1950 Oldsmobile Convertible

THE WHITE PEARL’S STORY

This 1950 Olds convertible was a six-year labor of love in the 90’s. Theowner selected it because it is the same model he had in high school when heand his wife of 62 years dated. It was restored from two trailer loads ofconvertible pieces-parts. Over two years of heavy metal re-construction. Theplan adopted was to replicate it as close as possible to the original car.Having pictures of it made it easy to see details.

With many upgrades and new technology added, the results werefabulous. Done in a mild custom, like they did in the 50’s, nosed and decked.There is no body surgery to change any of the proportions except frenchedheadlights. The trunk is operated by an electric motor/solenoid. The stance waschanged with the front lowered 2-1/2” with dropped spindles. The steeringgeometry was corrected to eliminate any bump steer. He did decide to stay withthe original engine; a 303 Rocket 88 that was modified immensely.

When he was getting ready to start building the engine he wasintroduced to a former mechanic who had built and worked on these engines whilewith a NASCAR race team in the 50’s. This veteran mechanic had a lot ofcontacts and tribal knowledge about what was done to improve performance andreliability. With his help, knowledge, and ability, they created an outstandingengine. Years later an engineering company developed and built a set of rollerrocker arms for it, and what a difference that made! The engine produces about350 HP and is married to a Turbo 350 transmission thru a 10inch torqueconverter with a special designed adapter built just for this conversion. Ithas 2 trans oil coolers. One has a powered fan if needed. A Magna Flo mandrelbent exhaust system gives it a distinctive sound.

The frame/suspension is the original convertible one with somemodifications such as; rebuilt and modified shocks, power brakes, andrack&pinon power steering operated with an electric pump. It runs theoriginal Olds rear end. The car rides superbly and is very stable. It wasdriven about 40,000 miles over 20 years of touring the western United Statesattending many shows.

The interior is done in all leather. The seats (front and rear)are on the original frames but custom built to create semi-buckets. Added was aclassy leather padded dash and sun visors. The original dash was left alone butan extension was designed and added to the bottom of the dash to accommodategages, switches, and controls. The stereo is hidden behind the speakergrillwith a CD changer under the seat.It also has an Ididit tiltsteering column with a LeCarra steering wheel. Vintage Air air conditioning andcruise control make driving any distance a real pleasure. The extra gages installedare Dakota Digital; speed, tach, water temp, oil pressure, battery voltage,fuel level, trans. temp, and fuel pressure. Fuel pressure is created with aMallory electric pump and a back-up electric fuel pump because there is noengine driven pump. High quality carpeting is throughout the interiorwith floor mats. The windshield wipers are electric.

The convertible top system is stock with an up-datedelectric/hydraulic operating system. It is finished off with a custom madeleather tonneau cover. The wheels are stock steel 15in with wide/whitewall radial tires, installed new in 2019. The hub caps are original stainless’54 Olds flippers like those on the original car. The White Pearl is paintedwhite with blue pearl and has some mild pin stripping. A California Car Coverkeeps it clean and protected. It also has a 3 piece bra.

The car has collected numerous trophies and awards over theyears and has brought many smiles and memories to a lot of folks. It hasdefinitely given the owners enormous fun and enjoyment for many years and willbe very difficult to part with.