Olds rearend

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old man dave

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 5, 2009
Messages
485
I have heard in the late 50's early 60's that drag racers used Olds rear differentials because of the larger stronger ring and pinion. If this is true what years would you use? The reason i am asking is i found a farmer that has 56 Olds 88 that is junked in a field. I might buy the whole car to resell the bumpers and other useable pieces but keep the engine and rear end for a someday project. Any comments will be appreciated.
 
I would get it, I drove a AA/G ALTERED in the 60's with 57 OLDS rear end in it raced it for 3 years and never had any problems with the rear end.
 
The Olds rears were very popular back in the day, Pontiac rears are the same. You should be able to find brakes and bearings for that rear. Posi's for the pontiacs will fit & may be easier to find because Pontiac got into the high performance stuff where Olds didn't. If the motor is good that combination will look good in a traditional rod...
 
The Olds rears were very popular back in the day, Pontiac rears are the same. You should be able to find brakes and bearings for that rear. Posi's for the pontiacs will fit & may be easier to find because Pontiac got into the high performance stuff where Olds didn't. If the motor is good that combination will look good in a traditional rod...

A traditional rod is what i was thinking of getting this stuff for. The farmer had a lot of stuff with real reasonable prices but i did not ask about the Olds. Gives me a reason to go visit again. This guy is 80 years young and was a river boat captain for 35 years on the Mississippi and has great stories to tell. I will also get pics of his other cars as everything is for sale. Thanks.
 
What do you guys think of taking said Olds that is a 4 door rust bucket and making a roadster out of it. I would cut the top off fill the rear door seams and cover the rear seat area with sheet metal to make it a 2 seater. These cars are a little bloated looking so i am not sure if it would be out of proportion and end up looking terrible. If anyone here is good at photoshop and can make a car look like i am talking about i would be very thankful. All ideas are appreciated.
 
If it was me I would take the running gear and maybe the dash and steering wheel (if you can fix cracks). Some trim if it is any good. sell and scrap anything else, that is if you can't fix all the rust yourself.
 
If it was me I would take the running gear and maybe the dash and steering wheel (if you can fix cracks). Some trim if it is any good. sell and scrap anything else, that is if you can't fix all the rust yourself.

That is probably a good idea as the car is a 4 door and very rusty. I would not attempt to restore it because it would not be worth the effort. The only reason i thought about making it topless is to give me a cheap convertible this summer.
 
I don't know how cheap it would end up being, the frame might have problems with rust the suspension and brakes and some tires and on and on and on! Anytime I luck into a parts car I take what I want knowing everything I take will need to be repaired or rebuilt for my next project.
 
If I remember correctly, the Olds rears everyone used were 57-58. I think the 56 down had a different setup, but I am working from old memories on this one.

Don
 
Thanks Don. Do you know how to visually ID a useable year?
I think the good ones did not have an inspection cover like a 9" but the center was round like a basketball.
 

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