Mechanic Buys Superb 1963 Cadillac Coupe deVille, Wife Says He Did "OK"
A mechanic from Kansas bought a gorgeous 1963 Cadillac Coupe deVille. His detailer friend drove for eight hours, all the way to Missouri, to pick it up and bring it to him.
David Long, aka The Car Wizard, owner of the Omega Auto Clinic in Newton, Kansas, got his hands on one of his dream cars: a Cadillac Coup deVille. It was his friend, Andrew Holder, a detailing expert, who drove from Kansas to St. Louis, Missouri, to pick up the 1963 Cadillac Coupe deVille. It is already his fourth classic Caddy, and it seems he is not going to stop at it. However, he says the 1963 model year is his favorite.
David brings the car into the shop and asks his wife, Jenny, how he did: "You might have done okay on this one," she replies.
The one who sold the car to David only kept it for one or two years after having purchased it from someone in Las Vegas. That is where the Cadillac spent most of its life from new. With so many gangsters living in Vegas in the 1960s, David can't help but thinking that the car might have once belonged to one of them.
The front fascia is all covered in chrome, contrasting with the original black paint that covers the elongated silhouette. The car has never been painted after it left the factory 61 years ago. The paintwork does display the so-called crows’ feet and some cracks, especially on the hood.
"Some dummy took a brick and tried to sand it or something," David complains. The only way to fix everything is to fully repaint the deVille.
The model rides on wire wheels with brand-new whitewall tires. The rear end sports reminiscences of the gigantic fins the deVille came with back in 1958. Cadillac kept lowering their height over the years until they ended up with what this deVille has.
The car is powered by a 390-cubic-inch (6.4-liter) OHV V8 engine with a four-barrel carburetor, which Cadillac had in production until 1963 before it switched to a 429 in 1964. So, this example is one of the last cars to receive it. The V8 is mated to the four-speed Hydramatic transmission, which was also retired with the 1963 model year.
The power unit, which pumps out about 340 horsepower and 430 pound-feet of torque. The Car Wizard notices a few leaks, but it still runs great, he says. There is a gold AC compressor, an aftermarket feature that the new owner is happy with. A gigantic battery found room under the hood. It does fit properly, but it does take up a lot of space.
Jenny, aka Mrs. Wizard, labels the cabin as being "so perfect." All the analog gauges with chrome surrounds look impeccable. Her mechanic husband will have to do something about the clock in the dashboard that doesn't work.
The Caddy has a huge, thin, two-spoke steering wheel, with a red cover containing the brand's badge in the center. It still looks like it did the day this car rolled off the production line in 1963.
It comes with 57,712 miles (92,878 kilometers) on the clock, and they might be real because anything above that figure would have led to serious signs of wear and tear on board. The seats with a leather top and nylon fabric bottom, sporting shades of gray, look impeccable. The Cadillac logo is embossed into the backrest, but it is missing from the glove compartment door. David has already ordered one.
The door cards sport the same material pattern, with the buttons and stitching still intact. The one on the driver's side integrates the power window controls, the manual control for the rearview mirror, and a lever for the triangle window.
When the Wizard lifts the car, he searches for the reason it makes the rattling noise. The previous owner warned him about it even before he purchased the classic Caddy. The exhaust clamp is loose.
David is going to work his magic and replace the entire exhaust setup because it is missing components. The seller told him they broke off during shipment and did not bother to replace them because he knew he would soon sell the car. And he did.
The Caddy has a new fuel pump, so this will spare him the trouble for a while, but he is planning to replace it with an electric one. The car needs all four drum brakes adjusted, the wizard mechanic says. The hoses need to be replaced. The good news is that there is no sign of rust underneath.
David jokes about finding dead bodies in the trunk since he assumed it might have been a mafia car back in the 1960s. But all he finds there is a spare tire. So, no mafia background for this Cadillac Coupe deVille. The trunk lid still features the original label that teaches owners how to use the jack.
