LaSalle (1927)

his new line from General Motors was introduced to fill the gap between the Buick and the Cadillac. As Oakland (later Pontiac) was a companion car to Chevrolet, LaSalle was to be the companion car to Cadillac. It boasted Cadillac quality in a less expensive package. It featured the following distinctives:

Models

• LaSalle offered the following models by Fisher
  • roadster
  • phaeton
  • coupe
  • convertible coupe
  • victoria
  • five passenger sedan
• LaSalle offered the following models by Fleetwood
  • coupe
  • sedan
  • town cabriolet
• Mid-year offering by Fisher
  • dual cowl sport phaeton
  • town sedan
  • seven-passenger sedan
  • five-passenger imperial
  • seven-passenger imperial
• Mid-year offering by Fleetwood
  • transformable town cabriolet

Body

• Body features included:
  • High, slim radiator set low in the frame
  • Twelve louvers, centered in hood panels
  • Twin cowl vents on roadster and phaeton
  • Bullet-shaped head and cowl lights
  • Posts under headlights to conduct wiring
  • Monogram rod between headlights
  • On roadster and phaetons the cut-down effect of the belt line was accentuated by double molding curving upward onto the cowl
  • Rear window in coupe and rear curtain in convertible coupe could be opened for communication with rumbleseat passengers
  • The four-door town sedan was close-coupled, with no rear quarter windows

Chassis:

• Similar to 1927 Cadillac with some differences
  • Smaller size
  • Fuel feed by manifold vacuum, assisted by engine driven vacuum pump
  • Mechanical brakes with 14-inch drums on all wheels
  • Rear semi-elliptic springs shackled at both ends, rear shackle with ball and socket joint
  • Front wheels run on ball bearings
  • Watson stabilators

Drive Line:

• Multiple (11) disc clutch
• Three-speed selective transmission
• Torque tube drive
• 3/4-floating rear axle with helical bevel gear and pinion

Engine:

• The compensated two-plane crankshaft in the V-63 engine and the separate starter and generator on the 314 engine had been major changes, but the basic engine remained the Type 51 design.
• The 303 engine was a new basic design, with offset blocks and side-by-side connecting rods (babbitted)
• The outward appearance was the same as the final version of the 314 engine except that the 303 starter was horizontal, mounted behind the flywheel on the right side
• The oil filter was mounted on the engine rather than the firewall
• The carburetor was similar to Cadillac, but reversed
• The oil level indicator was mounted behind the right-hand block
• A common manifold, connecting the two exhaust manifolds at the front of the engine, fed to a single muffler at the left side of the chassis

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