This was my daily driver back in the 70s

[Barry M Wheeler #2189]

I had seen this car on the street while I was driving around Indianapolis in late 1958. It was a dark blue. Later, I found out it was a 1955 Ford color. I waved at the guy and then I got involved with meeting Gay. Also, I was getting ready to enlist in the Army, so life was somewhat complicated.

After we returned, I bought a 1941 Series 6733 Imperial which never did run right. Our daily driver became my boss's Dad's 1953 Cadillac which we drove for a few years. It chipped a piston skirt, so I needed a new driver. I saw an ad in the paper for this '41 coupe which I'd seen before.

It proved to be quite dependable. We drove it so Tennessee to see Gay's folks and she wanted me to meet her Grandmother in Virginia, so we made a side trip past Cumberland Gap. The only problem we had on that trip was that the ammeter started wiggling for a few miles.

The other picture is near the Start/Finish line on the 500 track. This was a local show, the culimation of which was a couple of laps around the track. Notice the sealed beam fog lamps now installed. Very effective playing Dimmitdammit when someone approached with their brights on.

A guy stopped me on 38th street one evening and asked if I'd like to trade. He was driving a yellow 1956 Fleetwood 60S with a white top. The '56 was somewhat classier, so we swapped. (He neglected to tell me that he had been putting transmission fluid in it by the case.) Thank heaven for a Master Card and AAMCO.)

[Lexi]

Great story Barry. Clay/Lexi

[J. Skelly]

nice looking '41

[Scott Nellis]

   Thanks for sharing the memories Barry. I wish I was around back then. Beautiful Cadillac and the story behind it makes it that much better. All the money in the world can't buy memories like that.

[Barry M Wheeler #2189]

I'd made a couple of attempts to post this thread and neglected to mention that the car had one SO feature. The front seat cushions (Not the rear) were done in blue leather. This is Option "A" relating to leather upholstery I believe from the Special Features book that I sent to Paul Phillips in GA after I sold my 60S.

(He will share any info in this 1941 book upon request.) What was amusing about having this feature is that I can't remember ever looking on the cowl plate and finding the SO line. (I guess I thought I "Knew it all" about 1941s by then....)

I found a set of skirts and had a friend spray them in the 1955 Ford dark blue. I had taken them off for some reason and hated to give them to the other guy after we traded due to the transmission debacle that he "forgot" to tell me about. He was working for the Cadillac garage at the time and was going to get me a "deal" to repair it there. As I remember, the bill from AAMCO was $200 and change.

After we got that fixed, though, the car proved to be a very nice family car. It had the black and white fabric inserts and leather (?) but the front had been nicely redone in a black material.

I've mentioned before that it came with one NOS rear fender spear and I always thought that it would make a wonderful murder weapon in a Hitchcock thriller.