Cadillac & LaSalle Club Discussion Forum

Cadillac & LaSalle Club Forums => Restoration Corner => Topic started by: jyinger on October 07, 2013, 01:46:46 PM

Title: 1952 Fleetwood is done!!
Post by: jyinger on October 07, 2013, 01:46:46 PM
The Emerald Princess is finished, and she is beautiful!!  She was in such great shape (9,000 original miles), we did a frame-on restoration.  Cleaned her up, tuned up the engine, new chrome and polished the stainless, and new paint.

Here she is (photos of the engine compartment to follow)

Jon Yinger

CLC#26643
1949 Fleetwood (2)
1949 CDV (she's next)
1952 Fleetwood (finished!!)
1958 Eldorado Brougham (her air ride suspension is getting refurbished as we speak)
Title: Re: 1952 Fleetwood is done!!
Post by: srk1941 on October 07, 2013, 02:28:49 PM
Beautiful car, and such a great color!
Title: Re: 1952 Fleetwood is done!!
Post by: Davidinhartford on October 07, 2013, 04:09:47 PM
Beautiful car.  And I agree on the color.  Fantastic too!
Title: Re: 1952 Fleetwood is done!!
Post by: jyinger on October 20, 2013, 01:30:45 PM
Well, I guess she's not quite "done."

I took her on a 60-mile round trip excursion to Long Beach yesterday, but she didn't make it home.

On the 91 Freeway, about 1/2 way home, she started acting like she was starved for gas.  Then she quit running altogether. 

AAA met me on the side of the freeway, and we added two gallons of gas--still no start.  Then we poured a little gas down the throat of the 4-brrl carb, and she started right up and ran for about 3-4 seconds.  Then nothing.

So--up on the flatbed, and then home.

By the way, among the few modifications we made to her was to convert her to 12-volts and replace the mechanical fuel pump with an electric fuel pump.  I guessing that's where the problem lies.

Or....they guys at the shop favor a different explanation---it could have been a rare instance of Cadillac vapor lock.

We'll probably know tomorrow.

Sniff.

Jon

CLC26643
Title: Re: 1952 Fleetwood is done!!
Post by: jyinger on October 31, 2013, 01:56:20 PM
Ok, we now know what happened.  The gauge was way off; reading over /14 full, it was, in fact, empty.

So....  We have a rebuilt and carefully calibrated gas gauge, and a new in-line fuel filter.

And we now know what happened to the starter.  The old 6-volt starter  was turning too fast on 12 volts, threw a piece which jammed up against the armature.  We now have a happy, new rebuilt starter, and it works fine.

Finally---here is a photo of the engine compartment, taken earlier today.

Jon Yinger
Title: Re: 1952 Fleetwood is done!!
Post by: erlovic on October 31, 2013, 04:02:33 PM
Awesome! Do you want to sell her?