Car collector chronicles 08 15 by Dave Yaros

Car Collector Chronicles ®

Volume VIII, Issue 8

Exploring:

• Car Collecting Today

High RPMs

• Classic Rides • Reports From the Field • Oldsmobile (1897-2004) • Cadillac (1902- ) • Allanté (1987-1993)

• Corvair (1960-1969)

◄ = Clickable Link

IN THIS ISSUE: High RPMs

GDY Nets® On the Web

Sale Saga

They Came to Milwaukee

Summer has finally come to SE Wisconsin. We are actually experiencing temps in the 80’s, with an aberrant 90° day now and then. It has been a long time coming.! August 22-23 are the dates for the 11th edition of the Milwaukee Masterpiece ◄. Saturday is Club Day. Individuals are encouraged and invited to show their rides, and many do. The day starts with an exhibitor breakfast, which is very nice touch. Sunday is the invite only concours. Nine Oldsmobiles shall be on the field. Two W-30 442 convertibles are a bit rare; a 1969 (1-of-96) and a 1970 (1-of-91). They shall be joined by a 1954 Starfire and a ‘57 Super 88; also rag tops. The American Convertible Class features 12 cars, ranging from 1948 to 1960. They

2015 OCA Nats Photos CCC® Forum EMail:

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OldsD88@gmail.com ◄

include a ‘53 Buick Skylark and a 1958 Buick Limited. A brand new feature will be classic boats. Yes, I said boats; ranging from a 1920 Zebcraft hydroplane to a 1959 South Seas Samoan. Get down to Vet’s Park! August Automotive Milestones 8/7/1937 Cord ops end 8/11/1966 Camaro debuts 8/12/1908 1st Model T ("Tin Lizzie") rolls off Detroit assembly line 8/12/1953 Fire destroys GM's Livonia Hydra-Matic plant 8/17/1915 Automatic (electric) starter patented by Chas. Kettering 8/18/1905 Cadillac crest trademarked 8/19/1958 Last Packard 8/21/1897 Olds Motor Vehicle Co. incorporates 8/22/1901 Cadillac estab’d 8/22/1902 Teddy Roosevelt becomes first President to

ride in a motor car 8/26/1957 Ford debuts Edsel 8/26/1950 Ransom E. Olds dies at home in Lansing, MI 8/29/1885 1st motorcycle, patented by Gottlieb Daimler

- Wash ‘em, polish ‘em and drive ‘em!

GDYNets® on the Web Find GDYNets on the web:

Here Comes da’ Judge

August 2015

CCC -THE FORUM ◄-A web site to discuss the newsletter, the hobby and our cars. Car Collector Chronicles® ◄ Saved 62 ◄-Our 1962 Olds convertible, Ransom Eli Olds and things Oldsmobile related web site. The Gray Lady ◄-1955 Cadillac Coupé de Ville web site.

SAVED 62: A website devoted

to our 1962 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 convertible. The site also has a lot of information on Oldsmobile cars and the company founder, Ransom Eli Olds.

THE GRAY LADY: This website features our 1955 Cadillac Coupé de Ville, lots of Caddy information and an extensive repair library.

DAVE’S DEN: ◄-A site devoted to a myriad of interests. Foremost is extensive information on the “Steel City” of Gary, IN. There are also offerings on steel making, U.S. Steel-Gary Works, U.S. Marine Corps, M14 assault rifle, of course Oldsmobile, and the tragic story of the murder of Gary, IN Police Lt. George Yaros.

Car Collector Chronicles

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Sale Saga The Gray Lady has departed the Yaros Car Barn for the final time. That event transpired on 7 July. Coincidentally, that is also the date her classic car insurance policy expired. She was driven all of four blocks to the waiting car transporter for loading. She now resides in Amarillo, TX. Her absence is felt.

They Came to Milwaukee

“Not only did folk from Switzerland, all over Canada and the U.S. converge on Milwaukee, so did their Oldsmobile cars. 520 individuals and 476 cars to be precise!”

