What Cool Things Have You Found In Your Old Cadillac?

[Cape Cod Fleetwood]

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.

Not a Glock fan but a great story!

\m/
Laurie

[Jason Edge]

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.

[35-709]

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. 

[Hilarius]

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

[WTL]

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. 

[chrisntam]

Wow, that's a big ticket!

[Jeff Hansen]

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

[chrisntam]

A standing Liberty Quarter (I think).

walking liberty half dollar.

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

The coin reads Half Dollar.

Bruce.

[Bob Hoffmann CLC#96]

It's a walking liberty half dollar & WELL worn out!!

[Cape Cod Fleetwood]

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

[TonyZappone #2624]

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.

[Cadillac Fleetwood]

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

[Cadillac Fleetwood]

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

[R Simone]

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!

[tluke]

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.


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?

[TonyZappone #2624]

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.

[jaxops]

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. 

[tcom2027]

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 

[Saturnin15]

I found mouse's nests and oak nuts in my 1956 SDV!😂😂😂😂