Cadillac 1954 - 1956 custom & mild custom

Growing up in the early '80s on a farm in Iowa, Robert Gallery knew the value of keeping engines running. He used to help his dad out when they'd swap motors in some of the cars they had on the farm, including a few '70s-era Thunderbirds and LTDs. With a little more than 100 people in his hometown of Masonville (30 miles outside of Cedar Rapids), having a car to drive to school and knowing how to keep it running were of major importance.



After college and still in his early twenties, Robert left Iowa and was soon on his way to Dublin, California. As destiny began to shine its light on the young man, he began expanding his car collection-first with a pair of '66 Lincoln Continentals. He'd always liked the luxurious look of the T-birds and LTDs from his past, but Robert appreciated the lines of mid-'50s Cadillacs, too, and felt there was nothing with more class than one of those big, old Coupe De Villes.

Robert mentioned to his friend, Darrell Hayes of Darrell Hayes Concepts, that he was looking for a suitable car to build, and then Hayes mentioned it to Marcos Garcia of Lucky 7 Customs, with whom he worked on a couple of projects. Lucky 7 Customs is well known for its custom car building abilities and stunning paintjobs.

Garcia happened to know where a stock Series 62 '54 Cad was sitting in a nearby engine shop where it had been dropped off for some work but never picked up. After a few years the shop had put a lien on the car and wanted it out of their way, and had it up for sale. Robert was able to purchase the Cad for the price of the rebuilt engine and transmission and two years of storage fees-a pretty good deal considering the car was basically in good shape except for just a few dings here and there.

For car builders who are in business, the truly successful ones are those who listen to what their customers want and figure out a way to get it to them without breaking the bank (theirs or their customer's). Some of the initial ideas for this Caddy were to chop the top, shave most of the bumps (leaving some of the original trim intact for flavor), and add some custom touches that would look like they belonged on the car.



Lucky 7 started on the project by chopping the roof (2 1/2 inches up front and 4 inches in the rear) and then leaning the rear window forward for a sleeker appearance. The trim on the hood was removed and the corners rounded, and the same treatment was done on the trunk and doors. The cowl, fender seams, and rockers were all molded to make the car look slippery, and the drip rails were restyled to accent the custom quarter-window roof rail trim.

The grill is also custom made, which uses horizontally mounted aluminum blades that were then chromed. Opting for keyless entry, electronic door poppers have been installed, the door handles shaved, and the door spear shortened 18 inches. And though it might look like factory trim pieces, the belt line trim that runs the length of the door tops and quarters were custom made from brass and then plated.

On other sections of the car more trim was removed, but other custom pieces, such as the speed bump humps on the forward area of the quarter-panels, were added because it helped break up the large expanse of metal. Another area that received a good amount of attention is the rear bumper, which uses ends from a '57 Chevy, allowing functional exhaust tips to run through the bumpers. It takes an enormous amount of knowledge to figure out how parts from different cars can work together to not only look right but also make it appear like it was meant to be there. That's one of the reasons Lucky 7 Customs enjoys the exalted reputation that it does.



 Looking like it could have come off the factory line this way, the interior features specially made chocolate-colored fabric that was pleated and stitched together at Bob Devine Designs in Pittsburg, California. Due to the owner's size (6-foot 7 inches at 325 pounds), the split bench seat was lowered 5 inches and the steering column came down 3 inches.

Looking like it could have come off the factory line this way, the interior features speci The gauges were restored by Redline Gauge Works, and a Kenwood flat-screen stereo controls the concert-quality sound equipment provided by Arc Audio of Modesto, California.

The gauges were restored by Redline Gauge Works, and a Kenwood flat-screen stereo controlsThe extensive effort put into the custom bodywork performed on the Cad was also channeled into the chassis and engine. To get the car down on the ground Lucky 7 lowered the front coils and de-arched the rear spring. Monroe gas shocks were mounted to each corner, and the brakes for the vehicle (which tips the scales at just over 2 tons!) are power-assisted drums.



And though Cadillac had been producing V-8 engines since 1915, the 331 found in Robert's De Ville was of the first group of overhead-valve V-8s Cadillac began offering in their cars in 1949. Much of Robert's engine was left stock (but rebuilt and balanced by Joe's Engine Machine Shop in Concord, California), and it was assembled by Logan Stipe of Lucky 7 Customs and detailed with a fair amount of chrome accents.

