'61 Caddy for a daily driver...

I have always loved the old cars and have recently acquired a '61 caddy as a few of you may know. I got the car for a good price and almost everything works. Basically the only bad item is the tranny. I am hoping to sell my newer car and use the money to give this caddy a good cosmetic restoration once I get it running reliably. I will probably tow with it at some point (model T) which shouldnt matter as the trailer and vehicle would be light. I am hoping for some input as to the best way to go about this proposition. As a final not I am 19 and have restored a speedster to date. Should I keep the original tranny? What colors were available? Should I try to make any improvements to the car?<P>Chad<P>------------------<BR>

If you are just using it as a daily driver then you can restore it to original without worry. It will hold up fine with proper care. As for towing I won't go there... same with modifications, I don't feel like getting flamed twice in one week. If it has the original drivetrain I would lean toward a restoration rather than mods but that is all I am going to say here, you can contact me via email if you like.<P>Cheers, 3MP

[Hal Davis (MODEL A HAL)]

3MP,<P>You can get flamed for that too.

[Dave@Moon]

However they work, replace all the brakes, even the lines if they're origional. You may want to put in a dual master cylinder, I would if I were driving this car around here (and especially if I were going to tow with it). As long as you don't molest the rest of the car installing it, you can always revert back to stock when restoring the car.<P>If you're going to trailer anything any distance, I'd install a tranny cooler regardless of what tranny you use. I have a good friend who ruined a 400 cubic inch Pontiac towing a VW bug 3000 miles. Again, don't do anything you'd regret later.

If you are going to tow anything with a '61 Caddy, you must do all you can to keep that 390 cid running cool. I would definitely go to great lengths to ensure proper cooling, but without denigrating the integrity of the car's vintage too much. <P>And make sure you have breaks. Most cars before '63 didn't have dual reservoirs on their master cylinders. This may be a wise modification.<P>Good Luck. You have a great cruiser.<P>David

If your gonna tow, allow for penty of cooling.<P>------------------<BR> <A HREF="http://www.fortunecity.com/meltingpot/poland/356/" TARGET=_blank>www.fortunecity.com/meltingpot/poland/356/</A>

I had a 60 Sedan Deville as a daily driver for 3 years. It was AWESOME! God i loved the fins. <P>Trades it in for a 62 Lincoln convertible. Love it, but the Caddie was a better car for day to day driving.<P>Good luck with your new ride.<P>Peter<P><a href="http://www.petergariepy.com/original...index.html">My Car Photos</a><P><P>------------------<BR>Peter Gariepy<BR>peterg@aaca.org<P>www.aaca.org