1940 Cadillac Other

Coupe

V8

Manual

433210

Clear

I have this 1940 LaSalle coupe with zero rust. I have had this car for ten years or so and have a real suspicion that it was a magazine car from the fifties. Almost everything was a work in progress and rarely got finished back then and if it did make it to paint and bodywork that generally put it in the top ten percent. I have kept my eye open and kept in touch with a bunch of old timers to find if anyone recognized this. This car has all of the period requirements for early hotrodders, nosed, decked, louvered, solenoided, candy apple copper paint, and a dash panel with a thousand toggle switches. The sheetmetal is absolutely rust free. I can't find even one pimple of rust. There is one insignificant dent in the back of the roof. The rest of the body is unbelievably straight. It has a louvered hood and a Kettering V8 motor I'm guessing from 1953 Cadillac. (53 was the first year for 4 barrel). It has the standard trans sticking out of the floor. The nose and deck have been leaded and the trunk has a solenoid about the size of a football to open it. This has the requisite under dash panel that all good fifties show cars had with about a hundred toggle switches and warning lights along with a couple of auxiliary gauges. On the door jambs are remnants of a bright copper paint job. Outside the paint can still be seen, but the desert sun has rendered it to dust. The interior is there, but has been home to some critters for a long time. All glass is there except the right rear slider, but even what is there is burned up from the sun. The good news is it is all flat glass and can easily be cut. the only piece I know is missing are the turn signals on the front fenders. I have the grille nose piece in great condition, but no emblem. The missing bumper guard is in the trunk as well as one of the grille bars that was loose, so I set it in the trunk for safekeeping. The tail lights are original and in great condition. All of the chrome is very lightly pitted, But I'm sure can be brought back to fine condition. The motor is as found. I'm sure that louvered hood did no favors to the motor, especially with no valve covers or carburetor. I couldn't figure out why someone would take the valve covers off until I realized they were probably chromed. That would explain all of the missing stuff. It still has the gigantic LaSalle radiator with the operating shutters on the front. It looks big enough to cool Arabia. I firmly believe in leaving cars together until I get around to rebuilding them. I just hate to see a car that someone has blown into a million boxes and then wants me to either put it back together or worse yet to buy it and make three or four trips to gather up all of the mess they have made. As I said this car appears to be all there. If I found it to actually be a magazine car from the early days I absolutely would put it back into that condition. My other alternative is to smooth, drop, chop, clip, tilt, buckets and leather. This would make a great cruiser. I find myself buried in old cars and find it is time to let some go. I'm not going to give anything away, but if you have been looking for a solid car to start with, I don't think you could find one more honest than this. There is no primer or bondo or anything to hide the condition of this car. It actually could be used with this patina, but my vision for this car is much grander than just another rat rod. I have a clean clear Arizona title. I want half of the winning bid within five days and the balance within ten days. NO PAYPAL, NO EXCEPTIONS. Be sure to check with your wife, mother friend, lover, priest, Doberman, or anyone else that grants permission. No Nigerian princes. All funds must clear my bank before the car leaves my possession. I can store for 30 days, but then It will need to go to a storage place. These rims are not included. I will put on good roller tires. It is not often you find a car that has escaped the tin worms. It is nice to know that you don't need to start by welding in a couple thousand dollars worth of floor and rockers. I wouldn't even sandblast this. I believe a DA could have this to bare metal in a couple of hours. This is a rare chance at a rare car.On May-06-14 at 07:55:47 PDT, seller added the following information: I had a nice long conversation with a gentleman last night that had quite a bit of information about the car. He knew of the car in the late 70's. It was owned by a then elderly German bodyshop owner in North Hollywood. When he saw it, it was still showing shiny paint that he described as a deep candy apple red. Not copper as I showed in the door jambs. The body was in exceptional condition. He remarked about him being an old world craftsman. He also recalled about the guy having the hood and trunk emblems on his desk. He said he did custom work for the Hollywood folk and his work was flawless. The work I see on this car, even though it is decades old reinforce this seldom seen quality. He said the guy drag raced this car and had quite an attachment to it. He tried to buy it for about five years, but the old man wouldn't let it go. He said the engine is toast. It is from a 1956 Cadillac and he took the parts off and used them on another motor. He even told the story of some neighborhood kids breaking the rear quarter glass. This gentleman was an insurance adjuster, so he had regular contact and would often just stop in to bench race. As happened too often, one day the shop was closed and empty (again in the late 1970's). He hasn't seen it since until these pictures, but he is certain this is the same car. I bought it from the relatives whom had it stored in a carport. When the carport fell down, the dent on the roof happened prompting them to sell it. So, it is not a magazine car, but owned by a bodyman doing work for himself. I don't want to over-describe anything I sell, but the door gaps, latches, and panel fit on this old cruiser is just not something that comes along everyday. The 1940 LaSalle, besides being the final year for LaSalle is just an exquisite design that looks good from any angle. Many thanks to Ernie for filling me in on the history of this car. It would be cool to just put it back the way it was.