Well folks, last Thursday was the first day of rain for some time so I guess winter is on its way. Now that the summer show season has past, it is time to start thinking of fall and winter projects that will undoubtedly mean either winterizing or repairing that Cadillac/LaSalle that treated you so well throughout the past months.

    This past season has been quite exciting in our world of Cadillacs but the winter tours and events will be a different aspect again. Our next outing will take place on Saturday, Oct. 15^Th.with a luncheon at a restaurant on the Saanich Peninsula and then tour to the Mt Newton Center. We will then present the Mt. Newton Society with the donation from the sale of the Bolster bits and the matching sum from the CLCC. I have spoken to a majority of our members and most elected to match the Bolster sum from our club funds and become a small sponsor of this worthwhile system. We are hoping for a good turnout, as there will be suitable media coverage present to advertise our club. Please get that Caddy shinned up and make arrangements to attend this tour on Saturday, Oct. 15^Th. Further details will be published in the near future. Stay Tuned!

    Over the past month or so, there have been quite a few special automotive occasions around the Lower Island. The following is a brief summary of these events.

TorqueMasters of Sidney by the Sea- Sept 11^Th. - The day started with sunshine sparkling off the 286 + special interest vehicles on the streets of Sidney. This show is usually very well attended although this years numbers were down slightly. With the rise in gas prices and the increase to $15.00 for registration, many enthusiasts came as spectators only. The good part about the registration fee increase was that the TorqueMasters were able to present the Saanich Peninsula Hospital with a cheque for $4,500.00 . Well done TorqueMasters and thanks for another great show!!

British Cars at Fort Rodd Hill – Sept. 18^Th. – I don’t know of any of our members that attended this meet but as always a British Car meet ,shows a lot of favor in Victoria. There were over 200 cars adorning the grounds of Fort Rodd Hill to the enjoyment of the many participants and spectators. I was in the area and on my way home there was a pick up truck on the edge of the road with a 1929 Austin 7 in the box. This little treasure was found in a shed near Parksville recently, put back into running order and brought down to this meet to drive around the grounds in grand style. I personally wish this vehicle many, many more miles and years in that condition without a restoration.

Mustang, Chevelle/Beaumont Clubs Annual Toy Run – Sept 25^Th. This event, likely the last large outing on the Lower Island for 2005 was well attended with over 100 cars in attendance. The tour from Tillicum Mall to Tulista Park in Sidney, saw the Salvation Army Van go away very full of toys and with very nice cash donation as well. The CLCC had six members in attendance as well as the other cars of all varieties. The day was ideal for the drive, especially when it provided Christmas presents for some of those less fortunate .

    There were a few outstanding vehicles on this run. There was a Plymouth Prowler with a leopard airbrushed on each side, a Viper with the appropriate snake motif also airbrushed, a 1959 Chev ElCamino and the Wilkinsons also attended with their mild and tastefully customized 1964 Caddy CDV. All this "Eye Candy" was quite a treat for almost any auto buff. Many thanks to the Mustang and Chevell/Beaumont Clubs for organizing this fine tour. We hope to see it happen again next October.

    Well, that about sums it up for now so, I hope you are now rushing around clearing your calendar for the Oct.15Th. Tour. At the moment, the Waddling Dog seems a great place for lunch but we will confirm that when things are finalized.

    I understand from David Foster that from here until around March or April, the weather at Sooke is extremely unreliable so a tour out there will have to wait. Our sign is now completely up to date as well, thanks to David.

