hey all
so after many,MANY years i Finally got my 1959 Cadillac coupe deVille from my grandfather.
drove down to Arizona a couple weeks ago to pick it up and bring it home. its been sitting for a lot of years and neglected but in pretty good shape still. mi going to use this as my build/ restoration update page and will have many questions. also on a side note I've always been a gear head but more toward off road rigs and Toyota crawlers so this is a whole new chapter of slow and easy in my life.
going to be a semi budget restoration until my wife goes back to work when our two daughters go into school.
first photo is of where its been sitting for a long time second is after we pushed it out side
3rd on the trailer and the 4th is finally on the road heading home
Welcome!
Congratulations on bringing it home. What a great grandpa you have!!!
Bring your questions as none are too small.
J Wilk
Kevin,
What an adventure.
Glad you chose a Cad 59 for the restoration.
Get yourself a Master Parts book and a Shop Manual to start, they will be helpful.
Where are you.
Have fun,
Steve B.
so sadly their is was no key for the trunk or doors and somebody already mangled the trunk lock. but i was able to put together every socket extension i have and reach through the back seat and unbolt the trunk latch. found a manual and a bunch of parts books and lists.
when i first brought it home i was having problems with the carburetor and luck fully found a carb rebuild kit in the trunk. i believe somebody tried to rebuild it in the past but forgot to put some parts in it it was missing the clips for the floats and some small gaskets. also fount one side of the bowl dry and what looks to be a burnt gasket like it caught fire. any ways I've tried running it since but was still having problems so i ordered up and adapter plate and put a Holley carb on it for now. and i know some may give me a ration for it but for now my goal is to just have it running on the cheap until i can afford to make it show car quality.
the 2 line for the transmission cracked and leaked out everywhere
hardest part was finding an adapter plate. called up trans-tap performance and emailed him a drawing of what i had and what i needed and got one ordered. another problem i ran into was finding a bracket for the kick down for the trans. i called every where and could find one every one said id have to make one so we did. its not fancy but after making a few different ones and drilling multiple hoes we got it right. now i just need to take it to work and make it out of stainless steel and trim it down to make it fancier. since we put the Holley carb on and tuned it its a whole new car runs and drive a ton better.
since we have been cruising it around our small community and tinkering around with the caddy we have come up with a list for now of things that nee to be done.
1 rewire front parking lights
2 wire up headlights
3 rewire exposed wire from battery to generator
4 replace brake light switch
5 figure out why dash backing light don't work
6 replace rotted out exhaust
7 build battery hold down bracket
8 seat adjuster electrical
9 interior lights?
10 valve cover gaskets
11 rear axle gasket
12 general tune up. oil/filter,spark plugs, cap/rotter, spark plug wires
13 find fuel filter and replace
14 endoscope fuel tank, piston heads and valves
15 have radiator re cored. leaks from coolant and lower trans cooler
16 have heater core pressure tester and record if need be assuming is bad since disconnected
17 install valve stems in all tires
18 back up lights?
19 replace shocks? car squats and leans when sat in
20 remove oxidation on paint.
21 detail car compound polish and wax
22 repair crhome on passenger roll down window
23 replace all door and window gaskets
24 fuel gauge doesn't work
25 speedometer doesn't work
26 trunk and door locks
26 windshield wipers don't work
27 have dash re upholstered
28 install rear seat seat belts for kids waiting on color samples
29 lube window tracks
30 have passenger door realigned. door sags
31 transmission pan gasket
polish polish POLISH
this is my list so far
Quote from: 59-in-pieces on January 04, 2018, 01:22:15 PM
Kevin,
What an adventure.
Glad you chose a Cad 59 for the restoration.
Get yourself a Master Parts book and a Shop Manual to start, they will be helpful.
Where are you.
Have fun,
Steve B.
where am I?
I'm currently sitting at my desk in my office....lol
where are you?
I'm in lakecounty ca
Kevin
From the pics it appears your car has red interior. If it originally had all red, it's a Special Order car.
Quote from: Jeff Wilk on January 04, 2018, 07:05:08 AM
Congratulations on bringing it home. What a great grandpa you have!!!
Bring your questions as none are too small.
