kilograms is the equivalent of 5,145 pounds, a full load for a 6207, since without fuel or passengers 1949 club coupes weigh not much more than 4,000 pounds or about 1,800 kilos. You may be wondering why the car‟s bore, stroke and weight would be important enough to merit inclusion on Carlos‟ car‟s French ID plate. I‟m fairly certain this information was used by the French authorities as a basis to calculate the annual tax on the car. Compared to most French and other European motors, the ‟49 Cadillac and its motor are large indeed, so it was assumed its fuel consumption would be much more than the typical Renault, Peugeot or Citroen. Since France imports all its petroleum products, the French government‟s theory must be that higher taxes on heavy vehicles with large motors such as a ‟49 Cadillac would discourage their sales and lead to lower overall fuel consumption. The 331 cubic inch ‟49 Cadillac motor‟s displacement is the equivalent of 5,424 cubic centimeters. At the same time, a 1949 Peugeot 203‟s motor was 1,290 cc. or 79 cubic inches, a ‟49 Renault Juva‟s motor was 1,000 cc. or 62 cubic inches and the diminutive 2-cylinder Citroen 2CV‟s motor was only 374 cc. or 23 cubic inches, less than 1/10 th the size of the 331, so the French government does have a point. Nonetheless, the car‟s original owner in France thought the extra cost in price, fuel and road tax was worth paying for the power, prestige and luxury of a Cadillac 6207. And in <strong>2012</strong> so does Carlos and every other member of the Forty Niners. A FEW WORDS ON ’49 SPRING HEIGHTS (The following is a summary of an exchange of emails between Rod Faurot and Jay Friedman) Front Springs There is usually no need to replace a front spring if it is not broken. With the front wheels on the ground, the front shock absorber arm should be about 1½-2 inches above the rubber bumper directly under the arm. If the shock absorber arm touches the rubber bumper with the wheels on the ground the springs are too high or "too strong". As shown on a diagram on page 207 of the shop manual, there should be a distance of 4½-5¼ inches between the lower suspension arm and a point in the middle of the frame. Rear Springs The bottom of the ‟49 rear fender skirt should be at the center of the rear hub cap medallion. More specifically, the '49 shop manual has a diagram on page 208 showing the desired rear spring height. The center of the rear axle (or the center of the axle flange with the hub cap removed) should be 6-7 inches below the frame member directly above it. As these two surfaces are not in the same plane, it would be best to use two or more straight edges to approximate the linear distances between the surfaces. Note that the shop manual also states on page 48 that a variation of ½ inch is allowed in the rear spring height and that a variation of 3/8 inch is allowed between the right and left spring. The shop manual further states on page 48 that springs settle after installation, so it is best to wait 2,000 miles before taking these measurments to allow the springs to seat and settle. I had new rear springs installed some years ago and the back of my car was very high and looked odd for several months afterwards before the springs settled. NEW MEMBER DEPT The Forty Niners chapter has a new member in Italy, Francesco Fochi of Montecchio Emilia, not far from the city of Parma, which is famous for its delicious ham. Francesco wrote to say that “I own a „49 Coupe De Ville with stick shift, 3 convertibles, 1 Series 61 Sedanette (in progress) and the ex-Luca Marzana Series 62 4-door sedan. (Luca is a former chapter member. See the car in the March 2010 Times) So, with a total of six ‟49 Cadillacs, Francesco may have more „49s than any chapter member or anyone else.
FRANCESCO’S COUPE DE VILLE