restoration of a 1958 Cadillac Extended Deck Sedan » Steven http://my58caddy.com 1958 Vintage Cadillac Extended Deck Sedan Restoration Tue, 07 Sep 2010 01:51:55 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 She’s Starting To Look Like A Real Car http://my58caddy.com/shes-starting-to-look-like-a-real-car/ http://my58caddy.com/shes-starting-to-look-like-a-real-car/#comments Tue, 07 Sep 2010 01:51:55 +0000 Steven http://my58caddy.com/?p=908 It’s coming together, slowly but surely, the past week has seen us install the new rubber, hang the front bumper and we also hung the headliner up on the bows.  I’m still trying to figure out how to stretch it out, never having done a project like this before I don’t know whether to start in the middle, front, back or sides.  If it proves to tough I’ll send her over to the upholstery shop and let them tack it in.

It felt good to get her down off the jackstands, roll her outside and give the garage a good cleaning, it was turning out to be quite a mess.  I spent the day today cleaning both her and the garage floor.  All in all a good day!

Soon.…

]]> http://my58caddy.com/shes-starting-to-look-like-a-real-car/feed/ 0 Labor Day is almost here… http://my58caddy.com/labor-day-is-almost-here/ http://my58caddy.com/labor-day-is-almost-here/#comments Tue, 31 Aug 2010 13:10:10 +0000 Steven http://my58caddy.com/?p=902 It has become clear we are not going to make our Labor Day target date for roll out.  It has been a long hot summer with one issue after another raising their ugly heads.  On the business front staffing issues have caused chaos with scheduling taking up way more of my time than expected and it is expected to continue throughout the Fall season.  Parts issues are holding us back as well, ah well, you can’t rush perfection.

Gary at Cadillac International  finally delivered the rear fender moulding almost 2 Months after it was ordered.  In fairness, the piece looks like NOS and is beautiful, but it was a long wait.  When ordered, I explained I wanted a piece with no dents or dings and it seems he decided to send it out to be refurbished though he told me it was in stock, so he was at the mercy of the re-finishing company.  I feel kind of bad because he probably spent close to what he sold it to me for to get it done and he and I had some heated discussions before he told me the real story.  He tried to do the right thing and all would have been well had he told me what he was doing from the beginning.  Would I do business with him again, yes, but I would be sure to negotiate a firm delivery date.

The new American Classic radials arrived from Coker Tire yesterday, more than 2 weeks later than I expected and will be put on this week.  The dash is still apart while we wait for a new vibrator tube for the radio, it was supposed to be here 2 weeks ago and we are not sure whether it is the actual culprit or not, so I don’t want to close everything up and then have to pull it apart again if the radio needs to come back out.

My biggest issue has now been resolved, the car has been running rougher and rougher with a very bad dead spot on the throttle and then started stalling when the brakes were applied.  It was getting worse and no amount of tweaking the carb was improving it.  I was convinced that it was a carb issue, so pulled it off and sent it back to the re-builder only to find no issues.  Further investigation revealed that when we converted the generator to a one wire system alternator we wired the generator light into the circuit and it somehow was backfeeding power into the harness with the key off.  This caused the coil to be energized 24/7 and apparently damaged it.  I remedied the power backfeed by cutting out the gen light, installed a new coil, re-installed the carb, cranked her about 45 seconds to prime the fuel system and boom off she went.  She idles perfect, seems to need nothing more than minor carb adjustments and we are ready to go.

