My 1959 Cadillac 4-Door Convertible Boat Puller

[Mike Phillips]

My 1959 Cadillac 4-Door Convertible Boat Puller



Here’s the 1959 Cadillac I cut the top off of and used to pull my drag boat to the lake and the races.





If you look carefully, you'll see this is a 4-door. Cadillac never made a 4-door convertible.... but I did. This was a 1959 Cadillac Flattop that was heading to the salvage yard. The salvage yard was going to yank the motor and transmission to resale and then CRUSH what was left.

It ran great but I didn't want a 4-door Flattop, back then I thought they looked ugly. I figured, if they're going to crush it, I can't make it any worse by cutting the top off? I paid $165.00 for it and drove it home. I still have the check today. I carefully marked the top for re-attaching before carefully cutting it off and in a couple of hours I had a 4-door Caddy Convertible. I would take the top off in May, usually about this time of year as I would always take my boat to Foster or Green Peter reservoirs for Memorial Day Weekend.

Usually in October, at the very end of summer in Oregon, I would re-attach the hardtop and drive this car all winter.


I don't have any pictures from back in those days, my friend David recently found a picture he had and then took a picture of the picture and sent it to me.

[LSNAutoDetailing]

Very cool Mike! I take it the Caddy is no more?

[RippyD]

That is amazing. I get that you cut the top off. The impressive detail (to me) is that you did it in a way that it could be put back on and driven. What attachment mechanism did you use? Was it as simple as some steel sheets or plates and screws or something more sophisticated? Was it relatively water-tight when you put the top back on?

Love the fins on that thing.

[Mike Phillips]

Very cool Mike!

All my friends, family and co-workers told me I was stupid and crazy to cut the top off.

For some reason when I told them the car was going to be crushed, that didn't sink in? The couldn't figure it out that I wasn't ruining it any more than it was going to get ruined.

THEN - after I cut the top off, everyone wanted to go for a ride in the big fin, Caddy convertible!

I take it the Caddy is no more?

When I lost my leg, I owned 9 cars, a Yamaha SECA 750 and the Sanger Drag Boat. I had to thin down for a few years and the Caddy was sold to my buddy David. He later sold it to one of the band members in 1950's rock-a-billy band in Salem, Oregon, I think they were called Johnny Limbo and the Lugnuts.


But yeah... I could have let it go to the salvage yard and get crushed...


Lot of great times and stories with that car.

[Mike Phillips]

Here's a shot of the Caddy after I pulled the boat out of the water...

You can see how far back I cut from the windshield...

[Strong66]

I gotta say i am impressed, do you have some body shop experience.

That doesn't look like it was your first to cut on a car.

Very cool

[PaulMys]

That is amazing. I get that you cut the top off. The impressive detail (to me) is that you did it in a way that it could be put back on and driven. What attachment mechanism did you use? Was it as simple as some steel sheets or plates and screws or something more sophisticated? Was it relatively water-tight when you put the top back on?

Love the fins on that thing.

Wondering this as well.......... C'mon, Mike. Spill the beans! Lol

[Setec Astronomy]

If it was April 1, I'd say this was a joke...I don't know how you can cut the top off a hardtop and put it back on so you can drive the car in the winter...I guess unless you are Mike Phillips. The interior is beautiful on that thing, from what I can see in the second picture...was that original or did you have it re-done?

You are a car guy's car guy, Mike.

[Mike Phillips]

I gotta say i am impressed, do you have some body shop experience.

Painted a few cars, actually don't know much about real body work.

That doesn't look like it was your first to cut on a car.

Very cool

If you look closely, I cut the top off of this 1971 Chevy 3/4 Ton 4x4.

That's a half-cab soft top on the truck and that's the beach in Seaside, Oregon

This has 3/4 running gear, posi-track front and rear. A Turbo 400 short shaft, divorced 2 ton military transfercase, 402 Big Block Chevy, I-beam bumpers and those are 44" Swampers on Slotted Mags.







Here it is before I cut the top off and swapped out all the running gear, engine, transmission and transfercase.







I like to turn wrenches and do my own work.

[DaveT435]

Painted a few cars, actually don't know much about real body work.




If you look closely, I cut the top off of this 1971 Chevy 3/4 Ton 4x4.

That's a half-cab soft top on the truck and that's the beach in Seaside, Oregon

This has 3/4 running gear, posi-track front and rear. A Turbo 400 short shaft, divorced 2 ton military transfercase, 402 Big Block Chevy, I-beam bumpers and those are 44" Swampers on Slotted Mags.

Those are super swampers? Can't see them very good but I thought they were 18-44-15 Monster Mudders. I knew they were 44's when I saw the picture. I mounted and ummmm...balanced?? quite a few of those in my day.

That look was so much cooler than what they do today with the 22 and 24" wheels IMO.