I was just cleaning the inside AC/Heat air box from my latest parts car, a 1963 Cadillac Series 62 Sedan, my 50th Parts Car, and out fell an original key, 1951 wheat penny and Beatles Fan pin. How cool is that! Check out the pictures below. I was wondering if anyone else has found cool things in their old Cadillacs?
(https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2307168330?profile=original)
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(https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2307169294?profile=original)
I don’t know if it’s cool but I found a vending machine paper cup that was thrown in behind the rear seat side panel while on the assembly line in my 76 CdV
Greg Surfas
I found a parking ticket in my 1972 Eldorado Convertible that I just sold that was issued in 1974 at a mall that was under the front carpet when I replaced the leather interior. This is not an item however on the white plastic Vin. number and oil change plate on the drivers door front post on my just acquired 1955 Cadillac Fleetwood Sixty Special in pencil is written 28,000 miles , 5-28-63 oil change. That will NEVER be disturbed.
When cleaning the black 2011 CTS after purchase, I found, under the front seats, a watch (working, gave to nephew), a black and a red leather collar with chain leashes and leather handles, and two blue tablets marked pfizer. :P
I then performed some extra vacuuming and seat / carpet cleaning.
Some of you may recall this episode of "Car Talk"--- I was the call in for that day.
HomeOur Show#1307: The Giving Trunk
#1307: The Giving Trunk
FEB 16, 2013
This week on Car Talk, James thought he got a good deal when he bought his neighbor's Cadillac--and that's before the cash rebate, in the form of $3,200 hidden in the trunk. Should he hand the money over, or tear the rest of the car apart in search of more?
I am restoring a 1940 Lasalle With a one off woodie station wagon body installed in 1940. When taking up the middle floor plywood I found horseshoe nails and bits of coal. Later research revealed an early owner in the 1940's/50's was a farrier/horseshoer for the Budweiser Clydesdales in St.Louis. This car was sitting outside way too long before I came along. I found hundreds of mud dauber wasp nests, lots of mouse nests and other stuff mice and racoons leave behind.
I found this the first day I cleaned The Ark after I bought him. I think in some states we're legally married...
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Laurie
That's quite a rock. I have to ask..... Is it real?
Over the years I have found lots of things when I cleaned out my old Cadillacs. Short list- original dome light 59 Cad,never installed , Gold rings,gold chains,silver chains,lots of old money,knives, panties, crack pipe,old for sale signs that slid down the door glass and went inside the door,toys ,lots of tools :), cash, hide a keys with the original keys inside,love leters,cool old hot wheels pin,wallet,old bird seed(that had weed seeds in it), Christmas stuff,watches,,,the list goes on and on ! Lots of stuff to be found in old Cadillacs,it's like a treasure hunt :D Ken Perry
Quote from: Tom Boehm on May 05, 2019, 09:47:57 PM
That's quite a rock. I have to ask..... Is it real?
real glass, took it to 2 appraisers. I still wear it to car shows.
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Laurie
In the glove box of one of my '58s there was a small supply of "shot size" dixie cups, a variety of matchbooks from various bars, and a card for a Medical Doctor-- the reported once owner of the car.
Those were the days, yikes! :o
In the trunk of my 63 there was 4 trophies for the car and an original shop manual. The trophies were from the 90's so I'm hoping that's a good sign.
My pictures didn't come through. I'll try again.
When I was restoring my 1941 Cadillac convertible, I found several interesting things. I knew the car must be from the San Francisco area, because of the radio call numbers on the radio. Under the back seat was a brass 1941 dog license tag from San Francisco, a mummified golf ball, and a coat check tag from Bimbo's 365 Club in San Francisco. When I took the dashboard apart to woodgrain it, on the back of the speedometer, written in black crayon, it said "Fairmont Hotel Garage. Thurs 8pm" What would that have been for???
Ok, So the Beatles pin, extra trunk/glove box key and 1951 penny were from the last parts car.. #50. Here are some things I remember finding in the other 49 parts cars:
- tools... all sorts of tools, sometimes under the seat, sometimes in the trunk, sometime in the glove box
- car documentation and receipts in glove box - everything from inspection, to titles, car insurance cards and receipts, to lots of auto parts receipts. Also other receipts for anything and everything including groceries, movie stubs, hotel stays, you name it.
- Money... as in pocket change!... lots of change... especially under the back seat, and sometimes in the center section below the center arm rest. Of course I love to find coins in the car of the year of the car (i.e. 1963 or 1964). On a few parts cars back I found 5 pennies and they spanned 5 years --> 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968. I thought that was pretty weird to find them all in chronological order like that starting from the cars model year. I super glued them on a shelf in my garage.
