A GDYNETS® PUBLICATION © 2013, G. DAVID YAROS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Car Collector Chronicles ®
Volume VI, Issue 12
Exploring:
Ca
• 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
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GDYNets On the Web
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The OldsmoBill S-10
CCC® Forum EMail:
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OldsD88@gmail.com ◄
Another year comes to a close. My rides, and yours I am sure, are now sleeping peacefully in their stalls. I did manage to get the cooling system flushed and refilled in the Olds. A pic of my jerry-rigged drain is found in this issue. I had to gather a few vacuum cleaner wands to accomplish the task of getting the flushed fluid to drain from the radiator to outside of the garage. Hey, it worked! I was able to drive the Gray Lady a bit before having to put her under cover. At least now, when spring breaks, she will be ready to hit the road. A new ride, and I do mean a “brand spanking new” ride has taken up space in the Yaros Car Barn. The Mrs. went out and purchased a 2013 Toyoata Avalon, Touring. It is Champagne Mica in color and has tons of bells and whistles. So many that I have yet to figure out what they all do. I have yet to even drive the car, even though we
have now owned it for a month. This edition of CCC® is going to take a look at an Oldsmobile that one seldom, if ever, sees. Its very existence attests to the loyalty of Olds owners to the know extinct marque. I also present a Cadillac that can rightfully claim to be unique.
Dec Automotive Milestones-12/2/1927 Model A goes on sale 12/7/1931 Last Model A produced 12/9/1963 Studebaker ceases production 12/13/1939 First production Lincoln Continental 12/17/1791 NYC creates 1st one-way street 12/20/1892 Pneumatic automobile tire patented 12/22/1900 First car bearing "Mercedes" name delivered to buyer 12/31/1936 UAW strikes Fisher Body Plant Happy Holidays to you & yours!
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Lambrecht Chevrolet Auction Déjà vu 4 CCC® Presents
December 2013
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GDYNets® on the Web Find GDYNets on the web: 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.
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Car Collector Chronicles
The OldsmoBill S-10 I will be the first to admit that I spend a lot of time on the net. Ask my wife and she will readily tell you that I spend too much damn time on the net! She is probably right. My daily rounds include a number of sites devoted exclusively to Oldsmobile content. They are Classic Oldsmobile ◄ and Real Olds Power ◄. On one of these sites, I think Classic Olds, I stumbled upon a photo of an Oldsmobile that I had never, ever seen. I contacted the poster and his reply is the basis for this article. The poster is a gent named Bill Holtzclaw. He and his Olds are located in Cartersville, GA. A blurb on his website, The OldsmoBill.com ◄, pretty much explains his affinity for the Oldsmobile marque:
“Myself, I have been involved with the Oldsmobile marque for nigh onto 60 yrs now. … It is safe to say that even though I am not related to Ransom Eli Olds, I do have Oldsmobile in my blood.”
I specialize in all things Oldsmobile. I buy, sell and trade Oldsmobile cars and parts. I also perform Oldsmobile restorations. I have been doing this for 30 years and I know Oldsmobiles. I have restored well over 15 cars, some to a National Quality Level. Myself, I have been involved with the Oldsmobile marque for nigh onto 60 years now. The first Olds I can recall was a 2-tone gray 1948 Futuramic. There have been more than a few since then, running all the way up to a 1992 Intrigue. It is safe to say that even though I am not related to Ransom Eli Olds, I do have Oldsmobile in my blood. That I do is why the photo of Bill’s Oldsmobile stood out. At any rate, let Bill speak for himself and tell his own story. Here it is:
Thank you for your interest in my truck. First of all, the truck was created in my mind. A friend and I have done some Oldsmobile restorations in the past and we always talked about doing an El Camino-type Oldsmobile. My friend converted a mid'80's GMC S-15 by using a firstgeneration Bravada. I thought I would do a late model version. Also, after doing some research, I learned that some Oldsmobile dealers actually diverted some Chevrolet S-10 and GMC Sonoma models and added the Bravada grille and marketed them as an Oldsmobile S-10 or Sonoma. I decided to go a step further and add the body cladding, grille and bumpers from a Bravada. I wanted the basic truck to be an extended cab with the 3rd door, so I looked for one that was in good condition and had no previous body damage or paint work. Then I proceeded to find an appropriate Bravada to "steal" the parts from. I found a 2001 Chevrolet S-10 