Hi folks, I am from Germany and have a 2 dr. 1956 Cadillac Series 62. It looks quite reasonably from outside, even the interior could be cleaned up to a certain point. The bad stuff begins underneath it.
Rust... lots of it..... and even more....
The rockers are shot, quater panels and lower parts of front fenders are shot as are some of the floor braces. The floorboards themselfs look ok from underneath... we will see what they look like when the carpet and all the underbody coating is removed.
I have some oil leaks, power steering and tranny and the master cylinder is also causing problems. Nothing too serious....
So far so good. I could source most of the parts even the rockers but couldn't find those floor bbraces. Has anybody some ideas or will it call for fabrication time..... I went through worse times... I completely rebuilt a 1966 Olds Toronado the last years... down to the very last bolt...
It seems although the Caddy is looking quite well maintained from the technical side and also is quite original. Somebody messed with the rear springs. They have 7 leafs a piece and the one set of the left side has a groove on all of the leafs. From the pics I took before disassembly the heigh front and rear was too high...
On the good side I have an engine starting nicely, running very smooth, a nice shifting tranny and all the rest is working ( warning lights, blower, wipers...)
enjoy the pics...
best regards from Germany
Harald
Here are some more pics of the nice stuff...
And here it gets worse...
So it's time for a short summary....
I decided to get the Caddy back on the road. First attempt is not a frame off restoration but a complete underbody reworking, de-rusting, repairing session. I started by removing the rear axle to gain access to the frame spots that need attention. In that process I took care of the axle and drive shaft. The drums were sanblasted, protected with KBS coating and later turned on a lathe. A rebuild kit for the Bendix brake booster / master cylinder is ordered as are brake shoes and two wheel cylinders. Today I started removing the old underbody tar... in the oldfashioned way.. scrapers and a torch to heat and soften the thick stuff... It will take some days until everything is removed.. Then I will start welding the frame and the other rust issues on the floor pan. Last thing are the rockers and floor braces...
we will see... definetely a thing which needs a lot of patience...
So now after a few evenings, my neck and shoulders hurt like hell and I have to work on other things for a while before I remove the rest of the underbody stuff.
In the meantime I removed the fenders, radiator support and brake booster. All the parts will be media blasted and repainted. The ones sitting in the harm of road debris and water will be treated with KBS coating, which I used all over my Toronado.
I also have to look for a new or repairable gas tank. The new ones are starting at 350USD but the freight to Germany and the taxes and customs bring it close to 850â,¬ delivered to my door..... to much right now...
see attached a few shots of my last project...
cheers Harald
G'day Harald,
Looks like this car has spent most of its' life on the Salty roads of USA according to the rustifications of vital parts.
Bruce. >:D
Yea, those German inspectors are tough. All the rust has to be repaired. Unless your worried about originality, those German automobiles should have plenty of gas tanks to choose from.
Hello Harald,
probably you found the parts dealers in South Germany. Both seem to have used parts in Addition to new parts. Another source is TaMotors in Sweden. Where are you located? I am near to Hamburg. I have not had contact with Route66 in Hamburg yet, but they seem to maintain some of the Cadillacs here and are worth a call.
Maybe someone has a interchange Manual and can look up if the gas tank is used in other models as well. This would give you more Chances to find one in Europe.
Regards
Axel
P.S.: My wife would have killed me when my car would have been such a "oben hui - unten pfui" example. Hope you knew what you were buying.
Oh, wow. How could such a nice car look so bad underneath! :D
At least it seams that the car is in good hands now! Keep us updated.
Cadillac Service in Unna Germany has not been mentioned. Windy has a lot of 56 pieces and sheetmetal in stock. He also has a very good 56 parts car that will be shipped to hi, I know because the car is here at my place.
So a week passed and the frame is repaired. I cut out all the frame rod and welded in new sections. The front spring hangers were definitely in need of attention... In the meantime I removed the front fenders to gain acces to the front frame and to repair the fenders. I blasted the blowers and headlights... good as new..;-)
Looking good.
