Car Collector Chronicles 03-09

A GDYNETS PUBLICATION © 2009, G. DAVID YAROS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Car Collector Chronicles ®

Volume II, Issue 3

Car Collector Chronicles

March 2009

Exploring: • Car collecting today

That First Ride

• Classic rides

I suspect all of us remember our first ride? I sure do! Hopefully, your recollections make for fond memories.

• Reports from the field • Oldsmobile

Being the youngest of 4 kids in my family, I was/am more than familiar with the hand-me-down concept. That concept applied when it came to my first ride. My first car was purchased in 1962, from my older sister. I paid all of $150 for her 8 yr. old 1954 Plymouth Belvedere.

IN THIS ISSUE:

That First Ride

1

GDYNets On the Web

1

More-That First Ride

2

Oldsmobile Mania 3

She had not only named her car Karen’s Lil’ Spitfire, she had the name painted on the rear quarters. My first task as a budding car owner was to hand rub out those painted on monikers! I do recall thinking at the time (and I still do), this car was a piece of junk. #1, it was a 4door sedan. What kid wants a 4-door sedan? #2, it was a nondescript Shasta Green in color. Most upsetting was the fact that

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Dave’s Den http://GDYNets.WEBNG.com Saved 62 http://www.freewebs.com/ jeandaveyaros Car Collector Chronicles -

EMAIL: [email protected]

Factory mods to the car, sort of, were installed by me. It is a bit of a stretch when one realizes what I am referring to as factory mods was the removal of all dash light bulbs, painting them a translucent green and reinstalling them. That sure did a whole lot to make the car cool? This was my first introduction to Chrysler products. I can definitely state that, as a result we did not form any ongoing relationship, by any means. There came a time when I had to make a heater repair of some sort. The repair necessitated removal of a heater chute from

under the hood. While I finally did get the chute out, it was only after I had pounded a good-sized dent in the right front fender with my fist, out of frustration. The frustration arose from the fact the chute was not properly, let alone easily, removable without a special tool, available only from the local Plymouth dealer. Luckily, I managed to wreck the car. The accident wiped out the grille and punched a large hole in the radiator. I sold the car to a schoolmate for $50. He patched the hole in the radiator with bondo, and drove the car for many miles. Was I ever glad to see that car go!

GDYNets on the Web WHERE YOU WILL FIND GDYNets (me) on the WWW:

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underneath the hood was a pithy flathead 6 that developed a whopping 100 h.p. Put all those factors together, and one begins to appreciate how hard it would be to try and exude any kind of “cool” while being behind the wheel of this ride.

http://issuu.com/d.yaros

DAVE’S DEN is a website devoted to a myriad of interests. Foremost is extensive information on the “Steel City” of Gary, Indiana. There are also offerings covering the making of steel and U.S. Steel-Gary Works, the U.S. Marine Corps, the M14 assault rifle, of course Oldsmobile, and the tragic story of the murder of Gary, Indiana

Police Lt. George Yaros. SAVED 62 is a website devoted to my 1962 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 convertible. The site also has a lot of information on Oldsmobiles and its founder, Ransom Eli Olds. CAR COLLECTOR CHRONICLES; you are reading it. It is a work in progress.

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MORE—THAT FIRST RIDE This article comes from David Langford, a friend and fellow ’62 Olds owner, who resides in Windsor, ONT Canada: My first car was a community car that 3 or 4 of us owned. It was a '38 Dodge coupe; primer colour with side windows that wouldn't roll up, an engine that was borrowed from a truck, no floor boards and wooden pop cases as seats. I think the buying price was somewhere between $50 and $75, if memory serves me correctly?

“My first car was a community car that 3 or 4 of us owned. The buying price was somewhere between $50 and $75.”

My mother refused to allow it to be parked anywhere within blocks of our house. It was an embarrassment to her ..., but to us it was pure gold! On a Saturday night we'd pool our nickels and dimes and put a couple of gallons in the old girl and head off to the roller skating rink in the next town, 8 miles away, in search of girls. We never had much luck in that department …, but we sure had fun. The kind of fun kids don't have today. On the way home the Dodge would frequently run out of gas and we'd hitch hike or walk back to town in the dark. The Dodge would be left on the side of the road, sometimes for days before someone would return to dump enough gas in it to get it back to town. We had a lot of fun with that old car …. I wonder where it is now? David, thanks for the contribution!

Editor Comment: Having seen a pic of David’s childhood home, situated in an upscale neighborhood, I can appreciate why Mom would not want his relic anywhere within blocks of the house.

