1968 Eldorado Restoration

[Brandon]

Thanks Nicolas.
I sent the steering wheel away to a 'restorer' here in Australia-discovered later that he specializes in British stuff.
I was not a happy man when he told me he'd leather wrapped the thing, but I had to live with it, and after coloring to match
the interior, it probably doesn't look too bad-actually it has quite a good feel to it.
Eventually I'll track down an original though.
This paint and interior combination are featured in the 1968 Cadillac catalog.
Rgds

[angoetti]

Hey ,

Just thought I would check in, I really like this forum and the 68 eldorado in particular….I have gone through the restoration with my 68 and it took a good 2 yrs.

color is san mateo red fire mist and it was a vinyl top and currently is without the vinyl…here are some pics

My head light covers don't work properly nor the vacuum for the ac but I love this car!!!!

[angoetti]

for some reason it only loaded one of 6 photos I chose to attach???

[angoetti]

ok I figured out the attachments. sorry 

here are some more pics

[DeVille68]

Hi David,

I love your car! And the new tires look so good.
I have no money yet to replace my tires, but some day I will.

Diamond Back now offers those in their catalog. Do you have the AS4 or de DBII?

Regards,
Nicolas

[Blade]

Congrats David! What a shiny ride!   

[DeVille68]

Hi David,

Congratulation!

In August there is a Cadillac Big Meet here in Europe, near Linz in Austria. For me, its about a 1500 km drive (in total).
My "normal" fuel mileage is about 13.5 to 16 miles to the gallon - depending on  the road. Mountain roads need a lot of gas... 

Nicolas

[Rob Troxel]

Way to go David!  You have done a great job bringing your car back.  Also appreciated seeing the Lars Mobile along side yours.  Another fine example though I'm not sure about the hood stripes.

[RobertM]

Congrats David!  I remember seeing your car in the Southbury CT show last year.  What a beautiful car.

[DeVille68]

Hey David

I am currently in contact with REM about their wood veneer. That is OPGI sells their dash board wood veneer which is of the wrong type. It should be rosewood veneer. REM said they can make me the correct dash pad rosewood veneer. First they send me a sample of their wood, such that I can match it to my existing rosewood.

How do your tires hold up?
I still hear a lot of different opinions about Coker and DB. Still not sure.
Coker sent me now a special order form such that they can make me a radial with the correct stripes. I sent their your measurements.

Best regards,
Nicolas

[Aaron Hudacky]

David,

Nice photo!  I hope you keep your 68 and buy an additional 64-66.  I like seeing your posts on this car and I learn a lot from what you do. 

[lguapo1300]

if you want that big whitewall cadillac look on your tires---

http://www.dbtires.com/

[lguapo1300]

What's the name of the online store for the wood veneers ?

[Ralph Messina CLC 4937]

Guys,

I have some experience with veneering and offer these suggestions. The adhesive sheets will be the easiest to work with. I’ve not used the adhesive back products for a car interior because I suspect â€"but am not certain â€" that the heat of summer will cause the adhesive to soften and let go. I’d ask whether it’s applicable for cars interiors which can reach 130 degrees in summer heat and sum.

The most secure method would be to buy a portion of a flitch â€" sequential slices of the log -  and share it. The sheets are about 1/32” thick, unfinished with no adhesive. There are glues specifically made for veneering that are applied to both surfaces then the veneer is applied to the backer and put under uniform pressure. I would use my existing pieces as backer; but if you’re uncomfortable with that, Constantine use to sell thin 1/8” thick plywood that can be cut to size. Before applying  pressure you need to go over the veneer with a roller to work out any bubbles.

You’ll have to experiment with the stain color â€" oil based - but I suspect “Natural” would make the grain pop with full detail. When dry, lightly sand with 800 paper and clean thoroughly. You can then use auto clear coat in 2 light coats , sand lightly and finish with a wet coat. I personal think this looks a bit plastic like decoupage from the 70’s. I usually use marine varnish, thinned with naptha and sprayed in multiple coats……Not too heavy or wet as it takes forever to dry. I then lightly wet sand the surface with 1500 to remove any particles that landed while drying, and finish with Butcher’s Wax and 000 steel wool. The finish will be like fine furniture. You may want to try a sample of the full finish process to get a feel and see whether you need to adjust the stain color. Attached is a pic of walnut finished as I described.

Constantine’s is the greatest. When they were in NY, I could spend a day there finding and buying stuff I didn’t know I needed and learned a great deal in the process. 


HTH,
Ralph

[Ralph Messina CLC 4937]

Ooops!

Here's a smaller pic.

[Viator Trudeau]

To David Smith RE:  reply @119  March 4 2012::   when i got my '68 ELDO the starter had the screech sometimes, this is a real problem, Ring gear teeth not looking good.   I pulled the starter and found that the Bendix spring had lost its stiffness compared to starter drives I had in my spare box.  My theory was the weak spring would collaph?? when the solenoid pulled in with a jerk to engage the starter pinion into the ring, the drive was turning before it engaged the ring gear causing the clashing. I squeezed a few springs till I found one much stiffer than the one in use, and it solved the gear clashing, and a lot of work.  Your post is a couple years old so you might have solved the problem by now.

V.Trudeau  #8697

[DeVille68]

Nice wood!
And great color book. I want one too! 

[Coupe Deville]

Wow. Those small details really make a big difference. Looks great! Is that a second door handle on the back of the door for the rear passengers? Ive never noticed that?

-Gavin

[Ralph Messina CLC 4937]

Dave,

Looks beautiful!.....I'd say professionally done.

Ralph

[Lucas Feininger #15674]

I am VERY impressed by your wood restoration. The job you did looks as professional as any interior work I've seen. Best of all, you aren't afraid to tackle projects that some people might say "leave that to the experts". Keep up the good work!