what a shame

[Doug]

heres a very nice looking restoration (I think, but to the extent to which it was restored - who knows), with one glaring problem.  Can you find it?  (and not the pipes protruding from the rear bumper)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Cadillac-Eldorado-1956-CADILLAC-ELDORADO-BIARRITZ-CONVERTIBLE-1957-RARE_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ6147QQitemZ4601282694QQrdZ1 TARGET=_blank>http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Cadillac-Eldorado-1956-CADILLAC-ELDORADO-BIARRITZ-CONVERTIBLE-1957-RARE_W0

[Rich Sullivan CLC #11473]

Just a guess (Im a 63 vintage myself--thus no expert on the cars before my time):  Location of the power window buttons? After a brief skim of the photos, that stood out to me as "different" compared to other 50s Eldorados that I have seen?

[Doug]

nope, but it is a button. . .

[Lou]

The button on the bottom of the column ,would be my guess..

[Randall A. McGrew CLC # 17963]

Could it be that very UGLY BLUE button on the column?  What the ?
Otherwise it is a nice 56 Eldorado (not a 57 as listed).  Oh and they did not reset the front bumper from an old fender bender...its bent up and in a bit.  And for all that money you would have thought they would repaint the black inserts on the vents/stone  guards behind the doors and on the headlight bezels.  But Im just picky.  

[Doug]

You are both right.  I believe theres a (broken) wire which runs down a hole in the middle of the steering shaft, which is the reason the horn wasnt working, and thus the external button.  If I was the owner and didnt want to fix it, I would have just let it go, or at least located the button on the underside of the dash, which Ive seen done. BUT, I dont think it would have been a big problem to fix while it was "under restoration."  

[Greg 18360]

The Cadillac grille script should be angled not straight.

[JIM CLC # 15000]

01-07-06
Doug, What does a person win if he finds more then the "western-auto-store" horn button?
1. Above mentioned horn button.
2. Left end of bumper "dinged" (above{right side of opening} left tail-pipe)
3. No drivers side out-side rear view mirror adjustor.(has housing,only)
4. No gear-shift indicator.
5. Probably more in engine compartment.(could not open pictured)
Good Luck, Jim

[Bruce Reynolds # 18992]

Cmon Jim,

You are a worse picker than me. ha ha.

The Adjusting knob for the outside mirror is there.

But, the Convoluted radiator hose is incorrect, as are the hose clamps.

Also the Ignition Leads are way too new.

Plus, the screws holding the door trim to the door.   That is tacky.

Lastly, the trunk cardoard is a real turn-off, but I wouldnt mind it in my garage.

Bruce,
The Tassie Devil(le),
60 CDV

[Jim Snell #21544]

Hello,
 Why do I see the bald and cracked spare tire on many of these restorations? Is it a judging thing? Doesnt Coker or one of the other tire companies make the correct tire for this application/restoration? I see this on ebay frequently, and on several occasions, I have noticed this on feature cars in Hemmings classic car magazine. The car will look fabulous, and there is that nasty bald spare tire... It seems to me that after the money and time spent on a restoration, the small amount spent on the correct spare tire and rim would complete the look of the trunk. On this car, the rotted cardboard and nasty floor mat dont help much either. On something this valuable, it seems that this could have been addressed. In the auction photos, that corroded wheel and bald weather-checked and cracked tire just jumps out at me.. I see this, the twisted front bumper end, and the horn button as an indication that the restorer/owner would not hesitate to scrimp to save a dime... I would bet the underside of this car is not very nice as well.
Just my two cents.
Jim Snell in Indiana
http://www.jims59.com/jims69cadillac.htm TARGET=_blank>http://www.jims59.com/jims69cadillac.htm
1956 Belair
1959 Impala
1965 Impala SS
1969 Coupe DeVille
1986 Corvette Indy pace car
1984 Monte Carlo CL

[doug palmarei]

at least the carpets are clean and the metal floor mats sure look pretty.

[Doug]

Jim - you win a great deal of respect in my book-:)

And with respect to Jims spare time comment, seeing that wheel looking like that in the trunk really taints the overall appearence back there. Im sure if you asked the owner s/he would say "oh, its the original spare," as if it was the hope diamond.  And I agree, you cant help but wonder where else the owner scrimped during the restoration.  Id wonder whether "engine rebuild" was that, or just a valve job.