Was the rust from spending most of its' life in Germany? Or USA?
Bruce. >:D
This is good 'ol american rust. The Caddy spent its life in the northern part of PA.
Yes its a "little" rusty..;-) But as I said, not my first restoration, not my last and I learnt something the hard way: When you are working on old, rare cars with bad parts availability the most important thing is to buy a complete car. Next thing is the worst enemys of a classic car are the owners who think they would be able to tackle difficult tasks... Some cars end as a real mess that way... no bolt is there were it should be...
So all in all I am quite happy with my car. It could be better, that's for sure but rust is only work. You need time, patience and you have to know how to work with metal.
As you might see I know my way around a welder..;-)
Harald
Who said I won't drop the frame? Ok it was me... actually it will be another body off restauration. Easier that way and the result will be a much better car. I was lucky as the frame and underbody rust weren't as bad as I first expected..;-)
Harald
I got the frame of my 1956 Cadillac Series 62 Coupe ready for paint.
It was a kind of a mission...
wink emoticon
Step 1: removing underbody tar with a torch and a scraper
Step 2: patch the rust areas
Step 3: decide to go for a body Off restauration
Step 4: remove the rest of the black stuff as in Step 1
Step 5: slightly media blast everything
Step 6: use a good chemical rust remover
Step 7: pressure clean the frame
Step 8: dry it with compressed air
Step 9: apply KBS rust blast
Step 10: let it sit
Step 11: let it sit a little more
Step 12: pressure clean again
Step 13: dry with compressed air
coffee after steps 3, 6 10
Something to eat : after 5, 13...
wink emoticon
It took me the afternoons and evenings of the last week and the whole Friday and Saturday... but it was worth the work... There is nothing some ellbow grease and the imagination of driving the Caddy in the summer can't do..
Harald
Finally the Bendix Treadel Master cylinder / booster is assembled and installed... it's a lot more fun if you can see some progress...
Great work Harald! 8)
Interesting! Thanks.
Hi folks,
it was kind of quiet in my Caddy restoration. The last week finally I began working on the wonderful patched front fenders. I am not sooo deep into bodywork but careful planning and some elbow grease got me to the point... see pics
and look what I found under the back seat...
Thanks for sharing your restoration project. Just got a 55 Cadillac series 62 that my son and I will begin restoration on. Two bottles of Crown Royal "Rye" whiskey paid for this ride. Passenger and driver side floor boards rusted through and some roof damage to be repaired. Condition of engine unkown, added teaspoon of diesel fuel and 30 wt motor oil to each cylinder before cranking over motor, car has been sitting for 15-20 years.
Ok and the story goes on... those front fenders are a real task, the inner wheel wells and headlamp cover panels.. everything is seriously rusted. I needed a lot of imagination to sort out the basic shape of some parts.... but " One piece at a time .." will bring me to the finish line..;-)
Harald
Hello Harald,
great progress! "One piece at a time..." great song and just the way I am taking it too. In the 55 this area looks a bit different. Did you have any remains of rubber attached to your parts? This was used to seal against the fender.
Attached pics my parts. They were just repaired. Not as nice as you do it.
Regards
Axel
and the title weights 60 lbs..;-)
Does anybody have some pics of the area front inner wheel wells to front bumper? I need to see the clearance of the fog lights in the bumper to the inner structures of the fenders. I rebuilt those parts and I do not know if the round shape in the middle of that panel is for strength or if there is a clearance issue to the lamps in the bumper.
Thanks
harald
Some engine and tranny trouble:
When I took the tranny apart I realised that the internals of the shift valve body are not according the manual. I am missing the neutral clutch valve and spring, those weren't installed in the shift valve body. Does anybody have an idea?
Also the engine showed one bent pushrod. I will investigate further today. I guess the minimum are new lifters and that pushrod and a new timing chain. I am curious how the camshaft looks... I'll post engine pics later.. here is the tranny stuff....
cheers
Harald
Now lets address the engine. I found a bent pushrod. My guess is the lifter wasn't compressing due to oil contamination. When I removed the lifters they were hard to pull out, the lower circumference had a kind of corrosion ? Were should I buy new lifters / pushrods? I hope to remove the cam tomorrow...