I started assembling the front bumper and brackets and soon hope to roll her out to get an inspection though interior work still needs to be done.  All inspection issues are OK, lights, directionals, horn, but the wipers are needing a little help and I will work on those soon.….……

back soon.…

]]> http://my58caddy.com/labor-day-is-almost-here/feed/ 0 Buster Miller — This Ones For You http://my58caddy.com/buster-miller-this-ones-for-you/ http://my58caddy.com/buster-miller-this-ones-for-you/#comments Mon, 16 Aug 2010 01:09:44 +0000 Steven http://my58caddy.com/?p=895 OK Buster, finally got them.  The way I did it was to go from the fuel pump, across the front, under the generator using clips to hold it to the bracket, then out from there.  Not sure if this is the correct configuration but it look like everything fits without to much modification.  Then it transitions to a rubber line that connects to the line coming up from the tank.  I cut the fittings off to put the rubber insert in because I was worried about stress from engine movement, much as I had done to my boats in the past.  The picture does not show that I put a final clip to one of the lower bolts holding the inner fender, using a rubber insert to insulate it from any chafing and secure everything.  Hope it helps.….……  

One final note, I have replaced the generator with a Delco 10SI 63 Amp alternater, but used the same bracket so it should not really make a difference.

]]> http://my58caddy.com/buster-miller-this-ones-for-you/feed/ 3 Catching Up http://my58caddy.com/catching-up/ http://my58caddy.com/catching-up/#comments Mon, 16 Aug 2010 00:53:18 +0000 Steven http://my58caddy.com/?p=885 It sure has been a while since I was able to sit down and catch up on our progress.  Things are moving ahead although somewhat slowly.  The last piece of body trim went on the car this past week, so we are celebrating, the moulding on the top of the driver’s side fender was the worst and took many hours of fabrication to custom make all of the clips to secure it.  The driver’s side rear fender trim ordered from Cadillac International is still missing in action after 6 weeks but will be easy to install if and when it ever arrives here.  The glass is in on the passenger side of the car but we are having a great amount of trouble getting it all to line up properly.  After days of aggravating me I’ve finally moved on and it is still somewhat crooked but I’ll come back to it later.

The dashboard area has been painted, all chrome polished and put back together and it sure is pretty.  The inner fender on the passenger side has been installed and the driver side will go in next week.  We have had some issues with getting her to run properly and it has been days worth of head scratching trying to figure it out.  She starts fine, idles great but has a dead spot on the throttle when accelerating.  We have tried adjusting the carb six ways from Sunday to no avail, now I am suspecting a possible internal problem with the carb and so we have left it alone and when she rolls out will have to go to the shop that rebuilt it and we will just let them figure it out.

Finally, we ordered my Baby some new shoes.… A new set of American Classic 3 1/4″ whitewall radials is on its way from Coker Tire to replace the 35+ year old bias ply tires currently on the car.  They should be in late in the week and when they arrive we will pull the wheels, send them over to the machine shop to be baked in the oven, media blasted, magnafluxed to check them for cracks and if all is well they will then be painted before having the new rubber installed.

Our target of rolling her out on Labor Day is still within reason, but we still have a lot to do before then.

Till next time.….…..

]]> http://my58caddy.com/catching-up/feed/ 0 Hey Y’all Hold My Beer And Watch This.… http://my58caddy.com/hey-yall-hold-my-beer-and-watch-this/ http://my58caddy.com/hey-yall-hold-my-beer-and-watch-this/#comments Wed, 28 Jul 2010 02:06:22 +0000 Steven http://my58caddy.com/?p=881 The dash is painted, an artist I’m not, but if I do say so myself, it came out pretty darn good!  More on that in my next post, time is short and wanted to get this story out there today.  If I had this on video it would probably be worth 10K.

I was at the garage waiting on one of my crews, had a little time to kill, so decided I was going to polish up the headlight switch trim plate before putting it back in the car.  Got suited up, safety glasses, mask, gloves etc. and fired up the buffer mounted on my bench.  For those of you not familiar with it, it is a piece that tapers down to a very sharp point and looks a lot like a knife.  Shortly after starting, I had a momentary lapse of concentration and in the blink of an eye, the buffer ripped it out of my hand and threw it who knows where.  My garage is 60′ long 15′ wide with a 24′ ceiling and 18′ overhead doors at each end.  Instinctively, I closed my eyes when it left my hand and had no idea where it went, stranger though was the fact that I never heard it land or clang when it hit something.  I spent the next 30 minutes looking for the GD thing, even going so far as to lower both doors which were open at the time hoping that I would find it up on top of the door.  Turns out it did not go in the direction the wheel was turning, it went completely around the wheel flew backwards missing me, flew the length of the car without touching it somehow (thankfully) and right out the back door, landing in the weeds 20′ — 30′ outside of the door.  I never would have found it if not for the fact the sun was reflecting off of the newly polished piece.…..  Lesson learned, I think from now on the small parts are going to just be done by hand.

