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Shoprat: I don't know what makes one do it...it must be the power that you just have to test!! Great story! Chriscraft: I don't know how you survived that one! You were lucky!

Joe, My brother has a 49 Cadillac Limousine with hydraulic windows. They can be a mess. Drop him a line. He is a mechanic also and may have an idea for you: moneyhan@comcast.net

Randall, You won't like hearing this but McVey's is about your only bet for the crest. Emblemagic won't do it since McVeys has them. I tried to get mine repaired but no one would touch it. The letters for the trunk are seemingly all gone. McVeys backordered a bunch of reproduction letters so they should be in soon. I was fine there until the "Barbarian Horde" that stripped my car pulled the letters off of the trunk with pliers instead of undoing the PAL nut inside the lid. All of my perfect original letters have either no prongs or very short and bent prongs that don't fit back into the holes enough to be fastened. I can always glue them on but I am trying to replace them.

SilverGhost, It was Monaghan Funeral Home in Manyunk across from St. John the Baptist Catholic Church on Rector Street. He just now went out of the business. ----------------- I worked for Dad in high school, and always drove another one of his tradeins home. Once I got a 74 Plymouth Fury III with the Police Interceptor package. That car was quick, and really ate up the gasoline, especially when it caught fire driving it home at night from Phila to Cheltenham. Luckily it went out quickly and I just had to replace the battery. My sister had quite a scare though: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ My sister, a few years older than me, needed a car for work, so Dad gave her a 1969 Cadillac Sedan de Ville in gold. The car was used but not beat up or falling apart....or so we thought. When she took it on the PA Turnpike, the rear wheel came off and passed her on the highway. After she managed to pull over, she wouldn't go near that car again. She also wouldn't talk to Dad for a few months. But, yes, you guessed it, the 69 wound up going home with me until the battery croaked and I got another "beater" to use and he sold the "Three-Wheeler."

My father was a funeral director from the 1950s until recently. As with many Philadelphians, we spent time during the summers in Ocean City, NJ. Mom usually drove the limousine, and Dad drove the hearse. He used the hearse like a station wagon, and had our bikes, boxes, and many summer items crammed in the back, with usually one of us kids back there as well....especially because there was only a front seat in the car. While heading to the "Shore" crossing the Walt Whitman Bridge in the early 1960s, I kept peeking out of the rear curtains, and everyone wondered why there were cars screeching to a stop and swerving on the bridge. From their point of view, someone was still alive in that hearse!!

I have 3 different sizes for the Cadillac. I sent my under-car blower motors to D+M Restorations in Greenville, SC. They are cleaning and rewinding the motors. I may have to get some metal replaced in the casings. If they won't turn and you can't get them going, give D+M a call.

On the DelMarVa Peninsula on RTE 13 I passed a beautiful late 1980s Lincoln hearse in black at a used car place near Temperanceville, MD. I don't know anything about the car but it looks pristine.

Just a quick update. The car is headed to paint finally. The doors will be painted off of the car and paint the body. Finally, someone who knows how to paint a classic car! I have had a bit of luck with 2 restoration shops. I was amazed at the amount of chrome accessories in these cars. Most of the interior metal is chromed. All of mine were pitted. Many thanks to New England Chrome Pating Inc from East Hartford. They are doing an amazing job with my door handles, repairing my broken turn signal lense frames, all of those crazy spears on the quarters, etc. I also lucked out with D+M Restorations in Greenville, SC. They finished both clocks, and did beautiful work. They did a 1 week turn around on my blower motors and window motors. They currently have 2 rusted up blower motors, my radio amp and speaker, turn signal housings, and the A/C switch. Once I get components repaired, then we have to re-assemble but rewire the car first. YNZs is making up a stock engine harness, and I was able to get the A/C and window motor harnesses. The rest will be "run new wires and hook 'em in." When we stop over at the shop, my wife is usually pulling another switch or part off that needs rpairing before I come out of the office with Mr. Ed. He was suitably impressed. My only trouble is a few of the parts "lost" at the first shop. Slowly they have been surfacing, so we are hoping that we get them all back. Hoping to be running in May 06, and headed to Hershey in OCT 06!!

My father sold Cadillac limousines and hearses in the 60s through the 80s. I don't know about the sedan/coupe de villes and Eldorados, but the limousines had their own brochure and the hearses and ambulances had one of their own too. They were typically 5-10 pages in full color. These were custom cars and usually came out via Hess and Eisenhardt or Superior or Victoria. The Cadillac GM books weren't of much use.

