Love that 59! I would also love to know more about the Ninety Eight Convertible.
Jim, after nearly twelve years of research since I bought this car, I still have limited documentation or facts regarding this vehicle. Hess and Eisenhardt began converting GM coupes into convertibles back in 1977, one year after GM stopped producing them. From what I've been led to believe, H&E produced around four hundred convertibles per year on their assembly line, with each car taking approximately thirty days to complete. They ceased convertible production in 1986.
Most of the conversions were done on Cadillac Eldorados and Coupe de Villes (Le Cabriolet). Also common were Chevy Celebrity, Pontiac 6000, Buick Century, Olds Cierra. Apparently, conversions were also done on Pontiac Grand Prix, Chevy Monte Carlo as well as Buick Electra and Olds 98, although I've never seen or heard of any.
According to documentation that I have, the conversion cost was approximately $12,000 to $13,500, so in most cases, it cost as much or greater than the original vehicle. In my case, the sales sheet from Dillen Olds in Indianapolis indicates that the original car was priced at $12,300, with a conversion price of $19,950 for a grand total of $32,250 back in 1981. Either Dillen Olds took this old lady to the cleaners, or the sales sheet has been doctored.
I've only seen evidence of one other Olds 98 H&E conversion and it was a 1980. I may have the only '81 as they were only made for two years. I bought it with 27,000 miles and it is my daily driver now that I am retired and spend my winters down south. I now have 82,000 miles on it, but it looks almost as good as the day I bought it. This car is 390 lbs heavier than an '83 Olds 98 coupe (identical to an '81) that I had a few years ago, so there was a lot of stuctural addition to the frame.
I'm always looking for any information regarding these H&E conversions if anybody has anything that may be of interest.
