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It is no secret that we are all big fans of Cadillacs here at Barn Finds. While our usual write-ups center around Cadillacs made in the sixties and seventies, every once in a while, we get the treat of showcasing one of these beauties from a different decade. The car you see above is a 1955 Cadillac Series 62 sedan for sale on Craigslist in Detroit, Michigan. Showcasing those fabulous fifties styling cues from the Dagmar bumpers to the gas cap cleverly hidden in the flip-up tailfin on the driver’s side, this Cadillac is a neat example of the excess of that legendary era. It is not without its warts, however. There is rust in the body and the interior needs some attention. Despite the imperfections, this is a running and driving car still ready to hit the road with its new owner. Could that be you? Does the asking price of $8,950 seem reasonable? If not, the seller is open to trades! Thanks to Mitchell G. for this classic Cadillac find!
With a car this cool there has to be some history, and the ad helps us understand a mere scintilla about this Cadillac’s past. The seller apparently inherited this green leviathan from an uncle last year. How long the uncle owned it isn’t mentioned, nor is much beyond that. We do know that it was painted 25 years ago. While it is marginally presentable still, some corrosion issues will need to be addressed. The seller remarks that the body can be rated at a 5 or 6 out of 10. As you can see from the pictures, the rust remediation work to be done around the rear wheel openings is likely a pressing issue.
On the plus side, the car is propelled by a rebuilt 331 cubic inch V-8 that is said to propel the car down the road with little issue. The seller states that they drove the car on the expressway at 70 MPH with no shaking or funny noises rearing their ugly heads. As for the transmission, 1955 Cadillacs were equipped with four-speed Hydra-Matic automatic transmissions in 1955. We have no reason to believe that this car is equipped with anything else. The transmission is surely in good working order given the 70 MPH jaunt that took place.
The pictures above and below back up what the seller said about the interior needing attention. While the space-age dash still looks like something out of a Martian spaceship in its chromed splendor, the decaying door panel manages to draw your eyes away. The floor is covered with what appears to be a piece of white carpet from a house, and one cannot help but wonder what lies under the seat cover.
A look in the rear reveals even more rot in the rear door panels. The carpet in the back seems to be factory-installed and in useable shape. Looking at the seats makes you wonder if a thorough cleaning of the car would have yielded better results. On an original car like this one, it is good to keep all of the factory material if you can. However, the door panels are going to need to be recovered to make this car presentable. Perhaps a good time would be when one of the rear door panels is pulled off to diagnose why a power window in the back is not working. Amazingly, the rest of the windows work just fine after all of these years.
Above is a decent picture of the headliner. As you can see, this will need to be replaced as well. What is interesting is the clear plastic tube between the back glass and the rear pillar. This is part of the ductwork for the air conditioning system. The idea of climate control in an automobile was in its infancy in 1955. Heat was fairly common, but air conditioning was almost unheard of. The units that Cadillac used in 1955 were made by Frigidaire and were partially housed in the trunk. The seller tells us that the car is factory-equipped with air conditioning, but it doesn’t work. A compressor and some air conditioning lines will accompany the car with the sale.
A look under this Cadillac reveals surface rust and grime. However, nothing alarming jumped out in the photographs. It would be nice to have a good understanding of the condition of the floor pans. Cadillacs of this era were well-built, but rust seems to have taken more of them out of circulation than any other factor.
In all, this is a nice Cadillac if you just want an old car to drive around and tinker with. Getting the air conditioning and the power window to work would be a good challenge, and the rust doesn’t look to have become a structural issue yet. Hopefully, this neat old Cadillac will end up with someone who likes to drive a vintage car with a few warts and can handle the upkeep and repairs.
What would you do with this Cadillac if it fell into your hands? Please share your thoughts in the comments.