Unless you’re a connoisseur, you would never guess where the fuel door is. We’ll let you find that on your own in the video below.
David Long, aka The Car Wizard, owner of the Omega Auto Clinic in Newton, Kansas, got his hands on one of his dream cars: a Cadillac Coup deVille. It was his friend, Andrew Holder, a detailing expert, who drove from Kansas to St. Louis, Missouri, to pick up the 1963 Cadillac Coupe deVille. It is already his fourth classic Caddy, and it seems he is not going to stop at it. However, he says the 1963 model year is his favorite.
David brings the car into the shop and asks his wife, Jenny, how he did: "You might have done okay on this one," she replies.
The one who sold the car to David only kept it for one or two years after having purchased it from someone in Las Vegas. That is where the Cadillac spent most of its life from new. With so many gangsters living in Vegas in the 1960s, David can't help but thinking that the car might have once belonged to one of them.
The front fascia is all covered in chrome, contrasting with the original black paint that covers the elongated silhouette. The car has never been painted after it left the factory 61 years ago. The paintwork does display the so-called crows’ feet and some cracks, especially on the hood.
"Some dummy took a brick and tried to sand it or something," David complains. The only way to fix everything is to fully repaint the deVille.
The model rides on wire wheels with brand-new whitewall tires. The rear end sports reminiscences of the gigantic fins the deVille came with back in 1958. Cadillac kept lowering their height over the years until they ended up with what this deVille has.
The car is powered by a 390-cubic-inch (6.4-liter) OHV V8 engine with a four-barrel carburetor, which Cadillac had in production until 1963 before it switched to a 429 in 1964. So, this example is one of the last cars to receive it. The V8 is mated to the four-speed Hydramatic transmission, which was also retired with the 1963 model year.
The power unit, which pumps out about 340 horsepower and 430 pound-feet of torque. The Car Wizard notices a few leaks, but it still runs great, he says. There is a gold AC compressor, an aftermarket feature that the new owner is happy with. A gigantic battery found room under the hood. It does fit properly, but it does take up a lot of space.
Jenny, aka Mrs. Wizard, labels the cabin as being "so perfect." All the analog gauges with chrome surrounds look impeccable. Her mechanic husband will have to do something about the clock in the dashboard that doesn't work.
The Caddy has a huge, thin, two-spoke steering wheel, with a red cover containing the brand's badge in the center. It still looks like it did the day this car rolled off the production line in 1963.
It comes with 57,712 miles (92,878 kilometers) on the clock, and they might be real because anything above that figure would have led to serious signs of wear and tear on board. The seats with a leather top and nylon fabric bottom, sporting shades of gray, look impeccable. The Cadillac logo is embossed into the backrest, but it is missing from the glove compartment door. David has already ordered one.
The door cards sport the same material pattern, with the buttons and stitching still intact. The one on the driver's side integrates the power window controls, the manual control for the rearview mirror, and a lever for the triangle window.
When the Wizard lifts the car, he searches for the reason it makes the rattling noise. The previous owner warned him about it even before he purchased the classic Caddy. The exhaust clamp is loose.
David is going to work his magic and replace the entire exhaust setup because it is missing components. The seller told him they broke off during shipment and did not bother to replace them because he knew he would soon sell the car. And he did.
The Caddy has a new fuel pump, so this will spare him the trouble for a while, but he is planning to replace it with an electric one. The car needs all four drum brakes adjusted, the wizard mechanic says. The hoses need to be replaced. The good news is that there is no sign of rust underneath.
David jokes about finding dead bodies in the trunk since he assumed it might have been a mafia car back in the 1960s. But all he finds there is a spare tire. So, no mafia background for this Cadillac Coupe deVille. The trunk lid still features the original label that teaches owners how to use the jack.
Unless you’re a connoisseur, you would never guess where the fuel door is. We’ll let you find that on your own in the video below.