- maps... One was from the Eastern USA and dated 1971 found under rear seat. I-95 was far from complete with sections up and down "under construction".
- Ahooga Horn! … Of course not correct for the 63's and 64's I deal with but worked perfect and cleaned it up and painted and have mounted in my garage and attached to a 12 volt source with a trigger handle. I have people grab the handle and squeeze it and scare the BeJesus out of them!!!
Many household items..., everything from curtain rods, to shelving! Often find a lot of cleaning supplies left behind.
I could go on and on but the The Preachers Dad's Car will always be the one to beat!
Way back, probably around 1999 I brought home a 64 Series 62 Coupe that was owned by a preacher's dad who had recently passed away. When me and my dad opened the trunk we found a box full of condoms and a red teddy. My dad without flinching looked at me and said "he had been spreading more than the gospel!"
Speaking of my dad who passed away in 2005, he was always excited when I would bring in another parts cars and would head straight to the trunk. I would make a point to give him first dibbs at plundering through to see what treasures we would find. Sure were fun times!!
When I took the dashboard apart to woodgrain it, on the back of the speedometer, written in black crayon, it said "Fairmont Hotel Garage. Thurs 8pm" What would that have been for???
That is truly peculiar. Only thing I can think of is a message being passed down the assembly line when the car was built.....
My 70 Cadillac had a new condom in the ash tray. I figured the guy I bought it from was a player but when I looked at the expiration date that was 15 years expired I realized he had no game.
Brian
As for the Fairmont notation, given that it was a San Francisco car, my guess is that the speedo was out for repair, and the person working on it got a call or message to meet someone at the Fairmont, and wrote it on the first available surface. The Fairmont is one of the grand dames of Nob Hill, and unlike the Fairmonts in some other places, goes back many years.
I always dreamed of finding a gun in a car. Many years ago I found a vintage old fashioned fancy light pole about 11"high. It had a time piece mounted on the top. The time piece had come loose. I stored it for many years. The late Fred Bausch repaired for for me & established its value at over $500. I sold it on ebay & used the money to but a Glock. 40 ca. Model 22 Laurie. So.. I did find a gun after all.
Quote from: 76eldo on May 06, 2019, 09:44:22 PM
My 70 Cadillac had a new condom in the ash tray. I figured the guy I bought it from was a player but when I looked at the expiration date that was 15 years expired I realized he had no game.
Brian
PMSL!
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Laurie
Quote from: Bob Hoffmann CLC#96 on May 06, 2019, 11:26:04 PM
I always dreamed of finding a gun in a car. Many years ago I found a vintage old fashioned fancy light pole about 11"high. It had a time piece mounted on the top. The time piece had come loose. I stored it for many years. The late Fred Bausch repaired for for me & established its value at over $500. I sold it on ebay & used the money to but a Glock. 40 ca. Model 22 Laurie. So.. I did find a gun after all.
8)
Not a Glock fan but a great story!
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Laurie
Here's another cool thing I found from this parts car #50, a Penney's Tire Guarantee dated Jan 30, 1968 under the trunk lid. I sort of forgot about the JC Penney auto centers as I always think of Sears auto centers. Wonder if any are still around … sorry but I just don't get out to the malls anymore. Check out below and attachment.
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According to wikipedia, JC Penney (for James Cash Penney) sold its auto stores to Firestone in 1983. Of interest, Sam Walton (WalMart, Sams Club) started working at JC Penney in 1940.
OR, if you meant Sears Auto Stores --- the one here in Vero Beach is still open.
My 1930 „353“ Cadillac 7-seater had started its career in New York and was brought to Belgium after the war. There it served as a marriage coach for a jeweller who offered the cars pictured for a free ride if the engagement rings were bought at his „Fabri Jewel“.
In 1999 when I bought the car from a Dutch seller it was pretty much run down but all original, down to the faded and oxidized paint and the moth eaten mohair.
During the restoration I found the attached advertizing in one of the front doors.
Also attached is a picture of the car about 15 years after the restoration.
As others on this forum did, I also have found many mouse‘s nests in different places in my cars. Two, though, were special: I pulled the nests and their inhabitants from the propeller shafts of my 1940-7567 and of the 1948-7519 during restoration. My guess is that the nests were finished during a period of standing of the car and the mouses were unlucky enough to be in their nests when the cars were started and they were killed in wild rotating nightmare.
