What Ken found waiting for him was a rare find indeed: a 1940 Cadillac V-16 Model 9033 Imperial Sedan that John had purchased from a Tucson-based used car salesman on April 4, 1953. As it sat under John’s carport, the front end of the car had been disassembled - both front fenders, the grille, and radiator were stowed inside the cabin, along with both runningboards, spare tire covers, and rear fenders. The rest of the car was essentially complete, save for the driver’s door panel, which had gone missing.

“The story I got from John was that someone from ‘back east’ had been on the way to California when this Cadillac overheated, so he traded it for another car and continued. Among the paperwork John had on hand was a copy of an old title that indicated the Cadillac had once been registered in Mississippi, so that story seemed feasible. Regardless, John drove the wheels off it, everything from using it as a commuter to taking his kids to school. There were 54,551 miles on the odometer when I decided to buy it from him on July 9,” Ken says.

Ken’s first order of business was to legally transfer the V-16 sedan to his name, but it almost never happened. According to Ken, when he presented paperwork to officials at the Department of Motor Vehicles, he was told to have a seat because it would take some time. When two police officers appeared, it was obvious something was wrong. “The two officers approached me and said that the car had been reported as stolen. I said, ‘It couldn’t have been stolen since John had owned it 58 years.’ They went out and checked the serial number on the car, came back in and had a discussion, and kept looking over at me. Meanwhile, I couldn’t get ahold of John, and was beginning to wonder if I just lost my money and the car. Finally, the older officer asked me what kind of car it was. Lo and behold, the stolen car was a different make and, oddly enough, had the same serial number. It made no sense, but in the end, I was able to register the Cadillac in my name.”

That serial number, and the Cadillac’s data plate, would prove to be invaluable just before the restoration began. Ken’s affinity for research reaffirmed how rare his new project was. Just 20 Model 9033 Imperial Sedans were built in 1940, and the serial number, 5320009, meant his was the ninth V-16 built during the model year. Further research revealed that only five of the 20 Imperials Sedans are known to exist.

“When I had my Auburn restored, a lot of it was done at a friend’s shop. It took a while to accomplish, and I really didn’t want to wait that long again, so I decided that I would do most of it in my garage. I dismantled the Cadillac down to the frame, and I must have taken 1,000 or more pictures that documented exactly how every came apart so that I could put it back together later.

“There were only two areas of real concern: One of the front door posts had a bit of rot in the metal that would require some fabrication work, and it looked like someone put a sledgehammer to the trunk lid. I’m not proficient in bodywork, so I sent the shell and all the removed panels to the same shop that did the Auburn. They do nice work, and I thought if all they had to focus on was the body, then I could work on other components simultaneously,” Ken says.

While the restoration seemed to be drama free, there were a few hiccups, the first being hubcap seals. According to Ken, “There’s supposed to be a rubber seal around the edge of eachand it wasn’tbeing reproduced. Even Steele Rubber Products didn’t make it. I had enough pieces of the originals that allowed me to make a pattern and Steele put me in touch with a guy in California that could make a die. It cost $110 for the die alone, so I spread word among the 1937-’40 Cadillac community that I was having a batch made, and if we all chipped in it would help defer the cost to all of us. Each seal ended up being about 4 feet long per wheel. Not long after we received our orders, someone broke into his shop, stole his dies, and put him out of business.”

Another issue was discovered when Ken started the Cadillac’s V-16 for the first time. “It felt like it wasn’t running right. At idle it would run nicely, but when I manipulated the throttle linkage the engine almost died. It would hesitate and not operate smoothly at a higher rpm. I kept pulling the distributors and having them checked, and then recheck the dwell, separation, and timing. There are two timing marks on the harmonic balancer, and everything needs to be just right–once you get the hang of it, it’s easy to set everything and keep the engine running right, but I was completely stumped.

“Out of desperation, I found someone who had an old Sun machine. Come to find out, I had six, brand-new spark plug wires that had somehow separated when I pulled them through the tubes that went down from the distributors, which keeps the plug wires off the engine. It’s a tight fit for eight wires in each tube. The Sun machine told me exactly which spark plug wiresweren’tconducting electricity properly. That V-16 ran like a banshee when I replaced the bad wires. It purrs like it should. When working on an engine, you usually work on it at idle, not at high speed, so the Sun machine was invaluable.”

Those small issues did little to hinder what would prove to be a six-year restoration. Looking back at the process, Ken is satisfied with the outcome.

“I wasn’t in a rush. There were times I’d be working on something, and I’d be in that garage until my wife dragged me out. Other times I’d go in, just look, sit, and just think. It helped me keep the Cadillac as factory original as possible. I think I’ve probably done more than most people, because even the etching on the windows were redone using patterns from the originals. The cloisonne centers on the hubcaps match what the factory did, and all 50 pieces of the grille were rechromed individually. When everything was done, I ended up with one big washer left over. I have no idea where it goes, and I probably never will. Usually, you need more of this and more of that, so I think I did pretty good.

“When the car was finished, I drove it to the CCCA Grand Classic that was here in Scottsdale, and it was awarded first place primary. I was pretty happy with that.”

A key word spoken by Ken was “drove,” and driving the Cadillac is something that he does regularly since, including to and from the 2023 Arizona Concours where we first met him. Driving also allows Ken to express a perspective from the behind the wheel and pinpoint a needed mechanical improvement.

“It runs well and drives like a boat. I swear if you were to drive over the Grand Canyon you wouldn’t even feel a bump. When we were going to the Grand Classic, we had my wife and my nephew’s wife in the rear cabin, and with the divider rolled up I couldn’t heart them, they couldn’t hear me, and they couldn’t hear anything from the outside–no road noise, or traffic, or anything. Recently, I felt like it was getting harder to steer. The car weighs nearly 5,500 pounds after all. So, I just had the steering box rebuilt with all new needle bearings and seals, and I expect to see a nice improvement.”