posted at the Cohort by Kevin_xyxl
I was walking down Cohort Street, when I spotted this white Caddy convertible. Yes, it is getting to be top-down season. But as I got a bit closer, I noticed that this example has a few skin issues. It needs some cosmetic surgery. Or more likely, it’s the victim of some botched surgery.
Let’s take a closer look:
Click on this image and feel some sympathy for this poor car. That is some mighty rough looking body work.
It looks like the whole rear quarter panel was replaced, but the scars have yet to heal over.
That’s even more evident from this angle.
Looks like a line of rust is forming already.
I hate being critical of someone’s handiwork on their pride and joy. But this is a bit out of the ordinary. Oh well, they probably cant see any of it when they’re behind the wheel.
New York…it blends right in while sticking out in a sea of Camries.
Not nearly as bad as a friends 69 Cadillac Deville Convertible, Which he christened “Cruella” (do the math) It was from the factory a dark blue with Vermillion interior and white top. The rear fenders were so beset with tinworm so severe they looked to have been chewed. It ran faithfully, but was truly too far gone aft of the doors to attempt any manner of restoration. and Craig had a 66 Pontiac Catalina and a 62 Corvair Monza Wagon that were closer to restorable. However, it was fun and covered with Mylar strips below the side trim spear and with a pink feather boa triangle on the grille, did fine in parade duty in West Hollywood.
Sigh…
Back in the day my girlfriend went out and bought an MGB without consulting me (since she knew I wasn’t in support of the purchase). The car showed signs of multiple fender bender repairs, and while all fenders were maroon, they came in at least three distinct shades.
However, to her eyes the car was perfect. It’s likely the owner of this Caddy can’t even see the issues from that rear three quarter view.
Nothing 10 gallons of bondo won’t fix. Just imagine this car in black.
“Just imagine this car in black.”
This was my first thought. They say that white paint is the best there is for hiding bad bodywork. This car shows that white paint can only do so much.
So typical of badly repaired northeast rust damage. Its likely worse underneath. A drivable parts car for summer fun. Seen a lot of them.
At first I misinterpreted the title of this piece and assumed you were referring to what I’ve always thought was an awkward restyle of the Cadillac for 1969. I prefer the earlier model, somewhat sleeker and less tubby looking though the same size – YMMV.
+1 exactly what I expected as well.
+2… that’s where my mind went as well.
Cooter sure did a half assed job doing bodywork for Boss Hogg after all the skirmishes with the Duke boys.
at least it wasn’t just junked. Was this photo taken in New York or Oregon?
did someone drive this across the country? Might be mechanically fine and rusting as an old New York car would be. At least it survives.
The car is basically straight, the bumpers and front end seem to fit together pretty well. The interior looks okay from these shots. The quality of the bodywork is not very high. Maybe this is a DIY project or a creative buddy had a torch and knew how to use it! I will not criticize his efforts. Sure, I will make my own judgement but I’ll keep it to myself. I wouldn’t berate the owner here, or especially in person. Have you heard loud derisive comments made at a show?
At least the car has been saved and on the road. Most of us cannot afford the high expense of a proper restoration, especially on a car that isn’t that valuable. I’ll bet the car was in good mechanical condition with fair interior before the project began.
I tell you what I’d certainly drive it on a day like today and not care that much how it looks.
Ouch. And I’m sorry. These and other 60s/early 70s American luxury cars should never ride on blackwalls.
I don’t know, I kinda like it with the blackwalls. I just think these are one of the few luxury cars can wear them and get away with it, especially when beat to hell like this.
Good words to live by.
I miss cigarette advertising. Another philosophical maxim from Winston:
“I get enough BULL at work–I don’t need it in my cigarette!”
also, Man looking at Playboy: “I don’t know if they’re REAL, but my smokes are!”
This reminds me of a 1976 Olds 98 a buddy and I bought in grad school together for $500.00. It had decent metal, but the paint was gone. It was all sun baked, surface rusty. We painted it with a brush and white tractor paint and well, it looked pretty decent from a distance. We masked the trim etc., did as neat a job as we could given the circumstances. Sometime a brush or roller paint job is all that’s called for…….
