1941 60S Restoration

[kkarrer]

Paul,
      I'll send you the pictures of the spring and the hood goddess.  When I get the spring I'll photo it and then as an assembly.  From what I know there is only the goddess, the connecting linkage (which it looks like you have), a rubber bumper (small and available from Steele) goes under the goddess up front, and the spring.  After rechoming your goddess and after painting and clear coating your clearance for reinstallation may be a bit problematic, but a little sand paper will take care of that.  I'm cutting clear coat now and doing some refitting of my panels.  I'm hoping to get the front end back on this thing by the weekend.  I did make some modifications to my car as I did the rebuild including power disc brakes and 12v conversion.  I know that's not for everybody, but that brake conversion is slick, safer, and easier to maintain.  I have a very good master cylinder if you'd like to have it. Let me know when you're ready to replace those freeze plugs.  Now is a good time to do it and to detail your engine.  I hope you have a good engine stand because that engine with the heads on is one heavy rascal.  I flipped mine over after removing the oil pan, carb, gen., starter, manifolds (get the guy in Minnesota to re porcelainize yours, he's great) and it was still a handful and tougher to turn back over.
Good luck,
Ken Karrer
1941 6227D coupe

[Bill Ingler #7799]

Paul: You probably already know that the body on the 41- 60s is supported in part by 2 wood stringers under the body. Inspect closely for dry rot as the body might have to be pulled to replace those stringers. I have heard it can be done with body in place but somewhat difficult.    Bill

[Paul Phillips]

Thanks Bill, definitely good advice.  I have checked these sill timbers and decided replacement is in order. The extensions that support the rocker trim are pretty sorry, and the main timbers appear to have taken water under the B pillars for some time, right side being worse.  It would be possible to replace these in part with the body mounted, but I am going ahead with with a previously unplanned rotisserie resto. If all goes well, the body separation will happen tomorrow. It may take me a few more days to get the blog caught up to that point!

If there is a demand out there for wood sills for 38-41 60S, please let me know. I may be able to get multiple sets done once the pattern is developed for my need.

Paul

[kkarrer]

Paul,
     Just a reminder from a guy who did the frame off thing.  First watch out for the ground straps.  There can be as many as 5 I think, so as you separate the body from the frame take a  quick look to be sure there's nothing still attached.  Second, some of the shims between the body and the frame will stick either to the frame or to the body/mounting pads and that may cause some confusion as to what went where later on and there are a bunch of them. My suggestion is to make a quick diagram numbering each location, bundle each stack (shims and pads) with masking tape and number them correspondingly, then put the whole mess in a sack and label that.  You'll be glad that you did this when that great day comes to put the body back down on the frame.  Also, when you do put the body down there will be a little leeway side to side and front to back after you drop the bolts in.  Before you tighten them, check the body for trueness of location on the frame.  If you've scribed a few marks prior to body removal that will be easier, but just using a tape measure will help too. Rubber the Right Way sells the mounting pads at a discounted price even though their stuff is from Steele.  Complete rubber for these cars is between 2 and 3 thousand.
Take care,
Ken Karrer 1941 6227D Coupe

[Paul Phillips]

A lot has happened over the last 2 years, but I must admit I never thought this would take so long!!!  Sorry for not keeping the blog current.  Anyway, at this point the engine is rebuilt & installed in a restored frame, bodywork is mostly completed, and I just finished the final tweaks to the newly made wood sills, which means they will soon be on the body and the body off the rotisserie.  Here are some views of these major assemblies, starting with the body.  Paint is a match to Oceano Blue executed in base-clear.  We had the fortune that examples of the original paint were available on the cowl sides, where they had been covered from sunlight and multiple repaints by the fenders.  I will add detail on various subassemblies over the next few day.

Paul

[Paul Phillips]

Here is the chassis mostly assembled with rebuilt engine & tranny, new lines, new bushings, new wheel bearings & seals, rebuilt shocks, etc.

[Paul Phillips]

Major steps forward this week.  The replacement wood sills were installed and everything positioned at the lift.  Next week the body goes back on the frame, and the cage to keep things straight while on the rotisserie gets cut out of the interior.  The top pic shows the original main sills next to the replacements.  You shouldn't have to look too hard to see why they needed replacing.  The ' sills in place' pics were about a half day before completion of this phase, so there are still some fasteners missing and some temp body bolts there to hold things in place while all the fasteners are installed.

Paul

[Paul Phillips]

Some of 'how we got there'  Things didn't look so bad at first when this was just going to be a repaint.

[Paul Phillips]

Deeper disassembly revealed the amount of damaged wood.  The pile in the last pic is from the right side only!

[Paul Phillips]

And where there was water rotting out wood, it was also causing rust.

[Paul Phillips]

Note the nail hanging down in this pic.  This is one of the proof points of the body assembly technique (as described in the Authenticity Manual).  The process started with the sill wood, then the floorboard metal was nailed to it.  Other metal was welded on top, as the fabrication went 'up'.  In this case, one of those early nails was left trapped under additional welded metal in the cowl area. 

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

G'day Paul,

Looking really good, and love the "Roll-cage".     I am sure that these cars were never designed to be repaired, rebuilt or restored.   Your woodworking skills are beautiful, and as we all know, when doing this work, it never gets seen once finished..

Bruce.

PS.  I still haven't fitted the Grille.  Projects really take a long time.

[Paul Phillips]

Thanks Bruce.  Good luck on the other project - these things do seem to take a bit longer that planned/hoped!!!

Paul

[Paul Phillips]

Today was a great day -  goodbye rotisserie, hello chassis.  Everything is now bolted together, so next steps will be to cut the cage out of the interior, finish those surfaces, mount doors and finesse the openings with careful shimming of the body mount points, and finish the bodywork on the lower edge of the trunk (needed to wait for body on frame in final position to set that panel gap). Then we get the rest of the body painted.  Can't wait. 

First pics are of the sill wood in place with the rotisserie removed.

[Paul Phillips]

This sequence is the body initially being lowered in place.

[Paul Phillips]

Final pre-positioning, a couple views of the rear body mounts before the final 'drop' into position, finishing up with the body now back on frame!

[harry s]

Very Nice !    Harry

[Jeff Hansen]

Awesome photos!

I've often wondered about the wooden sill construction of the 60S.  This is all very educational.

Thanks very much for sharing!!

Jeff

[Gene Beaird]

Day 2
The good, bad & ugly

With the LF fender off, the lower cowl area is revealed.  Looks like this area has escaped the repaints and not seen light since its day in the factory.  A bit dirty perhaps, but amazing how it cleaned up with a wet towel.  A great example of Oceano Blue paint, as Cadillac intended it.  (C)Archeology is fun today!

Then there is the first nasty corrosion point - the lower edge of the cowl is pretty crumbly.  Later I will see how the area was full of crumbled insulation & dirt - a perfect place to catch what leaded around the A pillar or windshield over the last 71 years.

Interesting!  That '41 Oceano Blue is VERY close to the blue our 68 Calais was painted.

[srk1941]

That color is magnificent!