June 2009

A good source of radials tires is Diamond Back in South Carolina, since one of their lines of tires (possibly
called "SE") has dimensions that are closer to 8.20 X 15s than other radials; that is, they are narrower and
taller. Diamond Back advertises in Hemmings, usually on or near the back cover.
If you stay with the original-type 8.20 X 15 bias-ply tires, they have their virtues, too. For one thing, until
they wear significantly, many owners find that they ride very well, even at high speeds, and require less
effort when parking. Secondly, bias-ply tires cost less. In fact, some suppliers occasionally sell “seconds”
or “blems”, with minor blemishes on the white sidewall but no structural damage, for not much more than
$100 each. Thus, while bias-ply tires don't last as long as radials, if you don't drive your car much, in the
long run they will provide an entirely satisfactory ride, will save you money and will look authentic. So,
the question then becomes, “why bother with radials”? (Personally, I use bias-plies and drive my car a lot.)
There is probably no hard and fast conclusion to this discussion, so whether you choose to use bias ply or
radial tires is ultimately a matter of personal preference. If you have a an opinion one way or another that
you would like to share with the rest of us Forty-Niners please email the Times at
jaysfriedman@yahoo.com or snail mail to Jay Friedman’s address in the CLC Directory.
MY COURTSHIP WITH THE BARONESS
By Joe Cutler
It all started innocently enough, as many “romances” do. In October, 2008 I decided to drive my ‘49 Club
coupe, The Duchess, to the annual Cadillac Day held at Norwood Cadillac in Norwood, Mass. It was a
picture-perfect New England fall day, resulting in a large turnout of vintage Cadillacs and LaSalles.
As I sat by my car enjoying the festivities and the last vestiges of the old car season, an older gentleman
approached and struck up a conversation. He obviously liked my car, mentioned how he had always loved
the 1948-49 “fastback” coupes, and said he owned a 1949 Cadillac Series 62 4-door sedan that he was
considering sending to the crusher. He further explained that while the car had lots of rust-out, it did have
many new parts, including brand-new rear leaf springs and shackles as well as a new battery box, that the
water pump, carb and generator had been rebuilt, and that it ran and shifted perfectly. The die was cast; I
obtained his address and promised I’d take a “look” at it the next day.
I arrived at the appointed time, and as I drove up his driveway I caught my first glimpse of “Her” sitting
forlornly beside his garage. I was anxious to examine this derelict, and wasted no time doing the requisite
“walk-around”, opening the hood, doors, trunk and peering underneath. She was indeed a rusty one: the
“tin termites” had enjoyed an all-you-can-eat buffet, in the process devouring both inner and outer rocker
panels and the bottom front and rear sections of the front fenders. The rest of the body had ample surface
rust and peeling paint, but the intriguing aspect was that this appeared to be a totally original unmolested
car, right down to its original paint, Avalon Grey. In addition, amazingly enough, the doors were rocksolid
as was the trunk and, except for the front corners, the floors. He started her up and the engine
sounded strong. A lot of accessories still worked, including all the interior lights, and the car was 100%
complete, right down to the original washer bottle and perfect vacuum antenna sitting in the trunk.
He wanted $1,000 for it, but when I waved $800 cash under his nose the deal was done. The next weekend
a fellow Cadillac enthusiast and I brought her home on a trailer. I gave her an interim name, The Grey
Ghost, and started her up every day after work. The more I ran her the better the engine sounded! I started
feeling pity for the poor girl (a dangerous emotion) and before I knew it she was in the garage and up on
jack stands. I rebuilt the brake system, reasoning, against everyone’s sound advice (including my own)
that, perhaps, there was a glimmer of hope for this rusty relic, and doing most of the work myself I’d
possibly transform this “diamond-in-the-rough” into a fun “driver”. Yeah, right! I further rationalized by
telling myself I had many of the parts she needed and five other ’49 four-door sedan parts cars.
I finished the brake system and commenced completely disassembling her. I found it utterly amazing that
most everything came apart with relative ease, especially considering her rusty state of disrepair. When I