My 57 Fleetwood restorations photos with questions.

[Stewart Homan]

Great work Ken!

From the 'I never knew that' Dept... I thought the 57 Fleetwood rear stainless was a skirt over the quarter/wheel arch not the actual piece of body itself!

Car will be the Dogs B*llocks when it's done!

What colour grille are you going with?

Best,


Stew

[57flw]

Hi Stew,

Many thanks for your comments.

Just about everything I am doing on this car I can start off by saying, I never knew that. I know exactly how you feel.

I must admit I have not given any thought to the grill as yet.

I have provided a couple of photo's to show what the grill looked like when I received it. The condition has not changed yet.

I am not sure what the pieces are made of and if they need to be polished or anodised. I am not sure of your question relating to colour?
Hopefully someone who knows better than I will chime in.

The stainless steel skirts are all polished up and look great. I still have them wrapped at the moment hence no photo.

Ken

[57flw]

After many frustrating hours of wire continuity checking and finding many breaks and open circuits I have decided enough is enough and it's time to do the thing I should have done in the first place. Get a new Loom.
I am now in the process of getting a new wiring loom made and I need to know what the four lights in the lower part of the front bumper are for.
I would imagine the outside ones are for the front indicators and the inside two are the front park lights.
If this is correct I will know how to get them to work.

If a couple are for fog lights where is the switch to operate them?
As you all may know none of the wiring was connected when the vehicle came into my possession.

Ken

[Roger Zimmermann]

Ken, do you have the option "fog lamps"?

Roger

[57flw]

Hi Roger,
That is a good question.
The short answer is I do not know.

Are the lights normally just indicators and park.
If there is a fog lamp option where would the switch be?

Ken

[Roger Zimmermann]

It's so easy to know! At the light switch, you have the knob you can pull to activate the lights. If you have the fog light option, there is a small rotating lever behind the main knob. I'm attaching a picture of the light switch from my Brougham; yours is very similar. Sorry for the bad angle, but you can see on the picture a small lever (half hidden by the sheet metal) under the main knob, this is for the fog lights.
Once you have determine what you have, I can tell what is what in front of your car.
Another help: if you have lenses in glass (yes, real glass) for the turn indicator and parking light, you have the fog option. If you have plastic lenses, no fog.

Roger

[57flw]

Roger,

I have located the light switch which had been taken apart. There doesn't appear to be a small lever for the fog lamps but perhaps I have just not found it yet.

However the four lenses are made of glass.

Ken

[Roger Zimmermann]

Have a good look at your light switch. If it has the extension added to the main switch, this is for the fog lamps. Indded, your switch should look exactly like mine.
Have a look also at the bulb sockets behing those glas lenses. If you have the fog option, you will have a socket for those bulbs at two locations (one right, 1 left).

Roger

[57flw]

Roger,
Thanks again for the reply.
I am still not quite sure what I have.
I will strip the lights to check what sort of globes I have. I will take a photo of everything I have to help you to help me.

My old computer has died and I have just replaced it and still have to load in some photo editing program.
I will get back to you soon.
Ken

[57flw]

Here are the photo's I promised.

52984 Shows what parts I have.
52985 Shows the order I think they go in.

52986 What is this part for? It looks like the lever needed for the fog lamps but there is no way it will fit with the Head Light switch.

Ken

[David King (kz78hy)]

The last picture is the outside rear view mirror knob.  I don't see the fog lamp switch or knob in your parts.

David

[Jeff Wilk]

I agree, having taken apart 7 different 58 Cadillacs (very very very similiar parts) I dont see any of the fog light parts with your headlamp switch.  Many times the glass lenses were simply switched when the plastic ones cracked.

[Roger Zimmermann]

I have also the impression that you don't have the fog lamps.
In front, you have you have parking  and directional bulbs at the outer lamps. The inner lamps have just the parking lights.

Roger

[57flw]

Hi Guys,

Many thanks for the responses.

