Deja Vu & Tailfins from April Self Starter

[RedKos]

Hello everyone.  Don't know why it took me so long to sign up here.  The article "Deja Vu & Tailfins" from the latest Self Starter was heavily edited.  I don't know if anyone is interested, but I've attached the original version here (complete with typo's, LOL) for you to read.  If you'd care to leave your opinion, good, bad, or otherwise, it'd be most welcome.

I look forward to being a part of this community. 

[Tito Sobrinho]

Michael:

Excellent article for a beautiful car.  I grew up with them and for this reason, I bought my 1949. They were very expensive and the maintenance were done by the dealer including changing the fluids. One thing that goes against my past child dreams is....that dice hanging on the retrovisor mirror.

I saw here in this forum, a beautiful Cadillac Imperial Limousine, the car of the famous and rich...with an hanging dice!!!

[Dave Ventresca]

Michael, I enjoyed your article. I noticed you don't have any wiper arms for your car. Do you need some or are your restoring yours? I have several nice sets, which are 1954 Caddie only. Dave

[RedKos]

Tito, thanks for the reply.  The funny thing is, my Dad traded his '55 Caddy in for a new Oldsmobile months before I was born.  While I have no childhood memory of it, I sure heard a lot about it!

As far as the dice go, I had a garter belt hanging from the mirror of my first car that was a gift (that's all we need to say about that *wink*) from a girlfriend.  When I bought the '54 I hung a white silk garter from the mirror.  A while thereafter a very dear friend of mine passed away, and his widow asked that I have the dice hanging from the mirror of his '57 Chevy that happened to match the colors of my Cadillac perfectly!  (Information about that Chevy can be found here   http://www.stovebolt.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=738808#Post738808 ). 

Those red and black dice have hung in my Cadillac ever since, and will as long as I'm alive.   

Dave, I guess the jig is up!  LOL  My '54 is a totally complete, original car (except for recent re-paint).  I take the wiper arms off when I drive it, because every once in a while one of them will start to slide upwards if I hit 60 mph or more.  Now for my confession....and I"m surprised no one has noticed this.  I forgot to put the parade boot on the car when I took the photos for the Self Starter!  Can you believe it?  Sheesh.  Oh well, there are lots of photos posted of "Toni-Kay" in my file the Cadill-Ikes yahoo site if you want to check them out.  I'd be happy to post some here as well, if we have a photo section.

Thanks for the comments, guys!

[RedKos]

One other comment about the hanging dice.  Remember, when the Eldo was first introduced in '53 it was supposed to be Cadillac's "sports" model.  I've had a number of older people come up to me at shows saying things like, "Boy that sure does bring back memories!  I remember seeing those on covertible Cadillac's, Buick's & Packard's all the time back in the 50's."  I don't know...maybe it depends on what part of the country you grew up in or something?