With the bodywork out of the way, it was time to roll the behemoth into the paint booth where a custom-mixed Capone Pearl was created from PPG's Vibrance line of paints and then squirted over the massive car (the wheelbase on this beast is 129 inches while the overall length is more than 200 inches!). Marcos Garcia then followed up with a subtle scallop and pinstripe to finish off the exterior.

At 325 pounds and standing 6-foot 7 inches, Robert Gallery cannot be confused for "tiny." As such, a few modifications to the interior needed to be made to accommodate the 29-year-old. Plus, after chopping the car's top, the necessity to create a comfortable driving space became even more important. The six-way power bench seat had to be eliminated so that the new seat's framework could be lowered a full 5 inches. Using a specially reproduced fabric to mimic the original factory material, Bob Devine Designs, in Pittsburg, California, stitched up a beige two-tone-pleated pattern for the split bench front and rear seating. The headliner was done in suede, while the carpet is a chocolate-colored, German-style closed-loop.

Since the seating was lowered, the steering column was dropped a total of 3 inches and the dash was treated to stock gauges that have been reworked by Redline Gauge Works. The factory radio was then gutted, and the stock radio control knobs were used to adjust the levels of the Vintage Air A/C and heat system.



An electronically-controlled mini glovebox door was added to the center of the dash and a Kenwood flat-screen stereo was installed to control the concert-quality sound equipment provided by Arc Audio of Modesto, California. A custom metal skin was then fabbed for the upper section of the dash and painted in a two-tone, cream and bronze layout.

Once finished, the car was debuted at the Grand National Roadster Show, then appeared at the Sacramento Autorama and the San Francisco Rod, Custom & Motorcycle Show. It has picked up major awards everywhere it's been shown, including the '09 Most Elegant Custom award-the highest award given at the San Francisco show for a custom car. Robert's history tells us he isn't the type to collect cars and not drive them, and he reports his cruiser is not a car that sits in the garage, having already racked up a few miles on the odometer.

But no one needs to tell Robert Gallery he's come a long way in a short time, from a spec of a town located in Iowa's farmland to the big city in Northern California, and he knows it. But what ties him to his humble past is a love of cars-and it's probably something that will never leave him, no matter what life holds for him in his future.



Read more: http://www.streetrodderweb.com/features/0910sr_1954_cadillac_coupe_deville/viewall.html

Government is big. Hit movies are big. Texas is big (however, Alaska is even bigger). Problem is, government is only going to get bigger, so why not join in and build a car that’s bigger than most?

Colorado kustom enthusiast Roger Jetter decided to do just that. After playing with a few “smaller” ’57 Chevys through the years (including the resurrection of a survivor ISCA kustom from 1964), he embarked on building a big ’48 Cadillac Sedanette, a relic found next to a creek in Kansas. A year into the project, however, the larger ’55 Cadillac featured here fell into his lap. It was bigger than the ’48 by a few inches and came complete with a trailer load of extra parts.

The 1955 Cadillac Coupe De Ville was someone else’s failed project and the big body had been reattached to the frame by only four bolts. Once home, it came back off to rectify past mistakes. The ’78 Pontiac Trans Am subframe had been badly installed, so Roger and his brother, Dan, set to work fixing it in Roger’s backyard garage. Being a rust-free Colorado car, the underside of the Cad was cleaned, sealed, and treated to Lizard Skin sound-deadening material, as was the interior. After building engine and transmission mounts for the 500-inch Caddy engine, the frame was painted urethane black and the body was once again installed—this time using all the bolts.

Roger is a longtime kustom connoisseur, so the fun part for him was planning and executing the body mods. He wanted a traditionally inspired kustom, but considering the car’s size and stature, he knew care had to be taken in both design and execution to maintain the gorgeous Cadillac lines. The overall effect needed to be subtle, not gaudy. His background as a graphic artist helped him visualize the end result of the many planned modifications; he worked toward the final product guided by those visions.

The grille is the most obvious change to the car’s forward appearance. To facilitate the new look, though, both Dagmar support bars had to be narrowed 2 1/2 inches, moving them out and up toward the upper grille trim. The stock ’55 grille and crossbar were removed and a new grille fabricated from 1/8-inch flat aluminum stock laser cut to conform to the shape of the bumper and hood. There are 46 bars, with an 1/8-inch gap between each one, and park lights hidden behind the corners. From a distance the grille looks solid, but it allows plenty of air to the aluminum radiator.

