Just got this battlewagon Fleetwood Brougham "Astro Statesman" by American Sunroof Corp. One of six 1970 wagons left. Good driver quality. It's been passed around from BAT to dealer to dealer to customer like a whiskey bottle round a Civil War campfire.
75K miles. Solid but neglected.
When it got off the truck it ran on five or six cylinders. Squeaks and rattles everywhere.
The old-ish dual exhaust is street rod loud. No heat or AC. None of the power windows work. No power anything works. Sunroof is stuck and its wide gaps are bad for potential unexpected rainstorm.
Im going to do a partial restoration over the next 6-8 years. Spread out the cost.
Round #1
• Engine/driveline vibration. Missing cylinders. Timing chain inspection.
• Pertronix and big tune up for sure.
• Wipers are janky
• Alignment....pulls slightly to right. I'll be damned....car handles and brakes well!
• No interior lights working. Wow, what a shocker.
• Third row rear facing seat is stuck in down position....I mean STUCK!
• All windows INOP at driver's main switch panel, Rear too. Rear works with key only but barely. Needs a push. Now it's fully busted after I messed with it. Shit.
• Factory single exhaust on order from Waldrons. That'll take a year...
• Carpet. Some dillweed owner replaced only 2/3 of the ill-fitted carpet needed. It's light blue and dark. Bad job too.
• Just removed an 800-watt fire hazard stereo system wire by frickin' wire. I'll source an original radio.
• Try to fix sunroof...at least get it back into shut position to prevent leaks.
• New window glass for passenger windows. Standard Fleetwood glass. Someone sand blasted them during a repaint. 3 windows need replacing. WTF?
• Rear door glass is 1970 Chevy, Olds, Buick wagon. Sandblasted & etched badly. Wont work anyway. Again, WTF?
• Fix the cracks & rips in all plastic door panels.
• Crack in dash-- fix.
• Turn signals INOP, right side. Now both wont work. Dammittall.
• Headlight ground wires, check. 2 lights out.
• Rear bumper is pushed in and down 2 in. (A welded hybrid of Fleetwood and 1970 Olds) Someone backed into something but there's no dent.
• Front bumper is loose, right side.
• No brake or reverse lights. Go figure.
• Needs a battery cutoff inline switch.
• Electric fuel pump on switch
• change fluids--all
• Inspect all hoses and vacuum lines.
• Cooling system flush. Water pump inspection.
• Left Passenger outside door handle INOP.
• New tires. They're 15 years old.
• Reverse noise in tranny when cold. Uh-oh....
• Heat is kaput. Vacuum actuator problem? Circuit board?
• Power door locks, check for function. Nope...no luck there. Why did I even try?
• Rear window felt needed. Why wouldn't it be needed after 53 grueling years?
• Oil pressure and heat gauge under driver's side dash. (only idiot lights). To me, this is 100% necessary. I'm surprised Cadillac even had a fuel gauge this year, the cheap bean counters.
• Inspect gas tank for rust. Cross fingers and toes for luck.
• Delete key buzzer. Id like to know if anyone actually likes these medieval torture devices.
• Replace adjustable height rear air shocks with hydraulic ones. What? Am I gonna haul a cast iron antique stove around?
• Needs new rear springs? Hmm...they should have been upgraded during its build for the extra top weight.
• New wiring harness? We shall see.
This should keep me busy for a long while....
The one "Condor Blue" re-paint looks OK in pictures but it's got a few bad spots, a bad bondo repair and some rust patches in places. Interior is not bad, but drivers seat is faded and hard.
Wish me luck!
Good luck with this one, John Abend just became your BFF.
That car really does look good in the photos! Too bad it has so many issues. I look forward to following your journey.
The car looks like a fun one to bring back, can't wait for the detailed story.
4th day mini Resto report.
We had the car up on the lift and fixed the front bumper. Just a missing bolt.
The rear air shocks were old & empty and the rear springs are too stiff, too tall. Im going to hydraulic shocks and new springs. Air ride of any kind is "not my bag baby." Pun intended.
Someone added a rear sway bar along the way...works great.
below is the pic of the window glass with sandblast etching.
