The owner of this Oldsmobile 98 says that it has very little rust, and certainly from what we can see, that looks to be true. It was sitting idle for some time, but it apparently emerged from a barn about 5-years-ago. It is located in Malaga, Washington, and if you’d like to take it home, you will find it listed for sale here on Craigslist.
There certainly doesn’t appear to be any visible rust, and the body looks quite good. The exception is this dent in the rear door, although it is not beyond repair. What probably is beyond repair is the chrome trim on the door. You might be able to straighten it, but I have my doubts on that. There’s no doubt that with the dent repaired and a fresh coat of paint, this car would look a million dollars. One of the items that I like on this car is the accessory sun-visor fitted to the car. That’s a nice little item that looks just right on this car.
Under the hood of this Oldsmobile, you will find the 303.7ci Rocket V8 and the Hydra-Matic transmission. The transmission has only recently undergone a rebuild, which is really good news. Under the hood presents well for a car of this age, although there is the unmistakable green tinge on various components which indicates that coolant has possibly been spraying around at some stage. The owner says that the car has only covered 84,000 miles and that it runs and drives well. An added bonus is the fact that there are a few spare parts included in the sale, but the owner doesn’t indicate what these are.
If you are looking for one area in which this Olds really shines, then it has to be the interior. While the carpet is tired, the rest of the interior presents really nicely. There are no issues to worry about with this, and even the factory radio is still present in the dash. The owner says that the car could be used as a daily driver, and the condition of the interior certainly lends credibility to that claim.
This Oldsmobile is one of those cars that appears to have a pile of potential, and it will require little work to unlock that potential. It is mechanically solid, and it also appears that some minor bodywork and a repaint will really get this old girl shining. The owner has set a price of $7,995 for the Oldsmobile, and that sounds pretty reasonable to me.
The 98s of this era were usually overshadowed by the 88 coupe/cvts., so this is nice to see. Same basic C-body as the Roadmaster and Cadillacs, but much better styling, IMHO. Can’t balk at the price either. This is clean, all original, and well worth the effort to restore.
Used the 303s bored to 311 for our street/drag cars in college. Late model heads and you had almost a Hemi. The 4 speed hydromatic with the B & M kit in it is still one of the best ever built.
Wow, what an engine! Gotta do some research on that. That air cleaner is some thing else.
8 volt battery turn up amps on voltage regulator will start like a 12 volt
8 volt battery turn up voltage on voltage regulator will start like a 12 volt
The deals are west of the big river. Get a rig and go for them.
I have seen this car before listed. We are doing a full Pro-Touring project with a 51- 98 4 door, Detroit Speed IFS, Currie 9″, 4 link rear, coilovers, New LS3 with a 4L70 trans.
Merry Christmas folks! Yeah Mike, the
Olds V-8 of 1949 was an engineering
marvel. It featured a modern 5 main
bearing design with overhead valves and
an industry topping 8.5:1 compression
ratio. All this gave you 135 BHP @ 3,000
RPM. This engine was destined as a 98
only option in ’49 but at the last minute,
Olds president S.E. Skinner dicided to
offer it in the lesser 88’s as well. The
rest, as we know, is history. With this engine, Oldsmobile started the horse-
power race and therefore became the
first true muscle car. Like the 331 cube
Cadillac of the same year, hot rodders
adored them so much that they became
an instant alternative to Ford’s flathead
V-8, and regned supreme until Ed Cole
unveiled the 265 SBC in 1955. So there
you have it, hope it helps.
Hey thanks a ton Ken! Great info. I hope you and the girls had a great Christmas! Just got home from my sisters farm. A wonderful time with what little family is left. Thanks for the email Brother! Have a Merry Christmas! Best of luck in the new year! Mike.
The compression ratio for the 49-50 Olds V8 was 7.25:1
I read an article many years back where an older couple went out and purchased
pretty much a carbon copy of this car.
Had car about 5 days when the husband had fatal heart attack. The wife did not drive.
Sat for many years in her garage, she ran an ad but price not revealed in article what new owner paid.
Always curious as to what they paid for it. Had less than 50 miles on it as I recall.
Quit the find, like buying a new car basically, at suspected used car prices.
Awesome looking car. I’ve always loved the 1949-54 Oldsmobile, preferably 4 doors and wagon. This looks like a great project, provided it runs and drives like it should. The less one has to do to make it safe to drive, the better. The only other thing I’d do is upgrade the electrical system, from the common six volt electrics to twelve volt.
Beautiful olds. Great cruiser in wonderful shape …worth the dough I do believe!! Good luck to the new owner. I’m sure that tranny rebuild was a couple grand by itself!
Cheers
GPC
And, a dual master brake cylinder, even though the parking brakes of the day would stop the car.
“there is the unmistakable green tinge on various components which indicates that coolant has possibly been spraying around at some stage.” The name of that green tinge is patina. I see it mostly on the radiator where the upper hose connection is. Since that is copper, and copper has a green patina I’m not surprised. I’m not really sure I see evidence of coolant spraying around, maybe coolant seeping out here and there. I not really trying to nit pick on the the coolant leakage issue as much as comment about what patina truly is (that green tinge on copper).
Thanks Marty, I stand corrected. Guess I
got a little confused. Maybe it was a Buick. Dunno, still a nice example that
should be under my carport.
I understand, I’ve been a car nut my entire life and still learning. I have owned two ’50 88’s and a 51. They were great cars in their day.
https://www.hagerty.com/articles-videos/articles/2018/12/13/1949-53-oldsmobile-88-breakthrough-design-values?utm_source=SFMC&utm_medium=email&utm_content=18_December_12_HagertyNews_Engaged
An interesting article on why no one wants these…
Too bad they didn’t reupholster the seats in something closer to the original 2 tone grey used originally, as well as the door panels.
Yes I agree, the original 2 tone grey upholstery looked classy….but this green is just nauseating. Shame