1956 Oldsmobile Super 88: carb, brakes, steering?

I just bought a 1956 Oldsmobile Super 88. The car is pretty good shape. It is a driver, not a restoration project, well at least not yet. I got the car for a good price and am looking into doing some upgrade/repairs.

1st is the carburetor. Apparently there are several factory defects that should be fixed. One of which is a vacuum problem. There is a company called quadrajetcarburetors.com that will fix and rebuild the 41 defects of this Rochester carb. Has anyone done this? Were you happy with their work?

2nd is the brakes. They work fine. A little uneven under hard braking I notice. I was thinking about upgrading the fronts to disc brakes. Does anyone know of a company that makes a good conversion kit.

3rd is the steering. It is a little loose. I am guessing that there is a problem with the gearing or the rack-piston assembly. Has any one had this problem, and did you fix it yourself?

Thanks for any help and advice, and happy driving.

I just bought a 1956 Oldsmobile Super 88. The car is pretty good shape. It is a driver, not a restoration project, well at least not yet. I got the car for a good price and am looking into doing some upgrade/repairs.

1st is the carburetor. Apparently there are several factory defects that should be fixed. One of which is a vacuum problem. There is a company called quadrajetcarburetors.com that will fix and rebuild the 41 defects of this Rochester carb. Has anyone done this? Were you happy with their work?

2nd is the brakes. They work fine. A little uneven under hard braking I notice. I was thinking about upgrading the fronts to disc brakes. Does anyone know of a company that makes a good conversion kit.

3rd is the steering. It is a little loose. I am guessing that there is a problem with the gearing or the rack-piston assembly. Has any one had this problem, and did you fix it yourself?

Thanks for any help and advice, and happy driving.
Okay, last things first.
I think you mean "rack and pinion" not rack-piston.
This car was made about 20 years before rack and pinion steering became common in cars.

Your car uses a 'recirculating ball' steering box, which was and is still a common design. It is adjustable, in that some of the end play in the pitman arm shaft can be easily removed. However, if the box has worn components, it needs rebuilding, allow about $400.
However, it is more likely that some other components are worn or loose. You can check all the steering components for wear, including the ball joints, tie rod ends, drag link, pitman arm and idler arm.

Since the steering components are an important safety feature, leave the repairs to a decent mechanic if you don't feel comfortable working on it.

Your car has 4 wheel drum brakes. If the brakes are out of adjustment, the car will pull to one side. However, drum brakes are easy to adjust or repair if necessary.

I have never heard of a disc brake conversion. A conversion kit for a 55-56-57 Chevy might fit. I am not sure.

Finally, why do you think the carb is defective? It si not a quadrajet (they were introduced about 10 years after your car was made) If it's a 2 barrel carb, it is a Rochester 2GC, The optional 4 barrel carb was a Rochester 4GC. Either one is a fine unit and were used on about a bazillion GM cars throughout the 50's and 60's. The 4 barrel carb was a particularly sophisticated design and is very similar to carbs used into the '80's.
Since your car is 50 years old, its likely been some years since the carb was overhauled. Over many years gasoline deposits, gum and dirt can affect a carbs performance. Gaskets, plastic and rubber parts can deteriorate. Any decent service garage or carb rebuilders can fix your carb. I would suggest rebuild the one you have, don't go with an 'exchange' rebuild, unless your carb has damage (broken castings, etc) beyond repair.

Did you ever build model cars when you were a kid or work with computer circuit boards etc? If yes, then you can easily rebuild your carb. A rebuild kit is about $25 and usually comes with instructions. Use a couple of cans of carb cleaner, take your time, follow the instructions and you can rebuild the carb yourself.

Good luck.

Thanks for the help and advice.

As for the carburetor, it is a 4GC. The only reason I think something is wrong is that the car stalls sometimes starting from a stop. It idles fine, put when I step on the gas the car hesitates and the engine feels like it is going to stall. Usually it “works past it” and the get s surge of power and goes great. Put occasionally the car will stall. I would say one out of 10 or 20 times. I figure this is something with the carburetor. I found out from the previous owner that it was professional rebuild by a carburetor guy 2 years ago. Does it need to be cleaned again, or perhaps just adjusted? Or perhaps it is something different entirely? I got some carburetor cleaner spray and a gas additive that I am going to try tomorrow.