I was lucky not to get impaled by that flying missle, but all’s well that ends well, and BTW I really wasn’t drinking until much later at home sitting there thinking about the whole thing.

till next time.….

]]> http://my58caddy.com/hey-yall-hold-my-beer-and-watch-this/feed/ 0 Rubber, Rubber Who’s Got The Rubber? http://my58caddy.com/875/ http://my58caddy.com/875/#comments Mon, 26 Jul 2010 00:02:53 +0000 Steven http://my58caddy.com/?p=875 Well, the rubber issue has been resolved, my final conversation with Rubber The Right Way on Wednesday had them blaming the snafu on Steele Rubber and telling me the earliest they could expect the shipment was next week.  I canceled the order and to their credit, they issued an immediate refund and the next day I placed the same order with Steele Rubber, all of the items were in stock (huh?) and they shipped it the same day with a delivery expected tomorrow.  End of the issue in my book.….….….

This weekend I finished taking the dash apart and prepping for painting, I had hoped to be done with it by now but the steering wheel put up quite the fight and it took me more than 2 days to get it off.  I tried everything without success, finally I put the puller back on, had Paul help me and we cranked it down until it would not budge any further.  After swearing at it for 5 more minutes, we decided to use a pipe on the ratchet for more leverage and decided we would just keep cranking it down until it either let go or something broke.  When it finally let loose, it went off like a gunshot and I really thought the ratchet shattered, but it was in fact the wheel finally coming loose after 52 years.

I spent the rest of the Weekend cleaning and painting the rest of the inner fender pieces getting them ready to install, they have all new splash rubber on and a fresh coat of undercoat on the exterior surfaces.  The interior side of the roof has been primed and painted to eliminate any rust down the road and it is ready to have the new headliner installed at a later date, it will be one of the final items to go in.  I sent the rear passenger side window out for replacement as it had a small crack in it that managed to grow as I was putting it back in the door, the glass company sent it back saying they were afraid to take the frame apart for fear of damaging it.  Five minutes with a screwdriver, a hammer and a block of wood and I had it apart for them, now they are able to cut the glass and I need to go back and pick it up tomorrow.

Final note, Saturday I left a message for Gary at Cadillac International about the rear fender moulding that is still missing in action since being ordered and paid for July 7th.  He never returned the call but I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt, maybe he was away for the weekend.  According to my previous call, he promised that it was going to be shipped on the 21st or 22nd, we’ll just have to wait and see what the new week brings.…

Until next time.….….….

]]> http://my58caddy.com/875/feed/ 0 Still Waiting After All These Days http://my58caddy.com/still-waiting-after-all-these-days/ http://my58caddy.com/still-waiting-after-all-these-days/#comments Wed, 21 Jul 2010 12:56:43 +0000 Steven http://my58caddy.com/?p=856 Before reading on.. lest some think I am using this site in an effort to extract unearned discounts or benefits from vendors, it will never happen.  This site is non-commercial and intended as an acurate reflection on my own experiences as they occur in the hope that it entertains and possibly helps others as I move along.  Those vendors that aid and assist me deserve any benefits they receive through the hundreds of hits a week this site receives, those that do not get what they deserve as well.  It is an accurate reflection of events as they transpire.

