1941 Cadillac 61 Sedan

[Matt Harwood]

*SOLD*

Guys who know me already know that I'm a big fan of both 1941 models and GM's fastback styling, so I'm delighted to have this affordable 1941 Cadillac sedan available. It's a very solid, rust-free car with recent paint, a new interior, a rebuilt flathead V8 under the hood, and it looks good and drives quite well.

It was originally code 51 Black, but the bright Sequoia Cream that it wears today is period-correct since it was a 1940 Buick color, and it gives the Cadillac a cheerful disposition. The bodywork was quite well done and looking at the chassis in the critical areas, I can find no signs that this was ever a rusty car (I suspect it is from a warm climate, more on that in a moment). The car was obviously fully disassembled for the repaint, as I can find no trace of the original black anywhere in the door jambs or even inside the hinge pockets, so someone did a heck of a job. There's new weatherstripping throughout the car, including the fender welts and door seals, and most of the glass appears to be original stuff in good condition. The biggest demerit on the car is the chrome, which is almost entirely original and shows the usual oxidation and mild pitting on the cast pieces like the grille and hood ornament. The stainless is quite good, however, and the missing quarter window trim is included (the owner couldn't find correct fasteners, but they're available from Restoration Supply). The bumpers are very straight and seem to be suffering from an older re-chrome that didn't take very well, but the bumper guards have been freshly plated and look great. The current owner's plan was to re-plate a few parts every year until he was done, but his interests have changed.

The interior is comfortable and handsome tan tweed, which, again, isn't correct but looks great with the bright cream paint. The patterns are suitable to the period, and I actually like the burgundy dashboard and steering column, which makes for a nice contrast. New tan carpets and a matching headliner are expertly installed, too. The window garnish moldings are original and a bit dull, but I think I would simply clean them up, and all the gauges save for the temperature gauge are functional. I assume that this car came from a warm climate, because it was not equipped with under-seat heaters or defroster, but does feature a dealer accessory Cadillac under-dash heater that was added at some point. As usual, the radio and clock are not working, but lights, turn signals, and other equipment is just fine.

The 346 cubic inch flathead V8 was rebuilt a few years before the current owner acquired it, and while it's not detailed for show, it runs very well, with great torque and a nice V8 burble from the tailpipe. This is a manual transmission car, and while I'm a big fan of the Hydra-Matic, I know that a lot of enthusiasts prefer to shift for themselves. No leaks or issues underneath, and it will happily cruise at modern highway speeds without complaint. New Diamondback wide whitewall radials were installed last summer at a cost of over $1000, and they look downright awesome on the old iron--I think I'll use these tires on my '41 Buick when it's done. The wheels were painted black at the same time and fitted with nice chrome hubcaps.

A decent, solid car with all the big stuff done. If you're not a stickler for authenticity, it's an inexpensive way to enjoy a V8-powered Cadillac for not a lot of money, and upgrade it as you enjoy. Only $19,900!

Edited December 10, 2013 by Matt Harwood (see edit history)

[Matt Harwood]

*SOLD* Thank you!