that suited me and a 2000 Oldsmobile Bravada, and then began the transformation. From start to finish, it took about 3 weeks. I took both to a local body shop and told them what I wanted and they agreed to take on the project. After removing the parts from the Bravada, we determined that we would need more body cladding pieces. The front fender and door cladding fit perfectly, but the rest had to be modified. I found cladding readily available on eBay and bought what I needed. I went to a local junkyard and got a rear bumper assembly from an S-10, as my truck had a chrome step bumper on it. After a few weeks of modifying the cladding and test fitting, I picked a gold color for the accent colors and Olds 15" SSII wheels. The white paint on the truck is original paint. We repainted the hood and tailgate, and the bed
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Car Collector Chronicles
The OldsmoBill S-10-Cont’d. cover. The body shop owner got the stripe idea by looking at different Oldsmobiles and suggested a theme based on a ‘69 Hurst/Olds. I shopped eBay for emblems and used some that I already had. I’ve been collecting Oldsmobile parts for over 30 years. I am currently restoring a 1967 442 W-30 tribute car along the resto-mod theme. It is in final assembly and will be a state-of-the-art creation. I'm also doing a factory stock restoration on a '69 442, factory black, 4 speed, disc brake car. I'm also doing a '64 442 convertible and I have a '68 442 that I plan on restoring as a Hurst/Olds. My plan is to install a small block Olds engine that I already have rebuilt with a 200 R4 transmission on the Olds truck, along with a 4 wheel disc brake setup. I'm thinking of adding a set of "mail box" scoops from a '69 H/O and notching the rear bumper for exhaust outlets. If you want to know more about the '67 442, it is a real interesting car and should be a real fun attention getter! A number of things stand out about this ride. I can not tell you how may Oldsmobiles I have seen, read or heard about that now have a Chevy 350 under the hood. Here, we have a Chevy truck that will have an Olds engine installed. Love it! Did you notice the repeated mention of ebay® by Bill? The fact is, notwithstanding how much people malign ebay®, it is a good source for those engaging in the old car hobby. Why would anyone go to all this trouble and expense? A big part of the reason has to be, plain and simple, a love for all things Oldsmobile. Bill definitely has that! Bill, hats off to you from CCC®! Your love for Oldsmobile and dedication in paying tribute to the marque is noted and appreciated! Get that Olds engine in and install the duals. Then, you will have a 442S-10!
“Why would anyone go to all this trouble and expense? A big part of the reason has to be, plain and simple, a love for all things Oldsmobile.”
Car Collector Chronicles
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Lambrecht Chevrolet Auction Déjà vu We covered the Lambrecht Chevrolet auction a few months back. Now, Lambrecht purchases and related items are surfacing on the net for resale. I find it more than interesting what some people think has value. For instance, how much would you be willing to pay for this now expired parking pass? The ebay® seller seems to think someone is willing to shell out a double sawbuck ($10) for it. Then, should you be so inclined, there are “Lambrecht Survivor Auction” sweatshirts to be had. A few years back we owned a 1963 Chevrolet Corvair Monza convertible. In order to connect with other Vair owners I joined CORSA and frequented their web site/forum ◄. I have previou8sly remarked that it is by far the best car related web site on the net in terms of a willingness to share information and knowledge. I still frequent the forum. There is an ongoing discussion there by Corvair gurus about the Lambrecht Chevrolet Vairs now being hawked on the net. It makes for some interesting reading/thought. Representative of the thinking of car folk is this comment: I don’t understand these Lambrecht cars. Who wants those rusted junk cars that sat in a field for years? I can buy a parts car for way less money in better shape and restore it. Another Vair owner opined: This may sound cruel, but I HOPE the dealers who bought these cars to profit on ALL loose their butts. In reality, the cars should've been stripped of the few good parts and then scrapped, as that is all many of them are. REALLY sad to see what the Lamebrechts allowed those cars to become. To me, the only historical value is one of gross neglect. In terms of “food for thought” it was asked: So, is there some prestige associated with a "Lambrect car" now? I get that it's unique in having only 10 miles and having never been sold. Unfortunately, that is offset by the condition it is in. It obviously has had rodents in the engine compartment and trunk. They probably were in the