1947 CAD 6269 SDN

[r2law]

Attached are the pics from the 1947 Cadillac I bought a few years ago.  It appears (with the exception of the tires) to be all original.  The body has no major rust.  The exterior paint has flaking and minor rust but is in good condition.  The interior is almost in mint condition.  The engine needs work.  Also, need to replace the master cylinder and recore the radiator.

Larry

[r2law]

As stated above, the upholstery looks like it is original and in mint condition.  The body tag says it Trim 71 which is “blue-gray dual cord.”  Is this the correct upholstery and is it original?

Thanks, Larry

[r2law]

Attached are the roof. It’s also on pristine condition.

[r2law]

Below is an oil/lubrication tag on the inside driver's door frame that appears to be from the factory.  The faux woodwork on the driver's door needs to be restored.  Also below is the rear passenger door frame.  This usually rusted out.  The finished is typical of car itself.  Small rust spots but nothing major.  Is there any way to tell if this is the original finish?

[joeceretti]

Wow, if that interior isn't original it is very very nice. From my research, that cord pattern is spot on.

[r2law]

Thanks Joe.  I haven't found any examples of original upholstery to know for sure this is trim pattern 71.  It is amazing that in the 1940's Cadillac had so many trim codes.  The trunk appears to be all original too.  I also think the jack is original because it resembles the illustration in the owner's manual.

The engine needs a lot of work!

Larry

[r2law]

I was able to confirm the interior is the blue-gray “Dual cord” code 71.  It is identical to the interior picture printed on page 115 in “Cadillacs of the Forties” by Roy A Schneider.  In addition the attached 1948 Cadillac ad below uses the exact blue-gray dual cord fabric.  I looked at other 1948 ads I have and Cadillac did a series of ads with different fabric backgrounds. I also was able to confirm the bumper jack is original.  The base bottom has a patent number 2,400,235 which was filed in 1945 and issued in 1946.  The lift mechanism is embossed “patent applied for.”  The patent illustration, base bottom and jack side view are provided below.

[r2law]

The trunk is original.  The sides are a pressed cardboard and the floor is a rough cloth that's sealed (or glued) to the floor.  The tire well is a gray cardboard or leather.  Below are pictures of the trunk back and cowl.  I can't find examples of the cardboard pattern but it definitely was been there since the car was built.  The cloth edges are folded, not stitched.

[r2law]

The original spare tire also was in the car.  It differs from the reproduction tires I bought for the car in that it has patent nos 2,236,903 and 2,255,994 embossed on the rim.  These patents were filed in 1937 and granted respectively in April and September 1941.  The original tire also has “4 - PLY” , the tire size “7.00 - 15" and “MADE IN U.S.A.” together on the white wall whereas the reproduction tire has the tire size “7.00 - 15" and “MADE IN U.S.A.” on opposite sides of the whitewall.  The reproduction has the “4 - PLY” embossed on the rim.

[Chasmann]

What is the brand name of the tire.Thanks Charlie M.

[r2law]

Charlie-The brand name of the tire is "Firestone."  Below are close ups of the Firestone emblems and opposite "Gum-Dipped" embossments.  They look pretty close except that the text "Deluxe Champion" is larger on the original tire (e.g. the text lines up with beginning of the "i" and end of the "n" in Firestone whereas in the reproduction the text falls between the end of the "i" and the beginning of the "n").

Take care, Larry.

[r2law]

The car's odometer reads 53,435 miles.  This appears to be its total mileage because the driver's seat, pedals and carpet show little wear.  The third peddle on the far left is a new "add on" I bought for the dimmer switch.  I decided to to keep the car as original as possible and just focus on restoring the engine.  I also have the original identification card issued in September 1947 along with its manual and warranty. 

[Martin Michaels]

Larry, you mention a third pedal for the dimmer switch,I have never seen or heard of that.Have I been missing something,is that original stock,or some kind of old after market item?If that is original I got to find me one it looks great. Marty

[r2law]

Marty:  It's an after market item that just fits over the car's switch.  They are always up for sale on Ebay.  Below is a pic of an Ebay search using the keywords "NOS dimmer switch pedal."  They just sit over the dimmer switch and can be easily removed for shows.

[r2law]

I live in the north east and the weather has been severely cold so I haven’t had any time to work on the engine.  In reviewing the documentation that came with the car's purchase, I have the original ID card, manual, owner service policy and a an instruction card for operating the thermostatic control and fresh air/defroster control.  Attached below are the ID card and top side of the owner service policy.

The back side and the instruction card are provided in the next post.

[r2law]

Below are the back side and the instruction card.  The original owner was Edmund John Aylward.  His family started and owned the Neenah Foundery from 1872 to 1997. The instruction card is a rare item and was mostly on one the nobs at time of deliver.

[Martin Michaels]

Larry, The paper work is great, along with the car. Marty