idea for 70 fans

[wrefakis]

photos

[Bill Balkie 24172]

Just popped the ‘70 Eldorado out of the barn and drove it around this weekend. Nice weather and no salt on the road, well except they salted north of me, fortunately I saw that before I went out in the Eldorado so I headed south, and East and West instead!

Gonna drive it around today, too. I replaced the steering wheel inlay yesterday.

jim,     
   The car looks great . Tell us more about your steering Wheel .  Did you send it out ? You said in your post you replaced the inlay . It looks great .

   Bill

[wrench]

Hi Bill,

I will do a post specifically about what I found/did. I will do that tomorrow.

I did not send it out. I did not pay our friend in FL $2500 for a wheel. I stumbled on a guy who what we (in my industry, when dealing with obsolescence) call ‘re-industrialized’ the inlay. I dug out the old inlay, cleaned up the inside channel and laid in the inlay. The process took me 3 hours, mainly because somebody along the way used superglue to tack on the old inlay when it started to come apart. This wound up ‘melting’ part of the wheel under the inlay. If one has a wheel in good condition but only the inlay is bad, it would probably take less time. I will elaborate on what I did to overcome some of the minor conditional obstacles in the specific post about it.

There is hope as the technique is affordable and able to be mass produced using modern materials and processes. They are hand made by the guy, but high quality.

I am making measurements on my 1969 rim blow to compare as I think the inlay in 1969 is a tad wider.

Once I have communicated back with the guy, additional details will be forthcoming.

I will say, I am very happy with the results. I don’t have the test of time yet, but it is a heck of a lot better than the old leather wrap wheel cover that was on there.

[Bill Balkie 24172]

Hello Jim ,
      That is very interesting. When those wheels are right they are beautiful .  I think the biggest reason for those wheels deteriorating are drivers picking at them over the years . I am sure the sun has a lot to do with it as well. Fortunately my wheel is in very good condition . And it is original . 2500 dollars is a lot of money to pay to restore a wheel . I wish I could go back in time to study the process . If someone could get that price down to 4 to 6 hundred dollars there is a whole lot of wheels out there that look like hell . There must of been a terrific amount of money  in tooling to manufacture those wheels . It would be a good nitch for somebody .

      Bill

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

I wonder just how many people got into trouble simply because they didn't have a clue how to operate the horns in these Rim-blow wheel fitted cars?

Or, just the reverse, how many drivers got the fright of their lives when they accidentally operated the horns when gripping the wheel really hard?

Bruce.

[wrench]

I wonder just how many people got into trouble simply because they didn't have a clue how to operate the horns in these Rim-blow wheel fitted cars?

Or, just the reverse, how many drivers got the fright of their lives when they accidentally operated the horns when gripping the wheel really hard?

Bruce.

Currently doing research on whether I want to reactivate the rim blow on my 1969. You listed two concerns. Another was that after some time and usage, simple temperature changes would cause the switch to actuate and blow the horn randomly and uncommanded

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

I have never heard of any rim-blow horns going off on their own.

Bruce.

[Bill Balkie 24172]

Hello ,
    How exactly does the rim- blow horn work ?

     Bill

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

Bill,

The inside circumference on the outer rim contains a squeezable inlay, that when pressed by the fingertips or the thumb, anywhere around the inside of said rim, closes an internal continuous contact, resulting in the horn relay being energised, thus blowing the horn/s.

The inlay looks like a 1/4" wide rubber strip.

Bruce.

[Bill Balkie 24172]

Hello Bruce ,
    I guess they were problematic or to expensive to make and redesigned for 70 .

     Bill

[76eldo]

I’ve seen ads on Facebook for a guy making the wood inlay for about $300.00.

[cadillacmike68]

an idea for 70 fans, lets post our best 70 photos be nice to see some real ones, I am in if you are? facebook? clc?

So Will, where are Your pics??

[wrefakis]

I have posted the bayberry 70 on this page

[cadillacmike68]

Yes, I just saw that.

Where's the Fleetwood Brougham?

[wrefakis]

18 416 original miles still with 1971 inspection sticker

[dochawk]

How about one of each?     

It's fascinating the difference that color makes.

My immediate reaction to the white one in the first picture is that the fins are two long (extending too far past the trunk).

But in every other color, I think they look great . . .

(says the guy whose there caddies are all white . . .)

[dochawk]

I wonder just how many people got into trouble simply because they didn't have a clue how to operate the horns in these Rim-blow wheel fitted cars?

We bought the van new in '02, and I *still* set off the horn regularly when reaching across it.

Must be a size thing, as no-one else has had that issue.

But my '93 Fleetwood is longer, and gives me far more room as a driver . . . (first car I've had that actually fits me since the '70s land yachts . . . I can lift my elbow without hitting the door or window, and put the visor to the side and drive with my hat on, too)

The oddest horn I've ever driven was the '83 cougar:  you had to push the turn signal in, as it had a nifty-crystally inset on the steering wheel hub.

Tough to remember in an emergency, and then, once you got used to it and drove something else, you attacked the turn signals in emergencies . . .

[Quentin Hall]

All this talk of rim blow horns going off without warning. I’ll best say nothing.

[cadillacmike68]

Let's keep it clean.