1. Thou shalt not paw the brass/chromework with thy sweaty hands.
2. Thou shalt not ask if the car runneth, nor the value thereof, nor where the owner procureth tires and parts.
3. Thou shalt not remark that the car must have been well cared for to be so well preserved.
4. Thou shalt not permit thy children, nor thy children’s children, nor thy neighbors children to climb upon the car.
5. Thou shalt not kick the wheels, nor the tires therof, nor even yet open and slam the doors.
6. Thou shalt not refer to the car as a jalopy, nor as a clunker, nor any other unseemingly names.
7. Thou shalt not lift the hood of any car, nor finger the switches, controls or drivers of any collector car.
8. Thou shalt not lie and say "My father built these".
9. Thou shalt not "blatt" on thy horn when passing in thy modern car unless the need shall arise.
10. Thou shalt not screw thy neck around when passing, thus endangering thy life and that of others.

Craig Reeder – Coast Capital Real Estate – 592-1723 – Craig was one of the founding members of the club and provided some of the financial and idea impetus to get it off the ground. His Real Estate business is flourishing and he is still able to maintain his interest in the Cadillac world. Thanks Craig for making this all possible.

    This month, the Squeaky Wheel Suggests that this is the time of year to attend to that radiator and cooling system that has kept the engine cool and running during the long hot summer drives and last winters cold weather. The antifreeze and water combination is not as clean and effective now as when you last flushed the cooling system and could harm some of the components with corrosion and other such fouling agents.

    Before you mix the new antifreeze and water in a bucket to refill after flushing all those vital parts, check the hoses and tubing as well as cores (rad , heater and frost plugs etc) for leaks and damage. Once you have refilled the system, put your heater on high in order to have the mixture go completely through, run the engine for a short while to almost complete the job. I say almost because the hard part is yet to come. The disposal of the old coolant should be done in a very safe manner, not just burying it in the bush or pouring it down the drain. Please take it to an establishment that accepts it for disposal such as Canadian Tire, your local reputable service station or a heavy equipment service center. This fluid is very poisonous to wildlife and our habitat so treat it carefully!!!

DRIVING – Times Colonist – Friday Sept 30^Th.

    This issue of DRIVING presented an article entitled "Automotive history lives in a huge German "garage". The author "John LeBlanc" describes a somewhat obscure museum tucked away in the countryside of Germany. It also gives the web site address of www.rosso-bianco.de where you find another description of the race car museum with pictures and a few other links. I went browsing through the links and they provide information on just about every museum of every kind in Germany. There is a map provided with all the museums depicted in their different areas. It is a very interesting site and well worth a few minutes browsing time.

    There are some days that just turn out to be lucky ones such as the day a friend of mine suggested that there was a tow vehicle available that would pull my camper trailer very nicely. After a good check-over, the 1966 Sedan Deville hard top was purchased for this purpose. After a further and more detailed inspection, it was found that its impeccable condition lent it more towards a show car than a worker. We sold the camper trailer. This Cadillac had been kept in a garage all its life, never driven in winter conditions and only driven to California by the chauffeur twice who then purchased the car from the original owner’s estate. It was passed on to his elderly son upon his demise and after a few years of life in that garage and little use it was put up for sale as he didn’t wish to drive anymore and it was too much car for his wife. In it’s last four years in my garage it has been maintained and driven almost two thousand trouble free and very pleasurable miles. It’s 429 Cu.In engine jumps to life at the turn of the key and more than holds its own in any traffic. It has almost all the specialty items with the exception if a/c and with it’s 62K miles it is hoped that with our tender use that it will be passed on to one of our daughters when we don’t require it any longer. There were over 45,000 of these made so it may one day receive a trailer hitch in order to pull a trailer with Lady Victoria aboard.

    The Car of the Month for Sept ’05 will be that of David Foster’s ’61 Cadillac SDV Short-deck. There were only 50 of these made and only went to G.M. executives or their families. The reason for the "short deck" was that apparently one of the " high execs" in G.M. had an elderly mother that seemed to keep making extra space in her garage with the rear bumper of her Cadillac. The Exec requested a shorter version so she could maneuver her new car without quite so much bodywork. being required. This idea became a limited reality and as far as we know, it never happened again. It is not known how many of this edition of 50 remain but lets hope they are all treasured as much as David’s.