interior as well. The only thing of historical value would be the plastic on the seats or other "original packaging" that was thrown out by the dealer as soon as the car was delivered. A few folk have hit upon what may be the real value of the Lambrecht vehicles, an exemplar of “factory original”: The engine would be an interesting study though, should be exactly as delivered from the factory (with some added rust of course). A like opinion proffered: I do not think the opportunity to study 50 or so unrestored unsold truly original vehicles will be repeated any time soon. Granted there was a lot of deterioration in the vehicles due to neglect, but it was a great chance to do research on authenticity. Hammer prices are still difficult to comprehend: It's pretty bad when the highest priced 1963 Corvair sold for $42,000 is valued by the Hagerty Evauluation Tool at only $8,000. I wonder if Hagerty will insure those basket cases for what the bidders paid? Ed: A really good question! As for the prices paid by the bidders, there is this train of thought: There are so few ‘factory new’ vehicles of this era left in the world that even in deteriorated condition, there is no price guide for them. They are of sort of like great works of art that cannot be replicated. Hagerty did have this to say about the hammer prices: "The new buyers made the case with their wallets that originality is something that cannot be manufactured in a less original car, and that it is worth a premium. That premium becomes a little less exuberant, however, as a car skews farther from “survivor” and more towards “basket case.” The post-auction world is whole different animal. Only time can tell where the value of these purchases will settle. As one Corvair Center Forum user noted: It will be interesting to see if the passion created during the auction atmosphere can continue to grow or if it can even remain the same. Right now the ‘57 is at about 70% what it cost at the auction. Another interesting aspect of this whole affair was the fact that the auction house, VanDerBrink Auctions, held a Second Chance Lambrecht Chevrolet Auction ◄ in mid-November. In this auction the inventory consisted of vehicles not paid for buy buyers for whatever reason; like bidding ridiculous prices and subsequently experiencing a bit of buyer’s remorse? One may read all about it by googling second+chance+lambrecht.” I have not been able to find any “second time around” auction results. A comparison of the original hammer prices with those from the retread sale would make for an interesting study to say the least. Also, since the cars were now “once sold” would they have to be considered used vehicles? The bottom line here is that the Lambrecht Chevrolet Auction was a car collector event in every possible sense of the word. Its significance shall continue to be debated by members of the collector car community for years to come. It is doubtful that debate will ever yield a consensus.
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Car Collector Chronicles ®
CCC Presents If you regularly read this pub (especially the last few months) you know that in addition to my Oldsmobile passion I am a Cadillac aficionado. I feel that the mid-fifties Cadillac are a thing of beauty. I find it very hard to improve upon the efforts of the design engineers of that era. Having said that, I do realize that others may not agree, and have no hesitancy whatsoever in modifying the factory product. Here is one such example I ran across of late:
I do no know how I would characterize it? Is it a rat rod? Is it a dragster? What I do know is that it would be a blast to hit the local cruise-ins behind the wheel! Now here is one to test your knowledge/tease your brain. What is this tool? If anybody gets it, I will be surprised. I also will hazard a pretty educated guess that if they do, they are, shall we say, “long in the tooth!” The answer next month. Good luck! I ran across this pic of an Olds. It floated my boat, so I decided to present it here: ↓
The art of jerry-rigging! ==>
Car Collector Chronicles
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Happy Holidays! Let me take a minute to wish all of you a safe and happy holiday season. I also want to thank you for your readership and input. Both are deeply appreciated. It is my hope that 2014 be a good year for all of us. The gods willing, perhaps our paths may cross in the coming year? If you should happen upon either Saved 62 or The Gray Lady, do look me up. I would consider it an honor to spend some time with you talking cars!
– 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, come start/join an ongoing dialog with other CCC® readers and like-minded car collector folk on the CCC® Forum. Stop by, check us out and share your views … . ______________________________________
-- RESTORE 'EM, AND DRIVE 'EM! COMING NEXT ISSUE: • TBD