September 2009

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REMOVING AN OUTSIDE FRONT DOOR HANDLE (The following resulted from an exchange of emails between David Mulvaney and Jay Friedman.) A special tool is not needed to remove an outside door handle on a '49 Cadillac. The outside door handles are attached to a 3 or 4 inch long square shaft that is perpendicular to the axis of the handle and which goes into the door. Inside the door, the male shaft goes into a square female hole in the door latch mechanism. This male shaft is held into the female hole by a lock screw that is, in turn, perpendicular to the axis of the shaft. On early '49s the screw has an ordinary slotted head. On later cars the screw is really a small bolt with a ¼ inch hex head. Let's assume it is a front door. (Sedan rear doors should be the same. Can anyone enlighten?) To access the screw/bolt, peel back the rubber weather-strip on the side of the door at a point slightly above the level of the door latch. In doing so, you will uncover a small hole in the door about a ½ inch in diameter. Shine a flashlight into the hole so you can see the screw head, which is 2 or 3 inches down inside the door. This will reveal whether the screw head requires a screwdriver or a ¼ inch socket. If it requires a ¼ inch socket, the hole is sometimes too narrow in diameter to admit the socket into the hole. If this is the case, enlarge the hole with a file or use a ¼ inch nut driver which has a narrower head than a socket. With one hand on the door handle, loosen the screw just enough to free the door handle and pull it out of its place. Do not loosen the screw any further, as it may come out of the threads in the door latch and fall to the bottom of the inside of the door. To retrieve it you would have to take apart the door or, if it is a slotted screw, replace it using a magnetic screwdriver, both of which procedures you obviously want to avoid. A SIXTY SPECIAL IN SYDNEY Robert Mitchell, of that lovely Australian city, owns the 60S shown below (and perhaps the horse behind it, too). Robert writes the car was owned by an elderly man who “lost interest in the car to the extent that it just sat from 1975 to 2000, though I would occasionally start it for him. The car was not preserved very well, with possums, cats and moths making a home for them-selves. Unfortunately, he passed away and I bought it from his estate. It‟s a complete, original car except for seat covers. The motor runs well and it has been converted to right hand drive. The window lifts are not working, it needs chrome work and there is surface rust on the body. I have not done a lot to it since I‟m working on other Cadillacs.”
MORE ON BIAS-PLY VS. RADIAL TIRES Members will recall that in the June ‟09 Times issue we had an article on the “never-ending” discussion regarding original bias ply vs. radial tires on a ‟49. Since then Dwight Smith and Dennis Akerman, both of the “Live Free or Die” state of New Hampshire, have written in with their views on this subject, as follows: Dwight says that his 2 cents worth is “At the start of the 2001 season I put a new set of bias ply tires on the car (49,217 miles) and I removed them at the end of the 2007 season (59,950 miles). During the 10,733 miles I drove during this period, including a trip to Dearborn, MI, my car was difficult to steer when parking, and out on the road seemed to follow the grooves and cracks in the road. It was difficult to stay on course as the tires seemed to have a mind of their own. And my usual gas mileage was 15 mpg. At the start of the 2008 season I installed a set of American Classic P235/75R15 radial tires with 3 1/8" whitewalls. The change in handling was dramatic. Standing still steering is easier, and the car follows the path that I choose out on the open road. I ran the tires 1,547 miles in 2008 (including the 1,000 mile roundtrip to Cherry Hill) and averaged 18 mpg. I am totally pleased with the radial tires, both their appearance and handling abilities, and regret that I didn't buy them sooner. Dennis writes “I've now had a couple of years' experience with the Diamond Back radials I put on my '49 6269. I can't say enough good things about them. They look authentic, they're quiet, and the car handles infinitely better than it did with bias ply tires. It is night and day, and for the better. NIFTY NEW YORK CLUB COUPE Pete Hoffman of Danville, New York owns the beautiful 6107 shown below. To jazz it up, he installed dual exhausts and wire wheels (from a „50s El Dorado?) As for its color, Pete writes, “It is Dartmouth Green but looks black”. ALL CADILLACS OF THE 40s & 50s NOW REPAIRING ’49 STUFF Chapter member Ed Cholakian, proprietor of AllCads, recently wrote to say they are now repairing master and single window Hydro-lectric switches as well as ‟49 Cad trunk handles. They also sell repaired and re-plated fender spears with yours as a trade-in, or they‟ll fix and re-plate yours. In addition, AllCads offers 49er‟s a 10% discount on Steele Rubber and have just about everything in stock for a 1949 Cadillac. Web Site: www.allcads.com; Email: info@allcads.com; Telephone: 800-808-1147; Fax: 703-733-1147.
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September 2009

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