Words: Gary Rosier
David Slick and his wife Toni recalled some interesting history about their 1966 Misty Blue Olds 442. His wife-to-be (50+ years ago) visited their local Akron, Ohio Olds dealer to buy a " reasonable" car to drive to her job as a school teacher. The dealership had other plans, and when all was said and done, Toni drove away with a brand new misty blue Oldsmobile 442 convertible 4 speed! David's father-in-law-to-be was furious, but the deal was done, and Toni was justly proud of her purchase.
Fast forward a year and on August 12, 1967 they became husband and wife. David was still in college with no visible means of support, but Toni would continue teaching and provide support during David's last year of school. The 442 came along naturally as part of the deal. With David's wife's tutoring and encouragement, he did graduate, and got a job selling food for General Foods Corp.
However, the week he graduated, their first kids - twins - arrived two months early! As you may imagine, times were very hectic. The General Foods job was entry level, but it did have one perk - a company car! Now they were living away from their families in Saginaw, Mich. with two premie infants and a very meager salary. Two cars were a luxury they couldn't afford - so they said goodbye to their beloved 442.
After only 9 months on the new job, David had to make a change. This meant losing the company car. A relocation, moving closer to family was necessary for economic (and babysitting!) reasons. About this time he ran into the fellow who previously had purchased their beloved 442. When asked how he was liking it, the gentleman said he loved it but was about to sell it. Right then and there David just knew it was going to follow them home once again! The 442 was once again their " family car," but it was aging. With the growing family, they bought a more economical Volkswagen bug. Wanting to stay close to the "open roof" concept it was a convertible. The kids loved it and would say, "Make it a Jeep, Daddy!" That meant put the top down.
A couple of jobs later came another company car, and yes, it was an Olds! They had three Oldsmobiles in succession - two 88 coupes and a four door Oldsmobile compact, and all the time the 442 kept aging. By the early 1980s David had enough money to restore the old beast and complete all of the mechanical work. A mechanic had been sought out and hired to complete a body restoration. By the mid-80s, however, like many Northerners growing tired of those harsh Mich. winters, the family decided it was time to relocate to sunny Florida. David recalled how next he went to see the mechanic about his lack of progress in the restoration and was informed that the frame was rusted through and the car was a total loss! Goodbye beloved 442!
Two children became four active ones, a now growing personal business was booming. With all that and the move to Florida, the dream of a restored 442 Olds went on the back burner, and the idea faded with time. Many years passed without a thought of that gorgeous muscle car. The four kids grew up and went off to college. They got married and had kids of their own and time kept moving on, as it will do. Toni and David spent their time with the grandkids and family as they all grew older together - old enough that this year (2017) will be their fiftieth wedding anniversary!
With that milestone approaching, David spent a lot of time wondering and worrying about a suitable gift for such a momentous occasion. This is the GOLDEN anniversary, so maybe some new jewelry? Diamonds are always in style, but neither of them said anything about fifty years of history together. Then it came to him. What if? Would it be possible? To maybe find the original car that they loved so well?
That answer was no, the car was junked over thirty years ago. But an alternative could possibly work. Maybe he could find an exact replacement. So he spent weeks scouring the web for a suitable substitute with little success. In his research, he discovered that only 1900 of the 1966 442 convertibles were made, and they weren't nearly as popular as the '68-74 model years. With the more popular years, every spare part or body panel is available from aftermarket dealers, but NOT their beloved '66.
One morning an employee of his company, who is a car nut and also very computer savvy, told him she had a possible car that could fit the bill. It was a '66 alright, and a convertible - but WHITE! A few phone calls later, he was on his way to Alexandria, La. to purchase a 1966 Olds. After a thorough review of the car and a test drive, the owner and David went to lunch and negotiated the sale.
He was excited to have a chassis to transform, and his thoughts on the plane home were all about the how's and where's of a restoration project that had been postponed for over 30 years. It was April 2016 and their anniversary was not much over a year away. Could it be done in time?
He arranged a transport for the car and it arrived on July 1st. Now what? Where to start? Who to trust with this project? He talked to several people, but the two hours he spent with Bob Anderson, AKA "The Olds Guy" in Tampa, Fla. were the most helpful. His advice: First do the mechanicals and then the pretty stuff.
August and September got the bulk of the mechanicals in line. New disc front brakes, reattach the speedometer cable, and brake light switches and carb replace or repair were on the list. While the mechanicals were being done he shopped for a finishing shop.
After several more discussions with Bob the Olds guy, and interviews and tours of different shops, they decided on a local operation - Chassis Crafters in Holly hill, Fla. His work has blessed the covers of many car magazines and the work in progress was impressive. And his shop is local so they could see the progress.
Feeling comfortable, as a neophyte car guy, with the people with whom he would be working was the most important ingredient, he said. So in late September of 2016, he delivered the beast to Ed Nash at Chassis Crafters. They talked through the process - frame off rebuild, repair most of the body work and replace some pieces. The A/C replacement, the chrome, the this and that until his head started spinning, always discussing a July 2017 deadline.
The first look at the empty frame was shocking. Would anybody ever get all these pieces back together? All of the chrome went to Advanced Plating in Tennessee. The seats and interior headed for Deland, Fla. to Ed Schreck's upholstery shop. It was a leap of faith to even think they would all return in time.
Through this whole process, David says, "My wife and I were very patient (I had spilled the beans some several months early - never could keep a secret!) and thought we would be so until the end. But just like kids before Christmas we really started to get antsy." Time was ticking away...
By February there was a light at the end of the tunnel as the finish sanding was completed and the color coat was applied. Then the time-consuming buffing and polishing as they awaited the return of the chrome. And just like the swallows of Capistrano, the chrome parts returned in the spring. Now things started to come together! By late May 2017, the paint was done and the chrome parts were all installed. On July 19th, a little less than a month before their anniversary, the car was complete! And what a Christmas present it was!
The first drive brought tears to their eyes as if the memories of 50 years ago came back like they were yesterday. Their kids remember the car, but to their grandchildren it was a wonderful new machine! David can't wait until one of them says, "Make it a Jeep, Grandpa!"