Two passenger windows will be replaced and are on the way from flea bay!
Running on all 8 cylinders now...full tune up. Going to Pertronix and new coil today. Hoping for a solid 8 mpg, but I'll be happy with six.
Has lots of battle damage in the paint. That will wait.
Continental kit? Brush bar? Roof rack safari lights?
John,
All of those repairs and replacements will provide immediately noticeable improvement in ride quality... and as a consequence I'd be encouraged to press on with less immediately gratifying, yet necessary work. This installment left me wondering about the state of the braking and steering components. I have the impression that some relatively recent owner(s) accomplished some of the fundamental safety concerns. Having purchased these late 60's and 70's Cadillacs back in the era when they were rich men's "throw aways," the same list of components had reached the limits of "service life." Here I'm channeling the following: idler and pitman arms, ball joints, brake components--flex hoses, master cylinder, wheel cylinders, radiator "cirrhosis of the core," hoses, water pump, timing chain, fluid changes... Thank you for taking us on your journey--looks to be a standout example.Happy day, James
James,
It will be getting a thorough go-through of all suspension/braking/cooling components. This first stage is the mechanical Resto. I dont skimp on my Caddies as far as mechanical roadworthiness. Safety and reliability first, cosmetics second. I do this with every car I buy.
Thanks for the tip!
We put her on teh scales today.
5702 lbs.
I actually thought it would be 6000.
A lightweight!
John,
I'm channelling four wheel disk brakes your way! She's a vehicle of substance, even though she's not quite 2 tons. Happy day, James
It has front discs from the factory.
She brakes well from 100 mph for gas stations, donut shops and diners.
We are tackling that rear bumper today.
That car appears to be the one that was at the BPOC show we had at the Boot Barn in the Denver Tech Center back in May. Also saw it at the Denver area Gateway showroom two months ago. The outdoor picture with the hood up and tailgate open is definitely at the Denver area Gateway warehouse. I don't remember the glass being all jacked up, or the rear bumper issue at either time I saw it. Interesting car, really liked looking at it at the BPOC show. Love the 1970 station wagon body style. Keep us up to date on your project list, will be interesting.
BTW, check the adhesion of that 50+ year old glue on those rear side reflectors, I had the red reflector randomly fall off and disappear, while driving to a car show on my 1970 Deville. Turns out the red reflector is only held on to the metal bezel by glue, and not by the screws that hold the metal bezel to the car. Those red reflectors are pretty much unobtainium.
It's the same car. I'll check the reflectors. Thanks.
Update
We found 2 rear passenger windows on eBay. NOS. Thats all there is left.
Rear bumper was raised successfully. Two jacks with wood blocks after we loosened all the bolts. Worked like an Irish charm!
Running well on all 8 cylinders.
New coil. Pertronix. New plugs. Cap. New wires.
No oil in exhaust. Good compression on all 8.
All brakes serviced. New pads. Turned rotors on front.
New electric fuel pump. Facet.
Old rear springs were too stiff, a compensator for dead air shocks. We put stock Fleetwood springs and KYB shocks in before the garage Xmas party. We had four of us fatboys on the tailgate...perfect ride height!
New tires. 1 1/12 WW.
Working on auto heat mechanism. Hmmm...
Found a pack of Wrigley's gum under passenger seat, peppermint. 1970s. Pretty stale when I chewed one.
All windows work now. Lubricant was hard.
Couldn't find new rear window. The old one is sandblasted a bit, but not too bad. It'll work. I'll plaster it with stickers like"See the goddam Grand Canyon!" or "Road trip to Vegas, Baby!"
Happy holidays everyone!!!!
I was glad to see it in person at the party. It's a gem! Harry
John,
Great looking Wagon ! Love the light blue and Dark Blue reminds of the mid fifties two tones. Any updates on the progress? I agree with the exhaust choice. Always felt a Cadillac is quiet but powerful.
Rear windows didnt fit.
This FW Brougham has different windows from a regular Fleetwood.
If anyone knows of any let me know. :)
John, I wonder if the rear windows from a 1969 buick wagon would be a closer match?
Maybe. Ill check. Thanks.
Car runs well and Ill have it at the Gettysburg event.