Like the old TV commercial...
Like the old TV commercial used to say, this sure ain't your father's Oldsmobile! Albert has built himself one heck of a custom rod, its three inch chop, a sunken and laid back windshield, a pie-cut hood, custom eyebrows, a split bumper, and tunneled hood ornament are just a few of the countless mods this Club Sedan has received during its rodstoration.
A lot of us guys (especially those of us who grew up in colder climes) cut a hot rod tooth attending indoor winter cars shows as youngsters. Cool customs, hot rods, and mounds of angel hair all crammed into the confines of our local armory or exhibition hall went a long way in shaping our attitudes and preferences. A perfect case in point is Albert Torelli's awesome '49 Olds Club Sedan, which we had the good fortune of running across at the Goodguys show in Pocono, Pennsylvania, recently.
Albert had the good fortune of growing up surrounded by cars of all makes and models. You see, his dad owned and operated a service station and Albert spent much of his youth pumping gas and wiping windows. Spending his formative years in such a situation pretty near guaranteed he'd grow up to be a car guy, especially when as a treat he'd attend as many local indoor custom car shows as he could. Albert loved 'em all-both hot rods and customs, but always had a soft spot for the swoopy lines of early Oldsmobiles and knew that someday he'd have one of his own. Well, time passed and wouldn't you know it, he did end up with an Olds-a perfectly restored bone-stock '50. And though he loved it, he still had a longing for a cool custom rod like those he'd admired at the Philly car shows of his youth.
Well, about eight years or so ago he happened across a '48 Olds Club Sedan (three blocks from home, no less) and bought it without hesitation. This one was destined to be the custom rod he'd dreamed about in his youth. He'd for years thought about building his version of an Olds-much like GM would have built an early concept car-low, long, and classy, with a large dose of muscle as well.
A muscular Chevrolet ZZ3 small...
A muscular Chevrolet ZZ3 small block backed by a 700-R4 and a Ford 9-inch powers the Olds and provides a perfect combination for carefree custom cruising.
Albert started the rebuild by having Fat Man fabrications build and install a custom front frame clip complete with Mustang-II IFS and disc brakes. To that he added a Mustang 9-inch rear and Air Ride Technologies air bags at all four corners. A 355ci Chevrolet ZZ3 backed by a 700-R4, a custom drive shaft, and a quartet of wide-whites were added to the mix as well.
With the foundation under control, the next step was the bodywork. Albert had a specific vision, and his metal men didn't let him down. Dan Meyers whacked a good three inches out of the top, sinking the windshield and leaning it back five degrees. He also extended the quarter panels 8-inches, pie-cut the hood 2 1/2-inches, fabbed a set of eyebrows over the headlights, shaved the door handles, and hand-formed a pair of flush-fit rear skirts out of a '58 Caddy roof panel. While he was at it Dan added a hand-formed rocket on the decklid and reshaped the front wheel openings too. With the metalwork complete, Jimmy Hines prepped the metal for paint and Chris Judeikis laid down a glass smooth coating of Nissan Green PPG urethane. With the custom body work and fresh paint complete, the next step was a bit of brightwork. A split Olds front bumper and a pair of Merc Dagmar's were hung up front and a '53 Olds grille bar was used as a rear bumper.
The interior experienced quite a makeover as well. The dash was fitted with a custom Dan Meyers insert and Classic Instruments gauges, a set of '92 Olds seats were chosen, and a complete custom upholstery job was stitched by Bob Sapp in Mystic Green and Cream Ultra leather. Vintage air conditioning and a top of the line Kenwood stereo system capped the interior upgrade.
You've got to admit, Albert's concept together with the talents of all involved has produced one heck of a cool custom rod-and we're more than happy to be able to share it with our readers. Keep your eyes peeled for this baby as Albert's planning on driving to as many regional hot rod gatherings as he can!
Here you can see how well...
Here you can see how well the stock taillights (with glass '48 lenses) work with the extended quarters, custom decklid metalwork, and the '53 Olds grille bar turned bumper; it's quite obvious that Albert and the guys made each and every custom touch compliment each other-a sure sign of a successful build. The Oldsmobile's interior has received every bit as much attention to detail as has the exterior and driveline. Bob Sapp stitched up an extremely impressive Ultra Leather interior in Mystic Green and Cream.
The custom metal work on Albert's...
The custom metal work on Albert's Olds is astounding: everywhere you look you'll find obvious mods and countless subtle ones, as well. We love the split bar and Dagmar's as well as the cool headlight eyebrows and floating grille emblem.
The Olds' fastback styling...
The Olds' fastback styling works well with the car's extended quarters and '53 Olds grille bar turned rear bumper. Those flush-fit skirts made from a '58 Caddy roof look perfect too. Metal man Dan Meyers did a fine job on this baby, as did all involved.