1959 Cadillac Series 62

Hey,

I've got the 59 caddy flattop 4 door and I had a couple of questions:

How did people stop this 4800 pound car with those brakes? Is there any way of improving them w/o going to discs? Someone mentioned getting a two-chamber master cylinder.

What kind of mileage can I reasonably expect? When i bought it it had the orig bias ply tires and since I've switched to radials it seems WORSE? I believe under ten miles per gallon w/the stock 390 ci engine.

Thanks,

That's probably close to the mileage that car got when it was factory fresh. You're talking two and a half tons of steel being pushed by 325 hp.

rick

The two-pot m/c only makes it safer, because when one of those old brake lines pops, you'll still be able to use half the brakes (it'll take a half mile to stop, instead of a quarter mile).

If everthing is working right in the brakes, then they should be ok for a careful driver. You have to change your driving habits though! Keep at least 3 seconds behind the car ahead of you (NO tailgating), and keep your eyes open, and pay attention. I've been driving my old truck with even smaller manual drum brakes for 25 years and haven't run into anyone yet. I'm used to lousy brakes.....

The radials should make the car safe to drive (they cut wandering quite a bit). The mileage is lousy...but old Caddys don't depreciate as much as new cars, you know!

A complete engine checkup (valves, cam, etc) plus tune up may help a bit, but you have to keep your foot off the gas pedal and drive on the highway instead of in town to get any better mileage. Still, 10mpg is normal for such a car. That's what my old trucks with big blocks get on a good day.