I have some radial tires on my 68 oldsmobile 98 2 door the tire says 44 psi max. I have it at 42 psi, is this okay or should it be less?

 

The tire max pressure rating may be for the maximum load rating of a heavier vehicle. Use a pressure that gives proper tread contact pattern and a smooth ride.
The BFG off-road tires on my Jeep say 55 psi max and I run them at 28 psi as that gives full tread contact and a smooth ride. 55 psi would rattle the fillings out of my teeth.

 

The max tire pressure is the safe maximum pressure for that tire. It is NOT what you should be running. The tire pressure decal on the door of your car will have the recommended pressures for the original bias ply tires, and these will be low for modern radials. Typically I run 35 psi in my old cars with modern radials. This is a good compromise between cornering and ride comfort. Newer cars are designed to use tires with higher pressures to reduce rolling resistance and thus increase gas mileage. Your car is not designed for this. Modern tires and recommended pressures do not account for the differences in older cars.

 

There should be a tire pressure decal either on the door jamb or on the inside of the glove box door. Ony full-size 62 Olds with radials I keep my tires at 34 lbs.

 

It's actually in the glove box and shows 22- 24 psi for the OEM bias ply tires. Not exactly appropriate for modern radials.

 

I like to run the mickey thompsons at 28 - 30PSI in the rear @ 32 for the front
The other radial tires 32 all the way around

 

Ill second the 35pis cold for modern radials on my Olds.

 

I'd start at 35 and adjust up or down a bit from there until it feels comfortable.