They came from Flueh, Switzerland. They came from North Sannich, BC Canada. They came from West St. Paul, MB Canada, as well as from several cities in Ontario Canada. They also came from all four corners of the U.S.; Massachusetts, Florida, California and Washington state. Not only did folk from Switzerland, all over Canada and the U.S. converge on Milwaukee, so did their Oldsmobile cars. 520 individuals and 476 cars to be precise! The occasion for this gathering of people and cars was the Oldsmobile Club of America 2015 Nationals meet. I know not where to begin to recount the happenings? Who knows how many pages it shall take to properly tell the story? As at the Cadillac national meet, I again worked the parking lot, greeting folks as they arrived. Yes that is me, but thankfully no one would ever know it! Each member’s car was given an assigned and numbered space. My job was to welcome them and tell them both the number and location of their assigned parking space. As at the Cadillac meet, I also served as a judge of show cars. I selected a class of which I have personal and working familiarity. It was Class 7—1957 to 1960, ALL. My parents owned a ’57 98, and I owned a ’60 Super 88. Unlike at the Caddy meet, we did have our car at the OCA Nats. Saved 62 was registered and entered for judging in Class 8A—1961 to 1970, Full Size and Jetstar 88. (As an aside, it was a pleasant surprise not to be parked next, or compared, to those ever present Starfires!) I was somewhat perplexed to find a modern day SUV parked in my assigned space. It caused no problem early on, as we did not bring Saved 62 to the meet until Thursday, 23 Jul. As the SUV was still there Thursday morning, I was assigned a different parking space. It worked out well as the new space actually had a tree which provided me with a modicum of shade. By Friday, judging day, the errant SUV was gone. Even so, I kept Saved 62 parked in my new space, in the shade. Let me talk about some of the interesting folk and cars I saw. I met one gent who owned 80 Oldsmobiles! I told him he needed to get either 8 or 18 more; that way his total would be 88 or 98! There was one gent there who had, I know not what to call it? It was a sectioned Cutlass 442 body mounted on, maybe, a motorcycle frame So much of the body had been jettisoned in the sectioning process that it sported only half of the original quad headlight setup. The rig had wheelie wheels on the back and a motorcycle faring for a windshield. A faux V-8 engine was displayed topside. Under the body shell was a 2-cylinder, rope start engine that actually powered the ride. This vehicle was quite the draw and most definitely a crowd favorite. Moreover, it was hard to tell who was having more fun with it, the spectators studying it or the owner displaying it?

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Car Collector Chronicles

They Came to Milwaukee—Cont’d.

Of equal interest were the matching lime green 442 drop tops. I cannot help but wonder what it cost to create the miniature version of the two? I do have to say that never, ever have I seen so many Cutlass 442s in one location. They went on for row after row. It felt like one was in the loading yard at the Oldsmobile plant in Lansing. When one thinks Olds, one does not necessarily think station wagon. However, they are becoming quite popular. For the 2015 OCA Nats a total of 21 were on display. Everyone seemed to gather ‘round and appreciate the 1950 woody.

“Out of 476 cars on the show field, all of two were I did make a rather interesting observation when it came to the cars on display. Out of 476 cars on the show field, all of two were 1954 models. The owner of 1, Dick Baumgarten from Green Bay, WI, asserts that there are only ten 1954 Oldsmobiles believed to exist. Dick’s is all the more rare as it sports factory air. I cannot verify or dispute the accuracy of his statement, but 2-out-of 476 does indeed attest to their rarity. A pity, as they are really nice rides and represent a major styling transition from the 50 through 53 model years. A ride deserving to be singled out for attention was brought to the meet by Harry Soenksen of Chicago, IL. This car was in the Senior Preservation Class. To be in the Senior Preservation class the car must have taken Best of Class (top honors) in both the Junior and Senior Divisions. The car is unique for a number of reasons. It was purchased new by Harry’s father. It came to Harry after his father’s passing. Harry and his son were displaying the car at the Nats. That means Harry’s son may eventually become the third generation to own this car. That in it self is pretty darn neat! The car in question is a 1961 Dynamic 88 Holiday Coupe. You and I would more readily recognize it as a “bubbletop.” The color is tropic mist (green). What makes it stand out in any crowd are the factory options Harry’s dad ordered. Most notable of those is the factory three-on-the-tree. (Having owned a ‘ 60 Super 88 with three-on-the-tree I appreciate just how few and far between these rides are.) The engine to which the stick shift is mated has factory racing dual

1954 models.”

