order with same, I don't think there is a way to tell for sure that the odometer has rolled. . . But cars in the '50's with over 100,000 miles were much rarer than today's cars with that many miles. My father's '55 Chevy still hasn't reached 90k.

 

thanks Danny.....maybe it does only have 56K...guess I'll never know

 

If you are restoring the car, pay close attention to normal wear items, like seats, door and window mechanicals, suspension parts, etc.
When I bought my '72 the odometer said 48K and the previous owner did not know if that was right or not, so we both assumed 148K...
The biggest tell-tale sign was the wear in the gears in the LH window regulators, the sloppy door handles, and the severe wear in the driver's seat foam. They would not have got that bad in just 48K...

Also look for items that would normally not need routine replacement until 75K or more - see if they are still there (tie rod ends, ball joints, etc.)
Also look to see how much the windshield and front end has been sandblasted with road debris.

I have an old Ford with 150K original miles that I often use for reference, as I know where it has been those years and I know what all has been done to it for all of its life.

It is ironic that the odo reads 56K on a '56 Olds...

 

Thanks...yeah the seats and interior are in good shape (no tears)...but the arm rests are worn out, and the seat foam is pretty flat so I'm assuming 156K
That is funny...i didn't make the 1956 - 56K connection...

 

My 57 Olds has 87,663 orginal miles. I know that because the previous 3 owners kept great records which came with the car. This includes the complete rebuild sheets and frame of restore sheets from 1987. I agree that most of the 50's cars never seen 100,000 miles. If the numbers on the odometer line up across well then the chances are the first number has never flipped. This is what my old (1964) auto shop teacher taught me.

 

Interesting...looks like they line up pretty well to me (see pic)

 

Now THAT is a classy speedometer!

 

I would believe that milage to be true

 

yeah I'm starting to think it's only 56K
Hey citapp, any photos of your 57?

 

I am out of town right now I will post some pictures when I get home on Tuesday

 

If the rest of the car looks this good, I'd be inclined to agree with original miles. Can you post some pics of the rest of the car? I'm sure everyone would love to see it. Cheers!

 

After review of all of your pictures and a general observation that your car is in very good shape I believe you have an original 56,000 mile car. Very few 56 Oldsmobiles traveled 156,000 miles at all. Mine has 166,000 miles and looks no where near as good as yours. My car is thoroughly documented - it was "My father's Oldsmobile" - I remember sitting in the back seat and looking at the odometer when it had 29 total miles on it - brand new!!

Bottom line - you appear to have won the lottery!!

Please see the recent posts of 56 98s I have put up.

 

394 olds...believe me, I know how lucky I got....
Nice photos...It's hard to find any photo's of 4dr sedans on the net.

Allan R...I have a few photos of my car in the gallery, look for my name

 

Hey Allan R...just noticed you're from Edmonton...nice