Carl 61 Fleetwood Phyllis

[Clewisiii]

Carl,

You're a living example of patience and perseverance as significant virtues. I think I'm correct in recalling that this initiative was originally all about the "journey" and less so about wanting a perfectly restored 1961 Fleetwood Cadillac.  Am I accurate?   Happy day, James

To this day I have never driven a classic car. Unless you count moving my Buick into my garage.  I bought a 52 Buick that will sit until the Cadillac is done.  I originally wanted a Buick but the Cadillac became available first.

[Clewisiii]

Waldrons emailed me to say my exhaust is ready.  I still cannot pick it up until next Thursday.  But it still makes me happy. 

[Clewisiii]

My generator wire harness showed up.  But I need new nuts for the studs on the generator.  It needs to be a stacked set since the bottom nut secures the stud to the generator.  I cannot believe that I did not have more of that size. I have just above and just below in size.

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

From what I remember, these threads are a special size.   A bit like those of the Coil.

Bruce.

[Clewisiii]

Well then I wonder.  I have a spare coil. I will check the nuts tomorrow

[Clewisiii]

It has now been 9 years since I got this home and it's first bath.  It does stink that I could not get it turned over and started then. 

But I think I have had more enjoyment in all the work I have done since then, then what would have happened if it actually started.

[Clewisiii]

A little sanding on a woodruff key I had, and I was able to press it in place.



I will not reinstall the pump until I verify my timing and maybe prime the oil.

[Clewisiii]

For those who would like to know.  The threads for the generator studs are 12-24

[Clewisiii]

The correct yellow sticker. Not the round red one. 

I think I have even seen a picture where this is the sticker on the 59 Gagnon death car.

[Clewisiii]

6 hour round trip to visit Waldrons today and pick up my exhaust.  Next will be hearing back from Grant on the exhaust hanger set.



Waldrons really is a small shop in the middle of nowhere Amish country. It was a 45 minute drive at 55 miles an hour back roads off of the freeway. I do not think they get many non local customer visits. The door was locked and they only have three parking spaces.  But the people who work there were great.  Very friendly and helpful.

Here are the antique patterns he uses to make the exhausts.  The building was full but it wasn't customer orders. It was all the master patterns they collected at swap meets and car shows over the years.



The new owner worked for Burt Waldron since he was 13 years old. Very friendly guy.  It seems the local customers know to come to the back door to get him to help them with small projects.  While he was off helping an Amish man with a piece of metal I took a picture of his pipe bender.  If you have had a Waldrons Exhaust it was made right here

[Roger Zimmermann]

Thanks for the pictures and explanation! As I'm ordering parts from time to time, it's very interesting to know how they operate. Did you met Ruth (the woman responding to each email) and Beth, the "finance manager"?

[Clewisiii]

Thanks for the pictures and explanation! As I'm ordering parts from time to time, it's very interesting to know how they operate. Did you met Ruth (the woman responding to each email) and Beth, the "finance manager"?

Yes they sit at two old dusty desks facing each other in the front section. The building used to be a car dealership in the teens and twenties. You can still see the art deco ceiling from the main show room that only holds 2 cars.  There was an 8 ft table between them filled with old car parts catalogs. 

[Clewisiii]

Well I did nothing else on my car this weekend. I did not install any of those pipes.

I think the studs on the RH manifold are to long. I put the same length on both sides but the RH does not have the required extra length for the exhaust gas bypass valve.  I will need to reach out to Grant to see when he will be able to ship the exhaust hangers. I think it will be easier to hang and seal up these pipes with the correct hangers.

I started working through my list of needed to have things for starting.  I have a new:

Thermal fan clutch
Power steering belt
Generator belt
Power steering hoses
And I dropped of my drive shaft to have it gone through

I still need
Fluids. AMS transmission fluid. Power steering fluid.
I talked with Dave and I am going to buy a voltage regulator from him
An auxiliary oil pressure gauge.
And a temporary battery.

The plan is still to start my engine in the last week of October. If that works I will work on painting the firewall and get the body on the frame over winter. Steering column and rear end and I will be able to drive it to the body shop for paint.  But that might still be a while until I can pay for that.   All in all I am happy and encouraged. 

The first chrome work that I need done is the door window frames. Then I can install the door internals and glass. After that I would consider everything else weekend projects.

[Clewisiii]

I pulled the studs out of my RH manifold. I had used 2 3/8 studs. I need to switch these out with 2 inch. I also need to order one more 2 inch stainless exhaust clamp.

[Clewisiii]

So I do not remember how I got the springs off of my hinges. But I remember thinking it was easy. But now that I do not want to scratch anything, I need to think of a good way to install them.



And the power steering lines from Caddy Daddy are about 5 inches longer then original.  I hope it is not an issue.

[Clewisiii]

And the Auto parts store fan clutch will not work. The base is to big. I cannot install the fan.

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

What I did was get a bit of 3/8" square bar, and grind some grooves in each end to hook into the spring.   It doesn't need to be expanding the spring too much.   The length of this one was to suit the '72 Eldorado.

To refit the hinge springs, all you need to do is to put a ring in a vice to clip the end of the spring, then with a piece of rope, pull on the other end to expand it a bit, and then insert the previously-made steel bar.

Bruce.

[Clewisiii]

I realized that the Caddy Daddy 1961 power steering return hose has a 90 degree bent end.  Both my 61 return hoses are straight. I will need to decide if I will buy a new one or bend this one.

[cadman59]

I also had bad luck with a power steering hose from Caddydaddy for my '59. It had the bent end pointing the wrong way, so I just could not install it.

Caddydaddy insisted theirs was right. They "knew what they are doing" after being so long in business.

Ended up buying a hose from another vendor, that was right.

[cadman59]

McVey has the correct hoses.

You're right; that's where I bought the right hoses.