The pushrod details: length 9,77" thickness 0,28" The lifter length 2", thickness 0,84"
While waiting for engine parts I started on the trunk floor
or should I say floors...'caused by the several layers of sheetmetal patchwork..
Harald
good work!
Wow, I would dream to be able to work in a shop like this!
I need to bring my tools by bicycle every time and don't have a lift or any help.... :-)
Quote from: harascho on September 13, 2016, 01:31:41 PM
...... When I removed the lifters they were hard to pull out, the lower circumference had a kind of corrosion ? Were should I buy new lifters / pushrods? I hope to remove the cam tomorrow...
I have always found that when trying to remove lifters from an old engine (read as high-mileage) there is always a ring of sludge/varnish around the bottom of the lifter, which stops it being pulled out past the normal movement range whilst it is working.
The big thing to check with the lifter is the condition of the bottom face, which runs on the Cam Lobe. If it is flat, or in any way convex, then it definitely requires replacement, unless you have kept each one in alignment with its' opposing cam lobe.
Mix them around, and the cam won't last, but as you are replacing both the Cam and Lifters, that is not a problem.
Bent Push Rods is caused by sticking valves, or something wrong with the top end.
Bruce. >:D
Hi folks I need some help regarding the 4 rearmost body to frame mounts.
As I have the frame ready and the body in primer by now I need to get an idea how those rearmost 4 bodymounts look like. Two are in the rear crossmember into or through that bent U-channel on the body. Question is are those bolts going trough the U channel and into the trunk ( = visible in the trunk) or hust trough the U channel and between the channel and the trunk floor is the bolt ??
Also interesting are the next two bodymounts in the trunk going into the curved outer frame rails. How do the nuts look like? There's a window in the frame rail to get access but I have no idea how those nuts & bolts look ' cause access with any kind of tool is almost impossible..
cheers
Harald
Quote from: harascho on September 13, 2016, 08:00:55 AM
When I took the tranny apart I realised that the internals of the shift valve body are not according the manual. I am missing the neutral clutch valve and spring, those weren't installed in the shift valve body. Does anybody have an idea?
Harald
Sorry if I'm late to answer: I practically never look at the restoration threads. Did you find a solution to your "problem" which, in fact, is nothing? According to the Serviceman bulletin from December 1955, those 2 pieces were not necessary and therefore not installed. Shop manuals are usually a good source, but changes are not included.
Another modification, done on most all '56 and '57 transmissions: on page 12-70 from the shop manual, fig. 12-85, the front sprag inner race has tangs on one face. They engage with the front unit coupling, page 12-78, fig. 12-103; unfortunately, those tangs broke easily; they were replaced with splines. Il you still have the tangs, I have a NOS front sprag inner race. However, most probably, your transmission had the splined version.
On all transmissions I overhauled, I saw just one '56 on which the tangs broke, creating a major failure.
I still have a '56 and a '57 car; I overhauled myself the '56 transmission but I have no idea which version I have; it was my first overhaul and was not aware of all possible failures/changes...
Years ago, I sold 2 '56 front fender to a man from Germany; I suppose it was not you.
Hi folks, does anybody have a kind of cam card / cam spec for the standard 365 Cadillac engine's cam? I want to check timing with a degree wheel and I am missing that information.
The reason for checking is my new timing gear ( rebuilder's choice) it seems to have a little bit more chain slack that I expected..
Thx
cheers
Harald
The cam is from ELGIN, a E-256-S, CM 256 grind..does anybody has detailed info on it? Yesterday I mailed ELGIN but the response is still on the way, hopefully..;-)
Cheers
Harald
And there was progress...... she's in beautiful paint now..;-)
And the assembly goes on..... so far no big problems....
Great photos! Thanks for sharing!
