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After 3 1/2 years, I finally was able to take the car around the block. She isn’t quite perfect, but it felt really awesome to be able to get it on the road.
We did some light tuning, and it still needs a lot more. Thanks Luke for all your help! For now, it is tame enough to get on and off the trailer and to the show field.
I installed the brake line from Right Stuff. What a pain. I concluded it’s damn near impossible to install the line as it is shipped as I had to bend and re-bend to get the line to contour to where it needed to go. Line to the rear hose is nice and dry. The line to the block no longer leaks at the threads, but I am still going to closely monitor it.
The next few days will be all about cleaning and detailing, and then it’s off to Nashville for the OCA Nationals.
The car sounds great! I saw a guy tonight at the Plainfield Cruise night who had a rallye 350 although a knockoff since it was a 72 and I think the only prod year was 1970 for that car. In any case he said the flowmaster super 44 was the closest to the OEM W31 sound, any thoughts? Really love how your w31 sounds.
Left Chicago this morning en route to the Nationals in Nashville. We are staying in Louisville, KY this evening and finishing the drive in the morning. Very excited to get the car in the field, check out the swap meet, and see both old and new friends. If you’re at the show, stop by and say hello.
That is so awesome to see everything come together. Great great job. Your drive and patience really shows. Great quality detailed job. Have a great time in Nashville.
A great week in Nashville for the Nationals! We had an amazing time seeing all the cars, checking out the parts in the swap meet, and meeting all sorts of old and new friends along the way.
The judging on Friday went well. While I was working with the team judging the convertibles, a skilled and knowledgeable team of judges went through the hardtops. The W-31 ended up with a First Place and also took home Best of Class honors in the 1970-1972 performance closed (hardtop) class.
Looking forward to getting a few things dialed in between now and MCACN. For now, I have one more show August 22nd at the Geneva Concours and then it’ll be shelved until November.
Last edited by WTHIRTY1; December 14th, 2021 at 12:45 PM.
wthirty1 thanks for letting me so close to your W31. It sure is a gem and it shows that you showered this car with your attention to detail. Appreciate you sharing a few more of your car restoration tips, and too, congrats on your wins at Murfreesboro, they are well deserved. My best to your Dad; he’s a treasure, cherish him.
I need a license plate frame with the spring I had to bumper push my car years ago and it broke the weld and then got lost Can I get some link to AD Pelunis ?Thanks
I haven't turned a wrench on the car since we returned from the Tennessee Nationals and I'm not complaining! I will have the car out this Sunday, August 22nd for the Geneva Concours d'Elegance. I feel incredibly fortunate that the car was invited to participate! http://genevaconcours.net/
In preparation for the show, I am going to put the blue steelies back on the car along with the NOS dog dish caps. From where I have to unload the trailer to the show field is just about a mile, and I don't want to drive on the NOS Goodyear Polyglas tires any more than I have to.
This will be the last time I have the car out until MCACN in November.
Jimmy, I saw your car at Geneva today, it looked great!. Sorry I didn't get to meet you, That was a huge show, I had no idea Geneva hosted such an event. Is it there every year?
Had a great time today with the family at the Geneva Concours d’Elegance. The cars were unreal! We were able to see one of the original Tuckers along with a couple of real Deusenbergs. The weather was great, the turnout was huge, and the W-31 did really well.
The total look of the car changed dramatically with the blue steelies, too.
Really proud and surprised to have taken home one of the Carl F. Benz awards at the show!
Unloading pretty early. I was reading about the differences between car shows and concours events…pretty cool to see how early the cars arrive at some of the bigger events like Pebble Beach.
Really impressed with how organized the show was! Tremendous volunteer staff.
It was cool to be a part of the awards ceremony and drive through the “main artery” of the show field.
Couldn’t pass up this photo opportunity!
Cool award! Great weekend!
Last edited by WTHIRTY1; December 14th, 2021 at 12:45 PM.
Too the town of Geneva is so special with the historic preservation that has prevailed over the years. The storefronts and homes are a super backdrop for the vintage automobiles.
Please explain to the peer group the significance of the Carl F. Benz award and your car? I looked online and what I could find said the award is for magazine articles, but surely that can’t be correct?
Too the town of Geneva is so special with the historic preservation that has prevailed over the years. The storefronts and homes are a super backdrop for the vintage automobiles.
Please explain to the peer group the significance of the Carl F. Benz award and your car? I looked online and what I could find said the award is for magazine articles, but surely that can’t be correct?
I was just flipping through the pages of the show’s really well done program and came across this blurb.
I would encourage anyone local to the Midwest to check this event out. The uniqueness of the cars was really a treat to see, and as previously mentioned, the backdrop of the quaint downtown area was perfect. The show was incredibly well organized starting with the trailer parking to the staff running the festivities. Well done all around!
Last edited by WTHIRTY1; October 17th, 2022 at 05:04 PM.
I was just flipping through the pages of the show’s really well done program and came across this blurb.
I would encourage anyone local to the Midwest to check this event out. The uniqueness of the cars was really a treat to see, and as previously mentioned, the backdrop of the quaint downtown area was perfect. The show was incredibly well organized starting with the trailer parking to the staff running the festivities. Well done all around!
Really cool. What class were you in at Geneva Jimmy?
With MCACN quickly approaching, I started getting my “to-do” list drafted. Since day 1 of this restoration, winning at MCACN has always been the goal. There are going to be some serious Oldsmobile restorations in attendance this year so we’ll see what happens!
I’m hopeful my garage space will be finished soon so I can wrench in there leading up to the show. The car has been in the underground storage at the garage condo for the last two months. The setup is so cool there…I drove the car in to the elevator and they lowered it in to the basement. The basement is secure, climate controlled, and decorated with murals reflecting automotive history.
