“Not a single dent body is ready to paint,” opines the seller of this 1956 Cadillac Series Seventy-Five. Well, ah, OK, I’m down with that, but that’s about all the listing has to say about this Whammer-jammer of a Caddy. The pictures aren’t in abundance either, but what da hay, let’s look this rig over and see what it’s all about. We have Mr. Numskal to thank for this Eldorado, California listing, and this big boy is available here on craigslist for $7,500.
Cadillac offered two Series Seventy-Five editions in 1956, an eight-passenger sedan and an “Imperial” limousine – I’m not sure which one this is, but I cannot detect a movable glass partition between the front and back seat, or a leather covered front seat, so I’m inclined to think that it’s the former. Either way, it’s not a common model as the sedan racked up 1,095 units and the limo was only good for 955 copies. This is a big one! It stretches out 235″ over a 149.75-inch wheelbase. While it may not be dented, there’s still a vast amount of real estate here to paint should the next owner decide to take on that formidable chore. There is a small smattering of surface rust here and there, but the flanks appear to be clean overall. The chrome-plated bits are tired, but the stainless trim is all still in place. Note the wheels – Buick Riviera pieces maybe? The original wheel covers are in the backseat compartment.
If you’re wondering about a car’s motivational capability, the first clue that all may not be well is when you discover a driveshaft in the backseat – just sayin’. Beyond that, the vast innards are pretty worn and torn. The jump seats are still in place, but their condition is not revealed. The dash covering has a problem, as do some of the door panels, though the instrument panel, as best as can be determined, shows as being complete and usable.
As for the engine room, all that is stated is “V8“. Yes, logical as that’s all that was available, and in this case, it’s a 285 gross HP, 3645 CI powerplant. I’m betting it’s a no-go, and even if it were, I imagine the aforementioned driveshaft would need to be reinstalled – not to mention the missing radiator. The rear wheel connection is made via a Hydramatic, four-speed automatic transmission.
OK, so now it’s what-to-do-with-it time. Well, at $7,500, maybe nothing if it’s a non-runner and not capable of running. But let’s be positive and assume this beast has some life in it. I suppose it could be restored and used in the party/wedding rental biz, or you could just drive it around, but I’m not sure how that would work out. Tell me, if you were interested in this Standard of the World stalwart, what would you do with it?
The wheels look similar to mid/late 70’s Lincoln? This car, in its prime, could have been in the Godfather I funeral procession. Nice find, huge undertaking.
LUV those Forged Aluminum Mid 1970’s LINCOLN Town Car/Mark V wheels.
Have 2 sets of those wheels on 2 of my trailers!
You beat me to the line Sam
Got an eccentric buddy whose father parked a 57 Caddy limo on the side of the house in 1970, that they bought new. The S Florida weather basically liquefied all soft material, and the rust penetrated the hood and trunk. He claims he’s going to restore it when I told him I want to make a rat rod out of it. This Caddy, pictured would be a better project for him, but you can only lead a horse to water…
As Jim suggests, this is an 8-passenger sedan, rather than a limousine. Limousines had a divider window, which when raised, fits into channels in the b-pillar and headliner. This car does not have those channels. The driver’s compartment of a Limousine was either black or blue leather. The driver’s compartment of this car matches the passenger compartment.
You think a limo would have more stainlesthan this. My 58 has 2 x the mlg this one has. And like mine it has no skirts.
The front bumper looks like a “California one piece.” My Texas Instruments calculator doesn’t have enough digits to estimate what that would cost to re-chrome, that is if you could find someone who could do it.
Several of the better platers in Western PA have gone out of business and the prices at the remaining ones doubled. Also their lead times tripled. Prices around here are now “If you have to ask the price, you probably can’t afford it.”
Very cool old car. First the nit picks, then the bad news. (Some days are just like that.) It’s a 365, not a 364; and I also “imagine” that the driveshaft and radiator would need to be reinstalled to make the car functional.