I would just ditch that air filter and go back with the original oil bath unit.
My plan is to go back to the original oil bath filter but that nice piece is in paint prep at the moment..:-)
Ok and the beat goes on...
I finally got the alternator and Sanden AC Compressor in place. Other than a slight difference in spacing with the OEM triple pulleys and the Sanden double pulley everything fits like a glove
cheers
Harald
Hi, I am struggling to re-install the cluster with all the heater control cables. I took countless pics when I disassembled it all but now I have the 2 cables from each heater box on the A pillar plus the two coming from the water valve... Does anybody have an illustration? The workshop manual doesn't touch that.... at least not in a way that enlightens me ..;-)
Unfortunately, I cannot offer a definitive answer; I should look underside of my Biarritz dashboard to see which cable is going to what. I just have those images when I replaced the trip odometer from my de Ville some years ago; I doubt they will be very useful. Most certainly I did a drawing about the cables, but I gave the whole documentation to the new owner.
The left lever is for the heater. One cable is going to the Rance valve and the other to the left heater box.
The right lever is for the vent/defroster. One cable is also going to the Rance valve and the other to the right heater box. Something in my explanation does not please me as both hear and defroster levers must operate both heater boxes.
Facit: even with pictures, a note with paper and pencil can do wonders.
it's been a while and the Caddy makes slow but continious progress. Now I need an advice regarding the Hydramatic. I cleaned it thoroughly, although it was looking as it was rebuilt somewhere not too long ago. Quite clean, no debris. I decided to give it a go, knowing that a major overhaul might be needed in the future.
The only thing is I got a bad leak where the manual shaft enters the housing, see pic. Can I change those O-rings from underneath with the Tranny still in the car? I know it's fun removing the valve manifold with oil dripping on you... but I am ready for it...
What do you think? Any advice?
cheers
Harald
It can be done, but it's not easy. Even when the transmission is on its back, like on that picture, there is one snap ring at the shift control lever which is difficult to remove. I can imagine that, when the transmission is installed on the car it will be more complicated. If you succeed, the largest seal can be replaced.
A small pin at the throttle control shaft must be removed to replace the smaller seal.
Good luck!
Hi Roger,
do you have a pic that shows the location of the snap ring and pin? Is there any information on the replacement seals?
Thx a lot
cheers
Harald
If you can wait one or two days, I can do a picture, I have a '56 transmission from Germany in work.
At you place, I would order the set from Dave Edwards http://www.autotran.us/ You will then get both O-rings and the small pin.
Roger, that would be perfect. Then I could decide which way to proceed.
Thanks a lot
cheers
Harald
Here is the promised picture. To get at the seals, you will have to remove both levers. Don't worry about their position, they are indexed.
Good luck!
So Roger, both seals are accessible from outside the case?
cheers
Harald
Yes! If you can remove pin and steel ring...
Hi Roger,
that seal is done, not too big of a problem using a hoist..
Harald
Ok here are some pics. The Caddy is almost finished and ready to visit the German TÃœV for it's inspection. After that is done it will be registered as historical vehicle.
I had to built a few tools to get a rough alignment which should be fine until I find a shop willing to do the front end alignment. Hard task because those guys are just following computer instructions without any knowledge what they actually do.
We will see
cheers
harald
And guys pls don't bother about the chrome air cleaner.. the original oil bath cleaner is almost ready to be installed..;-)
I have a parts problem with an overhaul kit of the steering box. The output shaft has some side play and I found a kit at Cadillac Ltd. But they seem to be temporarily out of business.. no one answeres mails or calls ??
Any othe sources of a complete kit?
cheers
Harald
Good luck with the TÃœV Harald. :)
Did you get a replacement gas tank? I have a spare 1954 one, which may be the same. I'm in England. Phil
Thx Phil for the offer, I bought a new one and later bought a set of parts including a used but good gas tank.. so I'm fine
Great, the car looks really good. I've got a 54 Coupe DeVille.