Here is a couple of photo's of the globes I have in the lamps.
2991 is the left outer.
2995 is the left inner.

They both have double filaments and 2991 has a small shield on the top.

Ken

ps David , Thanks for the heads up on the mirror knob.

[Roger Zimmermann]

The bulbs you have are definitively "fogbulbs". For 1957, the car equiped with fog lamps have 4 1074 bulbs (35W /4 C.P). The outer ones are for signal and parking lamps, the inner ones are for fog and parking lamps. You have to be very careful when you install them, they are difficult to install due to the 3-pins system. When one is broken, they can be found, but are expensive. I was lucky to buy original ones from both types (1044 & 1074); there are reproduced ones on the market wich are not correct.
This will explain why you have glass lenses in front. The question now is: what would be replace? the front lamps or, more probably, the light switch?
Please do another picture of your switch, especially the part contacting the dashboard. I just see the metal, with a picture taken at another angle I could see if you have the fog switch or not. The rear part of the light switch is common to all cars, just the front is different.

[57flw]

Roger many thanks for your patients regarding this fog lamp.
I have gone ahead and had the wiring included for the fog lights in the new loom.

Photo 3039 shows the switch from a different angle.
Photo 2985 copy shows three parts that I have numbered in order of assembly.
Photo 3035 shows the three parts fitted together and they appear to fit well.

Hope this is what you are after.

Regards
Ken

[Roger Zimmermann]

If you look at the picture 3039, you have one blue wire coming out of a switch. There are 2 other  terminals wich are empty; the switch is for the fog lamps. Look at the circuit diagram in the shop manual: the blue wire go the the main black headlamp switch; you have to connect a natural wire for the park lamps and a violet wire for the fog lamps.
It just seems that you are missing the small lever to activate the fog switch. With the complete headlamp switch removed from car, you can determine how the fog switch is activate; it a rotating movement.

Roger

[57flw]

Roger,
Thanks very much for your help again my friend.
I now know what part I am missing and how it all works.
I will need to search for this small lever. I am quite sure I do not have it amongst all the other bits and pieces I have so it looks like eBay may be my next port of call.
If anyone reading this has the part I need please feel free to make contact.

Ken

[57flw]

Hi All,
As I explained previously I was having a lot of problems with the old wiring loom with breaks, open circuits and grounded out wires so I went ahead and organized a new loom with correct colors of all the wires.

I have gone ahead and installed the loom into a bare shell of a car. Photo's supplied.
I am not too sure what goes next.
The biggest problem I can foresee is I put a lot of time and effort into reassembly and then find out I have to undo some of that work because I have done it in the wrong order.

What I am after is some knowledge from someone who has "Been there done that".

I would really appreciate some help here.
Pick any part of the car and let me know how it should be done. Explain it as basic as you like.

As an example lets start off with the doors.
Here is the bits I know that need to go into it. Feel free to point out if I have missed anything.
In no particular order:

Wiring.
Window guides.
Inner door handles.
Outer door handles.
Electric window mechanism.
Glass.
Heater Duct.
Door seals or rubbers.
Stainless steel trim.
Catches and Latches.
Connecting rods.

Number the items in an order that would be acceptable and don't forget to include the items I have left out.
It would be really great if I did not have too many pieces left over after the rebuild is completed..

When I look at the dash I think about how it would have come to pieces in the first place.
As those that have followed my rebuild would know I did not strip the vehicle. The bits and pieces came in a big box.

What goes first?

Lower dash.
Steering column.
Upper dash.
Heater hoses.
Cables such as air con and speedo.
Duct work.
And many more parts.

Pick your area of knowledge and please share.

I will record all of the advise and use it.

Kind regards

Ken Francis

[57flw]

Come on Guys,
Lots of lookers but no comments.
PM me if you like with hints and tips.
Try and prevent some of the errors that I am bound to make.
Regards
Ken