I’ll always be a bit sentimental about 1963 Cadillacs. That’s because in 1968, my Uncle Peewee let my dad know about a cream puff 1963 Cadillac coming up for sale. It was five years old but looked and smelled like new and the back leather seat had never been sat on. My forty-year-old dad wasn’t a Cadillac guy, but he wasn’t one to pass up a good deal on a pampered, well-maintained family car. Next thing we knew, it was goodbye 1960 Pontiac Catalina, hello 1963 Cadillac Sedan DeVille. It was finished in a beautiful Turino Turquoise with a Sandlewood leather interior and even had front bucket seats. It was also the Denny family’s first car with air conditioning. Well, here’s a 1963 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible that certainly has presence and has been mechanically restored by the seller. All that’s needed are the exterior and interior cosmetics to make this a beautiful, stylish Caddy Drop Top.
No history is given of what this Series 62 has been up to the past 62 years. A photo of the data plate shows that this 63-6267 Convertible (one of 17,600 built that model year) left the factory with a Code 46 Fawn Metallic paint job. It appears to be the original paint and is faded and in need of a repaint, but the body looks straight and solid overall. The glass, lenses, trim, bumpers, and badging all look good as well. And, the owner has installed a new Sandlewood-colored convertible top, along with a new motor and hydraulics, that compliments the Fawn Metallic paint nicely.
Overall, the interior is in well-above-average condition for a 62-year-old convertible. The seats are finished in Trim Code 25, Palamino Leather, and the driver’s seat is visibly worn and torn. The passenger side of the seat isn’t as worn and the seller says the rear seat is “near mint,” but doesn’t provide any photos. The door panels look great as does the dash, instrument panel, and steering wheel. The seller claims that “everything works great,” even the optional dash mounted Guide-matic headlamp control.
The seller says that the Caddy has been mechanically restored and “runs and drives beautifully.” The engine displacement and output remained the same as the ’62 models with a 390-cubic inch V8 under that long hood that generated 325 horsepower when new. Mileage is listed at 10,062 and I assume it’s turned over once. The seller shares that the Hydra-Matic automatic transmission and carburetor have been rebuilt, and the list of new items includes: brakes, ball joints, shocks, tie rods, aluminum radiator, fuel pump, and timing chain.
The Caddy is currently located in Independence, Oregon is is for sale here on eBay. As I’m writing this, 16 bids have been submitted, but the current $12,300 top bid hasn’t met the seller’s reserve. So what do you think? On the surface, it looks like an unmolested, mostly original classic convertible that can be driven and enjoyed from day one – and the cosmetic restorations can be done down the road. What do you think?
A word about 60s Cadillacs..they are some of the finest-looking Caddies ever, partly because they never completely lost their fins and while the styling was a little conservative, it wasn’t boring. About this car, hopefully the rear main seal on the engine was replaced while the transmission was being rebuilt. It will have been brittle and most likely leaking. I agree about the cosmetics, though I would like to redo the seats. So far, the bidding is reasonable.
Dealbreaker is no A/C.
On the surface it appears to have great potential. If the mechanics are sound half the battle is won.
My late wife’s father was a new Buick salesman so when a 63 Caddy convertible came in on trade he snapped it up as his 16 year old daughters car. She loved that car. I have pictures of it sitting in front of their
Sharonville house with my late wife and her little sister sitting in it. I see the bid is over $16 grand now. I like the auto dimmer on the dash. That was a nice option. Hers had every option. When the family moved to Naples, Florida in 73 she drove the Caddy. Until the day she died she always said it was her favorite car of all she ever owned, and she had owned several.
God Bless America
What the heck is going on with the comments? I tried to post a reply about how the first thing we had to replace on my ’63 Fleetwood was the rear main seal, and I got a message saying I was posting comments too quickly and that I needed to slow down. What?
Anyway, my first project was a ’63 Fleetwood, and I’d give anything to have it again. Top of the line with every option you could imagine and a vinyl roof with a formal back glass. My dad taught me how to work on cars using that one.
MLG,
I’ve noticed the same. There is a 5 minute delay in case you want or need to make corrections additions or deletions in postings. So you have to exercise patience for it to load.
Yep it happens. I’ve lost many a comment when at the last second as I hit the comment button everything just vanished never to be seen again. And yes there is a 5 minute count down for comments. Love this site though.
God Bless America
A lot of people don’t realize just how monstrous Cadillacs were back then. I met a guy who use to wash his with a mop because washing it by hand took too long.