Good Morning Gents,
a few more issues and questions along the way..;-)
First of all I tried rebuilt the washer pump... wasn't easy on my nerves and still doesn't work. I took a lot of pics during the dismanteling process but that was a good year ago and now the assembly seems to cause a headache. Lucky me I have two pumps I can play with. Yesterday I assembled the second one... testing will be later the day. Does anybody have some additional pics of the internal parts of the pump and the correct installation? There are not a lot of ways to do it wrong but you never know.
Second issue is when I checked VAC of the newly rebuilt engine the readings are quite low. When playing with the timing ( a little more advanced than the manual states..), the bypass screw and the mixture screws I have a wonderful running engine that runs very smooth, almost no valvetrain noise, no hesitation on acceleration and a steady idle.... only issue VAC max is 15 in. That seems a little low for me. I am not able to detect any VAC leaks... only thing left to do is a compression check.
What should I expect for a good VAC reading? Is 15 really too low?
thx for helping
cheers
Harald
What a lovely day that was..... I spent my whole day with two issues: washer pump and wiper escutcheon...sealing the washer fluid against the escutcheon
It was almost half a day until I had a nice spray pattern on the windshield.... not what you might guess... I used a big syringe.. not the washer pump.
It turned out tha a 6mm length of a particular hose size did the trick very well.
Then encouraged by that success I started on the washer pumps... I got two of them and one overhaul kit from Fusick.. I hoped I might end with one working pump...
Normally I am not the one giving up early, but those pumps soon got the best of me...
The mess ended with one of the pistons shooting out of the housing and destroying itsself on the workshop wall. I couldn't laugh at all but I guess any bystander would have liked the scene..
Then I digged out my Pneumativac and used it as a VAC source. That thing pulls an easy 22 in and that was a big help. Assembly of the two halfes of the Pump cylinder was quite easy once the VAC sucked the piston in against the spring.
I was able to get at least a part function of one pump... that one with the old seals....The pump with the seals from the overhaul kit still doesn't do anything.
What I learned is once the piston is moving against the spring pressure and its bottom part seals enough to suck in water your good to go. So far only one of my pumps does that and after a while water output is decreasing....Ok there still the Sunday to sort that one out.
cheers
Harald
Harald,
Oh yes the vacuum washer pump and motor, Cadillac disgrace for not going electric on both, second to the vacuum pump placement at the oil pump. >:(
I’ve mess with two sets of full washer pumps and frankly neither got me the results I was hoping for, there are way too many pieces to get them working correctly. :o I have several pictures of them during disassemble but won’t be able to post them here due to space limitation. If you want/need them just shoot me a PM with your email.
The two pieces the top metal cover and the middle one are all for the vacuum controls. The top one controls the operation to and from the washer push button and the other side is for the co-ordinator. There are valves that open and close to get vacuum to and from the outlets.
The top (bottom) and the middle (bottom) pieces are a combination for vacuum and the washer fluid. The washer fluid is just one small valve between them that would either opens or closes to flow the fluid out to the sprayers. The vacuum side allows vacuum to flow up to the top sections for the controls via two valves and to fill the large canister inside the bottle with vacuum to pull the dual plunger up (where the large spring in place).
The small plunger with a small spring inside the large spring is just a switch when the dual plunger is pull the small spring would close the valve to stop the vacuum (you can see this valve inside the large canister). If vacuum drops slightly the large spring compression would drop the plunger and the valve would open up again to allow more vacuum to fill the canister. This sequence repeats several time since it is not a perfect seal. :(
When you press the washer button to spray the fluid, it would release the vacuum held at the hose from the pump and at the large canister, this forces the compressed large spring to push the plunger down to force the fluid out. Once you release the washer button the sequences repeats itself to fill the unit with vacuum for the next cycle of washer fluid.
Now the funny thing is the amount of fluid is very small just what the smaller canister (where the outlet hose is connected) can hold, so there is a valve to hold any fluid to back flush into the glass bottle. ::)
After all of this I would need to take a couple of Tylenols. ;)
I have one unit which I dismantle and will convert to electric, I’m leaving the two canisters inside (removing the guts inside) the bottle and adding an electric pump on the lid. I’ve also changed the wiper motor to electric less hassle to deal with all the vacuum lines this way.
