1957 Oldsmobile Golden Rocket 88 2-door Sedan J2

Oldsmobile Eighty-Eight 1957 Description

1957 Oldsmobile Golden Rocket 882 Door Sedan J2 Tri Power 371ci 310hp Authentic Hotrod This 1957 Olds Golden Rocket 88 is a beautiful authentic American Hotrod. Lowering. decking and dechroming to the louvered hood. bar grille. side skirts. lake pipes. spot lights and frenched antennas. This car is a true piece of Hotrod history right out of the early time of street rodding. It sports wide whitewall tires. spinner hubcaps and dual exhaust. Its interior is big enough for a family of 8 and timeless with it's leather button tuft design. Vintage Air was added to make this car even more enjoyable here in Florida. This Olds has the J2 engine option with Tri Power carbs. The engine casting number is 568929 which identifies it to be a 371ci V8. The automatic transmission is the original Hydra-matic. All of the engine components including the intake are dated 57. The carbs have been rebuilt over the years so have mixed date codes. The accelerator pumps. needles seats and base plates were all updated. The fuel pump was also updated to tolerate the ethanol gas although this car gets REC 90 fuel. The power brakes and steering are also the factory options. The brake master and power booster have been rebuilt recently along with the wheel cylinders. The generator was replaced with an internal regulator type GM alternator. The starter was rebuilt within the year along with a new battery. Tires are brand new 14 inch radials. The door handles were shaved and remote door poppers and trunk release were installed. This car has been well maintained through all of its life and still gets driven often. It even comes with its originally issued license plate from Florida. The undercarriage is solid with no rusted areas. The wheel wells and rocker panels are remarkable. This car is a solid survivor! The original radio comes on and even the vacuum wipers work well. Although we are not sure of when it was painted Its paint shines like new. There are a few small areas in need of attention. The hood had been decked long ago and starting to show popping along the ridge. The deck lid also has a few small marks from time on top and towards the bottom edge. This car does get enjoyed and driven to events so some normal wear and battle scars are expected throughout. The turn signal switch does not cancel after turning. The fuel gauge reads full all the time yet it mainly always has a full tank. The ac is cold but the heat is shut off due to the climate here in Florida. The ac switch works on battery not accessory although works great. just something that seemed maybe to be changed. There may be some other items that we missed but nothing drastic as we can see. Some Oldsmobile history about the 88. In 1957 only. the basic Oldsmobile 88 was officially named Golden Rocket 88. taken from Olds' 1956 Motorama two-passenger show car. The Rocket V8 increased in displacement to 371 cubic inches and 277 horsepower (207 kW) for all models across the board. For 1957 the "J2" option was also offered. with three 2-barrel (0. 32 m3) carburetors. similar to the Pontiac Tri-Power. The J2 option increased the 371 engine to 310 horsepower (231 kW) and was offered through 1958. Lee Petty stock car racer. father of Richard Petty. was recruited by Oldsmobile. The older Petty had won the 1954 Grand National Championship and Oldsmobile wanted him to help showcase their new engine. Petty pushed the Olds J-2 engine up to just under 145 MPH at Daytona. As it turned out the engine was banned from NASCAR racing shortly after when the AMA cited that the configuration was not a regular production engine when first introduced. Olds offered two versions of the J2 and one was for competition use only. The J2 option was a bit late in offering the J2 to the public. Unfortunately the Oldsmobile J2 was discontinued after the 1958 model year because of rising highway deaths and because of the AMA racing ban. The J2 option was available in any of the models offered for 57 to 58 years. An article in Street Magazine (Aug 2009) states that the guesstimates led to believe somewhere between 2000 and 2500 equipped cars were built during its two year lifespan. A classic car dealership internet sales add stated possibly only 4 2-door sedans were built with the J2 option. General Motors Heritage Center tells us that unfortunately Oldsmobile did not retain any records for vehicles built before 1977 so this cannot be verified. Regardless these J2 equipped cars were rare and played a roll in the earliest muscle car movement. This rare American Hotrod is solid and a driver. It is truly a piece of Oldsmobile heritage and a timeless custom. Although is has minor imperfections. small problems and light wear it is remarkable for its age. This is not a trailer queen or rotisserie restored but it is a solid and very clean custom built vehicle. This awesome ride still gets enjoyed and driven to local shows often with cold AC. power steering and power brakes. Due to progressive family needs and some hard decisions this Authentic Hotrod is being offered for sale to a new home. It is sold in as is condition with no warranty. We try to be honest with our description as we can and be as descriptive as possible. This car has imperfections and is not in new condition. This car is used but cared for and driven responsibly. If you have any questions we will answer them promptly. Thank you for viewing my item.