Laurie's 1970 Fleetwood Brougham Restoration

[Bobby B]

Laurie,
  Hi...Woah..Lotta' question there! My sincerest advice would be to ask the person in charge of spraying your car. A.K.A., the Man behind the Gun. His experience in painting all these years, plus what product he likes to spray, is a big plus. The sky's the limit if you're shopping price, but you usually get what you pay for. There are SO many products out there from primers to sealers to paint to clear coat, and everyone has their own preference. Basically a matter of taste, experience, and what you're comfortable working with. They also know the products that they DON'T like to use, and why. Good Luck with your restoration!
                                                             Bobby 

[Cape Cod Fleetwood]

Thanks for your response Bobby!

And I just found out one of the vokes will only use a 'water borne' paint...
Is this a bad thing?

[Cape Cod Fleetwood]

Thanks, just finishing up a huge fest - I managed to repel all the invaders and am now trying to relax.

The 1968 is running once again. Went from Tampa to Kissimmee for the Old Town Sat night cruise where I spotted this:

Hey - Don't shoot the messenger. At least they are both Cadillac 500 engines...

Laurie,

Don't forget to download this free data book for 1970:

https://www.gmheritagecenter.com/gm-heritage-archive/vehicle-information-kits.html

Click on "show" next to Cadillac and then right click and save the PDF for 1970 to your computer.

Why would someone do that to an innocent car? 
I have that date book on my laptop already, seems I refer to it daily now. 

[Bobby B]

Thanks for your response Bobby!

And I just found out one of the vokes will only use a 'water borne' paint...
Is this a bad thing?

Personally, I won't use it. Unfortunately, I just opened up a can of worms  .......
                                                                                      Bobby

[Cape Cod Fleetwood]

Getting my popcorn ready....

[Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621]

Water based paint is becoming more common with manufacturers today.

I would consult with the instructor for further information. 

[Bobby B]

I'm in NJ, so solvent based paint can still be sprayed. Of course BC/CC is always preferred, but if I'm doing something older I still like the look of Single Stage Acrylic Enamel like Centari. Solid colors are pretty straightforward, metallics are a little more tricky to get them to lay out evenly, especially Silver. My Jobber still carries Centari, but BC/CC is the High Tech way to go. This stuff is a No-No in California, that's why I won't move there ...
                                                                                                                                                                            Bobby

[Lexi]

The Larz Anderson Auto Museum is a phenomenal place. Here is picture I took of the 'garage' in 2013 where the cars are stored. Very picturesque. Clay/Lexi

[slowpoke17]

Hi Laurie, I just posted some Fleetwood fender emblems in the for sale section. Not sure if they are the correct ones for your year, they are in good condition and as you said hard to find.

[P. Manoogian]

This past summer I was the first to arrive. For me it was the debut of my 7 year restoration . It was a glorious day for the hobby.

[TC]

Water borne paint is just the basecoat. The clear is still solvent based. I do some painting with both and the solvent based sprays easier. Use the same line of base, clear, reducer  and activator. The difference in the quality of the clear is basically how long it lasts due to its UV protection.

Probably the best advice was already given.  Use what the painter likes. He has sprayed it in his booth and is familiar with the products flash times and when to recoat. Plus if there is a problem, he can’t blame it on “your paint”.
But the best of painters can spray just about anything you give them.

[chrisntam]

Single letters on each fender for a '70.

F L E E T W O O D

[cadillacmike68]

Single letters on each fender for a '70.

F L E E T W O O D

At least 18 small holes drilled into each fender for those letters!?!

[Cape Cod Fleetwood]

The Larz Anderson Auto Museum is a phenomenal place. Here is picture I took of the 'garage' in 2013 where the cars are stored. Very picturesque. Clay/Lexi

Beautiful! The Ark will need to be 'done' before such an elaborate event!

[Cape Cod Fleetwood]

This past summer I was the first to arrive. For me it was the debut of my 7 year restoration . It was a glorious day for the hobby.

Pure rolling art work! You must be so proud! Laurie!

[Cape Cod Fleetwood]

Hi Laurie, I just posted some Fleetwood fender emblems in the for sale section. Not sure if they are the correct ones for your year, they are in good condition and as you said hard to find.

Incorrect but I appreciate the thought! Laurie!

[Cape Cod Fleetwood]

At least 18 small holes drilled into each fender for those letters!?!

Pre drilled, pics below, and found the letters more reasonably priced at Caddy-Parts.com, muchos gracias to whom ever gave me the link. Now do I need the 'thingies' to hold the script in place? Don't have my body manual yet but its been shipped. Get used to the word "thingies" its my default noun when I don't know what I'm talking about. What size thingies?

Also a heads up on replica batteries.... restoration battery is not taking any orders and AAB doesn't list a 1970 battery. But batterycentralmall.com has them, at a price.

Laurie (see mods, I "try" to remember to sign all my posts!)

[Cape Cod Fleetwood]

Is the trunk, not the fender, supposed to have any insignia/script on it? I know the trunk lock has the wreath and crest. I saw nothing in the data book or the 1970 brochure. Thank you for reading! Laurie!

[Cape Cod Fleetwood]

I'm so glad I scheduled this week off from work months ago, who knew? Hope to get all my ducks and parts in a row this week.

Tires - there's no way around this, its Corker 62880. I tried EVERY tire seller...I even tried Craig's List around the country.

Script/insignia's - Caddy-Parts.com has the best prices

Replacement carpet - think I'll 'cheap out' on this and go eBay, but only after I give what's there a good vacuuming and a shampoo with my Hoover. Same for the upholstery. I'm afraid if I put in 'new' carpet it will make the interior look worse? Thoughts? The headliner is really faded. If I'm smart, I'll leave the interior for next year and concentrate the time and money on the outside for now. This assumes when I take that KMart fake leather wrap off the steering wheel its not a disaster....

Replacement vinyl top - another cheap out with eBay. What do you think of this? Remember this car will be a poser and not exposed to any extreme elements. Elk or Levant texture is correct?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1965-1970-Cadillac-Fleetwood-Vinyl-Top-4-Door-Sedan-Full-Top/371670316228?hash=item568946f4c4:g:lrkAAOxye3BRyCE4

Both vokes use a waterborne spray paint, period.

Thanks for reading! Laurie!

[35-709]

Might wanna wait to put those letters on until you get the rust fixed at the bottom of the fender(s).  They'll only have to come off again.  Fix it soon, it will only get worse and you will no doubt find the rust is worse than appears on the surface already.  The body shop that fixes the rust will have, or know where to get, the clips that hold the letters on.  If they don't, request a catalog from Restoration Specialties --- http://www.restorationspecialties.com/

On second thought, get their catalog anyway, you can't have too many catalogs when dealing with old cars!
       
Make sure you tell them not to fill those holes when the repair is done which often happens, a real pain the neck to find them again.  If they have to weld in a steel patch that eliminates those holes, have them cut the old piece out whole so you can use it as a template (or to make a template) to make the new holes in the proper place.