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Oldsmobile Mania In the words of the late humorist, Jean Shepherd: “Some men are Catholics, some are Protestants. My ol’ man? He was an Oldsmobile man!” How is it that we, as classic car aficionados, are attracted to a particular make of automobile? While I suspect a lot of it has to do with the ride we had as a hormonal teen, for many there is more to it than just that. Perhaps the answer to the question of how I came to own my current ride, a 1962 Oldsmobile, may provide some insight? In my case, I think it was foreordained that I would be an Olds fan. Maybe it was a family (genetic) disposition, passed on from generation to generation? Oldsmobile was not the first vehicle of which I recall being aware. That distinction falls to my grandfather’s 1939 Plymouth. At that particular point in time (the very early 1950’s) he was the only person in the immediate family financially well off enough to own a car. It was black, had 4 suicide doors, running boards and a floor shifter that was 3 foot long, if it was an inch. The last time it had seen either a wash or wax was probably to celebrate the end of WWII. What I do distinctly remember about it is, the horsehair seat covers itched terribly! The onset of the post-war boom witnessed the beginnings of my Oldsmobile odyssey. An interesting aside: Circa 1950, Gramps moved up to a used 1948 Olds Custom Cruiser, Futuramic 98, 4-door sedan. He purchased it directly from an insurance salesman, named Charles O. Finley. Charlie went on to use those sale proceeds, and a few other cash assets he just happened to have on hand, to eventually become the owner of the Kansas City A’s baseball franchise. The ‘48 Olds was bigger, roomier, had more zip and did not require one to shift gears. The zip came from a straight-8, 257.1 c.i. engine with a 7:1 compression ratio, putting out 115 h.p. and 218 ft. lbs. of torque. Unlike the Plymouth, it had a radio and clock among its interior appointments. It was also two-tone grey, versus dingy black. Now, here was “riding in style!” The lifetime attraction to Oldsmobile had begun. It did not take over a decade, as it had with the Plymouth, to move on from the ‘48. In 1953, Gramps bought his second Oldsmobile; the first and only new car he ever purchased. It too was a 4-door sedan. It was also a two-tone; white over blue. By now though, Oldsmobile had gone V-8 under the hood. Doing so resulted in an impressive

“Some men are Catholics, some are Protestants. My ol’ man? He was an Oldsmobile man!”

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Oldsmobile Mania – Continued from p. 3 difference in performance. In 1953 Olds was talking 303 c.i., 7.5:1 compression, 165 h.p. and 284 ft. lbs. of torque; more than a bit of a step-up in terms of power. What stood out to me was the dashboard. It had tons of chrome and, although I did not know what it meant at the time, an art-deco design. This car was as great looking inside, as it was outside. As a kid, I used to sit behind the wheel and pretend that I was really somebody! The initial attraction, that was sparked by the ‘48, was now being fanned into a roaring flame with the ‘53. The arrival of the ‘53 did not mean the departure of the ‘48. It was passed on down to my father. Thus was born the 2nd generation of Oldsmobile owners in my family. While expert on oil I was far too young to do any work on cars in the early fifties, I did cut my mechanic’s teeth on the ’48, by osmosis, watching my dad. Back then, radios were AM only and additives. For had tubes instead of transistors or solid-state electronics. This bug-eyed kid watched winter driving he with fascination as Dad pulled the radio out of the dash, removed the tubes and took would routinely them to the drugstore for testing. Dad was also an expert on oil additives. For winter add kerosene to driving he would routinely add kerosene to the crankcase, to ease cold weather starting. the crankcase, to That is one “trick of the trade” I never adopted. He had also developed his own process to maintain the exterior appearance of his rides. He would clean the chrome with the ease cold same kerosene he put in the crankcase. Then he would attack any problem areas with a product called Zud®. Lastly, he would shine the trim with chrome polish. I was thrilled weather when he would hand me the cloth, and permit me to buff off the dried chrome polish. starting.”

“Dad was also an

If there ever was a milestone year in my maturation of Oldsmobile appreciation, it was 1957. By then, this 11 yr. old kid was quite “car aware.” The ol’ man and I had multiple Chicago Auto Show attendances under our belt, as well as model year premieres. When we went down to the local Olds dealership to ogle the offerings for 1957, I had no idea he was seriously thinking of buying one. Buy one he did. It was a charcoal grey 98, 4-door hardtop; our first hardtop, ever. Not only was it a hardtop, it had radio speakers both in the front and the rear, PS/PB/PW and power seats. Nor was it cheap. For the first time, a car purchase exceeded Three and a half Thousand Dollars! For that kind of money what one got was a 371 c.i. engine utilizing 9.75:1 compression to produce 277 h.p., and 400 ft. lbs. of torque. We’re talking brute power here. But even more than that, what the ‘57 had was looks. It was stylish with its wide-mouthed grille and gas tank filler hidden below the trim under the left tail light. The rockets on the front

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Oldsmobile Mania – Continued from p. 4 fenders added a touch of pizazz and class to the ride. At age 11 I was no longer an Oldsmobile admirer, I was an Oldsmobile owner in the making. The clincher came in 1963. That is when I acquired the 1960 Olds Super 88 SceniCoupe depicted below. She was the car in which my older brother taught me how to drive. I bought it from the dealer on the very same day my brother traded it in on a Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk. The dealer had to be laughing all the way to the bank, as he had not possessed the car for more than 2 hrs.! By 1960, Olds speak referred to 394 c.i, 9.75:1 compression, 315 h.p. and 435 ft. lbs. of torque. In addition to having 394 c.i. and a 4 bbl. carb, it had a factory 3-speed manual tranny. What it did not have was power anything; like PS/PB/PW. All I know is, with the manual transmission she would haul! By age 17, I was hooked on Olds. I had willingly donned the Oldsmobile mantle for the 3rd generation in our family, and would never go back!

This was my high school ride, with a factory stick! Ok, I have had my say. Now it is your turn! I invite and encourage submission of your comments, opinions and contributions. Everything sent shall indeed be reviewed by me. Submissions should be sent to: [email protected] _______________________________________

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