1939 Cadillac Convertible Sedan #23 of 36 Built

[Mike Baillargeon #15848]

As I was laying in bed last night I thought that I should send you a couple so you could play with them, instead of ordering any, but upon waking up this morning, which by the way is a good thing, I see that you have ordered some.

The clips are "trim-able" as I had to do a bit of trimming when came time to fit, but in the Ford application, the bottoms fit all the way under the mounting plate, and where they touch in the centre, this gives them the side retention springing at the point of going through the holes in the body.

One thing you might be able to do to aid retention if there is no slot under the mounting lug, is to create one with a Dremel style tool, and then trim the clips to suit.

I used a good pair of Aircraft tin snips (Wiss) but only had to trim a bit which I could reach with the points of the snips.   Any closer to the outside, and I would have needed a small cut-off wheel, in said Dremel tool.

Bruce.

No problem Bruce,

When I saw your clips I thought they'll need a little dremel cutting on the bottom to open up the space to attach...

I think their going to work...and the price was right.

Thanks Bruce,

Mike

[Mike Baillargeon #15848]

There is a 322 flathead bored out to 346 with new pistons for sale in the latest SELF STARTER.  Might want to consider it as a replacement. Have no idea of it's condition otherwise.  The add says...."fair price".

Bob R.

Thanks Bob....I'm going to check it out

Mike

[Mike Baillargeon #15848]

Fantastic!!

I forwarded the picture and the diagrams to Waldron

Thank you Kurt & Tom !!

Mike

Waldron made good on that missing pipe....The diagrams & the picture of the chassis made it obvious what was wrong.

Thanks again Kurt & Tom

I don't know how a auto shop does it....8-10 week lead time to get the parts and then a couple of weeks to finally get it right......Waldron is a top notch exhaust supplier, but stuff happens......They thru in an exhaust pipe gasket when I asked for one....

Anyway all that time the shop probably is holding the customers car...it's in the way....other cars have to be worked on...etc...

Again, I wish I had a motor to bolt it up to.....It's out there....

Mike

[Mike Baillargeon #15848]

As I wait for a new motor for the car....I'm starting to dig out some of the parts that came with the car....

This is the top that must have been on the car at some point....It must have been something to see going down the road!!

A roadster with a really big rumble seat...haha

Mike

[Mike Baillargeon #15848]

I was working on the front door regulators and I found 3 of these cards in the bottom of the drivers door.....The card is bigger than a business card....

Does this name ring a bell with anybody?

His card says he is a veteran of the "Lost Battalion".....I found this mans name on the roster of that battalion....that goes back to October of 1918....WW1

Mike

[James Landi]

Incredible--- looks like the gentleman was running for office and the card was used as a piece of "self promotion."  You might be able to extrapolate an approximate date--- assuming that the card was dropped in the door by this man and he was one of the owners, and assume the gentleman had to be at least 18 to serve in the military, that would put him at approximately 120+ years old --- so let's say he stopped driving in his 80's if he were born around the turn of the century, he may have owned the car through out any period of time, but certainly not much past the 1970's.   If you can, it would be great to know just when he owned the  car and where he lived.  You said you knew it had been stored for decades... any way to make some salient connections?   Fascinating.  Hope you can find more things.    James

[Tom Boehm]

Hello Mike, I loved finding this kind of stuff in my car. Being as though your car is a convertible sedan, I think it is likely that this guy was a politician who rode in the car in a parade, rather than the owner.

[Mike Baillargeon #15848]

You guys would make better detectives than I would.....

I know just the bookends of this car....car was delivered new to Brooklyn NY....Based on oil change stickers in the door jamb it was parked in 1961 in southern New Hampshire.....

Hello Mike, I loved finding this kind of stuff in my car. Being as though your car is a convertible sedan, I think it is likely that this guy was a politician who rode in the car in a parade, rather than the owner.

I think your right Tom, I think this convertible sedan spent alot of time hanging around political functions...ie: parades, meetings etc....

I think this card was placed by the WW1 veteran or a supporter, between the drivers window glass and the weatherstrip.....Today we would put this kind of advertising under the windshield wiper....that would have been harder to reach on this car......

