whirlcool
Well-known member
I always thought those a/c tubes running from the trunk to the ceiling in the car were rather unsightly, in dash looks so much better.
Pick a Rocket to fit your Pocket !!!
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To Firedome
Hi there. Why was the '57 Lincoln a pain? I'm curious. Thanks, Gary
Hi there. Why was the '57 Lincoln a pain? I'm curious. Thanks, Gary
I'm old enough to remember both styles; roof and dash. My recollection of the roof vent in my Aunt's Caddy were more "user friendly" than the dash vent in Dads Olds. The Caddy let you open a "dump" vent that just let the cold air flow over you or use an airline type directionable vent to put the air where you wanted it. The in-dash olds didn't have the "draft free" design. It was either directly at you or not and the back seat passenger got little or nothing. In South FL the Olds system really only took care of the front passengers unless the fan was kept on high all the time.
Conversely, the Caddy system needed the higher idle revs to not over heat the engine whereas the Olds could idle with A/C on.
Conversely, the Caddy system needed the higher idle revs to not over heat the engine whereas the Olds could idle with A/C on.
tomoldcars
Active member
Radio for the rocket that fits your pocket.
Along with my other loves of the Ludite’s life, I’m addicted to old time radio programs. Hanging from my rear view mirror is an XM receiver with a low power FM transmitter tuned to a blank channel. I can move it to almost any car I drive. Only problem, the 55 Packard options didn’t include FM tuners. I need a low power broadcast band AM transmitter that I can interface with other devices and play through an early car radio. It would need to have an input voltage range from about 5 to 15 VDC and comply with FCC Type approved Part 15 AM transmitter regulations. I can’t think of a better group to keep my car tuned up then Bruce Hayes, Al Jarvis, Joe Yocam, Elliot Field, Bill Ballance, and Ted Quillan.
Along with my other loves of the Ludite’s life, I’m addicted to old time radio programs. Hanging from my rear view mirror is an XM receiver with a low power FM transmitter tuned to a blank channel. I can move it to almost any car I drive. Only problem, the 55 Packard options didn’t include FM tuners. I need a low power broadcast band AM transmitter that I can interface with other devices and play through an early car radio. It would need to have an input voltage range from about 5 to 15 VDC and comply with FCC Type approved Part 15 AM transmitter regulations. I can’t think of a better group to keep my car tuned up then Bruce Hayes, Al Jarvis, Joe Yocam, Elliot Field, Bill Ballance, and Ted Quillan.
firedome
Well-known member
'57 Lincoln Premiere
ran OK, but being TOL it had every power acc'y known to man, even the vent windows were power. A lot of it was in-op, and trying to fix/keep it fixed was a pain. And the thing still had vacuum wipers! they were fussy to keep working well. It drove like a truck compared to Mopar's torsion bars. Chrysler put out some cool movies of '57 or '58s being driven fast over RR tracks that were very revealing of poor GM and Ford suspension design, they're on YouTube. Being more of a Mopar guy we decided to forgo full restoration and had no qualms whatever passing the Linc on. The '57 Premiere was, imo, Ford's lame-o imitation of Forward Look styling, no one could touch Exner's panache and elegance in style... now the '56 Premiere is another story altogether, looks-wise, but it still drives like a truck.
ran OK, but being TOL it had every power acc'y known to man, even the vent windows were power. A lot of it was in-op, and trying to fix/keep it fixed was a pain. And the thing still had vacuum wipers! they were fussy to keep working well. It drove like a truck compared to Mopar's torsion bars. Chrysler put out some cool movies of '57 or '58s being driven fast over RR tracks that were very revealing of poor GM and Ford suspension design, they're on YouTube. Being more of a Mopar guy we decided to forgo full restoration and had no qualms whatever passing the Linc on. The '57 Premiere was, imo, Ford's lame-o imitation of Forward Look styling, no one could touch Exner's panache and elegance in style... now the '56 Premiere is another story altogether, looks-wise, but it still drives like a truck.