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Car Collector Chronicles

They Came to Milwaukee—Cont’d. exhaust. On taking a look at the exhaust manifolds one cannot help but immediately notice the oversize header tubes. They have to be 3” + in diameter! The car also has a “RECLAIMO” oil treatment system. It was installed by Oldsmobile as the car made its way down the assembly line. How do I know this? #1, Harry has factory documentation attesting to this fact. #2, The “RECLAIMO” unit, mounted on the left fender well is painted tropic mist, just like the rest of the car. So, what is a “RECLAIMO?” It is probably best to let the manufacturer do the talking here. The ad copy may be a bit hard to read. In addition to filtering the oil, the device uses exhaust heat to burn off impurities and water that may be in the oil. Sounds like a “smoke & mirrors” device to me? I am more than surprised that Oldsmobile would install such a device at the factory. It did. I saw the order form and the factory install documentation. I should point out that this unit is in addition to the normal canister oil filter found on the car. What was more than obvious about this Olds, in addition to its rarity, was that Harry’s father loved the car, Harry loves the car and Harry’s son loves the car. Way to go, Guys!

Here Comes da’ Judge

Now, let me turn to the matter of judging. This was both an interesting, and learning experience for me, even though I also judged at the 2015 Cadillac Grand National. The same standard as used at the Cadillac show of “as delivered to the first owner by the manufacturer” was in place. The question of how much to deduct for deviations from that objective standard was pretty much left up to the individual judging teams. Moreover, the cars within a class were judged against one another, as well as on their own merit. That is to say, the entire class was initially viewed and a “most likely” best of class singled out by the team. Only after this was accomplished were the cars individually inspected and judged. In the end, the car with the fewest deducts (most points out of a possible 1,000) takes best of class. The next highest gets 1st Place, etc. Plaques are handed out for Best of Class, 1st, 2nd and 3rd in each judging class. Would anyone be shocked to learn that the car initially selected as “most likely BOC” turned out to be the car with the fewest points deducted? What really surprised me were the manufacturing variances between cars of the same year; viz., 1957. All had heater boxes on the firewall. On some these housings were covered with undercoating. On others there was no undercoating. On one the passenger side housing had undercoating while the driver side did not? Uniformity did not exist, even at the factory, back in the day! That it did not taught me that one should not make snap judgments on questions of correctness/authenticity. In our class there was a mighty fine 1957 Super 88 convertible, as well as an equally nice 1958 Super 88 2-door hardtop. I and a fellow judge felt the ‘58 was deserving best of class. Our thinking was it took a whole lot more time, effort and money to get the 1958 to top tier level than it did the ‘57. If for no other reasons than parts availability for a 1958 Oldsmobile is far less than for a ‘57, and there is whole heck of a lot more chrome to restore on the ’58 cars than the 1957s. Our 4 fellow judges did not agree, putting us in the minority and the 1958 owner in the position of having to settle for a 1st Place. One of the 13 1957 Oldsmobiles in our class had a sign on it proclaiming it to be “all original.” During the course of my inspection I detected signs that at some point in time the car had been a color combina-

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Car Collector Chronicles

Here Comes da’ Judge—Cont’d.

tion different from what it now displayed. A review of the trim tag verified this to be the case. The car also had clear plastic seat covers on it. They had yellowed from age, but served their function of protecting the seat fabric underneath. Even so, something about the seats just did not look right. The car owner watched nervously as our judging team gathered around the car with a 1957 fabric selection book in hand, pointing and speaking in low tones. It turned out that the seat fabric being protected in the “all original” car was not available from Oldsmobile in 1957! The anxious owner asked me if there was a problem. Being low man on the totem pole I did not feel it was my place to break the bad news. I passed his query on to our team captain. He gave the ok for me to be the bearer of bad tidings. I could see the surprise, shock and disillusionment set in on the car owner’s face. He was slowly coming to the realization that he had been sold a bill of goods by the previous owner. It was still a more than very nice 1957 Oldsmobile, no doubt. Equally of no doubt was the fact that it was anything but “all original.” A final note on judging. Somehow or other, this followed us home from the OCA Nationals. Evidently Saved 62 still has what it takes, after all these years (53 years since manufacture and 10 years since coming into our care)?

– Ok, I’ve had my say for the month. Now it’s your turn! I invite/ encourage submission of your comments, opinions and article contributions. I also ask that you please help spread the word about our publication. Everything sent shall indeed be reviewed by me. Submissions should be sent to CCC® at OldsD88@gmail.com. –– Now that you have finished reading this month’s issue of the newsletter, if so inclined, like CCC® on Facebook® by going here

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-- RESTORE 'EM, AND DRIVE 'EM! COMING NEXT ISSUE: • The Milwaukee Masterpiece Concours • Compare/Contrast: OCA Nats and Cadillac Grand National

Car Collector Chronicles

2015 OCA Nats Photos

More photos may be found here -â&#x2014;&#x201E;

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