1962 OLDSMOBILE STARFIRE

@Ronan – I was not implying that the car was restored or partially restored , obviously you have cleared that up and the pictures prove it. I understand normal maintance is required and things get replaced. I'm just trying to find out what has been replaced. Maybe the previous owner redid the seats and carpet but sold the car before they finished doing the dash pad, (which is $500 - $700 to have redone), and headliner. I was trying to understand why you would have extra seat material. Original carpet is a 80/20 loop design and is press molded to fit the contours of the floor configuration. Replacement carpet is typically a plush style and is sewn in pieces to fit the floor contours. Just saying. ...

The vinyl strip is not extra seat material, it's unused dash pad material. They do sell replicate vinyl flat. It's cut just about the right oversize to do the dash. Since the dash is basically flat the vinyl should fit easily with little stretching, with some felt or foam under layer. Of course, if you buy the car you're free to re-do the dash and use the vinyl however you want. - There was no problem with the headliner ribbing when my dad bought the car in 2004, the ribs began to fail about 2017, which is when he tried gluing them (see previous comments). Pics attached of carpet at various places. I'm no carpet expert, but it looks more like loop to me than plush, especially the door, where it hasn't been stepped on. Compare to swatches at "https://www.automotiveinteriors.com/carpet-sample-swatches-s/17482.htm". It is definitely NOT sewn together. One would think the carpet would wear before the seats.. Given the present condition of the rest of the car, which is overwhelmingly as it was in 2004, it is hard to believe any substantial changes were made before 2004 (60,000 miles). If you buy the car you get the pedigree, with all (except the 62-67 original) owners' names and last known addresses (from title and Reg. copies), you can ask them what changed. The second owner (1967-1999, yes 32 yrs, < 60,000 miles) obviously took care of it, the other three (1999-2004) didn't have time to change anything. My father basically did nothing to the vehicle except basic maintenance, maybe new tires. He did not attempt to re-charge the AC, or to use the heat. He did replace the insulation underside the hood (it developed several cracks). He put duck tape around the heater vent tubes to hold them together. He did not bother to replace the passenger side floor mat (pictures show rear mats, placed at passenger seat). He just took it to shows predominantly in summer, occasionally getting an award at smaller local shows. What has changed since my father bought it in 2004, mostly by me the past two years to prepare to sell it?... - The headliner ribbing was replaced with aluminum strips to prevent severe sagging, as already mentioned - The donut between manifold and exhaust (driver's side) was replaced with several exhaust gaskets to allow enough un-rusted thread on the bolts to be able to tighten nuts (holding exhaust flange) to a decent torque. It's ever so slightly noisy on startup, but quiet when warmed up. - The tiny vacuum hoses under the dash between the AC and heat controls and back under the hood were replaced in hopes of curing a recently developed vacuum leak (it affected acceleration). It did NOT solve the issue, so I gave up (could be a diaphragm?). What I did do is isolate the accessory (heat / AC) vacuum lines so as not to interfere with distributor advance, so it does accelerate with proper power (WHAT A RIDE !). The power brake is a separate line off the carb and not affected. - If anything else , I'll post it.

@mdk200086 – I'm not sure what professional appraisers use in their determination of "original", but I don't think regular maintenance items would count (brakes, oil, plugs, gaskets, etc). With 105,000 miles obviously the tires have changed, maybe even a ball joint. The car has essentially not changed since the previous owner (my father) bought it at 60,000 miles in 2004. By that I mean no major restoration. The carpeting fits too well to be replacement. The interior had NOT had major restoration, as the cracks in the dash vinyl were present when he bought it. Why would an interior restoration leave that out? The engine MAY have been restored before 60,000 miles, but it's unlikely. I know my dad didn't do a ring job. The engine accessories all have original markings on them. Looking at underside (see pics previous comments) the frame hasn't been redone, the floor hasn't been redone, the rockers haven't been redone. The drive train hasn't been re-done. If it was re-painted before 60,000 miles, they did an exceptional job putting all that chrome back on, with no evidence of over-spray anywhere, and with little markup on the price he bought it for. My dad wasn't not interested in restoration (he had had enough of that), he wanted a cool car to drive to shows and have people ask him about it. What I changed is the headliner ribbing, and the vacuum hoses on the heat/AC controls (with little success - there's still a vacuum leak somewhere). Since there may have been a few other minor things my dad did do, I thought it OK to describe it as "99%" original. ...

I was not implying that the car was restored or partially restored , obviously you have cleared that up and the pictures prove it. I understand normal maintance is required and things get replaced. I'm just trying to find out what has been replaced. Maybe the previous owner redid the seats and carpet but sold the car before they finished doing the dash pad, (which is $500 - $700 to have redone), and headliner. I was trying to understand why you would have extra seat material. Original carpet is a 80/20 loop design and is press molded to fit the contours of the floor configuration. Replacement carpet is typically a plush style and is sewn in pieces to fit the floor contours. Just saying.

@Ronan – When you say original, original means that the car was born with and that's what it left the factory with, so are you saying that the upholstery and carpet are original or are they replacements to look original? Don't get me wrong, it looks good in the pictures, I'm just trying to understand what has been changed. ...

