I'll definitely concede on the tires. Gas and oil too! (Although if you pay enough, you can get close approximations of all three.)

I'm agreeing on drivability upgrades. JL said he installed radial tires and they are a big improvement. Just no hot rod mods, please!

Seeing the wheel on that Cadillac reminded me of learning to drive at age 11 in the UP of Michigan. Dad had a 57 Chevy and I had to sit on a box to see over that wheel.
Rod

JL said the Caddy cost $5,000 new. Running that through an inflation calculator tells us that would be about $56,000 in 2024.

And I too am a big fan of being able to stop!

He's lost a lot of weight since I saw him last.

The car would be cool as original, but its also cool with modifications. The original AC would be a nightmare to restore and likely took up lots of room. The original carb probably would have performed well enough but if the AC isn't original, then the carb doesn't have to be. Wonder if Koni or Bilstein shocks were installed. Like the Ferrari blue vs the original white.

How does he pick a car to go to lunch?

Something that is interesting that 4 or 5 years back there were two classic cars you could put together using all new parts. One is the 1957 Chevy 2 door and the other was the 1969 Chevy Camaro. BTW the 57 Chevy was offered in a wide variety of "models" so the final result of your home assembled 57 Chevy would be dependent on the trim you used. I don't know if these bodies are still available but kind of suspect they are.

I wonder if Leno modified the power steering.

I remember reading about a British guy that came to the US on a business trip in the 60s. When he got in his rental car and pulled out into traffic he panicked, thinking that the steering wheel had come loose.

He was used to European cars with manual steering. US power steering in those days was slow and no-feedback effortless.

quote:

Originally posted by pbslinger:
... The original AC would be a nightmare to restore and likely took up lots of room. ...

And wouldn't work worth a damn!