Hi. I have a one owner survivor series 62 coupe with manual windows. Was just wondering how many coupes were made with manual versus power windows. Thanks
If I had to guess - 20% based on my observation for all Series 62 closed models.
I've never heard of any official published data concerning this specific question, which is often very sketchy.
Thank you!
The question is probably answered by Ward's automotive yearbook for 1960.
Never heard of it
Quote from: 6262 on February 21, 2019, 10:20:17 AM
The question is probably answered by Ward's automotive yearbook for 1960.
The Wards book only shows the power window installation percentage for the entire model line up. Not just the ones it was optional in.
Here is the page from my Wards book showing 58 & 59 figures.
It shows 92.6% equipped with power windows in 59.
Only the Series 62 and commercial chassis bodies came with crank windows standard.
So it is impossible to know how many of those had optional power windows.
Based on Dave Smith,s research. There were 142,272 1959 Cadillac cars produced and 61,648 were either Series 62 or Series 86 Commercial Chassis cars built. So , that means if 92.6 % were equipped with power windows for the year and only cars from those two Series were able to be crank window cars then roughly 660 cars were crank window equipped.
If it is known that 92.6% of all 1959 Cadillacs were equipped with power windows, that would mean that 7.4% were not.
7.4% of total 1959 production of 142,272 = 10,528 cars w/o power windows.
The models in which power windows were not standard are the Series 62 Coupe, Series 62 Sedan (4W), Series 62 Sedan (6W) and Commercial Chassis.
Production of these models is:
Commercial Chassis - 2,102
Series 62 Sedan (6W) - 23,461
Series 62 Sedan (4W) - 14,138
Series 62 Coupe - 21,947
_________________________
Total - 61,648
10,528/61,648 = 17.07%
Therefore ~ 17% of all 1959 Series 62 (closed cars) and Commercial Chassis were not equipped with power windows; 83% with. My estimate of 20% (w/o) was pretty close.
Eric,
Here is my personal ADA-BOY.
And a hardy pat on the back - wouldn't want you to throw your shoulder out patting yourself on the back.
ALL KIDDING ASIDE. LOL
You are a great resource to the tribe.
Have fun,
Steve B.
Well shucks Steve - I don't know about that but thanks for the kind words...
If my incessant ramblings are helpful to anyone, I'm very glad. ;D
Cheers!
So Ward's automotive yearbook did indeed answer the question. Thanks, Dave and Eric!
These yearbooks are incredibly interesting.
Less than one in a thousand Chevrolets had air suspension. More than one in a hundred Cadillacs no heater. And I would not have thought so many manual transmission cars were built in 1959. Astonishingly low numbers for power windows and seats, too.
Thanks for crunching those numbers Eric! I didn't have time to before going to work.
None of the commercial chassis vehicles would have had power windows, even as an option then. You didn't see that as an option until the seventies. So 100% of them would have been crank window cars.
I've never understood why someone would load up a base model. But clearly it was done. Josh Noiles owns a 100% original, low mileage 1960 Series 62 six window sedan with every option except air suspension and tri-power. It was sold new to a State Representative in Pennsylvania.
If that 7.4% figure included Commercial Chassis, then we would recalculate as follows:
10,528 - 2,102 = 8,426 - the number of cars produced without power windows, excluding CC
61,648 - 2,102 = 59,546 - total number of Series 62 closed cars built (power windows optional).
8,426/59,546 = 14% of Series 62 (closed body) cars w/o power windows - or an installation rate of 86%.
BTW - Several years back I owned a Series 62 Coupe with Air, power seat, Autronic and Fog lamps - but crank windows. Can't be many equipped like that.
Quote from: Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621 on February 22, 2019, 09:35:20 AM
If it is known that 92.6% of all 1959 Cadillacs were equipped with power windows, that would mean that 7.4% were not.
7.4% of total 1959 production of 142,272 = 10,528 cars w/o power windows.
The models in which power windows were not standard are the Series 62 Coupe, Series 62 Sedan (4W), Series 62 Sedan (6W) and Commercial Chassis.
Production of these models is:
Commercial Chassis - 2,102
Series 62 Sedan (6W) - 23,461
Series 62 Sedan (4W) - 14,138
Series 62 Coupe - 21,947
_________________________
Total - 61,648
10,528/61,648 = 17.07%
Therefore ~ 17% of all 1959 Series 62 (closed cars) and Commercial Chassis were not equipped with power windows; 83% with. My estimate of 20% (w/o) was pretty close.
Eric,
Thank you for getting this right! I was interested but too lazy, and you beat me... I have always appreciated your informed, concise, and accurate contributions to this message board.
Given Dave's observation that ALL 2102 commercial cars had manual windows, that lowers to 14% the percentage of Series 62 cars with manual windows (as you just pointed out). Of course there is not quite enough information to answer the original question about Series 62 Coupes. My (unsubstantiated) conjecture is that relatively fewer coupes had the manual windows -- but I suppose that's anyone's guess.
Interesting post for those of us who enjoy trivia!!!! Thanks.
John Emerson
1952 Cadillac sedan 6219X (with hydraulic power windows) :-[
That's certainly true - there's no apparent way of determining the number cars equipped with manual windows in the individual Series 62 (closed) models. There may also be some question whether the 92.6% figure includes CC models or not. Theoretically it shouldn't since it shouldn't apply to models in which power windows were unavailable.
Only way to answer the question in the absolute would be to go through the 1959 build sheets...all 4,700 of them. :o
Thank you for the kind words. :)
Perhaps it’s just an anomaly, but it does seem like a greater percentage of the S62’s for sale recently have manual windows. No good way to verify this, but I wonder if the “strippers†have a higher survival rate since there was less to go wrong. Thinking back to the time when these were just old used cars with obsolete styling, one with a bunch of window/seat etc. issues may have been more likely to be junked.
Perhaps the more stripped cars were ordered by people who could barely afford the Cadillac and therefor were kept out of inclement weather and babied more. Just a thought.
Two issues screw up the strict numeric approach (although it is a labor of love and a devotion to the hobby).
Back when power windows were offered and driven by hydraulic pistons, they too often leaked, ruining the doors and carpet.
Those cars were often - who knows how often - but enough to reach the literature (fake news aside and less likely) reverted to cranks - a friend in Arizona did that to his 47 Series 62 convert.
And if you were to sample say air suspension cars in 59, way more than an aberration were switched over to springs - because of the weaknesses of the system.
So often did this happen that Cad offered to retro to springs, and had a no cost pkg. to do it.
Have fun,
Steve B.