There is no need for the vacuum pump at the oil pump with all these things out of the picture. That line from it on the side of the block was closed and I’ve added a plate between the oil pump and the vacuum pump.
PS Your vacuum reading of 15Hg look to be good for this engine, if I recall 15-17Hg is what would one expect during idle.
Good luck..!
I had my stock '56 engine rebuilt and installed about a year ago. When back from the shop it ran at idle at 17" vacuum. After properly breaking it in, it jumped to almost 19", and is steady. Seems I read years ago in a GM publication that 15" would be at the absolute low end, as Jose said, (can't recall if at idle or in drive with brake on though). Prior to rebuild, my other '56 engine ran at 18" at idle. My rebuilt '56 CDV engine in the '70s ran at between 21" - 22". Go figure. Back in the day, the mechanic who rebuilt that engine said 18" - 22" with the needle being steady, was normal for a healthy V8 with no vacuum leaks. As Jose said, (and that GM article if I recall correctly), 15" may still be acceptable unless you are living at an odd elevation. If you are checking it in drive with E brake on it will read slightly lower. All my readings were taken in park at idle at around 550 RPM (slight higher than OEM specs suggested). My car will not idle smooth at that number 15 though, or at the recommended 400 - 450 rpms, nor did any of my other '56s. If you break in your engine properly vacuum should increase a bit. Mine went up about 1 & 3/4". Depending on how you have driven your car and the miles since rebuild-you may be beyond that point to increase it. As I am sure Jose will agree, there can be variations in this but if your car does remain at the low end, but otherwise runs well and the needle remains more or less steady, I would think you are OK. Clay/Lexi
To the VAC readings, I have to say that the engine had no time to break in. I just had the CAM broke in and made a few runs round the corner to sort out the brakes. Everything is as fresh as it could be. Driven up to date for less than 5 mls..;-)
Today, after I had my second cup of coffee, I will address the Trico washer pump again...drives me crazy that thing and I'm not willing to give up... not yet..
By the way when I test the internal plunger if it seasl enough to suck in water when it moves upward.. it rarely does. The system seems to seal itsself once it is full of water. Then, and only then, a downward movement pushes water out and an upward movement sucks water in. And this is with new seals from a seal kit. I did some tests with O-rings instead of the bottom seal on the plunger, that work actually a lot better?
cheers
Harald
Harald that is good news. So there is plenty of opportunity to break in the engine and perhaps increase your vacuum gauge reading. The shop advised me to drive my car (with rebuilt engine) "like I stole it", but also to alter my driving habits. So sometimes I would drive it hard and fast and other days like I was driving to Church. So in retrospect the speedometer was all over the map so to speak. Other days I took to the highway and opened her up, (but not on a long prolonged drive). Another day a calm "slow poke" drive to the coffee shop. I was also told to avoid periods of idle in the driveway during the break in period. So don't sacrifice what opportunity you have to increase your vacuum readings during engine break in, with a lot of idling while you work on your Trico washer issues right now. I also changed the oil a lot with a proper zinc loaded product. Assuming your break in oil is out, I did my first change at 100 miles. Next at around 150 or 200, and so on. You are fortunate your engine runs quiet. 56 Caddies have a tendency to run a little noisy (valve train). A common complaint even when they were new. Clay/Lexi
Harald,
I’m glad that Clay chime in to jog my memory, 8) I do recall there was a mid-year change for the camshaft which result on a lower vacuum reading that the previous one (see show_pdf(3) and the MPL)
Glad Clay is around to wake up my sleepy memory cells. :D
I’ll try to forward the pictures I have later, not sure if those will help.
PS Also there should not be any fluid on the top part of the canister (large one) that is only vacuum, the larger seal provides the seal for the vacuum while the smaller one seals the fluids from going up while forcing it out.
Good luck..!