Lincoln was the first American make to offer a balljoint front suspension in ‘52. Those cars are famous for their stellar performance in the original Carrera Panamericana road race where they often won their class and did surprisingly well against some very fierce competition from other American makes and plenty of Europeans as well. Porsche's use of the name Carerra comes from this race though off the top of my head I wouldn't be surprised if Lincoln actually won more trophies from '50-'54 than Porsche did.
Regrettably Lincoln started making the cars larger and heavier after ‘54 which did nothing good for their performance and roadability.
When my grandmother married her second husband Pete in the late ‘50s he had a Lincoln, probably a '56 or '57. They lived in Orange County but also had a weekend place out in the desert. The Lincoln had frequent problems with the power windows and eventually Pete bashed the sump on a rocky desert road. The latter was hardly the car’s fault but nobody out in the desert had the correct Lincoln sump so Pete had to ride the bus back to LA, buy a sump and take it back to the desert. After that he laid down two new car buying rules: no power windows ever, and no cars with hard to find parts. In ‘60 they bought a new Galaxie 500 four door hardtop and from then on it was Fords.
Regrettably Lincoln started making the cars larger and heavier after ‘54 which did nothing good for their performance and roadability.
When my grandmother married her second husband Pete in the late ‘50s he had a Lincoln, probably a '56 or '57. They lived in Orange County but also had a weekend place out in the desert. The Lincoln had frequent problems with the power windows and eventually Pete bashed the sump on a rocky desert road. The latter was hardly the car’s fault but nobody out in the desert had the correct Lincoln sump so Pete had to ride the bus back to LA, buy a sump and take it back to the desert. After that he laid down two new car buying rules: no power windows ever, and no cars with hard to find parts. In ‘60 they bought a new Galaxie 500 four door hardtop and from then on it was Fords.
Firedome
Thanks Roger for you info. I have a '59 Lincoln and it is bigger than the '57 was. lol. I have seen the suspension program that you are talking about on Youtube, and you are right, Ford and GM didn't fair as well as Chrysler did. My dad said the same thing that your dad did, no power anything, more to go wrong. Roger, I am one year older than you and we must have had the same dad. lol
After he sold the Packard for $50.00( too much car he for me when I got my license in 1965 he said) he bought a used '58 Plymouth 6 cylinders. The car road well but it all rusted away. Have fun. Gary
Thanks Roger for you info. I have a '59 Lincoln and it is bigger than the '57 was. lol. I have seen the suspension program that you are talking about on Youtube, and you are right, Ford and GM didn't fair as well as Chrysler did. My dad said the same thing that your dad did, no power anything, more to go wrong. Roger, I am one year older than you and we must have had the same dad. lol
After he sold the Packard for $50.00( too much car he for me when I got my license in 1965 he said) he bought a used '58 Plymouth 6 cylinders. The car road well but it all rusted away. Have fun. Gary
twintubdexter
Well-known member
I just went out in the garage and snapped this pic
There they continue to sit and collect dust. Over time the interiors have shrunk so that I don't fit in them like I did years ago...I blame the desert heat. I do drive them around the block now and then and the last time I had the Chevrolet smogged the guy said "you know you've only driven this car 12 miles since the last time it was here 2 years ago!" Fortunately the Ford doesn't require smogging, it's been driven much less. I've mentioned the Ford on here before and stated I'd love to get rid of it since I need the room in my garage for my truck. That was a mistake since I PO'd a couple of members (and they were perfectly justified) because I never followed up with their inquires. I tend to think that both of those cars will be there after I'm gone. I'd love to see people saying "he promised me this car" and trying to start the TBird and having no success not realizing the Fordomatic floor-mounted transmission needs to be in neutral to engage the starter. I think the moral of the story is that if you're going to buy something you might later regret make sure it's at least no larger than a Duomatic.[this post was last edited: 1/30/2014-23:13]
There they continue to sit and collect dust. Over time the interiors have shrunk so that I don't fit in them like I did years ago...I blame the desert heat. I do drive them around the block now and then and the last time I had the Chevrolet smogged the guy said "you know you've only driven this car 12 miles since the last time it was here 2 years ago!" Fortunately the Ford doesn't require smogging, it's been driven much less. I've mentioned the Ford on here before and stated I'd love to get rid of it since I need the room in my garage for my truck. That was a mistake since I PO'd a couple of members (and they were perfectly justified) because I never followed up with their inquires. I tend to think that both of those cars will be there after I'm gone. I'd love to see people saying "he promised me this car" and trying to start the TBird and having no success not realizing the Fordomatic floor-mounted transmission needs to be in neutral to engage the starter. I think the moral of the story is that if you're going to buy something you might later regret make sure it's at least no larger than a Duomatic.[this post was last edited: 1/30/2014-23:13]
norgeway
Well-known member
Re Olds gas mileage..