[Doug Houston]

Looks like the grille is painted black. They were gold anodized on Eldorado and that gold finish was optional on other 56 cars.

Also, the interior trim looks like naugahyde. The original was leather; even in my 56-62 convertible. Yes, as Bruce says, the visible screws on the door panel arent correct. The sunvisors should match the rest of the interior, and theyre black.

The driver side door sheet metal looks like it has been worked out poorly.

Didnt the exhaust outlets in the bumper have little louvers in the Eldo cars?

[Richard Sills - CLC #936]

The 56 Eldorado bumper ends looked like they should have had louvers, but they didnt.  I had a very original one some years back, and after seeing all variations of bumper end treatments on the show fields, I researched the question.  The bumper ends were open.  My original car was that way, and it was correct with one exception: when the exhausts on my car were replaced, the prior owner made the pipes a little longer than they should have been, so the moisture dripped out onto the pavement rather than into the chrome bumper ends, as the originals did.  This was a practical solution, now that we know how expensive those chrome bumper ends are.  The 57 standard Cadillacs had similar bumper ends but with the louvers present.

Richard


 

[denise 20352]

   Are those the correct seat belts?  

-densie

[Bill Parke]

Ive never studied one of these cars before, but arent those drawer pulls hes using to hold down the aircleaner?

[Chris Arneson #22170]

Doug,

Although this is an attractive car, "one glaring problem" is still and understatement.  But Im not sure any of these are problems as much as imperfections.

The real problem with this ad is the seller’s apparent lack of effort in researching the current market of this model.  With a couple hours of work Im sure a half-dozen of these could be found for sale.  Also, throwing around a number like $100k for this car is a bit of a stretch, "as-is", maybe in a decade or by some unforeseen popularity shift.  Not that the car is unpopular, especially amongst Cadillac collectors.  Im talking about a more general up-shift in popularity in this car or those like it.

Aside from my rant above the "glaring problem" with this car is the color.  The data plate still wares some overspray of the original color of the car, #96 - Emerald Green Poly.  This leads me to believe the interior and top color are wrong as well, but I didnt check.

Keep the hood and trunk closed and this is a beautiful car albeit not correct.

When I purchased my 55 I looked for a blue car for two reasons.  First to win some element of favor with the wife as its her favorite color.  The second reason is because its timeless, and I would not be temped to rework the color scheme as the owner of this car was.  My car will proudly be painted the factory correct color.

All in all I hope it does well at auction although this is at least the third time around for this car.

Chris

[Jim Hughes cLc # 17388]

Far be it from me to pick apart a Caddy when cruel economic conditions force us to drive a LaSalle, the Companion Car. We know how Tonto must have felt riding "Scout" while the Lone Ranger got to ride "Silver".
Getting back to the Caddy on E-Bay, I dont think "Duct Tape" was used on the crankcase ventilation system until June of 1960.

[Morgan Murphy, #17409]

And it appears that the rear V has been painted gold rather than plated.  While they were at it, theyve also painted the stainless steel keyhole and Cadillac script.

Horrid!

[Barry M. Wheeler #2189]

OK! Enough is enough! I challenge ANY of you to put your car on this site in nice, clear pictures, and let any respondent that wishes trash it the way you collectively have done with this car. You, (again collectively), are not presenting a very cordial forum towards any new visitor that might visit this site. He/she is going to get the idea that "my car better be 100percent right to even GO to one of the CLC shows," or ALL of the members will point and laugh at me for owning a car that isnt "right."
 Remember, if people see things in print, they are (usually) going to take the facts presented as gospel, and will get the idea that we do this all the time to unknowing, and unknowledgeable people. After reading this thread, a prospective Cadillac owner might decide that they would be better off owning a Ford or Chevie.
 Whether or not this person that owns the car "should have known better," is not the question here. Is this really how you want to represent our Club? Being a group of people making really nasty comments about other peoples cars? I hope not, and that this thread was a group showing off their knowledge about what was incorrect about a car that (really) got out of hand.