Requesting assistance for an Authenticity Manual

[936CD69]

Hello fellow Cadillac Fanatics,
As any of you that have worked on an authenticity manual knows, the devil is in the details! My team and I are preparing a manual for the 1985-1993 “C” cars, including deVille, fwd Fleetwood, and fwd Limos. I’ve been collecting factory documentation for over a year, and am nearly ready to start writing the manual. David Moll, a member from Indianapolis, graciously  loaned me 2 boxes of material, which I am in the process of scanning for posterity sake. Paul Ayers, Alan Haas, and Neil Riechart at the CLCMRC archives were a great help during my recent visit, and also put me in touch with Greg Wallace at the GM Heritage Center/Media Archives. Greg and his team have graciously allowed me to research the document Archive in November, and I am sure after that it will be full speed ahead. I have a new appreciation for those brave souls who have worked so diligently producing Manuals for the earlier years of cars.                             
I am asking for your help again. The old expression is “a picture is worth a thousand words.” No matter how clearly a book is written, it is still the illustrations that are the most valuable when it comes to authentically preserving or restoring our cars. I have 100s of factory photos of the exterior and interiors of these cars, and intend to use them where appropriate. What we need at this point are the less obvious.  Detailed pictures of the underbody, suspensions, and engine compartment are simply not available in any Cadillac documentation I have seen to date.  Details on interior components are rare as well.
Allow me to give an example from my personal experience. I have a low mile 93 Sedan deVille which fortunately was well cared for by it’s previous owner. Even at that, the car did not spend 20 years in a cocoon, so the underside is in need of detailing. After spending hours under the car with cleaners and rags, it is getting to the point where I will be able to use some pictures in the manual. That covers late 92 and 93 models, but the 89-early 92s have differences, and the 85-88’s are like another animal altogether. The only way to document the authentic appearance is with pictures taken by you, the owners of low mile, original cars. We would be pleased to acknowledge anyone who contributes pics. If you would prefer to remain private, we would again follow your wishes. No information which positively links a car to it’s owner will be used without permission.
Several members have promised their help with pictures, and we are grateful for their offers. I’m sure most of us, especially in the Northern areas, are getting ready to hibernate our cars. Would you take a few moments as you’re prepping your cars and take some high resolution images? All models are needed, so if you have a nice 85 deVille or 87 Fleetwood, or whatever, it could be in the manual! If you have a Fleetwood 75 or an 87-88 Sixty Special, you may be the only one willing to help document these very rare cars!
I am considering writing letters to owners of record of the more rare models, requesting their help. Do you think that’s appropriate? Let me know….
For anyone with interest in preparing a manual for other classes of cars of the same era, I have found that most Cadillac documentation for the later model years has information on all of the platforms. I believe I have enough info right now to make a good start on a manual for the 86-91 Eldo-Seville or late model (85-92) Broughams, which I’d be happy to share. Please contact Bill Anderson if you have an interest in doing a manual. When we are finished, all of the materials I have will be donated to the CLCMRC for future collectors use.
As usual, thanks in advance for your input and help!