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Something Olds, Something New
Spanning the Generation Gap with a '51 88
By Damon Lee
Photography: Damon Lee
Custom Rodder Magazine, November 2002
Take a young guy who cut his teeth customizing sport trucks, pair him up with a father-in-law who's been a hot rodder for decades, and what would they come up with? Chances are it'll be a contemporary custom much like this '51 Olds 88. At least that's what 32-year-old Steve Green and his father-in-law, John Jones, created when they decided to build a car together. Steve had several custom trucks under his belt, including a '72 Chevy and a '96 Tahoe. John had owned everything from a '32 Ford to a '56 Chevy wagon. When they finally teamed up they knew they wanted to do something a little different. "We went to various shows across the country in 1999 and noticed there were not many Oldsmobiles," John says. "We found this '51 in Iowa in September 1999 and started working on it in October."
The pair didn't mess around, either. They tore the Olds down to the bare chassis and ultimately decided to build their own frame using 2x4-inch rails. Doing so made it easy to get the ride height where they wanted it: extra low. A Heidt's IFS, custom stainless rear four-link, '96 Impala rearend, and airsprings all around provide the desired ride and stance, while four-wheel discs, power rack-and-pinion steering, and large-diameter Weld wheels (18x8 front, 20x8 rear) round out the list of contemporary underpinnings. Power comes from a basically stock (though dressed-to-the-nines) '96 LT1 backed by a Borg-Warner six-speed. Steve and John agreed that the coupe's overall lines were attractive enough to leave alone, though they also felt a thorough cleanup of extraneous brightwork was in order. To that end the driprails, side trim, hood and deck emblems and door handles have all been shaved, the firewall smoothed, and custom inner fenders built. A custom license plate box and fuel filler door were also added below the decklid. The largest piece of remaining brightwork--the front bumper--actually posed the biggest challenge for Steve and John, as it took countless hours to fabricate a new center section from 6-inch steel tubing (cut in half) and splice it into the original ends to create a true one-piece unit. The rear bumper was also smoothed before being plated to match.
Steve's sport truck influence is probably most evident in the coupe's bold paint scheme, a PPG two-tone combo of Chevrolet Fire Red Pearl and BMW Bronzeist Beige sprayed at John's business, Custom Vans of Houston. The colors are divided with graphics by Pat Maxwell (Maxwell Designs in Spring, Texas) using a variety of House of Kolors hues. Pat's finishing touches include a series of airbrushed emblems and trim gracing the hood, fenders, and rear pan.
John and Steve both wanted a car that they could "just hop in and go," so interior comfort was a definite priority. To that end the cabin is fitted with '95 Chevy truck bucket seats and a custom rear seat, all stitched in tan UltraLeather by Cook's Auto Trim. A custom console resides between the seats, with another overhead housing the Alpine stereo. Like the exterior, the dash retains most of its stock lines, though it has been smoothed considerably and is now home to custom vents (for the Vintage Air A/C), Dakota Digital instruments, an ididit column, and a Colorado Custom wheel.
The entire buildup took just two years, with a good chunk of the work being done by the owners. We caught up with them a few weeks after completion and they were still enthused about the outcome. "This car was built to have the look of the past mixed in with the look and comfort of the present," John says, adding they also wanted "something that we would both be proud to drive anywhere. And yes, this is driven everywhere!" Hey, how can you argue with that?
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