1952 oldsmobile ninety eight ... "the tank"

I

imported_paradigm

New member
here is what i call "the tank". a 1952 oldsmobile "ninety eight". the majority of the exterior was done today, but i still have to polish the roof and all of the side/rear/wheel rim chrome. the front chrome was completed today. the hood felt like sandpaper and required multiple passes with the z18 clay. i wish i had a stronger clay with me, but it's all i had.



summary of products used:



--p21s wheel cleaner

--DG car wash

--zaino z18 clay

--PC w/ 5.25" orange pad and Menzerna IP

--PC w/ 6.5" black pad and Menzerna FPII

--English Custom Metal Polishes for chrome

--DG FC&S wipedown before LSP

--Collinite 845

--RainX on all glass



the pics...



huge whitewalls!!! i spent about 45 min cleaning the wheels. still some stains on the white areas, but a vast improvement.



52olds98_before_wheel1.jpg




52olds98_before_side1.jpg


52olds98_before_rear1.jpg


52olds98_before_rear2.jpg




haven't touched the interior yet...won't do much but wipe it down and vacuum.



52olds98_before_interior1.jpg


52olds98_before_interior2.jpg




front chrome...spent about an hour on the whole front area.



neverending chrome befores...



52olds98_before_frontchrome1.jpg


52olds98_before_frontchrome2.jpg


52olds98_before_frontchrome3.jpg




neverending chrome after...



52olds98_after_frontchrome4.jpg




one of the front lights...highly tarnished. i hit what i could with the PC and a 4" pad...the rest will have to be done by hand later.



light before

52olds98_before_frontchrome4.jpg




light after

52olds98_after_frontchrome3.jpg




side shots...

52olds98_after_side2.jpg


52olds98_after_rear1.jpg




my chrome polishes of choice for today



chromepolish.jpg




more afters



52olds98_after_frontchrome1.jpg


52olds98_after_hood1.jpg


52olds98_after_hood2.jpg


52olds98_after_front2.jpg
 
Dent's & Details said:
Nice work.

I bet some of the younger members don't know what the button on the floor is for.
Click to expand...





LOL! One of these days, I really need to get an older car to restore and cruise in. Those "secret buttons" are a less helpful when you're already working with three pedals...
 
gmblack3a said:
WOW that beast is huge, great work, chrome looks very nice!
Click to expand...



indeed it IS huge! i was going to mention that the roof tops nearly 6 feet at its highest! i think it has as much or more paint surface as the tahoe i did a few weeks back. :scared:
 
Dent's & Details said:
Nice work.

I bet some of the younger members don't know what the button on the floor is for.
Click to expand...

High beams??? correct me if I'm wrong! I'm still a youngster checking in at 18!



Regardless, awesome job, seems like older cars are much tougher to detail, so many intricate designs ;)
 
I guess the button on the floor is not the only thing I don't know what is. If that is an automatic, where is the indication for PRND?
 
Mark77 said:
I guess the button on the floor is not the only thing I don't know what is. If that is an automatic, where is the indication for PRND?
Click to expand...



the gear display is actually on the steering column...cut off in the pics. the sweet thing about this car is that it doesn't HAVE a park gear! :) you have to put it in neutral and then pull the emergency brake. the transmission in this one is perfect too...very smooth. the V8 is powerful and starts up easily. really a nice ride!
 
jtford95 said:
That car looks great!!! I love those old cars. That thing has more steel in it than my 95 f-150!!! Joe
Click to expand...



Right there, as youngsters we used to crawl up on cars from the 50's without denting them. Try that with a modern automobile. :D
 
I remember that button well. It's the starter button for the youngin's here. You had to be carefull not to step on it while the engine was running!
 
The button on the floor is the headlight dimmer switch. The transmission selection indicator is on the steering column right behind the wheel. Super job on the chrome! Thanks for sharing a classic Olds.
 
Mid-Life Cruiser said:
The button on the floor is the headlight dimmer switch. The transmission selection indicator is on the steering column right behind the wheel. Super job on the chrome! Thanks for sharing a classic Olds.
Click to expand...



hey mid-life...what is the car in your avatar pic? it looks like a '40 chevy special deluxe, which is what i'll probably be doing next. not as big as the olds 98...but still huge. :cool:

the color is a dark blue, so it won't be as forgiving as the light blue of the olds either.
 
sftempest66 said:
High beams??? correct me if I'm wrong! I'm still a youngster checking in at 18!



Regardless, awesome job, seems like older cars are much tougher to detail, so many intricate designs ;)
Click to expand...

Close but its for NOS!:laugh: Had one of the those buttons in my '79 Ford Truck.
 
Nice work!



I think the floor starters were gone sometime in the thirties, but not certain. I've got the floor high beam button on my '68 Cutlass convertible.
 
sftempest66 said:
High beams??? correct me if I'm wrong! I'm still a youngster checking in at 18!



Regardless, awesome job, seems like older cars are much tougher to detail, so many intricate designs ;)
Click to expand...

That's still too easy. On my Dad's old '69 Caddy that I drove in high school, there was a second floor button on the driver's side and another on the passenger side. I always told people it was for the ejection seat. Actually, it was the Seek button for the radio. The seek button on the radio itself was the Wonderbar. How many here remember that term?
 
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