The Oldsmobile

Every once in a while we get a really neat car in the shop. In all honesty, we try to keep the fleet we work on as homogeneous and new as possible. New, normal cars, that's our bread and butter.

As cars age, they develop quirky problems that are time consuming to find, and most of the time it just isn't worth the money it costs to have an old car fixed professionally.

That's why old cars are usually hobby cars. Their owners tinker away on them, giving them the hours and attention they deserve. Occasionally, their owners need a bit of help. If we have time, and the car is well sorted, we do minor work on old cars...usually for old friends.

Today we had a 1936 Olds in the shop. It's owner, our neighbour and friend, brought it over to have some new white-walls installed.

That's our biggest hoist, and the car barely fit. We've had full size SUV's on there!


Take a look at that grill.

That's one long hood.

The reason for the long hood: a straight 8, with one tiny carburetor. Note the massive horns. Also note that those are Robert Bosch wires.
It's actually amazing how little cars really have changed. Sure, this thing is archaic, but 70 years later, we still have spark plugs, thermostats, and starters that look just like this car's!

One door panel, three handles. Yes, even the vent window deserves a well ornamented handle.


It never occurred to me that a car so big would have a manual transmission. A floor shifter. Not sporty. Just the way it was.

An art-deco clock the size of a dinner plate. When I was a kid, if I needed to know the time, I'd always search for a Volvo 240. Their clocks were the only ones big enough to see from the outside. Kids in the 30's would have had an easier time with that particular problem, but they also wouldn't have had calculator watches.

Every cloud, I suppose.

The new boots. Coker Reproductions. Nice.

I've never put tubes in tires that didn't end up on my bicycle. This car got tires made in the USA, tubes made in China. I guess they still use car tubes in China.

Sadly, It was a bit too dark to get a good picture of the final product when I finished. This is one of the left rear wheel.

Someday I'll figure out a way to make money fixin'old cars, and maybe that's all I'll do.