I am making progress, but very slowly. The left rear fender moulding ordered and paid for from Cadillac International more than 2 weeks ago has not yet arrived. When last I spoke with Gary days ago he apologized, said he was very busy and would get it out right away. I guess I will just have to walk on down to NY to get it, then walk back and I will probably have it sooner.… Another nominee for our “Crappy Customer Service Award” would have to be Rubber The Right Way a Company who has managed to never return a phone call or never call with an order update, inspite of having my $1,000.00 for more than a Month for an order they said was backordered and would be shipped in 7 days. Every time I call there I am told the order should be in this afternoon or tomorrow and I should call back then. They did however make a partial shipment of stuff they had in stock, but none of which allowed me to move this project forward. Buyer Beware, if you are going to deal with these people, this has been my experience and “your mileage may vary”.

Stopped by the upholstery shop to check on progress and was pleased to find the seat covers all sewn and ready to be installed on the frames, they sure do look nice. A couple issues came up, we found 2 broken springs in the front seat back and will have to delay until we can fix those. Not a problem on this front, as the way things are going with some other suppliers, it will be some time before they can be installed back in the car. The windows are back in the car except for the driver’s door, which may have a problem with the window motor or regulator, I’m working on that and hope to have it resolved soon.

I’ve begun taking apart the dash in anticipation of painting it before everything goes back in, the speedo cluster is out, radio, ashtrays and glove box door too. Prep will start soon and I hope the painting will be finished by the weekend.

Till then.….….

]]> http://my58caddy.com/still-waiting-after-all-these-days/feed/ 0 Assembly Continues http://my58caddy.com/assembly-continues/ http://my58caddy.com/assembly-continues/#comments Mon, 12 Jul 2010 11:32:11 +0000 Steven http://my58caddy.com/?p=846 I am making progress dressing up the “lady”. The photo is slightly dated but at this stage all of the body side chrome is installed along the passenger side and the rear of the car. The drip moulding is up, both windows and vents are in, along with window motors, lock solenoids. The only thing missing is the rubber parts which are currently on back order (door seals, roof rail, etc.). The final piece to be installed will be the rocker panel. The coming week will be spent working up the driver’s side.

The driver’s side will present some challenges, the crown moulding on the top of the fender needs all new clips and I am trying to figure out how to fabricate those as I write. As usual, delays are the order of the day, the moulding ordered from Gary at Cadillac International has not yet arrived, and when I called he told me it had not yet been shipped yet as he had been “very busy”, he did however promise to ship Monday or Tuesday.

The rubber parts ordered from Rubber The Right Way were partially shipped and arrived 2 weeks ago, but the back ordered parts are still missing in action. I called Clayton today, he was surprised they were still not here, promised to call me back today when he checked it out and of course, the call never came. I suspect there is a problem brewing here.

Finally, back in March when I picked up parts that I had left for plating at New England Chrome PlatingI realized that one “L” from the tail fin letter set was missing, I have called them 4 different times and each time was told they were looking for it and would call me back. Again, no surprise, but they never did, I finally called them back today and asked them to just refund the plating costs and I would find another set. No dice, they said they would find another letter for me, well if histroy is a guide I’ll be putting these on the car around New Year’s Day.….….….

Talk soon.…..

]]> http://my58caddy.com/assembly-continues/feed/ 0 Frustration At Its Finest http://my58caddy.com/frustration-at-its-finest/ http://my58caddy.com/frustration-at-its-finest/#comments Thu, 08 Jul 2010 00:53:37 +0000 Steven http://my58caddy.com/?p=821 Mary Lee and I traveled down to Mark’s Cruise Night in Granby, Connecticut on Monday.  Mark’s is one of the largest around and draws anywhere from 600 to 1000 cars, unfortunately we picked a bad day.  With temps hovering around 100 we only lasted about an hour before melting down completely.  Any other day it would have been perfect, what with the live entertainment, cookouts, etc., but that blazing sun in those fields and only 2 lonely trees for shade it was unbearable.  Seems all of the owners had their chairs under those trees and few people were actually by their cars, it was quite the sight to behold, scores and scores of people jammed under those 2 lonely trees.  Speaking of sights to behold, I did happen across this great looking Auburn Boat Tail, what a cool car 1935 or 1936 I believe, first one I’ve seen in person.  I know it’s not a Cadillac but Santa, if you are listening, one of these would be really cool with a red bow on it this Christmas, hint-hint.…  Once again I was amazed that out of hundreds of cars, there was only one lonely Cadillac, a late sixties convertible.

