"Miss Edna"
When I was a senior in high school, my grandparents on my father’s side, Oliver and Edna Mallory, were just about retired. They had been saving their pocket change for several years in anticipation of their first-ever (and only) new car purchase. Grandpa had been a Chevy man all the time I was old enough to know what he drove. They were looking to buy a new 1958 Chevrolet to use as their “Sunday car” and for near-annual trips to Arizona and California to visit their children who moved “way out west.” My father (their oldest child) was in the belief that they deserved better than a Chevy and steered them to Coover Chevrolet-Oldsmobile in Nevada, Iowa, where we lived.
Brother Dave was present when their new car was selected from dealer stock. Grandma apparently pointed to this Oldsmobile and stated, “I want that one.” She apparently was drawn to the uncommon color combination, Victorian White over Heather. When completing the purchase on August 26, 1958, they presented three large coffee cans full of coins they had been saving and a check for the balance. Mr. Coover stared at the cans for a moment and Grandma asked if he was going to count the money. His reply was something to the negative.
This Oldsmobile was “born” at the Kansas City, Missouri, assembly plant as a Dynamic Eighty Eight four-door sedan (58-3669) with the standard 371.5ci, 265hp, 2-bbl carburetor, Rocket V-8 engine. The main body color is Heather (Code 90) and the top is Victorian White (Code 67). The major factory-installed options on the car are the Delco De Luxe AM radio, power steering, power brakes, and Jetaway Hydramatic transmission. Rubber mat floor covering was standard equipment on Dynamic Eighty Eights - carpeting was an option that was not installed on this vehicle. Dynamic Eighty Eights came with white backup light lenses as standard equipment, but the wiring and sockets to make them functional were another option that was not installed at the factory.
Shortly after the Mallory’s took delivery, they ordered clear plastic seat covers (a popular after-market item in the late ‘50’s) from the Fingerhut Company. Considering the car’s 45+ years, the upholstery is still “virgin.” Grandfather had sight in only one eye and the fender-mounted mirrors were affixed to assist his limited peripheral vision. He used a small notebook to record fuel purchases and usage. The first fill of the gas tank cost $4.50 and 17.5 miles per gallon were achieved. I still maintain the same notebook today.
My grandfather died in 1966 when the Oldsmobile had approximately 37,400 miles on the odometer. Grandmother had a license, but was not a regular driver. The Oldsmobile stayed in her garage until someone came to visit and they needed transportation or she wanted someone to take her for a short ride in her car. She would periodically back it out of the garage, wash and dry it, and then put it back into the garage and re-connect a battery trickle charger.
Grandma was living with my parents when my father died in August 1981. She moved to Colorado Springs to live with a daughter there. The Oldsmobile became “excess” and I bought it from Grandma. The odometer indicated about 44,100 miles at the time. Brother Dave subsequently relocated the Oldsmobile from Iowa to Colorado and garaged it for me until I moved from Hawaii in 1982. Grandma Mallory died in 1986 and the Oldsmobile was given the name, “Miss Edna,” in her honor.
Miss Edna has had very little done to either her exterior or the interior. She has never had a body panel repaired or repainted, except for the obvious nicks that have been treated with touch-up paint. All of the glass, upholstery, and chrome plating are original from the factory. While in California in 1962, the engine developed a “miss” and upon its return to Iowa, a “burnt” valve was diagnosed as being the problem and the valves on at least one bank were “ground.” Other than the “valve job,” carburetor re-builds, and thermostat changes, the engine has not had any major repairs. The exhaust system has been replaced, piece-by-piece. The transmission was resealed in the mid-1990’s by RMOC member Ken Frederick shortly after the original fluid was replaced. Miss Edna is on her fourth set of bias-ply tires.
In addition to Colorado car shows and club events, Miss Edna’s main usage has been for Sunday drives and bride’s transportation for weddings of friends and relatives. She has been driven to Oldsmobile shows in Arizona, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Ohio, and Texas. Miss Edna has been on a trailer only once, when the original fuel pump failed after 35 years of use.
In early 2004 with about 74,800 miles on her odometer, Miss Edna changed her residence to Salida. She is getting renewed visibility “Rocketing” along Colorado’s central mountain highways.
See you on the road!!!