Thanks guys. Not sure why the plugs are out of it. 89k on the odometer. Nads, thanks but I think you scored bigger on your convertible!
NICE FIND. Based on the interior it looks like a Deville. Curious about the lack of trim. In the photos it looks like it has no trim holes for either the standard mid-body trim or the optional Eldo trim. Maybe they've been "shaved"?? To my knowledge there were no stock, trim-less '59 Cads... What do you think? Have fun with it.
Well if I'm correct in 59 the convertibles were either a 62 series or Eldorado. I don't think there were any Deville convertibles? If you look closely on the side of the car, all of the trim holes are there and skimmed over with body filler. Some of the long pieces of trim are with the car but it's all beat up. He said his mom used to drive the car and bump it into the sides of the garage all the time so the trim was destroyed I'm sure. Her name was Loraine and the ignition key has an "L" on it with the cadillac emblem above it.
You have got to be kidding me! A'59 Caddy convertible barn find! Lately there have been some great cars found. This is right up there with Mac55's '49 Buick Sedanette barn find from a couple weeks ago. I WISH I could be so lucky! Good luck, and have fun with the car. I would also suggest that you run out and buy a lottery ticket as well. Thor
Interesting. I was under the impression that the 62 series cars had a different door panel configuration than the Deville. I'm no expert (obviously)... The blue one is a 62 series and the red/white one is what I have been told is the Deville configuration. So, what's the right answer?
I don't think crank windows were offered. The difference is in the stainless trim & length of the armrest. The little crank that appears on both operates the vent window. Whatever the case, that convertible is a SCORE!
I did some cleaning on the car this afternoon and connected a battery. It was nice that so much worked on the car. Radio, windows, headlights, horn,wipers, interior and trunk lights all work. Gave the body and undercarriage a closer look and it is super solid, no rust problems at all. I can hear the top motor 'clunk' but not spin so I think the pump is locked up. Bad news is, the engine is locked up hard. Can't budge it with a breaker bar. Sprayed a ton of penetrating oil down the cylinders and I'll try again tomorrow.
nice old cat. read a hambers piece on cleaning and restoring old leather about 4-5 days ago. a wash to get rid of shinny leather and liberal wipedown with lanaline.seats shjould clean up nice.dont spare the lanaline and let it soak in overnight. wipe any excess off next day
Here's a 59 convert (very nice) I saw last Saturday night in Scottsdale, AZ cruise-in. They are huge and nifty cars. Not that much to the side trim, but sure looks better with it.
Well, a Series 62 had a plainer interior thana DeVille. DeVilles had buttons on the seats, fancier door panels, upholstery etc and an arm rest on the front seat. Also, DeVilles had standard power windows and a 4-way power seat. Of course you could option a series 62 with everything you could think of like air conditioning, cruise control, etc.... The series 62 convertible (No DeVille convertible was sold in '59) did have power windows and 4-way power seat as standard.
Try pouring a mix of acetone and ATF down the cylinders then put plugs back in. Let it sit for a week, remove the plugs and try again.
Any pictures of it all cleaned up yet? And, dont give up on that engine. Do what rld14 said and be patient. Nice car...probably my favorite car. Paul
Thanks guys. I have some more cleaning and polishing to do before I'm ready to take some more pics. I'll keep dousing it with oil but waiting a couple of weeks is asking for a lot of patience!