Hey guys. I have inherited a 1957 Cadillac 4 door series 62. It was my grandfather's car. (He was a tail gunner on B29's in WWII. However the war ended before he saw any action.) The car has been in and out of barns in Iowa since the early 1970's. It needs everything. I recently made a trade with some guys out of Sylmar (I live in California now) to swap in an LQ4/4L80E for a salvaged titled 94 Dodge w/Cummins motor I came across. This was the first car I ever drove. At three years old I hopped in the drivers seat and pretended to drive while mom carried in the groceries. I must have put it in neutral and the car began to roll. I ran over my swingset and two apple trees. A huge corner fence post finally stopped me. The only damage was a very small dent above the drivers side headlight where it hit the fence post. To this day it's the only dent on the car and I don't plan on removing it.
Welcome from a 57 Cadillac owner in Iowa. Whereabouts in Iowa was you Caddy? My wife and I are nearly finished with our Coupe DeVille, It hase taken 5 years. I have a pair of 57 Sedan DeVille parts cars. Let me know what you need and I'll see if I can help you out. My quick tip: * Since your bumper ends are rusted out you need to look for 58 bumper ends. They are the same piece but the exhaust does not run through them so they are easier to find not all rusted out. Carmak Riverside, Iowa
"My quick tip: * Since your bumper ends are rusted out you need to look for 58 bumper ends. They are the same piece but the exhaust does not run through them so they are easier to find not all rusted out. Carmak Riverside, Iowa[/QUOTE]" Great advice! As a matter of fact I do need at least one bumper end. But not 'cause it was riated out: My father trailered the car from Iowa last summer (from a barn near Marshalltown) on his newly acquired 40' gooseneck trailer. He had just retired and was bragging about this battery operated winch he outfitted it with and saved mega bucks. Turns out the the cable was too short leaving the car hanging on the cable with 3' of ramp left. On top of that, I had to push the car uphill to the end of the trailer but the wheel wells of the trailer wouldn't let you open the door once you got it there and it was well over 100 that day. So, being in a hurry we convinced ourselves that it couldn't possibly roll that far with that little amount of ramp left. We set up a number of 2x4's to slow it down as it rolled back and... As soon as the front tires hit the pavement the wheel did a hard right turn only catching the first 2x4 and headed straight for the block wall seeming to pick up speed. Well, the wall is ok but the bumper end needs replacement. That was the second time I have moved that car. I called a flat bed the next time. By the way, I'm doing the Scarebird disk brake mod and need bigger wheels. Anybody know the backspacing? Car is currently an hour away or I'd measure...
Nice chrome carmak. I've looked into it but big $ as far as I've seen. Trying to find an alternative. I know I'll never drive it if I dump $10k into chrome... By the way, I have a set of stock 57 Cad wheels that I just had powdercoated black and new tires (NOT wide white walls). Anybody interested? Trades?
Welcome from North Texas. Cool history with the car, glad to see it is staying in the family. Good luck with it.
Welcome from Montana. My Grandfather (moms side) was a Caddy man. His pride was a 63 4 door hardtop. Buff n polish twice a month year round. Remember many a Thanksgiving day cruise from Boise ID to a family owned homestead property in SE Oregon. Somewhere I have a picture it parked in his garage, circa 1968-69 with my Uncle Steves 46 Ford coupe on one side and my Uncle Mikes 47 Knucklehead on the other. Cool old pic, see if I find it and get it posted.
I had the chrome done just before the prices went up a few years ago. It cost $2600 for all 8 pieces (5 front, 3 rear). The tail fin chrome and headlinght bezels are nice originals but the tail light bezels need new chrome. I just don't have the $$$. If your bumper corner is bent but not rusty may be worth saving as solid straight ones can be hard to find. Carmak
Anybody need a seized 365 engine and tranny from my 57 Cadillac? Also have all accessories. What do you have for trade? (How do I attach pics from my iPhone?)
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