Moving upward, the hood was peaked with 3/16-inch rod and the headlight hoods lengthened 1/2 inch. The side scoops were opened up, with the stock side trim disappearing into the void. Each scoop has three additional spears that were removed from a car in a Pull-A-Part yard; Roger has no idea what their original application was. The shapes of the scoops were designed to visually flow into the handbuilt metal fender skirts. Those skirts, incidentally, are 74 inches long and were built in three 26-inch sections, rolled on a Harbor Freight roller and welded together. They are secured with six bolts each.

Around back, the decklid was peaked to match the hood and the bumper was heavily reworked, although it’s so well designed you’d be hard pressed to notice the changes. The stock exhaust outlets at the bumper ends were typical of early Cadillacs—completely rusted through. Roger noticed that his ’48 Caddy bumper ends fit the shape of the ’55 opening, so he welded a pair to the ’55 centersection. The license plate was originally an afterthought on ’55 Caddys—simply bolted above the bumper. Roger wanted a more integrated look. His son had a ’59 Caddy parts car, so the license box was robbed from the front bumper (his son still doesn’t know it’s missing!). Ogden Chrome in Ogden, Utah, handled all the chrome work and Jose at Mile Hi Polishing did the stainless. A pair of ’94 Cadillac dual exhaust tips tucks up nicely against the bumper.

Inside the spacious cabin, a ’56 Cadillac dash was installed because Roger felt its center glove compartment would work better with the Vintage Air A/C unit, essential for those long summer trips (yes, this cruiser gets driven). Ed Banes at Banes Interiors stitched the stock power seat—as well as the balance of the interior—in pearl white Naugahyde and contrasting purple fabric similar to a stock ’55 Cadillac material. Grape carpet covers the floors. The dash was stripped of its leather and painted roof color, as were the door moldings.

Speaking of color, did you notice the car is two-toned? Very subtle. The top is painted 1955 Ford Regency Purple. The paint on the body has been kustom-mixed to match a pearl printing ink—Roger calls it Lollipop Lavendar. The trim separating the two colors at the rear window has been lengthened 6 inches on each side to bring more color onto the deck. And did you notice those two scoops at the rear of the roof? You’ll never guess what those came from. No, they’re not a ’58 Impala. Thinking outside the box is of prime import when building a kustom—so, too, is keeping a few secrets!

Once the body mods were finished, Roger drove the car to Len Hoogland for finish bodywork, and then to Wright Weldon’s paint booth, where Weldon applied the glossy PPG finish and did the polishing. Final assembly took place back in Roger’s backyard garage. On its first outing—Greybeard’s Crème de le Chrome Auto Show in November 2010—the Coupe De Ville captured a First in the Full Kustom Class, plus Outstanding Use of Color-Kustom, the first of many awards the huge Cadillac has received. That’s one more reason bigger is better—the Cadillac’s massive trunk will come in handy for hauling home all those trophies.



Read more: http://www.rodandcustommagazine.com/featuredvehicles/1205rc_1955_cadillac_coupe_de_ville/viewall.html#ixzz2ocECaw3N

Brandon Penseri's 1955 Cadillac built by Altissimo Restoration

at the KKOA Huntsville Al 1994,the Barris Built 54 Cadillac. Owned by Kurt McCormick

l'avant dernière est sublime     

Mild Custom 1955 Cadillac


Always a California car! Left Hand Drive.
The paint is nice and shiny.



Chrome still shows nice.



Beautiful pin striping on fenders. hood and trunk.
The interior was completely redone. new upholstery on seats. carpet. dashboard and headliner.
Power windows work. power seat works.
Exterior door chrome trim is pitted and has missing pieces.
Aftermarket gauges were installed under the dash temp. oil pressure and amp to monitor all engine functions.



Brakes were gone through with new shoes and brake lines Stops great!
Kustom Bonnet Scoops
Original 331 engine recently rebuilt with approx 300 miles on it.
Car starts runs. stops and drives nice
Has lowering Blocks in the rear with Air Shocks
New starter. alternator. water pump
New electric fuel pump
Whitewall tires
New exhaust system with glass-packs.
Door Handles have been shaved.

