1912 Cadillac Truck

When I was a young boy my friend lived across the street from a small junk yard. There was a roughly 1920 Chevy flareside awning company truck that we used to play on. It had no top and the wood was bleached white. The owner wanted $15. for the truck but that was beyond our means. My weekly allowance was 25 cents in 1954.

In the fall of 1995 our club was asked to help price some gas engines and vehicles in an estate. I called many club members that I felt were familiar with current prices of engines and tractors. We made an inventory of about 20 stationary engines and several antique vehicles. When the inventory was complete the owner was satisfied with the prices and sold several engines there and then. I bought the Cadilac truck and the owner had to take one end out of the chicken coop to get it out. I should have paid more attention to the junk piled everwhere. I think the original starter was in there somewhere.

The engine was stuck and the previous owner had bent the crank from jumping on it. It is a headless 4 cylinder engine. By inspection I found by feeling with my hands through the inspection plates, that a small amount of corrosion had formed on the cylinders under the pistons. I removed the 4 individual copper jacketed jugs and found 1 connecting rod had no babbit material left at all. I had the crank turned and the rods rebabbited at Pittsburgh Crankshaft. Several body shops thought that I was joking when I took them the fenders. Tom Rootlieb agreed to make new fenders. I sent the best front and rear and waited two years for the new fenders and eventually the new aluminum hood.