Hilmar
Parking ticket from 541 Bourbon Street.
The ticket, from the script and presentation looks to be very old.
The last time that car was in New Orleans was probably my parents honeymoon in 1976.
Wow, that's a big ticket!
When disassembling my '42 limo, I found a well worn coin buried deep underneath the divider window motor - but not one you see every day.
Jeff
A standing Liberty Quarter (I think).
8) walking liberty half dollar.
The coin reads Half Dollar.
Bruce. >:D
It's a walking liberty half dollar & WELL worn out!!
Hilmar I'll see your mouse story and raise you one...
When I was flushing The Arks cooling system for the first time, I found
a mouse in the reservoir, how did it get in there... how long was it there...
Remarkably well preserved with the glycol though, LOL!
\m/
Laurie
I found under the front seat of one of my '56 Derham limousines, a complete ring of '56 auto keys, probably the transport drivers sets for every car on that load. Of course, none of them fit that car.
Quote from: Jeff Hansen on May 08, 2019, 08:56:42 PM
When disassembling my '42 limo, I found a well worn coin buried deep underneath the divider window motor - but not one you see every day.
Jeff
An interesting find! A 1917 half dollar from the San Francisco Mint, with the mint mark "S" on the reverse side. One of 5,554,000 minted. I have been a numismatist only slightly longer than being a car enthusiast. It has roughly the same silver content as a pre-1920 British Florin, or a pre-1946 Australian Florin.
Charles Fares
In my days of trolling the Southern California salvage yards, I came across numerous interesting finds. Here are two of them.
I always made a point of looking for perfect steering wheels. In a 1973 Eldorado, the steering wheel had one of those hideous plastic perforated wraps. Visible through some of the holes was something green and cream in color, even though the wheel was red. My salvage yard buddies told me the wheel was junk, and not to waste my time. But I saw the unmistakable color of US currency. I took a manicure scissors from my tool kit, and cut the lacing of the cover and peeled it back. The wheel was trash, but wrapped around it was a $100 bill. Not bad for a few minutes' effort.
In another Cadillac, a 1966 Sedan deVille, one of the front ash trays contained an interesting old watch, square in shape, with a marquetry dial. I wound it, and it worked for a few minutes. I took it to a watchmaker to see if it could be repaired, and found out that it was a 1947-vintage Enicar Swiss-made watch. When the watchmaker opened the back, under a bright light, the works were ablaze with ruby-red jewels. All it needed was cleaning and adjusting. That was 18 years ago and it is still working today.
Charles Fares
While removing the carpet from my 1969 DeVille this past week I found a 50th Anniversary matchbook "1924-1974", and this gag card for "Stud Service - Love Made On Short Notice".
By the way I do NOT recommend removing one of these bench seats by oneself - WOW was that heavy and awkward!
I know mice nests are common but my 55 Cad 75 Series sat for years with it previous owner with the gas cap off so I found nests inside the gas tank. Needless to say it was rusted through from the mice urine.
5575OpenGasFiller.jpg5575GasTankMiceNests.jpg
Also, not inside but outside I found these finger prints. Knowing that Elvis once owned a 1955 75 Series, I can't help wondering if those aren't Elvis' fingerprints on the front fender? :)
5575ElvisFingerPrints.jpg
During a cleaning episode, I removed the bottom leather cushion on the front seat of one of my '56 Derham limos. There I found a key ring, with 5 or six sets of keys, brand new. One of these sets fit the car. I figured the transport driver lost them there, and obviously never found them. l put them with my collection of uncut period GM keys, where I am sure they will never be used.
1949 Cadillac: I found a parking ticket from Connecticut in 1966 for $2.00 (such extortion!), a Connecticut license plate from the 1940s, and some car show buttons on the rear armrest area.
1956: Cadillac: A build sheet under the rear seat.
Years ago I bought a '40 60 Special from a family in St Louis MO. Described as single family owned from day one.
Right after it was delivered I was rooting through the glove box and in the back corner was a well preserved 1945 $5 ($87.50 today) Federal tax stamp. The chassis number, written in ink on the back matched the cars' number.
A year or so later I had occasion to dig around under the front seat. Stuck to the floor near the tunnel was an early 1943 expired ration book with name of grandad I presume, as his name matched the sellers name along with a receipt for service on the car. A true one family owned car.
