1956 Cadillac Coupe de Ville Part 1
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This is my 1956 Cadillac Coupe de Ville which I bought back in 2002 from a collector in Colleyville, TX. He did not have the car for sale, but had driven it to the Arlington Swap Meet as his transportation as he was looking for a convertible. I had just arrived at the swap meet and spotted this car on the outside perimeter and was instantly taken in by its beauty--'56s have always been my favorite of the '54-'56 generation. The feature that immediately stood out for me was its original all red leather interior. I knew this was not the standard interior for a '56 Coupe de Ville, but was in all likelihood an option. I since learned that this color, along with about seven other colors, could be ordered as an option on any body style of closed car. It is essentially the same interior as would be found as standard equipment in a convertible. The further appeal of the car was its high level of optional equipment, including sabre wheels and the two-four-barrel El Dorado engine as well as factory air-conditioning. It also has first-year availability remote trunk release.
I obtained a build sheet from the Cadillac Historical Service and learned that the car was built on January 13, 1956 and was sold about two weeks later through the P. P. Covert Cadillac dealership in Lee's Summit, Missouri. Beyond that, I don't have any of its history, but would like to have if anyone recognizes this car.
The one weak link was the transmission, which I knew before I bought it had a bad reverse cone. It was overhauled at a transmission shop in my hometown of Waco, TX in 2002 with 51,000 miles on it. It didn't shift quite right when cold right from the start, but would smooth out when warmed up. I didn't want the shop fooling with my car, so decided I could live with it. Six years and 6,000 miles later, in 2008, the transmission self-destructed inside. I took it to another shop, in business longer than the first one and when I got it back it shifted to perfection from the very first day I had it and has done so since then. The second shop showed me the parts from the original rebuild and also told me of several things they had done wrong. They even got the linkage in perfect alignment, something I had missed with the first overhaul.
The factory AC was not working when I looked at the car. I bought it on condition that the AC be working and when I picked the car up on Saturday of Memorial Day weekend 2002, the AC worked perfectly. It still works perfectly to this day with no addition of freon at all.
I've made one mechanical alteration to the car since I've owned it, but it's not visible. The standard axle ratio for '56 Cadillacs was 3.07 to 1, but 3.36 to 1 was standard with the two 4-barrel set-up with no option possible. I like a higher geared set-up and about a year after buying the car a NOS 3.07 gear set appeared on eBay. I got it for the amazing price of $129, had it sent to my mechanic who installed it and filled it with synthetic lubricant. It has never whined and the motor is noticably less busy at 60 MPH than with the 3.36 gear set.