Dual Sidemounts on 1941 60 Special

[Otto Skorzeny]

I was wondering if Dual Side Mount spares were available on 60 specials or any 1941 models. Were they offered on any models after 1939? Just curious. I like the look of dual side mounts but I really like the 1941 60 Special but have never seen one with duals like the 39s.

The second sentence above should say "after 1940" not 1939.

[David King (kz78hy)]

You might want to check out this ad for a side mounted V16 that was for sale lastweek.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Cadillac-Series-90-V16-Cadillac-1940-Series-90-V16-Limousine-with-division_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ6152QQihZ019QQitemZ290278485928QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

David

[Otto Skorzeny]

Yes that's nice  but it's not a 1941 model.  I noticed in my post I mistakenly asked asked about any models after 1939. I meant to ask after 1940.  1941 is what I really care about, though.

[Bill Hamilton, CLC16219]

Dual Side mounts were last available as an option on 1940 model cars. I suppose someone could have had a custom coach builder modify a 1941 with dual sidemounts, but my sense would be that they would ruin the lines of the 1941 models, especially the 60S

Bill Hamilton

[Stinson]

I would NOT want sidemounts on a '41 60S. They would certainly distract from that beautiful long hood.
Ty Stinson
CLC 22330

[Otto Skorzeny]

I agree. I was just wondering if they were an option.

[Doug Houston]

Absolutely, they were not. There would be no way to integrate a spare wheel into the front fenders on that model.

In the years from  about 1936 and later, the designers (stylists) tried their best to get rid of the spare tires that showed. The lines of the bodies and fenders were disrupted by the presence of the spare tires in the fenders. In conversations with some of these guys in the styling departments of GM, Ford, Chrysler, I got the same stories.

There were sidemounted spares on the 1940 Cadilac 62 series cars, and they looked clumsy, and very out of place. The car hadn't been designed for them, but some customers wanted them, nonetheless, so styling accomodated their wishes, and made them.

There were other cars in the late thirties, where sidemounted spares looked absolutely ridiculous. The '39 Plymouth had no place for spares, but some jobs had them. I coud probably think of others, but that's a good example.

In 1940, Cadillac did offer sidemounted spares in the 60S, and they were integrated decently, mainly because the 60S was still a 1938 car. But, they finally got rid of the space for the tires in the '41 design. Any of the GM styling guys I know (or knew) had a definite reverence for the flowing lines of that car. The 41-60S was one of GM's finest creations. Harley Earl wanted to extend the front fender all the way to the rear fender of the production cars, but Alfred Sloan wouldn't let him do it. It was done on one special 60S prototype, named: "The Duchess". The extended front fender did appear on the 1942 Buicks, with the new "C" bodies. It went over very well, too.

Many car enthusiasts have the feeling that a  vintage car HAS to have sidemounted spare tires, or at least, their appearance.They also have to have the gearshift on the flloor, and fenders in a color other than the body. Otherwise, it isn't a genuine old car. I've judged quite a few cars in shows, though I dislike doing so. I recall a '37 Buick in a show, where the owner grafted tire covers on the front fenders. Phoney baloney. He was proud of his stupid creation, and was livid at his loss of points for authenticity.

One of my own cars, a '39 Cadillac 90 coupe, has a set of front fenders with tire wells installed from another car that the previous owner had. I'd love to get the original fenders for that car on it again, but those fenders are somewhere in California, and I'm in Michigan.

[John Tozer # 7946]

Doug,

Quite correct.

And when you consider all that weight bearing on the chassis at the same points as that lump of cast iron 346 ci you will understand why the chassis of my '37 75 series has cracked just back from the front cross-member both sides.

My car had a hard life on some hard roads but it certainly wouldn't have been helped by all that weight off-set from the front wheels.

The stupidity of it all is that, when the spare is in the trunk, one spare was fine. Probably because the car would have "crabbed" down the road if all that weight was on one side only, external spares had to come in pairs.

Is there any evidence that GM produced "single sided" cars?

Regards,


John Tozer
#7946

[Bob Hoffmann CLC#96]

John, yes they did. Some mid 30's cars including Cad & LaSalle had them. Maybe as late as 1940. They were always on the RH side. Many commercial cars & station wagons also had one RH spare. Always looked strange to me. Bob

[Doug Houston]

Bob: That  was because there was no space for the spare anywhere else. It had to be in a fender well. I've seen them, but it appears that most customers opted  for the second one, because the car looked lopsided.

Another point that bears on what John Tozer said. Sidemounted spares did add about 300 pounds to the front end of the car and special springs and shock absorbers were used on those jobs. Also, if your car has sidemounted spares, and doesn't say so on the body plate, and the judges know their stuff, you may need to show the invoice for the car. There are lots of phonies running around.