It was spring of 1964 and my dad was in his third year with the Honeywell company, in Indianapolis, Indiana, a job which in those years meant a good bit of travel for him, which also meant a set of company wheels. The wheels arrived full time some time around the fall of ’63, a ’62 Falcon. To the folks this was a prime opportunity to save up for some new wheels of their own, as Mom’s ’55 Chevy was beginning to tire a bit, and the ’57 Chevy four door just didn’t pack the same punch as it used to either. So the search was on by spring of ’64 for a GTO convertible. No lie.
Well, as history painfully reminds us Olds enthusiasts, the ’64 GTO was the hottest thing on sale from G.M. that year, and availability was already getting slim. Their car had to be red, had to have four gears, and had to be a convertible. Those were the particulars. After several disappointing weeks of searching for this setup, they happened into Dellen Olds in Indy, on June 13th to be exact, and found “the next best thing,” a 442 convertible, holiday red, black interior, four gears. No A/C. No big deal.
The car was the dealers center showpiece, perched top down on a rotating raised pedestal, in the middle of the floor, a real beauty. I was 7 at the time, and remember asking how they got it up there – and still don’t know. The car had never been driven by a customer. They didn’t drive it either, just plopped down $50.00 to hold it, and I doubt if they even asked what color the top was. On June 15, a Monday, the balance was paid in full, $3309.54. Near as I can tell Dellen discounted $500.00 (approx. 13%) according to the sales slip. Don’t ask me why.
The car came with, of course, the B09 option ($285.14), radio, power steering and brakes, front seat belts, console, deluxe cast wheel covers and red line tires plus several other options. The color was and still is, code “V” Holiday Red, with a black interior and white top, factory Muncie 4 speed, 310 HP gold block 330 CID.
The folks drove the car regularly for about 2 to 3 years, mom back and forth to work, dad on weekend joy rides. It was hit lightly once in the left rear fender, and someone else thought the console tach would look better in their car, so they cut the driving down to fun runs only, averaging about 1000 miles a year. Also, in ’68, dad started the first of many restoration projects, a ’25 Model “T”, relegating the Olds to a stored position. The car was undercoated by the dealer ($30.00) protecting it well against the Indiana winter salt.
In the early years the Olds was planned out to be my car when I got I into high school, providing it held up, and I proved responsible. It did, I didn’t. Thus the car survived many more years than it probably would have. My two younger brothers both lost out in their bids for it, much to the folk’s credit.
Unfortunately, my dad lost a very short term battle with cancer in May of 1987. That was a very terrible loss for all of us, and left my mother with a lot of tough decisions on what to do with all of the things our family had collected over the years.
Well, after numerous garage and yard sales, plus the sale of a car or two that could be parted with, we got down to those things that just couldn’t be parted with, mostly for sentimental reasons, enabling mom to plan a move to a new house.
In July of ’87, I borrowed a friend from here in Texas and we drove my pickup from Ft. Worth to Chicago, where my folks had lived since ’71 when dad got a job transfer. We lined up a moving truck to relocate the ’25 Model “T” plus a ’29 and ’30 Model “A” back to Indiana to store until mom could get moved. We loaded up the truck with those things I wanted from the estate (and would fit), and got the Olds ready for a trip to Texas. It would be the longest trip by far that the car had ever taken.
The trip from Chicago to Ft. Worth was a long, two-day excursion in the middle of summer – lucky I brought a seasoned driver along. The Olds lost its brakes about two hours out of Chicago, but a pint of fluid and a field bleed fixed the problem. The rest of the trip was trouble free, but very hot. We spent the night in Muskogee, Oklahoma, making 14 hours on the first day.
After getting the car down here, I started into some minor cleanup and restoration of those small things that happen to cars that sit too much – battery area, brake calipers, top motor, tune-up, oil, etc. Most gaskets were shot and leaking, or gone altogether. I also started collecting information about the car and asking a lot of questions of the local hot rodders and just about anyone who seemed to know about Oldsmobiles. Through various conversations I started learning about local shows, and knew which direction I was heading.
In July ’88 I started into the real work of restoration by pulling the engine, and proceeding to do a complete inside out rebuild. The odometer showed 24,540 miles, but a lot of things were sticking and varnished. It was a very fun and rewarding step, not to mention a learning experience that really made a difference in the car’s appeal. With the engine compartment brought back to clean and fresh, the car ran better and could now be shown off with pride. Along with a little interior cleaning, an underbody steaming, and some good old waxing, that is the way we showed the car in ’88 and ’89.
I located the N.T.O.C. [North Texas Oldsmobile Club] in the spring of ’89 at the Dallas Autorama, and found the boys there to be friendly and helpful with information, and very interested in the car. We joined the club shortly thereafter, and showed with the club for the first time at Henry Butts Oldsmobile in October. My only regret is that we didn’t find this club sooner!
Although the car was doing better than my wildest dreams would have allowed in its mostly original condition, I felt that it would never really look and compete at its best without finishing the job. After the season of shows was over for ’89, it went in the garage for the winter, and came apart for a paint job, underbody restoration, exhaust system, new top, all new seals, and a set of redline tires. We were ready to compete for the March ’90 Ft. Worth show with the N.T.O.C. and ultimately the 1990 Olds Nationals in Columbus.
The Olds to this date has been in something like 18 shows (counted dash plaques) and has placed in 14, many of those prior to complete restoration. It has robbed many a GTO of the limelight – paybacks are HELL!! In addition it is a joy to drive, and has that special Olds appeal. Anne and I are looking forward to years of good times with the N.T.O.C. and are working toward the goal of the ’99 Nationals here in Texas.
The first place trophy we won at the 1990 Oldsmobile Nationals was for my dad.
Randy went on to show the car at the 1996 Nationals in Atlanta (First Place) and then at the 1999 Nationals in Dallas (Best of Class).
