C Carl

Great job. Very typical and correct for the period. - Carl

The octane police are on shift change, but are kind enough to issue a correction anyway. Octane in the mid ‘20s was in the mid 40s. And yes, indeed, a low compression engine cannot extract all the BTUs from too high octane fuel. Therefore the EGT is too high, you can burn your exhaust valves also. We learned this in flight engineers school 55 years ago. There were still some recip’s making money back then, so we learned a bit about them. Were taught not to take on any more too high octane fuel than needed at an intermediate airport refueling stop if the proper lower octane was not available. Could burn the exhaust valves. I wish I could afford a DC-6 to play with. 72 cylinders, 11,200 cubic inches to keep you busy. - Carl

Look. He/she says +runs. That is a very good deal when you look at all the pictures on the ‘book ad. Go buy that Cadillac. NOW !!!! Ain’t got a ha’r if you don’t !!!! - Carl

Uh, ummm....... uh Alan, lissen : you don’t know me, and I don’t know you, but I am gonna be up front and very direct and blunt with you. DONT MESS WITH THE CAR AND SPEND A BUNCH OF TIME RUINING A CAR THAT “RUNS AND DRIVES PERFECT”. Know what I mean ? Buy a rod which suits your purpose already. They are out there, some which did not destroy an original old car , and sadly, some which did. A great big welcome to you , Alan, but please be advised that in THIS camp, destruction of a car like yours is considered sin. Yeah, save a car, and save yourself time and money. Buy one done. Oh, and take it from me who own Cadillacs of the ‘20s : idd’n Lincoln or Chrysler of ‘20s that wouldn’t throw you out of the fry pan of your ‘37, and into the fire. You can’t run with the 80mph traffic even if you knew how to engage the overdrive. You need a faster car, someone is looking to sell his modified creation to you. And if it has been done right, it will handle and stop like it should too. Good luck with the sale, and purchase of your next toy ! - Carl

Up here in cool gloomy Western Washington, an unusually positive indication of condition is that the A/C belts are there, and the A/C clutch wiring is connected. If the upper control arm bushings are still on center, and the water pump is tight, and you can’t scrape up any mud with a screwdriver through the oil fill, take it out for a long hard test drive. Bring cash as seller suggests. - Carl

When he vanished, many people were upset over the political crap floating around here. Some even threatened to leave. I am among the majority saying good riddance to the bickering , and am very grateful for the moderators placing a zero tolerance policy to it. Absolutely no good whatsoever could have come from continuing divisive irrelevant off subject B.S. here, and it could have got very much worse. Now that we are cleansed, I wish we could issue him an apology and get him to come back, if in fact that was the issue. - Carl

Correct. But it is an odball 390, shares some aspects of the 429 which came out in ‘64. Pay particular attention to the oil pump. Incorporate any upgrades available. Cadillac and LaSalle Club, (which you should join soon - I believe free trial memberships are available), forums would have the info you need. - Cadillac Carl

particularly if the buyer is also in California, Costa Mesa even more so. - Carl

Don’t buy it without a compression test. Also 7:00/21 tires are the size 1926 & 1927 Cadillacs use. Originally this car would have used 33x5. So it is running the later wheels. Doesn’t make much, if any, difference in this case. There has been a lot of time and money spent on the “interpretive restoration” of this car. But there is some reason it blows blue smoke on startup. Having spent 30 years lubricating the valves on my ‘24, I can’t see how oil could migrate to anywhere which could cause what is happening with this engine. Yes, you are a potential buyer, so the selling agent should provide at least a simple compression test which can be duplicated. There is absolutely no documentation whatsoever of any of the work which is said to have been done. There is objective evidence that whatever work, was not as complete as claimed. Compression tests are simple. And then there will still be some questions about bearing condition. But let’s see what the compression of all cylinders is first, and go from there. If any resistance to doing a compression test, (eg. “price as is where is” attitude, or whatever ), and if you would still like to make an offer, take 1/3 off the recent asking price to you and HOLD FIRM. What is that saying about a pig ? A pig in a poke ? What does that mean ? Let’s talk about further diagnostics. Paying a qualified mechanic to drop the pan and check the bearings - you have to do this anyway, either before or after buying it - would make sense. I have looked at , and bought and rejected quite a fair amount of Mercedes-Benz. Sometimes there is an enormous amount of documentation of service records. I have bought with confidence and been rewarded with an excellent car in all such cases. Without service records , you MUST have a good relationship with a known service advisor at the M-B dealer. Not just any dealer will do. If you do have access to such a dealer, you can pay for deep diagnostics. Pokey pig is not an option in the purchase of any complex, over engineered vehicle such as M-B. So here is how I do my thing. I write an agreement to purchase at a stated price, if the repairs at the M-B service center do not exceed x number of dollars. I deposit a down payment which I will forfeit if I do not purchase after finding repairs that do not exceed x dollars. No deal at the agreed price if repairs are more than x dollars. I have paid a few thousand dollars analyzing two different V12 biturbo ‘Benz. One quickly exceeded $20,000 in immediate necessities, the other was dismantled to the point where I was told that further dismantling might as well replace what was sure to be found needing work. I spent a lot of money to save a HUGE amount of money. Best bet for cars like these is to never buy one without complete service records from day one to the present. I have bought a magnificent 2001 S500, and a 2007 E550, (very good years for very good cars), with records. Bought with confidence, the S500 needed absolutely nothing, a truly superb luxury car. The rather high performance, (incredibly satisfying-my favorite driver of all time), E550 was only due for an inexpensive periodic service, and two free warranty upgrades. I have a lot of experience with M-B of this general period, and I recommend you structure some purchase agreement along the lines of what I have done. With the knowns and the sure-to-be unknowns , if your bearings are questionable, you might as well have Patrick Reeve rebuild the engine to his high standards for around $20,000. You may have this car for many decades, and many tens of thousands of miles. Any comments on the possibility and desirability of a “subject to” purchase agreement ? You know : extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof. Or something like that. - Carl P.S. The black smoke is much more likely to be a carburetor issue than a fuel pump issue. You might be able to take your carb to Straight Eight personally for a very interesting visit. How close are you to Troy, MI ?

