I USUALLY TRY TO BUY A NEW PONTIAC EVERY FALL WHEN THEY ARE INTRODUCED TO THE PUBLIC AND A NEW CADILLAC EVERY SPRING – PREFERABLY A CONVERTIBLE. I HAD A BRAND NEW 1968 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE CONVERTIBLE THAT YOU WILL SEE LATER BUT NOT EXACTLY CONVERTIBLE WEATHER. COMES SPRING I WANTED A NEW CADILLAC CONVERTIBLE. ED TUTWILER CADILLAC, INDIANAPOLIS WAS SOLD OUT OF CONVERTIBLES FOR SIX MONTHS. THAT’S THE WAY IT WAS BACK THEN.
I CALLED JOE DUGAN IN TOLEDO AND HE HAD A NEW WHITE ON WHITE, RED LEATHER 1968 CADILLAC CONVERTIBLE WITH AN OPEN MSO THAT WAS A FACTORY BRASS HAT CAR FROM CADILLAC 60 MILES NORTH IN DETROIT. FOR YOU LOCAL FOLKS BACK THEN, WE HAD TO GO UP TELEGRAPH ROAD TO DETROIT FROM TOLEDO PASSING FLAT ROCK AND MONROE, THE HOMETOWN OF GENERAL CUSTER. I TOLD JOE TO PUT MY NAME TO THE CAR AND WENT UP THERE AND DROVE IT BACK TO INDIANAPOLIS. I WANTED RED, BUT THE WHITE WAS A GOOD SUBSTITUTE. NOTICE THAT ALL MY CONVERTIBLES, THE TOP IS COMPLETELY FLAT, AND THE BOOT IS SECURED PROPERLY.
YOU CONVERTIBLE FOLKS, PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THIS TECHNIQUE. MY DAD SHOWED ME THE PROPER WAY TO FOLD A CONVERTIBLE TOP ON HIS NEW 1957 CADILLAC CONVERTIBLE. AS THE TOP IS GOING DOWN, YOU STOP IT AT THREE OR FOUR INTERVALS TO PULL ALL OF THE PADDING AND EXCESS CONVERTIBLE TOP MATERIAL OUT OF THE WAY ALLOWING THE TOP SUPPORT BRACKETS TO FOLD FLAT WITHOUT PINCHING AND EVENTUALLY CUTTING INTO THE PADS AND CONVERTIBLE TOP ITSELF. IF YOU HAVE A PLASTIC ZIPPER BACK WINDOW, YOU MUST CAREFULLY LAY A FLUFFY NEW TOWEL ON TOP OF IT AS THE TOP IS BEING FOLDED. THIS ELIMINATES ANY ABRASIONS AND SCRATCHES WHEN THE TOP IS BEING FOLDED DOWN AGAINST IT.
FOLKS, IF YOU ARE IN THE FROZEN WASTE LAND OF THE NORTH, NEVER I REPEAT NEVER USE AN ICE SCRAPER OR HARSH BRUSH TO CLEAR THE SNOW OFF THAT PLASTIC BACK WINDOW. THE DEEP PERMANENT SCRATCHES AND ABRASIONS WILL BE A PUBLIC TESTIMONY TO YOUR LACK OF PATIENCE AND STUPIDITY. THANK GOODNESS FOR 1965 WHEN THE GLASS BACK WINDOW WAS STANDARD ON MOST GM CARS.
I DROVE THE CAR MID SUMMER TO THE CLUB HOUSE AT THE PLEASANT RUN GOLF COURSE WHERE I TAKE THE PHOTOGRAPHS OF MOST OF MY CARS AND PARKED IT VISIBLE TO THE 18TH HOLE RECEPTION AREA. SEVERAL MEMBERS KNEW ME AND SAID, HEY AL, YOU WANT TO SELL YOUR CADILLAC CONVERTIBLE? THEY BECAME THE OWNER. THE CAR HAD ONE FAILING AT ABOUT 80 MILES AN HOUR. I KNOW THAT IS ABOVE THE SPEED LIMIT. IT HAD A DRIVE LINE VIBRATION THAT TURNED OUT TO BE UNIVERSAL JOINTS. THEY ARE ABOUT $350 NOT INSTALLED. I HAD IT CORRECTED. YOU CAN’T BUILD A BUSINESS WITH UNHAPPY OWNERS EVEN IF IT IS JUST A CAR YOU ARE SELLING FROM YOUR DRIVEWAY AT HOME.
YOU WILL NOTE MY K OF C TRADITIONAL FRONT PLATES. I AM A 4TH DEGREE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS SINCE 1962 WHEN I WAS HONORED IN MANILA PHILIPPINES. I HAVE THE WHITE CADILLAC RUBBER FLOOR MATS THAT KEEP MY CARS SPOTLESS.