Bought my Fourth car yesterday! 1947 Oldsmobile series 76 fastback

[Electronic M]

So yesterday I got the radio back in it, changed the back up light wiring, and took it for some gas and it's first highway drive. This also marks the first time I've run the radio while driving it...I decided to play swing music from my phone through the audio input on the radio most of the trip with some live radio here and there.


Even with a long downhill ramp it still didn't want to hit 65 by merging time (not surprising with the accelerator pump not working well). However with time it got up to speed. In a mile I found it's top speed in it's current state on level ground...Floored, it will hold an indicated 90MPH and it happily cruised at 80 (pic below) along side the rest of traffic. It cruised nicely on the highway. Ride quality and handling were atleast as smooth and relaxed at 70-90 as at 50. After 4 miles of ~80MPH I got off and returned home at 45mph on rural roads...she did fine till I had to wait for a train at the foot of a steep uphill about 2-3 miles later (while I was waiting for the train I took the trans temp and it scored a 160f temp reading). Then it wasn't shifting up well on the hill...It pretty much held 30 regardless of throttle (which I gave it plenty of occasionally backing off) only reaching the speed limit of 50 as it leveled off at the summit. A couple miles later back home it was at 209f...It seems it doesn't like hills unless it's at speed before reaching them. Perhaps it needs another quart of ATF to handle hills.

Today I plan to change the brake switch again and hope the second napa sourced switch lasts more than 3 weeks without intermittently sticking on. I'll also look into installing the fiber board side kick panels under the dash....they have been laying in the back seat since I got the car and I held off on trying to do the install till I had the front floor done. I may also change the transmission fluid again...It only lets out ~ half its fluid when drained so I am slowly diluting away the last gallon or so (probably more like quart or 3 by now) of whale oil...