December 2010

As shown in the drawing below, loosely screw on the large steering wheel hold-down nut the until most or all of its threads
have engaged the steering shaft, but with some space still remaining between the bottom of the nut and the steering wheel hub.
At the same time, make sure the two “half-moon” slots are lined up with the threaded holes in the steering wheel hub. Then,
starting with the 1 inch pair, screw two of the washer-head bolts past the “half-moon” slots and into the threaded holes in the
steering wheel hub until the washer heads are snug against the large steering wheel nut.
Now, using a wrench, slowly and carefully tighten the washer-head bolts, each one a fraction of a turn at a time, so that neither
bolt puts more pressure on the nut than the other. Advantageously, this works by putting force on the large threads of the
steering column shaft, instead of on the end of the shaft (where it could damage the horn contact).
As I did, you may find that you will have to exchange the first pair of washer-head bolts for a shorter pair as the steering wheel
is pulled up. You may also find that you‟ll have to unscrew the large steering wheel nut one or more turns to create more space
between it and the steering wheel hub. When the steering wheel breaks loose, you may or may not hear a snapping or popping
noise. Like the 3 guys lowering the engine in the factory photo on page 3, “Easy does it”.
MY 6107
By Jay Friedman
Since photos and descriptions of many members‟ cars have appeared in the Times over the years, I thought that as my “swan
song” I would exercise my prez-idential privileges to show off my own 6107 2-door club coupe, “The Green Queen”. She‟s a
“late” car, built Oct. 20, 1949 and sold by Rickenbaugh Motors in Denver. (This Cadillac dealer is still in existence and
participated in the Grand National in that city in 2001.) In 1974 The Queen went from the original owner to two antique car
dealers in Colorado in quick succession, one of whom replaced the original Madeira Maroon paint with a generic dark green.
The second dealer sold it in 1975 to a lady in Laramie, Wyoming who, 2 years later, sold it to a collector in the Chicago area. I
bought it from him via an ad in Hemmings in Sept. 1984 for $5,200. („49s were cheaper in those good old days.) It had been
undercoated when new, so was practically rust-free and, though it ran well, was a bit worn cosmetically and mechanically.
I had the motor rebuilt in 1985 and had it re-painted in 1986 another dark green (close to Dartmouth Green, a ‟49 color). The
next year I had the original worn-out Series 61 upholstery replaced. In 1988, The Queen appeared in the opening scenes of the
film “Driving Miss Daisy”, filmed in our Atlanta neighborhood. It played the role of the car of the character Boolie, Miss
Daisy‟s son, who was played by Dan Akroyd. In one scene Mr. Akroyd drove the car, with Morgan Freeman, who played the
character Hoke, as his passenger. If there was such a thing, it surely would have received an Academy Award as “Best Car”.
Originally equipped with Hydra-matic, shortly after I bought the Queen I had stick shift installed with a correct 3.77 ratio
differential for that transmission. As she‟ll cruise at interstate speeds like a ‟49 should, I drive her quite a bit, including 13 trips
to CLC Grand Nationals and 3 National Driving Tours as far away from my Georgia home as Maine and Texas. I took the