Supprisingly, the early to mid 60s Olds got pretty good mileage for the day, I had a 63 Starfire and a 65 Ninety Eight LS, both would get around 18 on the highway, but I had a 70 98 LS that did good to get 12!The only problem with the 61-64 Ols is the miserable Slim Jim transmission, and if you dont hot rod it, its ok, but I was 16 when I had the 63 Starfire, and of course it stayed in the transmission shop, but boy would it GO!!tHAT 61 IS ONE OF MY ALL TIME FAVORITE OLDS, BEAUTIFUL! The worst gas mileage car we ever had was supprisingly a 66 Cutlass, 7 1/2 in town and no more than 10 on a trip! My Mother had it from 68-72, it was a great car, but THIRSTY!, her first cousin had a 66 Ninety Eight that consistently got 20 on a trip!..They kept it as there main car for about 30 years!
Supprisingly, the early to mid 60s Olds got pretty good mileage for the day, I had a 63 Starfire and a 65 Ninety Eight LS, both would get around 18 on the highway, but I had a 70 98 LS that did good to get 12!The only problem with the 61-64 Ols is the miserable Slim Jim transmission, and if you dont hot rod it, its ok, but I was 16 when I had the 63 Starfire, and of course it stayed in the transmission shop, but boy would it GO!!tHAT 61 IS ONE OF MY ALL TIME FAVORITE OLDS, BEAUTIFUL! The worst gas mileage car we ever had was supprisingly a 66 Cutlass, 7 1/2 in town and no more than 10 on a trip! My Mother had it from 68-72, it was a great car, but THIRSTY!, her first cousin had a 66 Ninety Eight that consistently got 20 on a trip!..They kept it as there main car for about 30 years!
Norgeway,
I had a 70 98 coupe with a special order Police Apprehender 455 cubic in, dual exhaust, factory 8 track and FM stereo radio that I bought from a retired banker. (he served many years as a magistrate judge, so he could qualify for the BIG power pack). The car was a knock out. I drove it for many years until I traded it in on a Toyota Corolla. (I didn't know then that I was suffering from a major case of dumb ass!)One of the things I remember fondly is the CLICK the seat back releases made when you opened the door and the very cool thermometer built into the drivers mirror. Since I was "younger" then I took delight in pulling up to a gear head at a stop light and showing him what power was! Back then you could get plane landing bulbs that would fit in the high beam sockets. When you lite them up you could hear the engine slow as it dragged the alternator. But, man damn, they lit up some real estate. The only issue I had with the car was the front A frame bushing they didn't hold up well.