J Wilk
sorta Hes hung these over our heads for over 25 years told us 3 that the oldest grand kid would get first pick (which is me) at age 16 when we get our licence. so i did and i asked for one. the answer was no not until your 18. so 18 comes and goes and the answer is when you turn 21. so i turn 21 and ask. the answer is still no, now it is when i buy a house and have a garage to store it and i respond i bought a house 6 months ago and he changes it to when i get married and have a family. so i get married and have a kid at 25 and ask again and he says a few more years lol at this point i give up and figure it will never happen. so a couple years go bye and i get a call thanks giving morning that its time to come pick up the cars...HUH!?! WEIRD!?! why the sudden change? come to find out he got his results back that he had cancer and they where only giving him a couple months. well this sucks!
his kemo and radiation are going good though and his body is taking so the large growth on his neck is shrinking and he seems to be getting better but time will tell. im hoping to get it in tip top shape and be able to let him drive it again
Quote from: Ralph Messina CLC 4937 on January 04, 2018, 03:38:26 PM
Kevin
From the pics it appears your car has red interior. If it originally had all red, it's a Special Order car.
the interior from what i can tell has been redone because the metal under part of the dash is kinda like a tan and i think the dash has been re died or painted
Good luck,
Sounds like you will have many hours of restoration enjoyment. Take your time and learn as you go is the best answer. Second is check out the vendors before you buy - some are not what they seem.
John Washburn
Kevin,
OK joker boy - in my office.
I live in Burbank, CA - way south of you - but just as close to my tools as you seem to be to yours.
What I got from your posts so far is you are not afraid to jump in and get your hands dirty.
I also was impressed that you can innovate when you're faced with a problem - you've got great work around skills.
Those traits in my book will serve you well in this Cad hobby and this forum - IMHO as the ambassador of DIY.
Now on a personal note, my wife and I spent time at the Featherbed Railroad Caboose Bed and Breakfast likely across the lake from you.
Great people - great area - and great clean air - loved it up there.
Have fun,
Steve B.
Definitely not afraid to get my hands dirty but now it kinda sucks. I had to remove me garage sink and bench in the back of my garage to fit the car. So now I wash up in the house and the wife’s not to happy about that. 😁 lakecounty is a great area minus some of the tweakers.
Got some more work done this weekend. After filling the tank up all it’s the full Mark we realized the sending unit gasket had failed and some of the rubber hoses were leaking so we pulled it out pressure washed it cleaned it all up and replaced with all new hoses new seals. Also I found out why the sending unit was not working the old Cork float Had been saturated and absorbed fuel and sunk to the bottom had one of the bench so I stuck a new float on it. Glued some new felt where the mounting brackets went and got it back installed . I’ve also been working on polishing and buffing the paint. it’s coming out pretty good there’s a picture of before and after on the hood and also started working on the grill a little bit last night.
Also while under the car I found the speedometer cable disconnected. The wire inside has been broken off. Ordering up a speedometer cable and lock set today. Pulled the valve covers off and started checking the motor out a little better. Even sent my endoscope down the spark plug holes and it all looke good except piston number 8 is a little wet but over all pretty good.
Does anyone know how to clean chrome it has little cracks in it.
Also any one know where I can have my dash redone in California?
It’s starting to fall apart and who ever painted it did a horrible job they missed a bunch of spots.
To clean chrome up I use 0000 steel wool and Turtle Wax Chrome Polish. That might tone those cracks down some but they are there until you rechrome the piece.
If your dash vinyl is cracked, Just Dashes http://www.justdashes.com/ completely recovers your old dash top frame --- like new, not cheap.
You can buy plastic overlays on eBay, here is but one of many ---
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1959-CADILLAC-DASH-CAP-OVERLAY-ALL-STANDARD-MODELS/121746238479?epid=592823705&hash=item1c58a42c0f:g:S9kAAOSwG-1WujYv&vxp=mtr
Kevin,
A couple points.
Get rid of the rubber hoses for the fuel in the engine compartment - and really all the way back If there are any more splices, (rubber to steel) to just before the gas tank, neoprene is good.
Just Dashes - NOT NOT NOT cheap. Use your money to get the beast mechanically safe and sound and leave the dash alone for a while and get the cap - cheap fix - paint it - at this point it's a driver after all.
Have fun,
Steve B.
Kevin........
19) replace shocks......yea, you’re gonna have to do that, but if she’s saggin’, you’re gonna have to do springs. My ‘67 an ‘70 were saggin’ too. Poor old gals springs were just tired by then. I can just imagine what they’re like on your ‘60 by now. Don’t just buy springs from a catalog. An internet search will find a couple of places in the Midwest who will make them for you based on your VIN number. Turn-around time is about one week. Cost is about $200 per pair
27) Agree that dash pad cracks are ugly, but right now, you can wait. Just Dashes does a top notch job, but you’re looking at the low 4 figure range to get it done.
32) I’m adding this one to your job task.....make sure to spend some good quality time with your Grandpa. The stories that he can tell you, well, you’ll never learn of them after he’s gone.
Good luck with the car. I’m envious!