It was pretty stained and faded but some time spent under strong light and magnification I was able to decode most of the RO. It's been a few years but IIRC Oil change, wash, charge battery, vacuum interior. Clean spark plugs,replace #5 and #4 spark plugs. Check timing and reset.(probably to get better mileage from the lower octane gas available at the time). I kept them and when the car sold I gave them to the new owner.
When I restored a '41 coupe I taped a card with my name, address and phone number inside the drivers' door panel. THere was a hitch in the regulator and I figured at some point it would fail or an OCD owner would pull the panel to inspect or replace the regulator.
Sure enough,about eight years later I got a phone call from an owner in WAshington offering me the car back. Unfortunately at the time I felt couldn't afford it. We didn't even consider home equity to buy an expensive depreciating toy. Today is a different story. Who knows, maybe the owner is a Club member, or better yet a contributor on the forum and reads this.
Great thread. Fun walk down memory lane
I found mouse's nests and oak nuts in my 1956 SDV!😂😂😂😂
For those who remember "Click and Clack, The Tappet Brothers" on NPR, I was featured in an episode entitled "the Giving Trunk" --- I found cash in the trunk of my Cadillac. https://www.cartalk.com/radio/show/1307-giving-trunk You may get a chuckle out of it. James
I hope you kept it. What no one knows about won't hurt them.
Quote from: James Landi on February 04, 2025, 06:53:42 AMFor those who remember "Click and Clack, The Tappet Brothers" on NPR, I was featured in an episode entitled "the Giving Trunk" --- I found cash in the trunk of my Cadillac. https://www.cartalk.com/radio/show/1307-giving-trunk You may get a chuckle out of it. James
I loved that show! I used to travel to the USA on business 3 times a year and I'd listen to them and Prairie Home Companion both on NPR when it was sane!
When restoring my 63, I found a 1966 Dennis the Menace comic book under the back seat. It was pretty ratty so I tossed it along with old Wrigley's mint chewing gum sticks. My wife said it was all appropriate swag.
In my 60, we found beer bottle caps and a fired .45 caliber pistol shell.
Some California sagebrush too. (For a better smell I think).
In my 1964 Fleetwood in the glove box & the trunk I found a Mobil oil credit card receipt from 1971 for a station in Los Angeles $6.20 to fill it 18.2 gals. I googled the address and the station is still there but its no longer a Mobile branded station . Also a nice dash pad cover, a Cadillac accessory weighted trash receptacle that is shown in the accessory catalog that sits on the trans hump, & miscellaneous small change. In 1990 I had a 1981 Eldorado Diesel given to me with a blown head gasket i repaired it and drove it for three years, I found a new fiber glass handle claw hammer & a twenty dollar bill in that car. That car had factory power bucket seats with a small console between the seats.
Nothing. There was nothing which was kind of sad. But I thought my car was Black when I bought it, so it was cool to find out it was blue after a bath.
After I pulled it into the barn I sat and watched 3 mice decide to abandon ship and jump out of the car and run away.
DSC_5474.jpgIMG_0311.jpgIMG_0316.jpg
Under the floor pad in my '49 I found a guest lapel sticker for a Col. Frank Millett visiting a Rotary Club in Hyannis MA. He was from Greenfield MA. The car was delivered to a dealer in Worchester. The Colonel would have been 70 in 1949 and I am assuming he may have been the first owner of the car. If I were to weave a story, I would say he bought the car and after he passed in 1966 it sat in a garage a long time. I have a service sticker from 1969 showing 56,000 miles. The car eventually ended up in Wisconsin and was restored by Jack Hoffman. Photos of the car before restoration it was not in bad shape.
That 61 SDV is really sharp for a barn find. Nice.
Quote from: Cape Cod Fleetwood on May 05, 2019, 09:13:32 PMI found this the first day I cleaned The Ark after I bought him. I think in some states we're legally married...
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Laurie
Hi Laurie,
In the Fleetwood, I found a dead lizard. This was a couple weeks after one jumped into the nether reaches of the trunk. He mad it to the back seat floor which s where I found him.
I am restoring the interior in my 57 Seville. When i pulled the backseat I found a couple wheatie pennies, a silver dime, and a rats nest made of covid mask and newspaper. I bought the car 3 years ago, so hopefully the rat stayed with the previous owner!
On my 75 Eldorado, there is a sticker on the side of the front bumper which reads "Florida university 1979"
It's a one owner car apart from myself and has always stayed in Florida so i thought that was cool as hell. Right now im trying to find a replacement bumper piece so i can swap them out and keep the one with the sticker on it in like a display or something before it weathers away.