1951 Cadillac Series 61 Sedan Originally sold in arid Nevada and spent most of its life there. Previous owner drove the car for three years and used it regularly. Won Car of the Year honors at Cars and Coffee Austin Texas in 2016. Original Exeter Green exterior color that was wet-sanded and polished. New green and tan vinyl interior that looks stunning! 331 CID V-8 engine that runs very well. Rebuilt Hydromantic automatic transmission. While it's not light red, many of the qualities in Bruce Springsteen's song, "Pink Cadillac," can be found in this model. Finished in Exeter Green, the car's original color, this example has been refinished in its original shade. The paint has been wet-sanded and polished to a bright sheen. The trim is solid but does have some minor blemishes and evident patina, the bumpers shine brilliantly. The car has a new windshield and the other glass panels are clear and crack-free. Similarly, the Cadillac's lights are clear and in great shape, including the optional fog lights tucked into the chrome grill and above the Dagmar front bumper. The fog lights do double duty as the front turn signals. This Detroit classic rides on new Coker Classic radials with wide whitewalls and factory wheel covers and are in very good order. All body panels are solid and straight and look vault-like. The engine bay is very tidy, highly presentable as is the trunk's interior. Inside, the car's seats look excellent, as the green and tan upholstery is new. The light-colored headliner and tan carpet are also new. Included is a set of carpeted floormats that match the carpet. The green instrument panel is in very good condition, the dash clock still ticks and the dashboard courtesy lights obediently illuminate when the driver's door opens! The original two-spoke steering wheel is decked out in calfskin to match the rest of the interior and in very good condition. The inner door panels show some wear but are in overall good shape but the car has new door and trunk rubber seals. Lap safety belts have been added for safety. Completing the interior is the original Delco Selector AM radio, which is inoperable. The previous owner detailed the work he had performed on the car while he owned it: New valve lifters and pushrods. Rebuilt mechanical fuel pump with added electrical fuel pump to prevent vapor-lock. New shock absorbers at all four corners. Rebuilt alternator, changed starter brushes, flushed cooling system, rebuilt carburetor, rebuilt brake master and slave cylinders. Repaired instrument cluster, replaced brake light switch and flashers. Repaired self-cancelling mechanism on directional signals. Repaired vacuum-driven windshield wipers. Installed sealed-beam headlights. Repaired fog lights, which double as front turn signals. Beneath that great green hood is the Cadillac's famous 331 CID V-8 engine, its first new engine design after World War II. It's mated to a rebuilt Hydromantic automatic transmission. The 331 engine featured a "dry" (coolant exited through an assembly attached directly to the cylinder heads), open runner (requiring the use of a tappet valve cover) intake manifold, rear-mounted distributor and shaft-mounted rockers. The rear bearing carries crankshaft end play. It has the lighter 'skirtless' block where the oil pan flange does not descend appreciably below the crankshaft centerline and a partial integral cast iron clutch housing that compares to the early Chrysler Hemi V8 design. This engine features an oiling system which uses a central cast-in passage between the lifter galleries feeding oil to the cam and crank by grooves machined into the cam bores. A single drilled passage per bearing saddle feeds both cam and crank journals. The lifters are supplied oil through small 'bleeds' instead of placing the lifters directly into the right and left side oil supply galleries. A minor facelift and small trim variations were the main Cadillac styling news in 1951. Miniature egg crate grilles were set into the out-board grille extension panels below the headlights. Larger, bullet shaped style bumper guards were used. The features list included handbrake, warning lamp, key start ignition, steering column cover, Delco-Remy generator, knee-action front suspension, directional, mechanical fuel pump, dual downdraft carburetor, slipper-type pistons, rubber engine mountings, oversize brakes, Super Cushion tires, one-piece windshield, intake silencer, oil bath air cleaner, equalized manifolding, automatic choke and luxury appointments. On the dashboard "idiot lights" were used to monitor oil pressure and electrical charge rate instead of gauges. The smaller body was once again used on the 61s and again identified by the lack of chrome underscores. However, a new medallion appeared on the rear roof pillar of the Series 61, above the upper beltline molding. Competition to this Cadillac in 1951 included Hudson's Hornet H-145, Chrysler's Saratoga, Jaguar's V 3.5L Saloon and Mercury's Sport Sedan with Touch-O-Matic. This example won Car of the Year honors at Cars and Coffee Austin in 2016