If you took the trouble of wet sanding it to get the streaks out it would have been perfect!
There was a very poorly made movie wherein a Cadillac like this—a closed-top model, though—was carelessly driven around by a group of black kids while they smoked (a lot of ) dope until the car catches on fire for no apparent reason near the end of the movie. Can’t recall the name of the film, though.
That would be the original gone in 60 seconds. It was used in other scenes in the movie if you pay extra close attention, it was in a pileup in its first scenes and fittingly they fixed it up and even painted on the black “vinyl” top in the later scenes with the stoned kids driving. Might have even been on the lot where the cop car smashed into the front line too
RIGHT! Thank you. That’s what it was. For the life of me I couldn’t recall what movie I would’ve bothered to watch (not a lot of them) that would’ve included these fractionally-remembered details.
Remember the line from Tootsie where the director asks the cameraman to pull back a bit to make Dustin Hoffman look better and he says, sic, How far, Toledo?
I once did a similar quality job on a car worth less than $1,000 that had to live on the mean streets of Chicago. For most of the time during the year, no one would know the difference since salt spray and general grime hid the lower panels anyway. Lasted pretty good for the duration of my ownership, about 6 years. Women that I drove around with had no clue! They thought I owned a classy vintage German sports car, which it was. An Opel Manta Rallye. My main objective was to paint the floor and structural areas so as to slow down the rusting and to repair a gash in the right rear that let water in. Worked in the alley with the bumper jack and a Chicago phone book split in half to push out the panel. Plenty of Bondo. Spray can of “Mustang/Maverick Grabber Blue” turned out to be a close match.
Looks just like my car that got hauled off to the scrap yard just three days ago.
It looked really good.
In the dark.
On a rainy night.
From a hundred yards away.
Whilst wearing sunglasses.
I’m walking now. What a novelty!
My Chrysler has a cousin. 🙂
Every left side panel shows signs of repair, Shoulda left it in primer with a shadow coat applied and all that wouldnt show.
If it ever goes up for sale these pictures will prove the craigslist lie that you can actually do all the bodywork and have NOBONDO.
Great example of a “Hey, it’s mine. It didn’t cost me much. I don’t owe it anything. If you don’t like it, then shut the hell up.” kind of car.
I guess it is all about what you want. For the guy who just wants to cruise in a big old American classic with the top down, then here ya go.
As someone who has never picked up a welding torch, I hesitate to throw stones at the guy who did this work. However, I think a couple of gallons of Bondo is all that stands between this car and run-of-the-mill sketchy bodywork.
I think this one beats my earlier standard for “unfinished finished”, which was a guy who spread Bondo over rusted out headlight eyebrows on a 58 Ford (using bent license plates as backing). He let it dry then sprayed paint on it. Sanding? You mean you can sand this stuff?
I don’t mind these bad bondo jobs too much if it’s done on an otherwise relatively low-value car. It might not look so great, but the flip-side is the owner doesn’t really have to worry about door-dings, either, so it’s a good way to truly enjoy parking with no worry.
Think about it. An old car with straight sheetmetal would be a constant concern, not only of an accident to tough-to-source body parts, but small dents, as well. With bondo, you just slap some more on, spray-bomb it, and away you go.
In reality, the fear of having “something” happen to your cherished classic takes all the fun out of ownership. I’ve got some friends who only take their cars out to formal car shows. To each their own, but I couldn’t handle all that anxiety.
Sad, really sad!
The Cadillac in this post is the car you want to take your friends to the ballpark, beach or concert with. Have a good time. Park it in a big lot. No worries. Live in or near the City and there is a good chance you are subject to parking damage, break ins, etc. You enjoy driving your big Cadillac in the sun. I think I get it.
I’m happy to see this Caddy is still being used and enjoyed.
There’s something liberating about driving a car that’s reached the point of age and depreciation where you don’t have to worry about every little scratch and ding, and the safety of where you’re going to park it.
Roscoe ran into Boss Hogg’s car and Cooter isn’t finished yet…