As for the disc brakes I have been shopping around for a kit and I can’t seem to find one. A company called “Brake Tech Solutions” said I can send them my spindles and the will covert them to disc for $895. Another company called ECI said that I might be able to use an early 50’s chevy kit. I just feel like I should upgrade to discs in the font for safety reasons, but maybe I should just adjust the drums I have?

As for the steering I have been reading up in the shop manual. I am going to try and adjust the Worm Bearing adjustment and the over-center adjustment as show in the manual. Then mention a tool “KMO-695”. I can’t seem to find this tool, is there some “modern” tool that should get/use?

Thanks again

Thanks for the help and advice.

As for the carburetor, it is a 4GC. The only reason I think something is wrong is that the car stalls sometimes starting from a stop. It idles fine, put when I step on the gas the car hesitates and the engine feels like it is going to stall. Usually it “works past it” and the get s surge of power and goes great. Put occasionally the car will stall. I would say one out of 10 or 20 times. I figure this is something with the carburetor. I found out from the previous owner that it was professional rebuild by a carburetor guy 2 years ago. Does it need to be cleaned again, or perhaps just adjusted? Or perhaps it is something different entirely? I got some carburetor cleaner spray and a gas additive that I am going to try tomorrow.

As for the disc brakes I have been shopping around for a kit and I can’t seem to find one. A company called “Brake Tech Solutions” said I can send them my spindles and the will covert them to disc for $895. Another company called ECI said that I might be able to use an early 50’s chevy kit. I just feel like I should upgrade to discs in the font for safety reasons, but maybe I should just adjust the drums I have?

As for the steering I have been reading up in the shop manual. I am going to try and adjust the Worm Bearing adjustment and the over-center adjustment as show in the manual. Then mention a tool “KMO-695”. I can’t seem to find this tool, is there some “modern” tool that should get/use?

Thanks again
The carb problem likely is a lean condition in the fuel-air mixture.
Likely sounds as if either the accelerator pump is not working or a jet for one of the two primary venturis is blocked.
If the car not driven often, gasoline could have evaporated and left a gum deposit or a little piece of dirt or rust (possibly from a rusty gas tank?) has disrupted the fuel flow. Its easy to fix, just by removing the top of the carb and clean out the float bowl and blow it out with compressed air.
As for the accelerator pump, take the air cleaner off and look down the carb (with the engine off) Hold the choke blade open and open the throttle by hand. You should see a small squirt of gas shoot down the carb. If this does not happen, the accelerator pump is not working. Possibly the linkage has fallen off or the pump is defective. Either way its quite easy to fix.

As for brakes, drum brakes work fine, so long as they dont get too hot.
Normal driving is fine for drum brakes. Repeated stops from highway speed will overheat them so they will 'fade' or lose effectiveness, temporarily, until they cool down. So, unless you drive through the mountains like AJ Foyt, with heavy braking before every turn, drum brakes are fine.

What I would suggest is to install a dual circuit master cylinder. (It has 2 steel lines coming from it, not one, like the original master cylinder)
There were required by law in all cars made after 1966. Get one intended for 4 wheel drum brakes. They give you emergency 2 wheel brakes if you develop a brake fluid leak. Unless someone has upgraded the master cyl, you may lose all brakes (except for your parking brake) if you have a leak. You can stop with just your paking brake if you lose the normal brakes.

As for the steering, I am not familiar with the tool, but I have adjusted many steering boxes with ordinary hand tools. That special tool might make the job easier but likely is not necessary.
Good luck

56super 88- Since you live in So.Cal. know that it is teeming with places that can do what you need. www.socalcarculture.com/clubs.html (http://www.socalcarculture.com/clubs.html) Check out this link and go to a local cruise nite and ask folks of classic and modified cars for recommendations if all else fails.