I'm not sure what professional appraisers use in their determination of "original", but I don't think regular maintenance items would count (brakes, oil, plugs, gaskets, etc). With 105,000 miles obviously the tires have changed, maybe even a ball joint. The car has essentially not changed since the previous owner (my father) bought it at 60,000 miles in 2004. By that I mean no major restoration. The carpeting fits too well to be replacement. The interior had NOT had major restoration, as the cracks in the dash vinyl were present when he bought it. Why would an interior restoration leave that out? The engine MAY have been restored before 60,000 miles, but it's unlikely. I know my dad didn't do a ring job. The engine accessories all have original markings on them. Looking at underside (see pics previous comments) the frame hasn't been redone, the floor hasn't been redone, the rockers haven't been redone. The drive train hasn't been re-done. If it was re-painted before 60,000 miles, they did an exceptional job putting all that chrome back on, with no evidence of over-spray anywhere, and with little markup on the price he bought it for. My dad wasn't not interested in restoration (he had had enough of that), he wanted a cool car to drive to shows and have people ask him about it. What I changed is the headliner ribbing, and the vacuum hoses on the heat/AC controls (with little success - there's still a vacuum leak somewhere). Since there may have been a few other minor things my dad did do, I thought it OK to describe it as "99%" original.

@mdk200086 – The original headliner support strips were plastic that "snapped" in place to hold up the panels. Over time they became hard and brittle and unable to stay in place, causing the panels to sag in the center. The previous owner (from 2004 - 2021), my father, in the initial stages of Alzheimer's, decided to try gluing them up, with limited success. After his death I decided to replace the supports with aluminum strips. Their stiffness vastly improved the sag (but apparently not 100%), and covered most of the remaining glue stains after cleaning with WD-40 (but not 100%). It's part of the 1% of the car that's not original. ...

When you say original, original means that the car was born with and that's what it left the factory with, so are you saying that the upholstery and carpet are original or are they replacements to look original? Don't get me wrong, it looks good in the pictures, I'm just trying to understand what has been changed.

@mdk200086 – There are multiple shallow scratches all along the aluminum side trim on both sides, too many to go into details. I do not know their cause. They are not noticeable from 10 feet away, most may polish out. There are no creases , it's an illusion of the scratches. Close up pics attached. The quarter inch dent about center of drivers door - I suspect it was caused by someone else's car door in a parking lot in 1967. ...

Unfortunately when you try to buff out brushed aluminum it removes the brush effects and leaves shiny areas where you buffed. The only fix that I know of is replacement and that's assuming panels are available.

@Ronan – Hi, can you tell me the condition of the side trim moulding and the aluminum side panels? Please describe any and all imperfections in detail. The driver's door appears to have a couple of dents and the passengers door looks to have dents in the stainless center trim moulding and just behind the passengers door on the quarter panel it looks like a foot long crease and some dents in both the aluminum and moulding. Thank you. ...

There are multiple shallow scratches all along the aluminum side trim on both sides, too many to go into details. I do not know their cause. They are not noticeable from 10 feet away, most may polish out. There are no creases , it's an illusion of the scratches. Close up pics attached. The quarter inch dent about center of drivers door - I suspect it was caused by someone else's car door in a parking lot in 1967.

@Daral – Could I please see a bunch of underside pictures ( esp floor and inner rockers. And inside trunk floor under carpet. Thanks. Isn’t that car supposed to have a brushed aluminum strip down the dude as opposed to paint? ...

Underside pictures attached of rockers/floor taken a few weeks ago by a non-professional - me. Sorry I can't get inside the rockers, as you can see in the pics they are too close to the frame. It would be difficult (and possibly self-defeating) to get pics under the trunk carpet. It's in several closely cropped sections, held in place by being "stuck" to the floor (thin layer of tar?). The floor is solid everywhere - if that's your concern. I'm unfamiliar with the term "dude" of a car. When I google it I get references to "Dude, where's my car?" and "The Big Lebowski". Could you elaborate or be more specific?

@Ronan – Hi, what is the condition of the headliner material? In the pictures it looks like there are stains ( light spots) and saging or warping of the material. ...

The original headliner support strips were plastic that "snapped" in place to hold up the panels. Over time they became hard and brittle and unable to stay in place, causing the panels to sag in the center. The previous owner (from 2004 - 2021), my father, in the initial stages of Alzheimer's, decided to try gluing them up, with limited success. After his death I decided to replace the supports with aluminum strips. Their stiffness vastly improved the sag (but apparently not 100%), and covered most of the remaining glue stains after cleaning with WD-40 (but not 100%). It's part of the 1% of the car that's not original.

Hi, can you tell me the condition of the side trim moulding and the aluminum side panels? Please describe any and all imperfections in detail. The driver's door appears to have a couple of dents and the passengers door looks to have dents in the stainless center trim moulding and just behind the passengers door on the quarter panel it looks like a foot long crease and some dents in both the aluminum and moulding. Thank you.