The Ark - Restoration part 2 of 2

[Cape Cod Fleetwood]

Miss me? 

The Ark will be going to Dickie Garbitt for body work and paint to data plate this winter.
Gary Lucianna from Cadillac International is coming to the Cape this weekend with my new trunk lid.
The left rear door is coming from Colorado via Gary, a set of pristine Fleetwood skirts leave Seattle for here on Friday.
Mike Josephic bought me a nearly NOS right rear bumper quarter, Charles Fares sold me reasonably the lense and trim.
Charles also sold me a fabulous 1970 dealer add-on right side mirror.
I can't wait to see that hole in the fender from some idiot installing a mast antennae filled and painted, though the Christmas tree I glued on and painted to match has done a fine job of masking that disaster all year.
The Ark got a new correct windshield installed at Hyannis Vintage a few months ago, insurance paid for it. It got a new rear windshield last year for free when the original broke in storage while the total roof restoration was in process last winter. All the door window glass was replaced by a previous owner, all the glass is perfect now.
The Ark heads back to Hyannis Vintage at any moment so crew chief Michael Amster can change the manifold gasket on the pax side, we'll be using the correct 4 gaskets instead of the 1 piece on there now, bolts are being sprayed nightly with Kroil, again thanks to Mike Josephic.
Hyannis Vintage is not doing the paint and body work for 2 reasons: 1st they have 4 frame off's at the shop now, 2nd they insisted on an Amelia Island paint job. I can't afford that neither is it necessary for this car. Hyannis sends a lot of work to Dickie and I'm grateful he put me on his schedule with such short notice, he's busy too.  And the BEST part is we'll be able to make the World Of Wheels show at the Seaside Convention Center in Boston in March 2020.  Shortly after that The Ark and my daily driver get loaded onto a Mecum transporter and head to Florida.  Once there, Classic Auto Air and whatever shop/mechanic they recommend will get The Ark's AC working again, I think I'll be needing it.

Chri$tma$ is cancelled again thi$ year. Unless you're The Ark!

Mhm...

[Big Fins]

Christmas?? Pffftt!! Just another excuse for the masses to spend money they don't have, for stuff they don't need to be giving to someone else.

About all of that new 'free' glass...Nice to have. New paint? I'm waiting to put the pictures, old and new, side by side. I liked the color it was, even if it wasn't proper. It was different and it fit a car that size.

[Cape Cod Fleetwood]

Christmas?? Pffftt!! Just another excuse for the masses to spend money they don't have, for stuff they don't need to be giving to someone else.

About all of that new 'free' glass...Nice to have. New paint? I'm waiting to put the pictures, old and new, side by side. I liked the color it was, even if it wasn't proper. It was different and it fit a car that size.

John you're such a scrooge...
That's the only good thing about MA, glass damage/replacement is covered 100% with no deductible under the car insurance. A lot of people like the Home Depot Teal color, but its not correct. The only Caddy's I've seen in the correct
#93 have been in pictures, never saw one 'live', a rare color. I really want to bring the car to more "Cadillac" shows, and being the wrong color has been a death sentence points wise.
All I know, is this is almost OVER.

[Big Fins]

Scrooge and Grinch all rolled into one. 

[Mike Josephic CLC #3877]

John you're such a scrooge...
That's the only good thing about MA, glass damage/replacement is covered 100% with no deductible under the car insurance. A lot of people like the Home Depot Teal color, but its not correct. The only Caddy's I've seen in the correct
#93 have been in pictures, never saw one 'live', a rare color. I really want to bring the car to more "Cadillac" shows, and being the wrong color has been a death sentence points wise.
All I know, is this is almost OVER.

Enjoy the restoration process and take lots of pictures
during the changes.  A few years from now you can look
back and admire what you've accomplished.

When I look at the pics of my '55 Eldorado (how it was
when I bought it) and the restoration process, then the
final result after 10 years (yes ten years) I get a great
deal of satisfaction from it all.

It was  quite a trip & I enjoyed the ride.

Mike

[mario]

Laurie:
Mike is 100% correct. Aside from the nostalgia aspect, you can always find info on things you might have forgot!!!
Questions always come up about this or that and a picture just might have what you're looking for.
Good luck and enjoy this time, kind of like a proud parent lololol.
Ciao,
Mario Caimotto
P.s.: and yes, I did miss you...

[Cape Cod Fleetwood]

Mario!   

Mike you went through a NIGHTMARE, if a horror film could be based on a car restoration
you would star in it. Yes the end result was perfection, but, few would have survived that
emotionally or financially.

Fins you're such a misfit! 

[hornetball]

I read girlie mags for the writing.

I read resto threads for the pictures.

Just sayin'

[Cape Cod Fleetwood]

I read girlie mags for the writing.

I read resto threads for the pictures.

Just sayin'

HAAAAAAA! You're a lawn dart pilot, I'm a mortar magnet load, you ain't fooling me... Sir.
I always packed 'girlie mags' flying around the desert, incredibly helpful getting the locals
to give me quick fuel, K-Loaders and fleet services.

Resto pictures will be posted when theirs pics are taken to be posted.

[Bentley]

Laurie,

Congratulations. This is an exciting time. As you know, I did mine a couple of years ago. I recommend you make a check list of all the electrical items, like turn signals, headlights, windows, etc. When you deliver the car, do a walk-through with the shop and note if each item is working or not. Then when the car is finished, you can use the same check list to verify that the car is working like it was when you first brought it in.

How will they strip the paint: blast it or sand it? If they blast it, they'll have to take all the windows out. Since all your glass is new, you may want to note that on the checklist. Either way, it's a really messy, dusty environment. I know your interior is in good shape and you just redid your headliner, so take care in covering/protecting the inside as much as possible.

Will you be replacing the rubber? Now is the time to do it. I bought all new rubber for my car and made an itemized list when I delivered it to the shop, in case anything got lost.

What is the condition of the small chrome trim pieces? Mine was in good condition and didn't need to be re-chromed, so I polished all of it by hand while it was off the car. I also cleaned and polished the grill.

How are the emblems on the hood and trunk lid? I bought new ones from OPGI. They're expensive, but they really add that finished touch.

Stay in close contact with your shop through the whole process, particularly when they're putting the car back together. My shop had some issues with electrical. They didn't tell me and just jerry-rigged the fuse box as a solution. If I had known about it, I could have prevented it and found the correct solution. In the end, it all got resolved and the shop paid for fixing it properly.

I'm looking forward to seeing the process unfold.