Some progress being made

Terry Lange

PCS Member
The Olds is finally being put back together again! I ended up getting a lot of stainless polished and some chrome pieces replated to keep up with the caliber of the rest of the work that is being done. Still within budget, though. The project should be completed within the next two to three weeks. Unfortunately, the roof will have to be redone for the second time, since the air pressure from the soda blasting got under the bedliner material, and it can now be peeled off in sheets. Clearly, some shortcuts were taken in the preparation the first time around, so the second go at it will be done under warranty.

Interestingly, the GM data plate on this car shows that the conversion was done from a 2 door sedan, which had one of the lower production numbers of all the various models offered by Olds in '59. I was also able to trace the ownership of this car back to Carpenter Funeral Home in Vacaville, CA prior to going up to Port Orford, OR. I have e-mailed these previous owners, but have yet to receive a response.
 

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Terry,

She is looking GREAT !!!:)

Also,the Milton Carpenter Funeral Home is still in business,but they are no longer in Vacaville,having moved to Dixon about 20 miles east.....between Sacramento and Vacaville.....

Jim
 
It is really looking great. Since you already have the front end torn apart, you should consider replacing the engine wiring harness as a safety measure. Considering that the wires are over 50 years old, it would be a good investment to prevent an electrical fire. Here is a company that has all the original factory drawings, and can duplicate it exactly as it was originally manufactured. Sometimes, they will need the old one for the connectors and / or the fuse block, since some of these parts are no longer available. I replaced the one in my 1962 Chevy just as a precaution against an engine fire. Here is the website, and if you can't find your car listed, give them a call and ask for Donny. He is the fellow that knows the most about the old cars. Hi is a great guy and an old car person.. http://www.americanautowire.com
 
Interestingly, the GM data plate on this car shows that the conversion was done from a 2 door sedan, which had one of the lower production numbers of all the various models offered by Olds in '59.



How can you tel it was made from a 2 door cadillac?
 
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How can you tel it was made from a 2 door cadillac?

It isn't ...... it is a 1959 Oldsmobile. The date plate gives a number series that can be deciphered into the original base model of the car. The data plate is put on by the Fisher Body Plant, and has the codes for all the parts of the body that they might have to make accommodations to, such as cutting the hole in the firewall for the air condiioning. Drilling the fender for the radio antenna, etc. The deciphering of the original data plates can give you a lot of information, if you know how to read them. I would love to see a picture of the original data plate from this car.
 
the bed liner top like any other overlay will depend on how the surface was prepared. most of the time they will use a acid type etch to rough the surface up for adhesion. but still if you don't go down to bare metal your relying on what your putting it over to stay. the hot process can cut loose the bond of the base coat. the original crinkle top was sprayed over bare it did not stick either. but she will be a sharp car you get it finished. love that big Olds look.
 
the bed liner top like any other overlay will depend on how the surface was prepaired. most of the time they will use a acid type etch to rough the surface up for adheasion. but still if you don't go down to bare metale your relaying on what your putting it over to stay. the hot prosess can cut loose the bond of the base coate. the origional crinkle top was sprayed over bare it did not stick either. but she will be a sharp car you get it finished. love that big Olds look.

When I first agreed to the spray on bedliner, the guy doing it told me it would be a three-day process.........1st day to strip and prep the roof, 2nd day to spray it, and the 3rd day unmask everything and do some cleanup. Well, on the second morning after dropping it off, I went by his shop to get the landau bars out of the back, and found the job completed. So, it looks like he took a shortcut on the most critical part of the job. On the areas of the roof where it has peeled off, old crinkle paint is stuck to the back of the bedliner, so he couldn't put up much of an argument as to whether his prep. or the air pressure from the body soda blasting was at fault. Both the painter and I are nervous about turning the car over to him again after it is completed, but he insists on re-doing the roof last. We will leave the stainless moldings off the top of the fins so he can get a little closer to the lower edges.
 
a putty knife will peal it all off fast. if you don't trust him do it yourself. then let him spray it after you clean things up repair any seams and prime the top. if there is any wrinkle paint left on it's not going to stick, the wrinkle has dried out and is breaking down. it was never meant to last 60 years. the liner guys are used to a quick clean up on fresh paint and then spray.
 
A couple of more shots I took today

Here's a shot of the car that I took today, along with the photo of the data plate that Paul requested. The data plate is pretty hard to read from the photo, but it states Style 59-3211, Body LA 7042, Paint BBB, Trim 11, and another code of LX586, which didn't have a designation.
 

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If you can get me a picture of the data plate with the rubber tube moved to the side, it will make it easier for me to decode. I need to see the complete plate to decipher it. If you wipe the data plate off with a damp cloth just before you photograph it, it will make the characters stand out better.
What I can tell you so far is that it was assembled in the Los Angles (Southgate) assembly plant, and that it was the 7049 car with that body style that was built. Once I can see the rest of the plate, I can give you more information.
 
The "LA" body code indicates Lansing, MI as the assembly plant and as already mentioned, 59-3211 means it started life as a Dynamic 88 2-Dr. sedan.. Trim code 311 is Gray/Ivory cloth and paint code B is Silver Mist. No idea what LX586 is for, but possibly accessory code #s..

This coach is lookin' very sharp Terry, nice work!
 
If you can get me a picture of the data plate with the rubber tube moved to the side, it will make it easier for me to decode. I need to see the complete plate to decipher it. If you wipe the data plate off with a damp cloth just before you photograph it, it will make the characters stand out better.
What I can tell you so far is that it was assembled in the Los Angles (Southgate) assembly plant, and that it was the 7049 car with that body style that was built. Once I can see the rest of the plate, I can give you more information.

Paul, I spelled out all of the numbers/characters on the plate in the post accompanying the picture, in the event that they were not visible from the photo. The only numbers hidden by the windshield washer line were the 59-3211, which, as Martyn pointed out, confirmed this car to be converted from a Dynamic 88 2 dr. sedan. My '59 Olds shop manual also verifies Martyn's statement that the LA 7042 code indicates production in Lansing, MI, rather than Los Angeles. The 7042 production number makes sense, as according to classiccardatabase.com, only 16,123 2 door sedans were made in '59. I guess the only thing left to figure out is what the LX 586 means.
 
Great to see the car down on all 4's. Getting that fender hung, and the grill assembled made a world of difference too. I always relish at the "small" accomplishments in a build of any old car. They're the only thing to keep you motivated for the next seemingly daunting task. Keep it up, car looks great.
 
Yes, it is nice to finally see the car sitting on a set of tires rather than jacks. Tomorrow, I'll be doing another 120 mile round trip to Desert Valley Auto Parts in Casa Grande. For some reason, one of the four door handles that I picked up there earlier this year does not fit, and the pair of nice, pit-free chrome windshield wiper post escutcheons that I got there earlier this week off a '59 Olds 98 are different from my 88. Go figure! In addition, the rear loading door handle, which appeared to match a '58 Olds or Buick, turned out marginally different, too, as far as where the mounting holes were drilled, and the angle of the handle itself. Ended up running the original one into a rechroming shop a couple of weeks ago. Aren't these specialty cars fun??
 

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