Low mileage 1964 SDV?

[jwwseville60]

Excellent condition overall.
No documentation of course.
Engine bay and motor have been repainted I noticed. See radiator hose and fender bolts.
1 body repaint....they "think."
Trunk looks nice.
Door jambs look original.
Underside looks pretty clean.
I sharpened some photos.
Id like to hear some opinions on this one!

https://www.streetsideclassics.com/vehicles/8104-atl/1964-cadillac-sedan-deville/

[Big Fins]

I really have to question the homemade wiring under the hood. That could potentially burn your investment to the ground. Very personal inspection required for that one.

Looks like the front of the engine has been down too!

[jwwseville60]

Fins

What do you mean by the engine was down?
Thanks

[2011DTS]

John, it appears to be a nice car. It is in the Atlanta Showroom. It would be well worth a same day down and back non-stop flight from Dulles to Hartsfield to put your eyes on the car. Not saying this one is an expample, howevr Gateway photos are sometimes much better representation of the car then the actual car. Plus if you are interest once you see the car you can negotiate the price and give them a take it or leave it situation because  you can say I have a flight to catch and if you want to sell the car I am a buyer right now but not after I leave for the airport.

[Big Fins]

Fins

What do you mean by the engine was down?
Thanks

Taken apart to do a timing chain, front cover, etc...
There is a difference in the paint color in the engine pictures between the valve covers and block and the front sections. It's all of that rigged wiring that bothers me.

EDIT: Add picture

[jwwseville60]

I learn new things every day on this forum!
Thanks

[Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621]

I'm surprised nobody mentioned the special order paint as the color code is listed as "00" on the body tag. This means the paint applied to the car at the factory was not a regular production 1964 Cadillac paint color. Plus the staples in the tag which were always used whenever special order instructions applied.

Of course this adds complication should paint be needed at some future point. Given the generous amount of equipment, it was obviously ordered by someone who knew what they wanted. The discolored white plastic interior trim items are the main visual detraction but maybe they can be dyed. I can't comment on the wiring.

[jwwseville60]

The seller says it was Iris blue SO. But it's painted Benton blue now.
I think Iris Mist was an older GM color...akin to amethyst?
A Pontiac color too.
Chevy evening orchid.

They have no docs confirming mileage.

[harry s]

Maybe it just me or coincidence but it seems a lot of the cars for sale with hyped low mileage, actual mileage, one owner mileage, etc have mechanical odometers that don't line up as they should. I know it may take a few miles for the left digit to line up but not 7K miles.
Harry

[Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621]

I don't know but the painted areas in the door jambs certainly appear to be original but it's very hard to say without seeing in person. The RRR-CLC database shows three blue colors in 1964: Somerset Blue, Beacon Blue and Spruce Blue plus an optional Blue Firemist. I have no idea which one the car is, if any.

[James Landi]

"Maybe it just me or coincidence but it seems a lot of the cars for sale with hyped low mileage, actual mileage, one owner mileage, etc have mechanical odometers that don't line up as they should. I know it may take a few miles for the left digit to line up but not 7K miles."

Harry, Older folk back in the 1960's used to say that digits misaligning was a telltale of fraud. Having taken a couple of these speedos apart, I can't conceive of a way to "reset" the mileage without physically breaking the entire internal odometer  drive... Having owned many high mileage pre-computerized odometer Cadillacs, the odometer rarely made it over 100K, -- the entire mechanism was not designed to last.   

[harry s]

James, I don't know if you're saying mileage could not be reset but there were technicians known as "clock doctors" that specialized in resetting mechanical odometers usually by moving the left digit. The not so good ones did not align well. There were also dealers that would set the mileage to "0" on reconditioned or certified used cars. Some of which would come with a seller backed warranty. Most of these practices ended when Federal Odometer laws came into effect. BTW this was well past the 60s.   Harry

[Big Fins]

The odometer was put together in the beginning, it can be taken apart and put together again.

[jwwseville60]

Given the overall good condition---dash, interior, jambs, underside, no cracks in the steering wheel or dash, engine and chrome, does anyone think this is a 50-75K mile car?
Looks like it, and one thats had some cosmetic work done inside and out.
The underside may have been dry ice cleaned.
The door panels look original, but the bench seats look like new leather was added.
Front grill matte black sections aren't peeling either.

[Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621]

I think misaligned odometer digits being sure-fire evidence of tampering is often exaggerated. The truth is that it can be, but not necessarily in every case. These were mechanical instruments. Just as any number of mechanical devices in a car are subject to partial/outright failure, why is it assumed that odometers are immune from the same thing? Individual parts can become sticky especially from long periods of disuse.

Once, on a then-seven year old one-owner 1983 Coupe deVille with mileage in the low 60s in mint condition, the customer we had sold it to reported the odometer spontaneously advanced 20,000 miles above what was showing already for no apparent reason while driving it. So to anyone who thinks odometers are infallible, think again. 

It's also possible for a high mileage car to be in "like-new" condition while a low mileage car can be in poor condition. For older vehicles, overall condition is what takes precedence above all; odometer readings are a distant second for the purposes of appraisal and evaluation.

One collector summed it up best: Low mileage readings mean very little unless the condition is there to back it up.

 

[Big Fins]

John, you're going to have to do a personal inspection of the car. Think about it...$40k by the time you do the final paperwork. It's a 1964 4 door sedan that is questionable in a lot of ways. And that's only what we can see in the pictures.

There are many more and better cars and deals out there. Don't be in a hurry.

[jwwseville60]

I passed on it.

[Cadillac Jack 82]

36k for that?? Nope, nerp, nada, no-no, nein, etc....