Lucky sunday...
Is there a way to convince the wipers to end their task in a park position?
Anyway, wipers AND Trico washer pump are working, even the coordinator works. I found my problem, it was for the two rivets, which are stainless steel screws in my case, that extrude through the upper half of the pump housing through the lid and the switch itsself. I din't care to seal the housing part and that caused a VAC leak.
thx for all the input one happy Caddy guy more..;-)
I will try to post two videos of the wipers in action
cheers
Harald
Harald my policy is to default to Jose as he is one of the "Cadillac Gods" as I refer to him, :) I am just one of many who toils in the Cadillac trenches-hoping to achieve the lofty height that Jose and others on this Forum have risen to, LOL. Would like to chime in on your Trico issue, but I have not yet worked on mine (wipers work but washer pump shot). :( That nightmare still awaits me. Yes Jose, a Cadillac disgrace as you said for GM not going electric that year for Caddy. Jose hope all is well with you and your family in these difficult times. Clay/Lexi
Very good news.....
I had a date with the technical inspector ( German TUEV) yesterday... all was fine and after my short vacation in Austria there will be one more classic Cadillac on the road in Germany.
The drive was fine expect some wind noises coming from not properly adjusted doors. Especially the A-posts cause the noise... I will sort out that once I'm home.
The drive itsself was really great, tranny shifting smooth and a steady 30PSI oil pressure. In my book 30PSI is very low but I was told that's what you get with that style of bypass oil filter system. I even noticed a slight increase in oil pressure after the 100mls run.
cheers
Harald
Harald, COngratulatons. I owned two air conditioned sedan de villes back in the 70's. My daily drivers... I was always impressed at how well these cars ran on the highway. And, I know this sounds odd, but following extended highway drives, the engines ran BETTER... and the tail exhaust diffuser deposits changed color to a light brown, as if, with a long run, the engine was "cleaner" and more efficient. The door seals are important, because, as you know, the engine's crank case expels noxious hydrocarbons under the car, and at idle, that smelly stuff can get into the cabin. As my '56 engines began to wear out, I vented the crankcase through the carburetor intake. Happy day, and keep those pictures and your narrative coming our way. James
I got a vent window against A-pillar ( windshield frame) weatherstripping question... see chucks original thread.
http://forums.cadillaclasalleclub.org/index.php?topic=135461.0 (http://forums.cadillaclasalleclub.org/index.php?topic=135461.0)
cheers
Harald
Great Achievement to get the car across the inspection and passed. Well done.
I noticed the tires looks like they are radials. Is that a mandatory requirement from TUV ? Do they allow Bias Ply Tires ?
Cheers
Congratulations Harald. :)
You obviously did a great job passing that TÃœV at the first inspection.
Concerning the tires, mine are radials. I am not sure if there are restrictions on classic cars when somebody wants to stick with bias ply tires. That said, I would not choose that path because bias ply tires, maybe some whitewalls, cost way more than safer radials.
Back to some wind noise issues..
When driving I experienced a terrible wind noise coming from the A-Pillar to the door sealing area. There’s only one seal glued to the vent window frame. I am 100% sure that when I started my work on the Caddy there were remains of a seal on the windshield frame. I tried to find some clear pics of that area but up to now to no avail. I am not even 100% sure what the original position of the door seal on the vent window frame is, was it close to the outer edge? Could anyone of you take a few pics of that area with closed and open front door? That would help me a lot. After countless hours of door adjustment I have to say that I am not satisfied with the gap between vent window and windshield frame. The edges are not parallel, its mor like a V, the upper parts drifting slightly apart...? It also seems that I am unable to get a smooth transition from windshield trim to vent window frame. In the upper area the vent window frame is sticking a little bit more out than the windshield trim.... also not good , that will cause wind noises.
Thanks alot
cheers Harald
Strange that nobody can do a picture from the seal...
I'm attachng one from my ex-Sedan de Ville. Your coupe has the same configuration. The seal can be bought by Steele rubber or Rubber the right way.