This searing heat has turned the garage into an oven, so my time there has been limited to early mornings.  With both doors open (it’s a drive thru) there is always a nice breeze but when its 100 degrees it just feels like I’m working in front of a heater vent.  Frustration is the word of the week,  jobs that seem so easy quickly turn into long drawn out marathons and while I now have all of the body chrome trim installed down the passenger side of the “Gray Lady” it was not without major aggravation.  After painstakingly aligning, shimming and installing the front fenders after painting, I found myself having to remove the fender to install one dumbazz screw holding one of the stupid windshield trim clips, I thought I was going to explode.  Once I regained my composure, I chuckled to myself, called myself an idiot put it all back together and then proceeded to take the other side apart, put its screw in and then assemble it too.  I spent 2 hours making new custom clips for the front fender and things went well until yesterday when I was installing the front fender side moulding and got to the rearmost clip stud and realized that with less than 1″ of clearance that GD fender was going to have to be pulled out once again to install the nut!!!  Naturally, that means that the other side will have to be pulled out again too!!!  For those of you that are counting, this will make the third time that the fenders have had to be installed and re-aligned.  The Caddy Gods are not smiling down on me.….……

Adding insult to injury, the driver’s side rear fender blister bead moulding had been damaged decades ago in a minor mishap and had about a 2 foot flat spot in the middle of its 70″ length.   I thought I might be able to hammer it out, but quickly realize I was in over my head and so decided I would take it over to Mickey at D & S Platings custom shop.  He looked it over, said “no problem” should only cost a couple hundred.  I actually thought he was kidding since we were only hammering out a dent and not replating it, Jay Leno can afford his prices, but not me, so I took my moulding and left, talking to myself the whole way home.  On a whim I called Gary at Cadillac International he had a nice one on hand and it’s on the way to me at less than half the cost of Mickey’s repair.  When it arrives I will finish the driver’s side trim.  Finally, I have been struggling with trying to attach the crown moulding to the top of the front fenders, most of the clips were bad and I have not been able to fabricate a suitable replacement, so just today I ordered some oversize T-bolts and will find a way to alter them and make them work.  They should be in on Friday.

Try to stay cool.….….….

]]> http://my58caddy.com/frustration-at-its-finest/feed/ 0 More Bling http://my58caddy.com/more-bling/ http://my58caddy.com/more-bling/#comments Sun, 04 Jul 2010 00:39:02 +0000 Steven http://my58caddy.com/?p=816 It’s been a busy week, but when time was available I have been busy putting more shiney stuff on the “Gray Lady”.  At this stage, the rear bumper is hung, aligned and adjusted.  The trunk vee, bezel, seal and lock are installed, along with the tail lights, tail light bezels and the fin trim.  The left front wheel well trim is on along with the front end lip trim on the fenders, hood and the hood ornament is on too.

I also spent many hours polishing and installing the windshield and rear window trim pieces, who knew installation would be so tuff.  Geez, installing a windshield on this beast would be a two day project.  As time permits Sunday and Monday I will begin to add the side body, door trims and rocker panels.  It will be time consuming rebuilding the doors, the window motors, electric locks, door handles and latches all need to be installed, along with all of the new rubber.  It takes time but man she sure is starting to look like a car again.  I promise when I roll her out of the garage again I’ll get some better photos from a better angle.  Won’t be long now.…

While the interior is out I’ve decided to modify the sound system.  The original wonderbar radio works and we will leave it be so the car can stay original, but I am going to install a small amp either up under the dash or the back seat that will accept input from my IPod and allow me to playback through the car speakers which we may upgrade.  My electronics wiz is working on a workable plan now, after all I can’t go crusin’ without the proper tunes.

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