Now, the bad news. Like so many other vintage cars (trucks, boats, planes…) today, the value is just not there to restore it. It’s solid, probably virtually rust free, complete, and moderately desirable- but a second mortgage isn’t going to cover chrome, interior, paint, tires, mechanical work, etc. You’d be so far underwater, your only chance would be to find sunken treasure while you’re down there. Maybe the Old Girl could be awakened, cleaned up, and cruised around, but the asking price is going to scare away most of the low budget crowd. Don’t get me wrong. I like it. I’d drive it. But there are more desirable cars that could be on the road for less. Of course, that’s just one man’s opinion. I would love to be proven wrong.
Bunky hit the nail on the head. This is a very cool car, and I also wouldn’t mind adding it to the collection, but you can’t start a project like this at $7,500. I see SO many project cars listed on-line at ridiculous prices these days. Sellers need to realize restoration costs have about doubled in the last 10-20 years. Unless you can do 100% of the work yourself, you’re better off buying a car that’s already a nice driver.
The wheel covers in the back seat are from a 65-66 model and there’s only 3 of them, but don’t under estimate that old Cadi 365 engine. Just take out the plugs and fill the cylinders with trans fluid and let it sit over night, drain and add new oil, then turn it over with a breaker bar or wiggle it back and forth till it breaks loose, then crank it over to spit all the trans fluid out of the cylinders, install new plugs, install new points and condenser, pour some gas in the carb and I’ll bet it fires right up! Those engines were made to do nothing eco friendly, they were designed to just reliably pull 2.5 Tons down the road with enough power to pass a truck on the up grade at highway speeds without straining.
I got a 56 Caddy with a locked motor sitting for at least a year with a cocktail in the motor… Fingers crossed when I get to it. Owner parked it in 72 to change the carb and never got around to it.
The wheel covers in the back are not from a 65 or 66. They are a few years older than that.
“Not a single dent…” Technically correct. There are many dents. Not a single dent. That passenger side rocker looks caved in a bit.
Looks to me like maybe an A/C compressor on the far RH side of the engine. Maybe an A/C car? Probably doesn’t make economic sense to restore, but if you had money, a 502 crate motor with a 4-L60, painted and redone interior would be a blast to cruise around.
As suggested by others the wheels on the car are Lincoln.
The Cadillac caps in the rear seat are 1967.
Take out a couple of feet in length and the jumpseats and you have my ’56 Fleetwood.
I stand corrected. After doing some research the caps in the back seat are 1965 de Ville hubcaps. I could not find any verification that the caps that are on the car are Lincoln although they do look very familiar.
Pictured are what’s supposed to be on the car.
I also noticed it does not have driving lights which Cadillac used to interface into the parking light housing. If it had the optional driving lights the parking lights would not be small round lenses as you see here but large rectangular lenses to accommodate the parking light bulb and the driving light bulb.
It’s funny, but those parking light lenses look identical to the fog lights on my 99 Escalade
Morning Angel! Just thought I’d stop by the Barn and see what was going on before I put the finishing touches
on the Skyline GTR that my young neighbor ordered 2 weeks ago. After that, I’ll more than likely work on the
’50 Cadillac panel delivery I laid out a
couple nights ago. It looks to be coming along just fine. This print is being made with a regular BIC pen and çolored pencils blended with an alcohol based blender. As for this ol’
gal, just drop in a good 472/T-400 tranny and call it a day–at least for that part of it anyhow. I’d redo the interior in leather and brocade upholstery like the stuff you’d see in
’60s and ’70s Cadillacs. I’d rework the
A/C with modern parts and then add
one of those new fangled blue tooth
radios to keep the girls happy (SIL and niece) as we float down the road.
Then, I’d use it to haul my art stuff around to various car shows around
town. What a gimmick that would be!
Well honey, I gotta get the Skyline GTR ready to he picked up tonight while I’m at work, slaving over a hot
Big Mac LMAO. And no, I don’t really
make food there. I support the kitchen staff by doing things they don’t have time to do like cleaning and restocking and greeting the customers when they come in. A lot of work, but it makes me happy.
Just like when I talk to you.
Funny ready to paint 30k later just for the body work and paint the bumper alone to chrome is $5000.00 interior $3000.00 sorry not worth restoring
@dogwater
ALWAYS worth restoring