Yes, very much so. Well, we certainly are relieved to know he drove off under his own power. He is a consummate gentleman. Does this mean that his accumulated wisdom is still preserved somewhere, but accessible through some “Guest” link ? How does that work ? Best wishes, Tinindian ! I hope the road ahead holds many a pleasant mile for you ! - Cadillac Carl

Blockley Tyres has 600/650-18 listed for $308. This is an extremely high quality tire with a speed rating for 130 mph. That should be a huge margin of safety for you. Their tubes are also highly regarded. Please let us know what you decide. - Carl

Our great Canadian friend has not been here for a while. Used to be a frequent and expert contributor here. Certainly logged more miles in an older car than almost anyone on earth. I hope he is just occupied putting thousands of miles on top of the 100s of thousands he has already logged. - Carl

I mentioned Tinindian in my first response. The Canadian gentleman who has a 1/2 million mile old Pont’. 1930 I think. Not only does he have it, but it is and has been his ONLY transportation car !!!! He has driven it all over Canada, and the USA for decades. IIRC, he would cruise at 50 mph, maybe even a little more. BUT : I have just realized that he has not chimed in here yet, and in fact he has been off forum for a while. Pretty sure he is about my age, so we all know what that means. Does anyone know him ? I will ask in a dedicated topic right now. I hope he is just out putting another 5,000 miles on his old car. - Carl

I live in Washington State. I don’t spend a lot of time shopping anymore, but I have been stumbling across this Stude for a couple or three years now on local C.L. I can’t quite remember at the moment, but one of our very active members in Louisiana sold a similar one, a red one with white wheels, a little while ago. As with almost any sedan of this period, it did take a relatively long time to sell. I don’t recall his handle here , but I think his name is Ken. Although I could be wrong about that, I am 100% certain that he really knew his stuff and is a very talented mechanic and restorer. IIRC, I think that he is a pretty good hotrod artist, too. He probably would be able to give an accurate market value. - Carl

Glad to see you’re following your heart, John ! By now you might have pictures of the interior. If it is even close to as well preserved as the body, you have a real treasure. And that old car smell ! After looking closely : is the body color actually a very deep dark blue ? I thought it was black, but against the fenders, I think I see a beautiful blue. Is that the case ? Dark colors which look black in some lighting conditions are extremely attractive on cars styled like this. With a true mileage of 26k, the mechanical condition is SO much better than a clapped out 70k car. With modern synthetic lubricants, you will be able to drive the car forever. Good luck ! - Carl

Hi John, Just came across this again. I have been following your other postings in General. You have an extraordinarily beautiful, REAL classic car. Part of the unusual beauty of your car is the gorgeous varnished stout spoked wood wheels. The rear. mounted spare and trunk look great. I can’t really tell from the picture , but that trunk may be totally patina compatible with the rest of the car as is. Careful, you don’t need to have the trunk steal the scene. Too much “bling” could make it stick out like a gold front tooth in a pim, er, ah, I mean a funeral director’s mouth. Congratulation’s. You did very very well ! A car befitting of a lifelong love affair.. - Carl

Oops ! I had thought I was posting this up in General, but then did not appear. I thought it had been zapped into another dimensionso tried again with success. And now I see this crop up here. I think I might delete this to avoid redundancy, but that spellcheck on my ill-tempered mini iPad made flatbread out of the flathead, so maybe I will leave it up for fun ! Even though I had a delicious Italian flatbread and ham sandwich for lunch - seriously ! - I swear I typed flathead. These engines are the last Cadillacs to require manual lubrication of the valves. Oil can not get up the valve stems into the combustion chambers. That is what is so weird about this strange blue cloud. I am quite far from where the ‘25 is , but will try to post a picture of the valve layout on my car soon. Good news is that I have an appointment at the Apple store this weekend. Intention is to tame or replace this cantankerous upstart of a device. It really does have a mind of its own. Kind of a bully. Thank you, JFranklin for taking the time to try to help us. If I was the guy seriously looking at the car, I would be very happy to pay a qualified mechanic which the selling agent trusts to dig deeper into the car than just a compression test. If not, I would come in light on the purchase offer. - Carl

