For Sale: 1937 LaSalle 4dr sedan - $10,000 - Middletown, NY - Not Mine - If you buy it, please repaint the headlight buckets and fenders black!

[58L-Y8]

For Sale: 1937 LaSalle 4dr sedan - $10,000 - Middletown, NY  If you buy it, please repaint the headlight buckets and fenders black! 

1937 Cadillac LaSalle - cars & trucks - by owner - vehicle... (craigslist.org)

1937 Cadillac LaSalle. 10,000 obo. selling my LaSalle due to lack of space. It is a model 5019 4 door sedan. The motor is not original to the car, but is a rebuilt 1937 LaSalle engine installed by previous owner. Since I have owned it it has received a new cloth covered wiring harness, radiator got a new core, gas tank serviced, new transmission bearings, rear brake cyl's sleeved, pressure plate, clutch and throw-out bearing rebuilt and new exhaust with proper hangers. Also installed proper new carpet and heel mat. Car has a clean transferrable NY state Registration. Car as all the original sergeant stripes, license plate holders, wheel medallions, engine splash pans. My intentions were to get it mechanically done then repaint it and do the interior, but since we moved my father in there are too many cars and not enough room. Wasn't driven much last year due to Covid, but 2019 we took a 300 mile trip and ran great. Good oil pressure, never gets hot. What doesn't work: Wipers, Clock and Thermostat. Mileage I cannot be certain of because of age. Previous owner had told me he did replace some sheet metal before he painted it. I could not tell you where or how. I planned on learning that when I took it apart to paint. I replaced the sealed beam headlights with the original and had the trim chrome plated. Also have had two hubcaps plated and the hood ornament. Car was originally sold in Indiana. Have original work shop manual, owners manual and sales brochure.

Contact:  no phone listed.
Copy and paste in your email:  c2aef77c03903ce483de4afe9442ab45@sale.craigslist.org

I have no personal interest or stake in the eventual sale of this 1937 LaSalle 4dr sedan.

Edited April 16, 2021 by 58L-Y8
If you buy it, please repaint the headlight buckets and fenders black! (see edit history)

[kingrudy]

Seems like a very reasonable price for a car that has had all of the mechanicals done. If I purchased this car I would get a good nights sleep prior to a long cruise. Often these cars do not have the wiring harness redone and that can cost a few bucks. Very nice car at a reasonable price. 

[suchan]

A lot here to like, and a fair asking price.

Upholstery isn't original type, but it'll do.

Too bad seller didn't get around to paint, as there are lots of doo-dads to remove.

Great cars, and last year of the floor shift.

[kingrudy]

I agree with you regarding the paint, but after having my car painted with everything removed down to bare metal this is an expensive process. The 10K asking price leaves room for that without being deep underwater on this car. 

[Steve_Mack_CT]

What about clubby hiding in the background, Caddy or Lasalle as well?

[Gearheadengineer]

24 minutes ago, Steve_Mack_CT said:

What about clubby hiding in the background, Caddy or Lasalle as well?

I like both cars, but I’m mostly intrigued by the bicycle!  

[C Carl]

Although I have a tendency to love them as they are, those red fenders and headlights would be black very soon if I were to purchase this car. Great driving cars with enough performance for the interstate if you need the speed. Yeah,  they go, they have huge brakes, and the suspension is very well engineered for the time. And yes, that is the legendary’37 LaSalle trans still in place. One of the most attractive instrument panels, too. As mentioned earlier, the valuable work already done for this one makes it a lot of car for the money . Any rust in the bottoms of the doors ? Go for it if you are tempted. If you need to sell later, there is a market for them. You will have had a lot of relatively inexpensive fun with it.    -    Carl 

[58L-Y8]

 If you buy it, please repaint the headlight buckets and fenders black! 

[Hudsy Wudsy]

Guys, forgive my naivety, but that two-tone isn't factory, is it?

[58L-Y8]

54 minutes ago, Hudsy Wudsy said:

Guys, forgive my naivety, but that two-tone isn't factory, is it?

No, the two-tone color contracting body and fenders went out of vogue lead by the 1932 Graham 'Blue Streak'.  The idea was to present a streamlined, unified design in one solid color.  Black fenders with differentiated body color was a 1920's fashion, out-of-date in the Art Moderne Streamlined 1930's. 

Two-tone color schemes came back into the option list in 1940-1942, though it was subtle two-tones applied to the upper body, not the fenders.  Commercial vehicles such as trucks still retained the black fender with body color choices.  It was a practical approach as damaged truck fenders could be easily color matched.

[neil morse]

Certainly worth a long look at that price! 

[Hudsy Wudsy]

10 minutes ago, 58L-Y8 said:

No, the two-tone color contracting body and fenders went out of vogue lead by the 1932 Graham 'Blue Streak'.  The idea was to present a streamlined, unified design in one solid color.  Black fenders with differentiated body color was a 1920's fashion, out-of-date in the Art Moderne Streamlined 1930's. 

Two-tone color schemes came back into the option list in 1940-1942, though it was subtle two-tones applied to the upper body, not the fenders.  Commercial vehicles such as trucks still retained the black fender with body color choices.  It was a practical approach as damaged truck fenders could be easily color matched.

Thanks for your response, 58. I thought that was the case, but there is something about that particular combination on the LaSalle that looked sort of vintage to me. I've often complained about inappropriate two-toning on thirties cars in the past. It just ruins the beautiful factory lines in most cases.

[suchan]

3 hours ago, 58L-Y8 said:

 If you buy it, please repaint the headlight buckets and fenders black! 

Or paint the rest of it red....

[58L-Y8]

Yes, better yet, match the Cord 810/812 Clay Rust of the fenders!

[Guest]

DPCD still offered a choice of black fenders with a colored body in 1938 but it was a cost delete offering for the very frugal Dodge and Plymouth buyers rather than a two color paint enhancement. 

Whenever I see a 30's era car with black fenders, especially a higher end model, it always reminds me of this.   I think many today are not aware of this reasoning behind the black fenders, so they paint their cars like that thinking it looks upgraded, but the message in the 30's would have been much different.

 

 

 

Edited April 16, 2021 by GregLaR (see edit history)

[Grimy]

Black fenders could be repainted much more economically than body color fenders, and fenders were most likely to suffer damage.  That said, monochromes work much better than 2-tones on *most* mid- and late-1930s cars IMHO.

[supercub]

I dont mind accepting someone else's adea of style in modification, seems ok and I like the dark red. As long as it's all done in a goodly way and not hacked. The style is what I like. 

[Hudsy Wudsy]

I recall seeing a photo of lot full of '36 Plymouth fleet cars (Armour Meats, I believe) that all had red bodies and black fenders. The description that accompanied it referred to fleet cars having black fenders as a cost saving feature. No doubt black fenders were commonly available in local stock.