Marks on the frame off a 1957 eldorado biarritz

[Eldovette]

Hi there, i am currently restoring a 1957 Eldorado Biarritz, and just sandblasted and painted the Frame. Then i saw These marks, and was wondering what was the meaning of them? Do anyone of you know? Could it be that these marks identify, how many spacers should be used between frame and body?

[57eldoking]

I've never seen markings like that before, interesting! I assume these markings have been re-applied after you blasted and painted the frame?

Do you have pictures of the frame prior to restoration? Did you also find the A.O Smith stenciling on the driver's side rail?

[Walter Youshock]

I've seen similar marks on my frame.   I think they're Guage marks from A O smith, the company that made the frames. 

[Eldovette]

These markings are hammered into the frame. I just made them white to be able to take the pictures.
And yes i do have pictures before the sandblast. But there is nothing noticeable, because it was covered by some sort of undercoating.
No i haven´t found any stenciling, unfortunatly. How should it look?

[Walter Youshock]

When the frames were shipped from smith, they had a coat of paint and the stencil applied.  Once the frames were assembled with axles, they were painted again on the assembly line.  I have photos of the process. 

With that and undercoating as another layer, the stencil is probably long gone.

[57eldoking]

Its Been 15 years since we did the frame on our Biarritz so I must have forgotten those markings.

The frame stenciling was applied to the frame by AO Smith before They shipped to Cadillac. It indicated what model it was for and shipping date. It is very often covered by undercoating.

The thread below discusses the frame stenciling on 59 Cadillacs, the 57s will be similar but with 57 data. Theres pictures of an original stencil thats very well preserved at the bottom of the thread. The stencil is more likely to be visible on cars that have lived in the south where undercoating wasn't needed.

http://forums.cadillaclasalleclub.org/index.php?topic=132950.msg282758#msg282758

[57eldoking]

I'd love to see those pictures Walter if you'd care to share them.

[Dave Ventresca]

interesting marks, never noticed on my 53. I would still like to know why most stencils were upside down like the 59 pictured, but the 53's were right side up. Dave

[57eldoking]

It probably had something to do with the way they stacked and transported the frames. From 57 they changed to X-frame construction and perhaps these frames were easier to stack & transport upside down....?

Here's an early 50s picture of the A.O Smith frame stockpile, quite impressive!

[Roger Zimmermann]

Very interesting picture! Apparently, A.O. Smith was not working just in time!

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

Or building frames for all the GM brands.

I am thinking that the pile wouldn't last long if it was to supply all the GM assembly lines for each and every model that was being made at the time.

Bruce.

[57eldoking]

I also believe they were shipped by rail to the assembly plants. Filling up a freight train a couple of miles long would deplete your warehouse real quick!

Anyone that haven't seen the 1959 GM film "Up from clay" should really watch it! It takes a fantastic in-depth look at development, testing, production and logistics at General Motors in the 1950s.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACWMbeXd31s

[David King (kz78hy)]

The frames come to the assembly plant upside down.  When the frame assembly starts, the frame is loaded on the assembly line upside down.  All the parts on that side are installed and then the whole thing gets flipped over.  It is much easier to build this way.  Anything else which needs to installed is, and then it goes to marriage with the body.  It is plant requirement they come in that way and the stencils are there for plant build purposes, so to be read, they have to be readable in the as delivered position.

Full size trucks are still built this way, at least at GM.  The label today is giant bar code label that is upside down.  Sometimes on the big heavy duty trucks which are high off the ground, those labels are still visible on a new truck.

David

[biarritz57]

Here is a Picture from my frame before I sandblasted it. I am not shure about some of the letters/numbers.
Is there someone who have a better Picture from an 1957 Eldorado Biarritz?

AOS   1-23(?)-57
CAD  328120-25
IR(?)   CONV  626

Frank

[57eldoking]

This is the best 57 Biarritz stencil I've ever seen. I don't think the top line is missing anything. 1-23-57 would be the date your frame was manufactured at A.O Smith. What body number is your car?

I've read several threads on 53 Eldorado stencils. If the numbers were the same in 1957 the last line should start with "M62 CONV"

[biarritz57]

The body number is 891. Delivered from factory with 1x4 engine. I have seen on many pictures 1x4 engine with gold valve covers and air filter. I assume that it should be blue valve covers and black air filter even with this engine delivered in an Eldorado?

This car has been in parts for many years now, and I am starting to put it together. I know that I will have a lot of questions, so I will start a new thread with some pictures.

Frank

[Walter Youshock]

Only the Q engine had ty he gold.  The standard engine was the black air cleaner and blue covers regardless of which car it went in.

[57eldoking]

I don't think that's correct when it comes to Eldorados Walter. I believe all 57 Eldorados both with and without dual quads had gold colored valve covers and air cleaners. I have a database with more than 2500 pictures of 124 individual Sevilles and Biarritzes. Going through engine bay pictures of cars that look untouched with single carburetors (about 10 cars) they all have gold valve covers and air cleaners.  In fact the only exception I've been able to find is the copper colored Sedan Seville. That would however make sense as it started out as a regular series 62 sedan and was pulled off the line to have its Eldorado rear end grafted.

It also makes sense from a selling proposition point of view. After all "Eldorado" means the golden one. In 55 & 56 the Q-code engine was standard in the Eldorados and all of them had gold valve covers and batwing air cleaners. 57 was the first year dual quads were not standard in the Eldorado, yet it was a no cost option. From 58-60 all Eldorados came equipped standard with the tri-power engine, the air cleaner remained gold thru 1960 while I believe the valve covers were switched to blue in 59. It seems logical that standard engine for 57 Eldorados would be differentiated with gold paint when it was both in the years before and after.










Is this possibly your car in the background Frank?

[Walter Youshock]

They didn't.  Trust me. 

[57eldoking]

How can you be so sure?