I would guess "probably." I also use steel-belted radials because I tired of wearing out the dual-ply tires and wanted the safety of the radial tires. It's a point loss I can live with, you have to decide for yourself. Some people have to have it all original.

To Name a few: 1)The Buick Farm 2)CARS 3)Buick Bombsight 4)Classic Buicks 5)Obsolete Buicks 6)Auto Archives Part Nr Search Collectors Auto Supply

I have an interior guide but my upholsterer has it. If you don't get a response in a couple of weeks, I will get a hold of it in the meantime and check. If anyone has this info now, feel free to jump in an anwe the question!

I have had excellent service from them, but they don't always have the C-body parts that I need which can be specialized, especially for interior parts.

I found a good used one on Ebay! Problem solved.

Randall, Yes but it is a 56 Series 75...but I think that the lenses were the same from 54-56 and possibly longer. Yes it is longer than the normal ones and has the golf-ball dimples in it, and is an ivory color as you said. Used is fine if it is all there. The barbarians that disassembled my car broke it (along with a lot of other good pieces). Thanks Randall, I really appreciate the assist!!! Mark

Randall, The reproduction one was about $250 or 275 at McVeys. I already had the bezel. I have seen the bezel online on ebay and also at All Cads. I don't remember how much, but I have a catalog at home if you need me to look it up. I used an epoxy mix that McVeys sent along with the badge. They make their badges a but thicker so they can be clamped and not break. I had some low-tension rubber tipped ship-model clamps I used to hold it on and left it for a day.

Randall, Quite so. McVeys hasn't got one and All Cads had their template run over by the guy that was supposed to make one. McVeys has a beautiful hood badge, but you are right, it is expensive. Mine fit perfectly onto the backing bezel.

I have used STEELE and Metro Moulded on my 70 Electra. I like the products from Steele, as they hold up better (at least in my case). They put a research group together to get me the best resultant products for my 56 Cadillac restoration, so I have been satisfied so far.

Randall, Any idea of where I can get dome light lenses? See my Dome light post.

A question for all those who have old Cadillacs. Has any one seen a reproduction dome light lense for the 1956 Cadillac? I have (of course) an odd lense that is 6.5" long and has "golf-ball" indentations. The two round quarter pillar lenses are also "golf-balled." I checked with McVey's and they said the fellow they asked a place to reproduce them but they wouldn't make them. Let me know if anyone has a source!!

A question for all those who have old Cadillacs. Has any one seen a reproduction dome light lense for the 1956 Cadillac? I have (of course) an odd lense that is 6.5" long and has "golf-ball" indentations. The two round quarter pillar lenses are also "golf-balled." I checked with McVey's and they said the fellow they asked a place to reproduce them but they wouldn't and then ran over their only lense. [sounds like where I was getting my car done originally!] Let me know if any of you have heard of someplace that has these!!! THANX!

69electra, I had the same problem with my 70 Electra. I had plenty of fluid, but the hydraulic arms on the top were wearing out and the pump itself was pushing 20 years old at the time. I went ahead and bought 2 new arms and a pump kit that came with the right hoses, etc. With the wife's supervision of course, we installed the new arms and pump easily. You have to be careful filling it, and need an adapter hose into a resevoir filled with hydraulic fluid to get the air out of the system (which you do as you close the top I think- check me on that!). Read the installation and filling directions carefully. I used Hydro-Electric. They used to be out of New England, but I think they moved to Florida. They were very helpful with questions and tips to make sure it all worked properly. I would also add, that you need to make sure that the hoses don't get pinched. I found that the hoses moved a lot as they filled, so you have to secure them without letting them get pinched off. If your system is original and filling it with fluid doesn't help, you may consider replacing the system and getting a reliably working top back. I can dig out the instructions on filling the system if you need them.

On a funnier and more positive note, my Grandmother learned to drive in Mayfield, PA around or just after WWI. There was a railroad overpass, and one day another car was coming the other way. It scared her so much that she gave up driving entirely. Her son and daughter, after my grandfather died, took her everywhere until she passed away in her late 90s!

I think the Misc Chat is kind of confusing, and takes away from the AACA Board. I had always used the AACA General Forum for just that, general chit-chat about the hobby. I also realize that I quip in with some useless funnies from time to time, but that is the fun of it.

If you recall the "Spouse Thread" that we had a few weeks back that demonstrate how lucky many of us are to have supportive wives who can-do, or enjoy helping with the hobby.