Incredible--- looks like the gentleman was running for office and the card was used as a piece of "self promotion."  You might be able to extrapolate an approximate date--- assuming that the card was dropped in the door by this man and he was one of the owners, and assume the gentleman had to be at least 18 to serve in the military, that would put him at approximately 120+ years old --- so let's say he stopped driving in his 80's if he were born around the turn of the century, he may have owned the car through out any period of time, but certainly not much past the 1970's.   If you can, it would be great to know just when he owned the  car and where he lived.  You said you knew it had been stored for decades... any way to make some salient connections?   Fascinating.  Hope you can find more things.    James

James, I wish I had more information of who owned the car....I can't find anything on the veteran as commissioner or a selectman.....but if he came back from WW1 and went right into politics in 1919....29 years later puts him near this car in 1948....was the car still in New York or was it then in New Hampshire....I don't know.....

But the "Lost Battalion" story I just learned is a fascinating one!...What some 18, 19, 20 year olds had to go thru....wow!!

Mike

[James Landi]

Mike. Check out the graphics on the bottom of the card " Uthograghics Amalgamated" is an unusual and distinctive union name.  Google it...I found only two references ..they are from 1957.

[Tom Boehm]

I love to research. OK here is the poop on Arthur Alfred Thompson: Born in Lawrence Essex County Massachusetts February 29 1896, died at age 82 August 14 1978 in Hampstead Rockingham County New Hampshire. Buried in Elmwood Cemetery Methuen Essex County Massachusetts. Parents Alfred Thompson and Mary Wood both born in England. At age 21 June 5 1917 he was a mill operator in Massachusetts. He enlisted in the army on May 10 1918. As a corporal in company D 306 machine gun battalion he suffered a gunshot wound in early October 1918 in the Argonne Forest in France. He was a survivor of the "Lost Battalion". He was discharged as a Seargeant on May 9 1919. He married Janet McConnachie (1897-1957) in 1921 and had 4 kids. He lived in Methuen Massachusetts.  In 1930 his occupation was "Instructor at house of correction". In 1940 his occupation was "prison officer, county jail". He was a Methuen Massachusetts Selectman from 1931-1946 and an Essex County Commissioner 1944-52.

I estimate the card from the car door is from the mid to late 1950's.

[harry s]

This is fascinating. Can't wait for the next chapter.       Harry

[James Landi]

Tom, the mid-50's is likely correct in that Uthographics appears only briefly as a union print shop at that time-- there are two reference in Google.  SO Tom, that matches up with all the information about the card's owner--but how does it make sense that the card is in such great condition??? Makes no sense, especially if the car were driven for many more years after its printing...  could the be that the car has been in dry storage for over 60 years???   James

[Mike Baillargeon #15848]

Wow!...what are you guys FBI?.....

I was told that they had to cut down trees to get the car out of the garage/barn....so yea, dry storage for a long time...

I'm holding the card in my hand and I can't make out the graphic at the bottom...how did you see that?

Mike

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

I'm holding the card in my hand and I can't make out the graphic at the bottom...how did you see that?  Mike 

Mike,

You must be blind.   It is written in the diamond shaped logo at the bottom of the card.   You must have your thumb covering it.

Bruce.

[Tom Boehm]

It all came from www.familysearch.org. What do you know about it's history? Where was the auction you got it from?

[Mike Baillargeon #15848]

Mike,

You must be blind.   It is written in the diamond shaped logo at the bottom of the card.   You must have your thumb covering it.

Bruce.

ooops! Bruce....I have big hands....I missed it...haha

It all came from www.familysearch.org. What do you know about it's history? Where was the auction you got it from?

Tom I don't know anything about the car.....It came from a small auction in Rhode Island....it was mixed in with lots of art work.

That's cool how you guys can take a small piece of info and run it down.

Mike

[Tom Boehm]

Did you ask the auction company who consigned it or who the last owner was or who owned the land/barn where it was stored for so long? Did you get a title? I looked under every rock for info on mine. I learned a LOT but I still do not know the first owner.

[Mike Baillargeon #15848]

Did you ask the auction company who consigned it or who the last owner was or who owned the land/barn where it was stored for so long? Did you get a title? I looked under every rock for info on mine. I learned a LOT but I still do not know the first owner.

I did ask Tom....all I got was, it was a government estate auction....and looks like the title is lost in that bureaucracy....Their working on it....

Mike

[Tom Boehm]

Do you know where the barn was that it was stored in for a long time? The one they had to cut trees away to remove the car? You could research who owned the property. Like I said, I looked under all rocks for info on mine because I got next to nothing info with it.

[James Landi]

Along the lines of Tom's suggestion about turning over rocks, you stated that the barn entrance was blocked by trees.  If you have pictures of that and you can  establish the size, type and growing pattern s for that region, you'll have an estimate of the  year it was stored.  James