I had a 70 98 coupe with a special order Police Apprehender 455 cubic in, dual exhaust, factory 8 track and FM stereo radio that I bought from a retired banker. (he served many years as a magistrate judge, so he could qualify for the BIG power pack). The car was a knock out. I drove it for many years until I traded it in on a Toyota Corolla. (I didn't know then that I was suffering from a major case of dumb ass!)One of the things I remember fondly is the CLICK the seat back releases made when you opened the door and the very cool thermometer built into the drivers mirror. Since I was "younger" then I took delight in pulling up to a gear head at a stop light and showing him what power was! Back then you could get plane landing bulbs that would fit in the high beam sockets. When you lite them up you could hear the engine slow as it dragged the alternator. But, man damn, they lit up some real estate. The only issue I had with the car was the front A frame bushing they didn't hold up well.
Really nice pictures of these cars. I had a 68 and 74 Cutlass and wished I had some pictures of them. Both very nice cars. Both had the Rocket 350 that would put you backwards if you punched it. I need a truck now and this is my daily driver.
Oldsmobile Thoughts . . .
When I was very small my parent’s best friends had a ‘57 Olds 98 convertible. I have one dim memory of going to the grocery store in that with the top down. The owner worked with my dad, though his wife mostly drove the car. Years and years later I mentioned it to my father who said “ oh yeah, my buddy was really proud of that Olds, it had the J-2 engine . . .”.
My aunt also had a ‘57, though hers was an 88 two door hardtop. She kept it until swapping it in for a new Fairlane in ‘66 so I remember that better. What a pretty car! Metallic blue with a dashboard that seemed to be solid chrome with that neat clock under the windshield. After a few years with the Fairlane she was back to Olds with a new 88 in ‘71, then a new 98 about ‘79. After that I lost track but it was mostly Oldsmobiles with the exception of one Chevy until Olds closed down.
The family with the ‘57 98 went from that to a ‘63 Impala SS hardtop but back to Olds with a ‘65 98 four door hardtop purchased in about ‘66. I remember it smelled faintly of cigars and had a huge back seat, four children wide. It was replaced in ‘73 by a new Dodge wagon and they were not pleased with Chrysler quality after the Olds, that Dodge always had plenty of trouble.
Another Olds I recall was a ‘70 Toronado owned by my dad’s best friend Jake. It was red with a white vinyl top and white leather interior, and had the optional Ram-Air 455 with the little nozzles under the bumper that fed the ram-air system. ‘70 was the last year for high compression at GM and thus it was the most powerful Toronado engine ever offered. Below 30 it wasn’t so quick because it would just spin the front tires but once it hooked up it really was like a rocket, amazingly quick for such a large and very heavy car.
It’s worth remembering here that not only was Oldsmobile instrumental in the development of the first successful modern automatic transmission (the original Hydramatic in ‘40) but, along with Chevy, produced the first ever turbocharged production cars in ‘63. That was the turbocharged F-85 Jetfire, a fairly rare one year only model but it did work. The engine was Olds’ own version of the Buick 215 aluminum V8 which was discontinued after ‘63 when the Buick, Olds and Pontiac “compacts” became intermediate sized cars and could then handle full size V8s. Olds had their own cylinderheads for the 215 that some feel were better than Buick’s own heads, but when the engine was sold to Rover and became the first Range Rover engine they used the Buick heads. Chevy’s turbo car was of course the Corvair turbo that was produced for several years.
When I was very small my parent’s best friends had a ‘57 Olds 98 convertible. I have one dim memory of going to the grocery store in that with the top down. The owner worked with my dad, though his wife mostly drove the car. Years and years later I mentioned it to my father who said “ oh yeah, my buddy was really proud of that Olds, it had the J-2 engine . . .”.
My aunt also had a ‘57, though hers was an 88 two door hardtop. She kept it until swapping it in for a new Fairlane in ‘66 so I remember that better. What a pretty car! Metallic blue with a dashboard that seemed to be solid chrome with that neat clock under the windshield. After a few years with the Fairlane she was back to Olds with a new 88 in ‘71, then a new 98 about ‘79. After that I lost track but it was mostly Oldsmobiles with the exception of one Chevy until Olds closed down.