I found my 1924 Cadillac about 3,000 miles from me after looking for only just over 3 years. One trip back by airplane and rented car to check it out and buy it. Another drive back to bring it home. About 20 years later, I finally found my 1927 Cadillac . Thankfully it was three hours away from me. - Carl

Wouldn't that be the port of S.F. with the Oakland-Bay Bridge ? - CC

Looking good, Vic’ ! Ralph Nader gets uglier and uglier , the more time you spend looking at a nice Corvair. - Carl

.................... upon startup after sitting for a month or two. I understand why this happens with a OHV engine, but I can’t explain this. Car is a 1925 Cadillac. Strong performing engine, good oil pressure, does not smoke underway.My somewhat tired 1924 Cadillac doesn’t blow a cloud of smoke no matter how long it sits. Does run strong, good oil pressure, bearings in VGC, but does smoke some underway. I am helping a gentleman who has some interest in purchasing the car which is a couple thousand miles from me. Is there some explanation which might help shed light on the engine condition ? I would imagine seller would not object to a compression test. Of course we would really like to know the condition of the bearings. Usual hearsay claims of significant engine work recently done, no first hand testimony, no receipts, maybe about 60-70,000 miles on the timing chain by stretch measuring which is very easy to do on these cars. Thanks for any and all help. I hope one of you flathead experts can provide insight where I am blind. - Carl

.............. a cloud of blue smoke on startup after sitting for a month or two. But does not smoke thereafter. This is a 1925 Cadillac that a member is considering. The usual claims : Something like engine “rebuilt”, or maybe “gone through” or “overhauled”, or whatever. But you know, the guy died, someone else says, but can’t remember, just thinks it was re-Babbitted, etc . No receipts for alleged work done. In any case, it runs strong with good oil pressure. Typical timing chain stretch for maybe more or less 60,000 miles. No need to worry, but the engine could not have been just rebuilt without putting a new timing chain in it. I am helping over the phone. On my end , my 1924 Cadillac has in the 60s of thousands of miles. About the same play in timing chain, runs strong with good oil pressure. Although the engine is a rather tired old thing, the bearings are in VGC, totally in spec. So I will let it burn oil, and just let the blowby remind me of many old cars I have had. This one will survive longer than I will, so it is not likely to be opened up for anything. But it does not blow a cloud of smoke on startup no matter how long it has been sitting. Does leave a little smoke in its wake as it goes down the line. Which brings up the question. We are wondering what the reason is for the cloud of blue smoke ? I have way more overhead experience than flathead, and smoky startups usually means oil getting through the valve guides. But that does not compute to me for a flathead. Obviously I am missing something here. I can’t see what could make any difference whether a flathead sits for a few days, or the 6 months my ‘24 often sits during the Winter. I don’t think it would be asking too much for a compression test ? Some sellers are extremely cooperative, some even willing to let a qualified mechanic probe around at the buyers expense. At the end of the day, engine condition really is unknown. Biggest concern , of course , is bearings. But I hope one of you flathead experts can clear out some of these clouds of doubt we are having. This is now in the hands of you, the jurors. Thank you muchly on behalf of Kurt and me. - Carl

Yeah, but don’t fergit . That car “is completely original”. Uh HUH ! Right down to that upholstery, paint, and speedometer displaying the original miles. Also “is very rare”. Sumpin’ to do with the operatic nature of the coupe as the ad copy reads. Way back in ‘89 or ‘90, cruising around Spain in a little rented , ($127/day during the most adverse exchange rate to the U.S. dollar ever), 1300 cc Renault, we pulled into a Southern city called See-ville. Bit like what they used to call the hardtop versions of the Eldos of decades past. And, being a tourist wanting to take on some local culture, you just KNOW I had to go get a haircut there , even though I didn’t need one. Bragging rights of course. “Yeah ? Oh yeah ? Seen the Mona Lisa , did you ? Li’l Mermaid up in Copenhagen you say ? Guard change at Buc’ Palace sent shivers up-down yer spine ? And I really don’t care how many Heronymous Bosch hang in the Prado. Yeah ? Well guess what : I had MY hair cut by the most famous barber the world has ever known”. Barber. Think he was some character I have heard of starring in a G. Rossini opera. That’s what traveling is all about. Bragging rights. Go ahead and buy that all-original Packard. - Carl

If you consider doing the Toyota solution above, kitcar does come to mind. And I hope what I have written will discourage anyone from overpowering an old vehicle to raise its cruising speed to an unacceptably unsafe level. Still won’t brake, still won’t handle, won’t have any form of passenger protection engineering, and won’t have the priceless time machine experience of operating ancient machinery. Let’s see if we can find you a real car you can love and enjoy for a long or shorter period of time. If you can come to terms with its design capabilities, you can answer the inevitable question with proud honesty : “ Hey mister ! How fast will it go ?” I always answer : “About twice as fast as any sane person would actually want to drive it !” - CC