1955 Cadillac Coupe DeVille 50's Custom 350ci Auto Air Ride Flake Roof Tuxedo Interior

STELLAR AUTOPLEX IS PLEASED TO BRING THIS UNBELIEVABLE FULL CUSTOM 1955 CADILLAC COUPE DEVILLE TO MARKET. THIS IS AN EXCELLENT OPPORTUNITY TO OWN A 50'S STYLE CUSTOM CADILLAC. PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT YOUR CURRENT FINANCIAL SITUATION ALLOWS YOU TO BID ON THIS CLASSIC CADILLAC. REMEMBER BID TO WIN!!!

ATTENTION EBAY BUYERS WE HAVE TAKEN STEPS TO ENSURE THAT THE AUCTION YOU ARE BIDDING ON IS SAFE SECURE. IF YOU ARE NOT A PAYPAL VERIFIED ACCOUNT HOLDER YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO BID ON OUR AUCTION. YOU CAN CALL US AT 480.785.0058 TO ASK FOR HELP IF YOUR ARE EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS BIDDING. THIS CHANGE WILL HELP ENSURE THE INTEGRITY OF OUR AUCTIONS AND SHOULD MAKE OUR SERIOUS BUYERS MORE COMFORTABLE. PLEASE RESPECT THAT WE EARN OUR LIVING OFFERING THE EBAY COMMUNITY THE BEST VEHICLES POSSIBLE.

THE CAR SHOWS 124,878 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. THE CAR IS BEING SOLD WITH EXEMPT MILES DUE TO THE CARS AGE. WE HAVE A CLEAN AND CLEAR ARIZONA TITLE FOR THE CAR SHOWING NO BANK LIENS.

THE POWER PLANT IN THIS CUSTOM IS A CHEVROLET 350ci SMALL BLOCK V8 WHICH IS MATED TO A 700R4 AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. THE MOTOR RUNS EXCELLENT AND IS VERY RESPONSIVE AND TIGHT. THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTS AMAZING AND IS TIGHT AND SMOOTH. THIS CAR DRIVES DOWN THE INTERSTATE AT 75MPH NO PROBLEM. THE MOTOR FEATURES AN EDELBROCK INTAKE MANIFOLD, EDELBROCK CARB, MECHANICAL FUEL PUMP, FACTORY DISTRIBUTOR, FACTORY PULLEYS, FACTORY BRACKETS, TUBE EXHAUST HEADERS, FINNED VALVE COVERS, CHROME OIL CAP, CHROME OIL BREATHER AND A CUSTOM CADILLAC AIR CLEANER. THE ENGINE ALSO FEATURES AN ORIGINAL RADIATOR WITH AND UPGRADED 4 CORE INSERT AND AN ELECTRIC COOLING FAN. THE EXHAUST SYSTEM STARTS WITH THE HEADERS WHICH FEED INTO THE DUAL EXHAUST SYSTEM FEATURING GLASS PACK MUFFLERS AND DUAL REAR BUMPER EXIT EXHAUST TIPS. THE CAR HAS A LOW CLEAN SOUND AT THE PIPES. THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT LOOKS GREAT AND THE WIRING IS ALL NYLON WRAPPED FOR A CLEAN AND TIDY LOOK. THE CAR STARTS, IDLES AND RUNS WITH NO ISSUES OR CONCERNS. I WOULD PUT MY FAMILY IN THIS CAR AND SEND THEM OUT ALONE WITHOUT CONCERN.

THIS CADILLAC IS A TESTAMENT TO CLEAN STYLING AND EARLY LUXURY CAR LINES. THE CADILLAC DESIGNERS HIT IT ON THE HEAD WITH THE 1955 BODY STYLE. IT IS TRULY ONE OF THE MOST GRACEFUL CARS THAT CADILLAC EVER PRODUCED. THE CAR IS FINISHED AS A 50'S STYLE CUSTOM. THE BODY FEATURES SHAVED FRONT TURN SIGNALS, SHAVED DOOR HANDLES, SHAVED EMBLEMS, SHAVED HOOD, SHAVED LOWER TRIM AND A SHAVED TRUNK LID. THE BODY IS EXTREMELY STRAIGHT. THE CAR FEATURES A STUNNING FULL CUSTOM JET BLACK BODY WITH A GREEN METAL FLAKE ROOF. THE PAINT COLORS COME ALIVE IN THE SUN. THE PAINT ON THIS CAR SHINES LIKE NEW. HOWEVER FROM AGE AND NORMAL USE THERE ARE A FEW VERY MINOR MISC PAINT CHIPS (see pics) BUT REST ASSURED NOTHING TAKES AWAY FROM THE OVERALL BEAUTY OF THIS CADILLAC.