The family with the ‘57 98 went from that to a ‘63 Impala SS hardtop but back to Olds with a ‘65 98 four door hardtop purchased in about ‘66. I remember it smelled faintly of cigars and had a huge back seat, four children wide. It was replaced in ‘73 by a new Dodge wagon and they were not pleased with Chrysler quality after the Olds, that Dodge always had plenty of trouble.
Another Olds I recall was a ‘70 Toronado owned by my dad’s best friend Jake. It was red with a white vinyl top and white leather interior, and had the optional Ram-Air 455 with the little nozzles under the bumper that fed the ram-air system. ‘70 was the last year for high compression at GM and thus it was the most powerful Toronado engine ever offered. Below 30 it wasn’t so quick because it would just spin the front tires but once it hooked up it really was like a rocket, amazingly quick for such a large and very heavy car.
It’s worth remembering here that not only was Oldsmobile instrumental in the development of the first successful modern automatic transmission (the original Hydramatic in ‘40) but, along with Chevy, produced the first ever turbocharged production cars in ‘63. That was the turbocharged F-85 Jetfire, a fairly rare one year only model but it did work. The engine was Olds’ own version of the Buick 215 aluminum V8 which was discontinued after ‘63 when the Buick, Olds and Pontiac “compacts” became intermediate sized cars and could then handle full size V8s. Olds had their own cylinderheads for the 215 that some feel were better than Buick’s own heads, but when the engine was sold to Rover and became the first Range Rover engine they used the Buick heads. Chevy’s turbo car was of course the Corvair turbo that was produced for several years.
Toronado Underneath . . .
When the Toronado came out in '66 it got some people thinking of what could be done with the first modern front drive powertrain featuring a large V8 engine. Building a better motorhome was one thought, and in '71 two Toronado powered motorhomes hit the street: the Cortez SD and the Revcon. The former was a modified development of earlier front drive Cortez motorhomes, while the latter was all new. Both are interesting but the Revcon is really lovely: mostly made of aluminum and very light for its size, with high grade, handmade interiors. It was so nice GM copied it for the '73 GMC motorhome, albeit with a plastic body. The Revcon was way more money than the semi-mass produced GMC so both coexisted happily for much of the '70s.
'78 was the last year for the first generation Toronado powertrain, after which the Toro and companion Eldorado were downsized and used smaller engines and less stout transmissions. This killed the GMC motorhome and forced Revcon to develop their own Chevy based front drive setup.
Revcon pictured, amazing to think the Toro powertrain reliably pulled this behemoth around! These are known as "flatnoses" to differentiate them from the later Chevy based "slantnose" Revcons. Any of the Revcons were famous for being among the best handling and fastest motorhomes of the day.
When the Toronado came out in '66 it got some people thinking of what could be done with the first modern front drive powertrain featuring a large V8 engine. Building a better motorhome was one thought, and in '71 two Toronado powered motorhomes hit the street: the Cortez SD and the Revcon. The former was a modified development of earlier front drive Cortez motorhomes, while the latter was all new. Both are interesting but the Revcon is really lovely: mostly made of aluminum and very light for its size, with high grade, handmade interiors. It was so nice GM copied it for the '73 GMC motorhome, albeit with a plastic body. The Revcon was way more money than the semi-mass produced GMC so both coexisted happily for much of the '70s.
'78 was the last year for the first generation Toronado powertrain, after which the Toro and companion Eldorado were downsized and used smaller engines and less stout transmissions. This killed the GMC motorhome and forced Revcon to develop their own Chevy based front drive setup.
Revcon pictured, amazing to think the Toro powertrain reliably pulled this behemoth around! These are known as "flatnoses" to differentiate them from the later Chevy based "slantnose" Revcons. Any of the Revcons were famous for being among the best handling and fastest motorhomes of the day.
". . . this car was a pain . . ."
My dad traded in our '51 Lincoln Cosmopolitan for a lightly used '57 Premiere when I was 6.
He paid for that '57 at least a couple of times over during the several years we had it. Transmission, differential, engine, A/C, pretty much you name it, it failed. A real lemon.
