JT: You have salesman books for those era Studebakers / Packards don't
you?

What do the books say about towing weight for the larger sedans of the
S and P lines?
We could expect the Studes to be less than the Caddys,, I expect, but
the Packards, with their modern suspension, would probably have a
higher rating.

Hi Robin,

I looked at your pics. That is a pretty color blue. I can't tell from
the photos but your top appears to be slightly off- white. It looks
about the same as mine. In 1956 it was called "Alpine White."

My car is Alpine White over Camelot Grey. The interior is aqua leather
with black fabric. It's called Sonic Blue. I emailed you a picture but
you might not have gotten it.

Anyway the little plate under the hood will have the serial number and
all the paint and interior codes for your car. To decypher it, I'd
suggest buying an specifications and options manual from this company:
Crank'en Hope Publications (724) 459-8853. They're usually only
about$20.00 or so.

It's a reprint but it will be very useful when you start the
restoration of the interior.It shows all the the available upholsery
patterns, fabrics, etc. It lists all the colors available that year and
in what combinations for the various models. It gives the codes for the
various options, colors, etc. so you can figure out what your car
originally came with. Even if you don't need it, it makes for
interesting reading. They also reprint owners' manuals. You should also
try to locate a shop manual for your car. They're pretty common on ebay
for under $30.00. Reprints are about $75.00.

Anyway, I'm glad you responded to George about the Edsel. I was going
to write pretty much the same thing this morning untiI saw your post. I
too have never heard any talk of bad transmissions in 58,59 Fords. I'm
pretty much of an old car nut and my area of interest spans all makes
and models so I'm by no means an expert on any one car. I do however
know a lot about a lot of cars and that's something I've never heard of
or experienced.

The key with any old car (and new ones, too) is to make sure you do
everything you can to make sure all components are in the best possible
shape they can be. Be religious about regular and preventive
maintenance.

I've been driving my my car, The Bismarck, for over 5 years as my sole
transportation. It has never once left me stranded or even acted like
it might. I just returned from a 1200 mile round trip Florida without
any problems. Old cars are so much simpler and easier to work on, that
even if there is a problem you can usually jigger around with it enough
to get home. No master computer to fizzle out on you.

I share your sentiment on trailer queens. If I owned a Duesenberg I'd
be driving it around, too. There's a man who lives near me with a 1930
Packard 740 Roadster. It's one of only 12 made and one of only 6 or 7
that survive. It's the only one that has all of it's original factory
installedparts (headlights, etc.) It's also completely restored. If
this car isn't is a candidate for trailer queen status, I don't know
what is, yet he drives his car all the time. He even took it on the
History Channel tour around America and put 17,000+ miles on it.

You are absolutely right to dread the rechroming of your Cadillac.
First of all, it is getting harder and harder to find competent, first
rate chrome shops. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of people out
there doing it but the quality is often lacking. I've seen parts come
back with scratches, bends, waves, etc. from so-called experts. The
restoration shop I use here in Georgia often has to send parts back to
be redone.

Anyway, a good estimate on the cost to rechrome all the chrome parts on
my car (interior and exterior) is between $12,000.00 and $15,000.00.
Yours will probably be similar. Fortunately mine still looks
presentable but it'll have to be done eventually.

Regarding the Cadillac-LaSalle Club: I met the treasurer (Jerry
Nestlehutt) of the Peach State Chapter (Georgia) at a local car show.
He has a 1946 Continental, a 1931 V12 Cadillac, a 1927 LaSalle, another
V12 Cadillac, and others. In all of these vehicles he has installed new
Corvette engines!

I was so sick to my stomach, I couldn't talk to him after I saw the
butchery performed on his Lincoln and hearing about the destruction
wrought upon the two V12 Cadillacs. I was pretty turned off to the idea
of joining a club that would let this bone head hold an official
position in their organization.

Well, that's probably a long enough letter. And yes, The Bismarck is
named after the battleship. They're both big and grey.

Forrest Ward