While not inexpensive, there are alternatives to Just Dashes. Dash Specialists in Oregon did my ‘60 for about $1000 less than JD. And I have heard very good things about dashes done by Autoline, an outfit in Sweden that may be less expensive (despite shipping), although I have not heard any hard numbers about costs.
Kevin,
David is correct about Just Dashes (plenty expensive and even more attitude) - Dash Specialists (personal knowledge and good rep) - Autoline (no personal knowledge but they produce the correct pattern for the dash covering, not a cap).
However, I stand by my recommendation for the cap, but now you have some choices when and if it may come time to go whole hog.
Have fun,
Steve B.
I think I’m going to fix the dash myself for now. In my 85 4runner I took and sanded the cracks down even with the surface and used fiberglass resin to fill them in then sanddd it smooth and painted it. It’s noticeable because it the smooth line on the dash but looks better then the giant crack.
As for springs it sags pretty good my father and law and Dad got in on the passenger side and the car leans over. What’s your guys thought on air bags? I was talking with ride tech about their bolt in self leveling kit. Not cheap but would be worth doing right.
Just ordered myself a new da polisher today should be here Friday. Cant wait!! My harbor freight one is giving up plus I’m tired of it. Ordered a torq 10fx from chemical guys plus a lot of other goodies to help get this caddy looking even better.
Kevin I had great success revitalizing the paint on my 58 last year with Macguires Diamond 2.0 and some very minor wet sanding. That and your polisher will do wonders. Another member had a post about his 58 with better details if you do a search here. Best of luck with Gramps’car that’s great to keep it in the family. I will be following your progress as I just got a 60. Cheers!
Chris in PA
just got my quote from just dashes....
Here is an approximate cost of your restoration:
$2,000 | 1 Piece Dash
(Add $400 for the 2 Sides-RECOMMEND)
$100-$200 Color Match Fee
*No extra charge for black
+ Shipping
:'( think I'm going to wait for now.
ill just sand the crack flat for now and fill it with some resin.
just got my new DA polisher yesterday so ill be working on polishing it for now.
drove it to the store yesterday and noticed a clicking in the front driver side wheel. thinking its to drum brake adjuster not sure gotta take that apart next
Quote from: 59-in-pieces on January 08, 2018, 08:08:39 PM
Kevin,
A couple points.
Get rid of the rubber hoses for the fuel in the engine compartment - and really all the way back If there are any more splices, (rubber to steel) to just before the gas tank, neoprene is good.
Just Dashes - NOT NOT NOT cheap. Use your money to get the beast mechanically safe and sound and leave the dash alone for a while and get the cap - cheap fix - paint it - at this point it's a driver after all.
Have fun,
Steve B.
He is not playing, those old rubber hose just melt with this new gas. I learned having a fuel line spray gas all over the upper engine. thank goodness no fire. Go on a hunt for rubber that touches fuel and replace is sage advice by Steve
Kevin,
Just another thought I had about the dash repair.
When I did a patch like with epoxy or the like, I took a scrap from another part of the cap or side pieces - used the top of the scrap - and used it as a stamp to emboss/imprint the filler just before it set up to have a similar pattern to the area around the patch area.
Then a light sand and paint - pretty much vanishes - unless you really eagle eye it.
Have fun,
Steve B.
If you’re going to patch the dash, look into Leatherique crack filler. Also they can do a virtually perfect color match for dye.
I’ll look into some of those products.
Just got my locks and seat belts in so I will be putting those in tonight.
Found something inside my Driver door I don’t know where it goes any help appreciated.
Just figured out what the bracket goes to disassembled the wing window and found that it goes on the back of the manual crank gear housing. Pressed it on and lightly hammered the lead housing rivits back over after filing it with some white lithium grease.
So if your wing window opens easy but when you try to close it and the handle sucks up against the door panel most likely this piece either fell off or it’s pushed out.
Now mine works flawlessly actually opens and closes
Now to do the otherside
Quote from: jdweeler1959 on January 16, 2018, 12:48:53 PM
just got my quote from just dashes....
Here is an approximate cost of your restoration:
$2,000 | 1 Piece Dash
(Add $400 for the 2 Sides-RECOMMEND)
$100-$200 Color Match Fee
*No extra charge for black
+ Shipping
Same quote I got recently- $3k to do a '59 dash after all's said & done. Just Dashes work is second to none but that's a lot of sheckels. :o
wonderful car.
Well I haven’t done a whole lot I had to put it in storage to have room in the garage for other projects but finally brought it home last week only to find out the freeze plugs are leaking Antifreeze now :-[
Man that is a beautiful ride.