But, when it ran right, he could take it up to 100 mph, let go of the wheel, and it didn't wander. I also liked the foot-controlled seek option for the radio.
That was the first car I ever drove. My mom let me cruise through the far-slung unpopulated reaches of the oversized Emporium parking lot in it when I was around 12 or so.
In fall 1967, they got a great deal on an Olds Delmont 88 with 425 cid V8. A close friend worked for GMAC and that was his business car for the year. They'd sell them off cheap when the next year's models were out. That car could move!
After a few years my dad couldn't stand it anymore and found a pristine low miles cream puff '65 Continental and bought it for his "work car." What a well-built machine that was. It went well beyond evening the score after the fiasco that was the '57.
My dad traded in our '51 Lincoln Cosmopolitan for a lightly used '57 Premiere when I was 6.
He paid for that '57 at least a couple of times over during the several years we had it. Transmission, differential, engine, A/C, pretty much you name it, it failed. A real lemon.
But, when it ran right, he could take it up to 100 mph, let go of the wheel, and it didn't wander. I also liked the foot-controlled seek option for the radio.
That was the first car I ever drove. My mom let me cruise through the far-slung unpopulated reaches of the oversized Emporium parking lot in it when I was around 12 or so.
In fall 1967, they got a great deal on an Olds Delmont 88 with 425 cid V8. A close friend worked for GMAC and that was his business car for the year. They'd sell them off cheap when the next year's models were out. That car could move!
After a few years my dad couldn't stand it anymore and found a pristine low miles cream puff '65 Continental and bought it for his "work car." What a well-built machine that was. It went well beyond evening the score after the fiasco that was the '57.
toploader55
Well-known member
Oh Rick,
That Olds is just Beautiful.
That's one of my top 3 Favorite Olds'
That Olds is just Beautiful.
That's one of my top 3 Favorite Olds'
The factory AC on Rick's '61 is interesting. Looks like one big vent to the left of the driver and a small vent under the middle of the dash? With cars this old I only remember the underdash add-on units.
The Bubbletop two-door GM rooflines in '61 were very attractive.
The Bubbletop two-door GM rooflines in '61 were very attractive.
firedome
Well-known member
Olds info...
Gorgeous '61! always loved Olds cars and I started the OCA Blue & Gray Chapter MD/PA in the mid '80s when we had 57 & 56 Super 88 converts and a '69 Toronado.
'70 Toro mentioned probably was a '70 GT with W-34 option but Air-Induction was only available on Toro w/ W-34 in '68 and also had dual trumpet exhaust w/ bumper cutouts, not avail in '69, but was again in '70.
First Olds automatic was the Automatic Safety Transmission in 1937 thru '39, planetary gears but friction coupling. Olds introduced HydraMatic with fluid coupling for 1939 model year.
The Olds 215 all aluminum V8 was designed by Gil Burrell with Turbo in mind (including Jetfire Fluid - water/alcohol - injection) and had more head-to-block studs than Buick, and superior intake/exhaust valve design, Rover was dumb not to use it!
Gorgeous '61! always loved Olds cars and I started the OCA Blue & Gray Chapter MD/PA in the mid '80s when we had 57 & 56 Super 88 converts and a '69 Toronado.
'70 Toro mentioned probably was a '70 GT with W-34 option but Air-Induction was only available on Toro w/ W-34 in '68 and also had dual trumpet exhaust w/ bumper cutouts, not avail in '69, but was again in '70.
First Olds automatic was the Automatic Safety Transmission in 1937 thru '39, planetary gears but friction coupling. Olds introduced HydraMatic with fluid coupling for 1939 model year.
The Olds 215 all aluminum V8 was designed by Gil Burrell with Turbo in mind (including Jetfire Fluid - water/alcohol - injection) and had more head-to-block studs than Buick, and superior intake/exhaust valve design, Rover was dumb not to use it!
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