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1956 Cadillac Coupe Rocker Panel Stainless

Started by Chuck Dykstra, December 09, 2008, 01:28:52 PM

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Chuck Dykstra

Would someone help me out with the length of the rocker panel stainless for a  1956 coupe body? I have several sets of 89 inchers and a few pieces of 92 inch ones.
Which ones go with which style car? Thanks! Chuck

Walter Youshock

#1
Can't say for sure without seeing them.  62 wheelbases were 129' and 60 Series were 133'.

Series 62 were a sedan, a coupe, the new Sedan deVille, and the Coupe deVille.  The Fleetwood 60S sedan was the 133' wheelbase.  I'd say the 3' longer ones go with the 60 Special.

CLC #11959 (Life)
1957 Coupe deVille
1991 Brougham

J. Gomez

Chuck,

If you are referring to the side sill cover panels’ (stainless) moldings below the doors, the ones on my 4-door sedan are 89”. The set I have are in bad shape, a few deep scratches on the front with several dings. Not sure if an English wheel would get these out.

Jose Gomez CLC #23082
J. Gomez
CLC #23082

Walter Youshock

If the wheelbase is longer on the 60 Special, then shouldn't the rear legroom be increased as well?  The trunk lid on my '57 CDV is the same as that of a '57 60 Special  because of rear overhang, not wheelbase.

Rear legroom on a '56 coupe (129'"wb) is 41.5". The Sedan deVille is 43.8".  On a 60 special, it's 46.3".  The WHEELBASE is 3" longer.  This was an exclusive 60 Special feature through 1958.  From '59 to '64, Fleetwoods were the same as the 62 series on a 129" wheelbase.  The end of the "X" frame and introduction of the new perimeter frame of 1965 brought back the longer Fleetwood wheelbase.
CLC #11959 (Life)
1957 Coupe deVille
1991 Brougham

Chuck Dykstra

When I held the 92 inch ones up to the car (Coupe DeVille) they seemed to be the right ones. They extended perfectly from the roll edge of the dogleg of the front fender to the front edge of the rear fenderskirt line. The 89 inchers would be a little short I was thinking. Could someone can tell me at what point they originate at the front fender? Maybe I was starting them too far forward and the 89 inchers would be correct.

J. Gomez

Chuck,

As I mention on my previous message the length of the sill cover panels on my 6219 are 89”. They expand about 2” before the front fender edge up to about 1/8” or so before the edge of the rear fender skirt, so the front edge of the panel does not rap around the front fender.

I’m roughly estimating 2” from pictures taken as all of the chrome panels were remove while I’m working on the body.

Good luck..! 

Jose Gomez CLC #23082
J. Gomez
CLC #23082

carguyblack

Thanks again, Jose.
I will take your word for it. A photo of a 56 convertible I'm using as a screen saver appears like the stainless runs right up to the edge of the fender though. If the 89 inchers are correct, I'll use them. One last time - are the 92 inch ones for a 60 series only? Chuck
Chuck Dykstra

1956 Sedan DeVille
1956 Coupe DeVille (2 sold)
1957 Oldsmobile 98 (sold)
1989 Bonneville SSE

Walter Youshock

As for wheelbase:  isn't it measured from axle to axle?  So, the length between the axles of a 60S is greater than that of a 62?

Look at a '71 Fleetwood.  The center pillar extends between the doors.  The doors themselves may be the same as a Sedan deVille.

Another trick they play is in the size of the seat cushions themselves.  The '93 Sixty Special (fwd) I had had a lot more legroom than my '82 Brougham, but the seats were smaller, so, measuring from the bolster to the floor, the distance was greater.
CLC #11959 (Life)
1957 Coupe deVille
1991 Brougham

J. Gomez

Chuck,

Please do not take my previous comments as the absolute word; there are several ’56 owners that may have different settings for these panels.

One more detailed to share, in looking at the parts catalog the sill cover panels are different between the ’56 60S and 62 models except for 6237SDX (Eldorado) and 67SX (Eldorado Biarritz) w/no panels, and the ’56 75.

One clue that could enlighten you with the differences would be the mounting clips arrangement of these panels versus the holes on the bottom of your 6219 rocker panel, assuming these are place at different distances on the 89" and 92". Just as a suggestion..!

Good luck

Jose Gomez CLC #23082
J. Gomez
CLC #23082

Otto Skorzeny

I think Jose is right. i won't be able to measure mine for a few days. But they definitely end an inch or two befor the front wheel well and are within an eighth to quarter inch of the rear skirt. The 93" jobs are probably for the 75 or something.
fward

Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for YOURSELF

HUGE VENDOR LIST CLICK HERE

Walter Youshock

I see how they carefully blended it in.  The skirt is definitely exclusive to the 60S.  That's where the stretch is.  Also, the rear doors are different from model to model.

Harley and the gang did a nice job.  Too bad they weren't still around. 
CLC #11959 (Life)
1957 Coupe deVille
1991 Brougham

Otto Skorzeny

You can see how stubby the 62 sedan looks when compared to the 60 Special. Definitely a much better proportioned 4 door design than the 62 sedan.
fward

Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for YOURSELF

HUGE VENDOR LIST CLICK HERE

Walter Youshock

#12
Still looks better than the '57-'58 62 sedans--they were WAY too short looking.  The Florentine roof made the shorter deck appear longer, plus, the height of the '56 and earlier cars worked to an advantage.  The redesigned roofline on the '57 actually made the back ends look shorter.  The Fleetwoods were perfectly proportioned with the long trunks.  Even the 75 series would have benefited from the longer trunk.

At least they used the long trunk on the coupes.
CLC #11959 (Life)
1957 Coupe deVille
1991 Brougham

Walter Youshock

They are still smaller than some of the monstrosities built today.

I know when I occasionally drive my '91 Brougham to work, I can't believe I used to drive it every day.  Parking, turning, and worrying it's going to get hit...

When the cars got smaller, so did the parking spots.  Then, everybody started to buy trucks.  SO:  Is there still a market for big cars?
CLC #11959 (Life)
1957 Coupe deVille
1991 Brougham

Chuck Dykstra

Thanks to everyone for your knowledgeable input into my question. You have helped me to understand, along with so much more,  that the correct length for my car is the 89 inch rocker stainless. I appreciate all of your time and energy for my benefit! What a privilege to be able to tap such a resource. Only wish you all lived just up the street from me!  Best regards, Chuck

Thomas Todd

I note that you mention you had 92" rocker moldings.  These are for 1955 Cadillacs -- all models are the same except for Eldo (no moldings) and limos (long rockers).  Do you still have any of these 92" stainless moldings that you would be interested in selling or trading?  My 1955 Fleetwood has a set of 89" (probably 1956) rocker moldings on it, and I would like to get the right ones for the car.  Thanks.


harascho

Hi folks and fellow Caddy enthusiasts,

I dug out that old thread which was very informative for me. I already had some contact with  Chuck and Otto during the restauration of my 1956 Series 62 Coupe. Mine is missing the rocker panels completly. I did some google searches but could not find anything except an address where they sold one for 500USD. That's a bit over the top. I am thinking of building some panels myself. Does anyone have some good pictures of those mounted on the car and also as a part where I could see the backside?

Thanks a lot

cheers

Harald