So hands up everyone who likes to get something for nothing. Let’s see, that looks like….everyone! Well this listing that you’ll find here on eBay offers you something for nothing. You buy one 1953 Oldsmobile 98 and you get a second one thrown in. Located in Boise City, Oklahoma, is this dynamic duo. Bidding has risen to only $255 at this stage, but this may also be due to the fact that the seller makes no mention of a title in the ad.
The car finished in brown primer is the base for a great project. The seller states that this body is absolutely rock solid, with good floor pans, trunk, fenders and doors. Certainly a close examination of the photos reveals nothing that suggests that there are any issues with rust or rot. There is a minor amount of bodywork to be completed, but this should be relatively straight forward.
The black car is the donor car. The seller makes it very clear that the cars are like Love and Marriage: You can’t have one without the other (thanks to Frank Sinatra for the lyrics). To me this is a two-fold bonus. Firstly, you have access to the majority of the parts that you need to complete your project. Secondly, you have to remove each item from the donor car and then attach it to the project, so you know exactly which screws, bolts, nuts, washers or clips are required to attach things properly. That’s so much easier than being presented with a box full of miscellaneous bits and having someone say to you, “Okay son, you’re on your own.”
The interior of the donor car appears to be essentially complete, although it looks like there will be some reconditioning required before some parts are used. The other thing that isn’t revealed is the condition of the drive-train on the donor car. I think that it would be fair to assume that there will also be some refurbishing required in that area as well.
There’s no disputing the fact that this represents a major undertaking. You are essentially being presented with one good blank canvas and a movable pile of parts. I have written about a number of dismantled projects over the past few weeks, but this one may be one of the least daunting. The beauty of this one is in something that I said earlier: As you need each part you detach it from the donor and then attach it to the project car. It’s like having a 3-D instruction manual. I like the sound of that.
some car sellers are almost like buy one pizza get one free!!! I love classic Olds not this specific model more of early 70s Cutlass!
This could be the basis for a classic, 1950s hot rod or custom project. Oldsmobiles of this era were popular for both, six decades ago.
Maybe make one of each?
that black car may have been a police car.. Look at the driver’s side mirror…. Opens interesting possibilities.
I doubt ANY municipality ever had the budget or need for an Olds 98 in their fleet, Pete. If anything, the 88 2dr. posts were the models police depts. used, and many did. The Olds 303 C.I. V8 was a runner, and in the lighter-bodied 2dr. post it was hard to keep up with.
The pic w the dirty back window up made me go str8 to Town Landau ; a little body work to make this a 3 window , and there’s nothing nicer than a 4 bucket set from a 66 tbird. 350 w 4spd and off to the show!!
Two parts car period.
The black car looks too nice to be a parts car. If the one in red primer is a complete car, I would have to restore both of them. I did restore one of these 98 two-door hardtops about 25 years ago. Turned out to be a really nice car, but by the time I bought the correct leather upholstery and cloth inserts for the seats, I had more money tied up in the front seat than what I paid for the whole car before I restored it! Still, it was a very rewarding project, and I recouped all of my $$$ when I sold the finished car. 303 V8, Hydra-Matic transmission, hydraulic power windows & 2-way front seat, treadle-vac power brakes, 4-barrel carburetor, and mine had manual steering with a huge steering wheel for good leverage. Pale yellow with a black top and black interior. It was nice. These two are well worth restoring!
The black one restored dimond in the rough.thats the one i.d restore.i had a 51 88 conv.black white top red interior skirtswide whites.17 ears old.i hand rubbed that car and let me tell you it was the badest looking car on my block in philly.big boys on the blvd.when I pulled in there was silence.and everyone stopped to here those glasspaks.to make people mad they said where did you get that lol how much did you have to pay for that one I had 5 old,s when I told them they backed up and gasp.and how much did I pay for it 30.00 dollars,,,🍒no lie I here the car sits in harleyville pa in a driveway i.m sure the man restored it back as he drove it
It’s up to over 19 hundred right now! This is a terrific opportunity for someone’s first resto!
I spent the night in Boise City, Oklahoma (where these cars are) on my way to Denver two months ago. Nice, dry climate; westernmost town in Oklahoma, I believe, very close to New Mexico and Colorado. Wish I had known these two were there then. I’d have looked them over!
My father had one of these when I was just a young boy. It was green and white. It was a gorgeous car, and dad loved it, but some bum stole it and wrapped it around a tree. Dad spoke fondly of it for years after it was long gone. If I had found this 10 years ago, I’d be tempted to take a serious look at these cars, but no energy to take on a project as extensive as this at my age.