THE EXTERIOR FEATURES CHROME BUMPERS, CHROME DAGMARS, CHROME GRILLE, WINDSHIELD WIPERS (INOP), CHROME SIDE TRIM AND CHROME DUAL EXHAUST TIPS. THE CHROME AND STAINLESS ON THIS CAR IS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION SHOWING NO RUST. THE CAR FEATURES 15 INCH STEEL WHEELS WITH SOMBRERO STYLE CADILLAC HUBCAPS. THE WHEELS ARE WRAPPED IN A SET OF BRAND NEW AMERICAN CLASSIC RADIAL WIDE WHITE WALL 215/75R15 TIRES SHOWING EXCELLENT CONDITION WITH 100% TREAD LIFE LEFT.

THE INTERIOR OF THIS CAR ALSO RECEIVED A FULL CUSTOM RESTORATION. THE STITCH WORK IS AMAZING AND THE QUALITY SHOWS THRU-OUT. EVERYTHING THAT WAS MATERIAL OR CARPET WAS ALL REPLACED. THE SEATS, HEADLINER AND DOOR PANELS FEATURE 50'S CUSTOM TUXEDO PLEATS WHICH ARE AS STRAIGHT AS THEY COME. THE INTERIOR ALSO FEATURES A FACTORY POWER BENCH SEAT, FACTORY STEERING STEERING WHEEL, DAY/NIGHT REAR VIEW MIRROR, AIR RIDE CONTROL SWITCHES AND AFTERMARKET GAUGES TO SHOW ENGINE VITALS AND AIR RIDE PRESSURES. THE AUDIO SYSTEM HAS BEEN UPGRADED WITH A HIDDEN PIONEER AM/FM/CD/MP3/ RADIO WITH AN AUX CORD PLUG IN LOCATED IN THE GLOVE BOX. THE AUDIO SYSTEM HAS A PAIR OF REFERENCE 6X9 SPEAKERS HIDDEN BEHIND THE FRONT KICK PANELS AND AN ALPINE AMPLIFIER HIDDEN UNDER THE FRONT SEAT. THE REAR SEAT IS ACCESSED BY THE FLIP FORWARD FRONT SEATS. THE REAR SEAT AREA FEATURES SEAT BELTS, FACTORY ARM RESTS AND A REAR PACKAGE TRAY. THE DOOR PANELS FEATURE ARMRESTS, CHROME HANDLES AND CHROME TRIM. THE CAR FEATURES A REMOTE ENTRY SYSTEM WITH A DRIVER ELECTRONIC DOOR POPPER TRIGGERED FROM THE ORIGINAL GAS DOOR SWITCH LOCATED IN THE DRIVER SIDE TAIL LAMP. THE MANUAL FRONT WINDOWS AND WING WINDOWS ARE IN WORKING CONDITION. THE REAR WINDOWS ARE NOT FUNCTIONING. THE INTERIOR OF THIS CADILLAC IS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION AND SHOWS NO SIGNS OF ABUSE.

THE TRUNK OF THIS CAR FEATURES A MATCHING FULL CUSTOM ENCLOSED PANEL INTERIOR. ALL OF THE AIR RIDE VALVES, DUAL COMPRESSORS AND STORAGE TANK ARE HIDDEN BEHIND THE PANELS OF THE TRUNK FOR A CLEAN LOOK. THE SECOND BATTERY IS ALSO HIDDEN BEHIND THE PANELS IN THE TRUNK. THE CARPET PANELS AND FLOOR COVERING ARE ALL IN EXCELLENT CONDITION SHOWING NO SIGNS OF ABUSE.

THE CHASSIS OF THE CAR HAS ALSO RECEIVED THE FULL CUSTOM TREATMENT. THE CAR WAS OUTFITTED WITH AN AIR RIDE TECHNOLOGIES FOUR CORNER AIR RIDE SYSTEM THAT FEATURES TWO COMPRESSORS, SINGLE AIR STORAGE TANK AND ELECTRONIC VALVES. THE AIR RIDE SYSTEM FUNCTIONS PERFECTLY. THE CAR RAISES AND LOWERS ROUGHLY 8 INCHES. THE CAR WILL LAY FRAME WHEN FULLY LOWERED. THE CAR FEATURES POWER STEERING AND POWER BRAKES WITH A FRONT DISC BRAKE CONVERSION.