The first thing on my list is to get the NOS LH hockey stick for the front professionally polished. The NOS one currently on the car has a tiny pit that is more noticeable under the fluorescent lights.
In to the elevator we go.
Lowered in to the basement.
Parked in the “GM” section of the garage.
Last edited by WTHIRTY1; October 12th, 2021 at 10:48 AM.
Jimmy:
Which tail pipes did you end up using? Didn't you have 2 sets? I have a 2-1/2" pypes exhaust set but I don't like the routing of the tailpipes and the 2-1/2" size fits very close to suspension parts and frame. I thought you may want to sell the extra set. Thanks!
Rodney
Jimmy:
Which tail pipes did you end up using? Didn't you have 2 sets? I have a 2-1/2" pypes exhaust set but I don't like the routing of the tailpipes and the 2-1/2" size fits very close to suspension parts and frame. I thought you may want to sell the extra set. Thanks!
Rodney
I am currently running pipes from Gardner. I may switch to a set of NOS tailpipes before the show but not sure it’s worth the effort. I have two sets of NOS pipes if interested.
Just about a week and change before my unload time for the show. Today I picked up the LH chrome hockey stick for the front after having it polished. It came out as well as you’d expect an older piece to look. It’s not quite perfect but it’s better than the pitted one currently on the car.
The car comes out of the basement storage and back in to the bubble in my garage. Unfortunately, the garage is still under construction so I’ll end up pushing it in and out of the bubble until it’s time to put her in the trailer.
The list of items to bang out is as follows: install the LH hockey stick, address horn issue (I removed a strap under the triangular button and didn’t think I needed it—oops), install rivets on my NOS sill plates for the Fisher Body tags, and polish a few areas of the paint for the bright lights.
Last edited by WTHIRTY1; October 17th, 2022 at 05:04 PM.
Had a few small projects I knocked out this week. A good friend pointed out that my NOS door sill plates were missing the rivets like the originals. I ended up taking an old set, and using the cutting wheel on the underside, popped the tag and pulled out the rivets. I used the old tag to drill the holes on the NOS plates and tweezers to drop the new rivets in with a dab of super glue.
I also had the car polished today as there were a few scratches near the rear glass and the deck lid. All good! Looking forward to a great weekend at the show and seeing old friends.
Original plates with rivets.
Grinding the old rivets.
Tape over the rivets in case they pop out. They are small!
Tiny rivet!
Finished project.
Professional polish.
NOS tires and factory SS2 wheels back on.
Finally in the new garage!
Time to load up for MCACN!
Last edited by WTHIRTY1; November 23rd, 2021 at 07:55 AM.
Is that spot showing on the floor of the new garage and under the rear of your car significant? Perhaps you have not noticed it. The car looks great by the way.
What a weekend! The show was simply incredible. The 66/67 W-30 invitational set the new standard for how a display should look and feel at a show! My family had a wonderful time looking at all the cars, and my daughter loved the scavenger hunt and coloring station (she also developed an affinity for a Moulin Rouge Barracuda thanks to the Autoworld Toy display).
MCACN was the culmination of a restoration dating back to January 2018. This car debuted at the 2021 OCA Nationals where it received Best of Class in the coveted and competitive performance class. In August of 2021, the car received a Benz award at the Geneva Concours d’Elegance.
Now, I can proudly say that the car earned a Concours Gold from MCACN and 2021 Platinum Pick for Top Oldsmobile.
Every number on the car matches and was restored with 1,100+ NOS parts including Goodyear Polyglas tires, blue vinyl seat material, valve stems, fuel sending unit, weatherstripping, etc. I have spent hundreds of hours documenting 1970 W-cars to come up with what I believe is an accurate representation of how these cars would have looked new at the dealership. We went to great lengths to preserve areas such as the original firewall paint and stampings as well as match every shade of blue for the interior (and there were quite a few!).
It has been an incredible journey restoring this car, and I am very appreciative of all that have helped and supported me along the way!
Body and paint work were completed by Bob Reeve and Carlos Forester at Carshine Restorations LLC. The numbers matching engine was blueprinted and assembled by Casey Marks with the intent to run the car at the Pure Stock Muscle Car Drag Race in 2022. The seats and headliner were refinished by Mr. Trim in Downers Grove, IL. The transmission was rebuilt by @Brian Stefina. Plating and carb rebuild completed by Greg Sparky Kalkhoff. Stainless polishing finished by Courtesy Metal in Addison, IL. Steering column rebuild completed by Patton Glade. The aftermarket vendors, though used sparingly, are ALL an asset to our community. Thanks to Fusick, Inline tube, Steve Kenny, Ron Memmer, Scott Winn, Ross Hunsinger along with the other suppliers who support us with our projects.
And last, but certainly not least, I have to thank my family and friends who have helped with this project. My wife and my parents have tolerated my insanity! My Dad has helped me every step of the way, and I could not have done this without him! And while I’ve certainly ruffled a few feathers along the way, I’ve learned a lot about myself through this restoration, and I’m beyond grateful to my friends that share in our hobby.
Last edited by WTHIRTY1; November 23rd, 2021 at 02:06 PM.
A great critique of your car, yourself, and others that have helped you along this journey. Your awards are well-deserved. My best felicitations to you on this very special occasion!
August 3rd, 2021, 07:40 PM
It sure is a gem and it shows that you showered this car with your attention to detail. Appreciate you sharing a few more of your car restoration tips, and too, congrats on your wins at Murfreesboro, they are well deserved. My best to your Dad; he’s a treasure, cherish him.
