1968 DeVille Convertible - Restoration

[spolij]

Here is what i have. Don't know what it's for. A little over 4' long

[spolij]

Nick  So i think your saying that the fabric wraps around the front bow and gets stapled to it underneath in the tack strip then the rubber weatherstrip goes over that.

[DeVille68]

yes, something like that. Maybe your front bow has a bit different dimensions as my 68.
However, your decorative piece looks to me like a run channel of a window. Does it has some fuzzy stuff inside?
It is strange that it is only 4'' long. There is no place for a 4'' piece on this long front bow.

[spolij]

Nic The piece is 4 feet. Inside is a wire coiled up on both sides. I'll try to get a better picture.

[Roger Zimmermann]

Is that not similar to the material used to seal the roof and back window (called welt trim if I'm right) and finishing the roof installation?

[spolij]

Roger Could be, since i can't find that piece. With the wire inside i don't know how you would staple it.
But i'll check it out. Thanks
Just checked it out. It's the right length. It would staple to the same bow that the window staples to. Then you hit it with a rubber mallet. I think though i'll put a small bead of siicone under the strip.

Roger how's the weather in Switzerland ? snowy and cold here in Ohio.
Thank you all.

[Roger Zimmermann]

Roger how's the weather in Switzerland ? snowy and cold here in Ohio.

Glad you found its location!
The weather is now rather cold, under freezing point at night, not much "warmer" during the day. Snow is forecasted for Wednesday. I cannot wait Springtime!

[spolij]

Ah yes spring lol
Can't find a replacement on the net. I'll call a convertible place today.
John

[spolij]

Roger I found that piece. It's called a (wire on). $39.

[DeVille68]

This post is about attention to details - a few months ago I was reading through my notes for the engine rebuild and noticed that the shop manual mentioned a fast warm-up feature. I never head of that before!

So it turns out that there is a special passage below the thermostat that is open as long as the thermostat is cold, when the thermostat is warm this passage is blocked off. This passage is a recirculation feature which recirculates some part of the hot engine block water again through the block instead of through the radiator. Hence the water is cooled less and the engine warms up faster.
You can see attached four pictures, the first two show a zoomed in view of the neck below the thermostat. You can see that the correct and the "wrong" thermostat look about the same, so both recirculate the water when cold.

However, when the thermostat is warm only the correct thermostat blocks the recirculation passage, as you can see in the picture. The "wrong" one still allows for some recirculation.

--> So the next time you experience overheating issues it might be clever to check out the thermostat and make sure that it is the correct Cadillac type thermostat.

I have bough two from jegs, the part numbers are:
Gates for 180°F:
   # jegs: 465-33058
   # gates: 33058

Gates for 195°F.
   # jegs: 465-33059
   # gates: 33059

Attached is a picture of the correct gates thermostat and of a original one.

Best regards,
Nicolas

[DeVille68]

Next up: My engine rebuilder had the opinion that the American V8 usually have too little oil capacity and the oil tends to be hot.
So I thought, well I might add a sensor, just to see what the temperature actually is.

I ordered those parts:
Jegs Transmission Pan Drain Plug 1/2''-20 Male x 1/8'' NPT Female
# 555-60175

Contains:
Adapter for the oil pan hole and 1/8'' sensor. Plus a nut for the back-side and a plug to be able to remove the sensor

Jegs Coolant Temperature Sender 1/8'' NPT
# 555-41366

Below you can see in the pictures that this is pretty straightforward. I quickly added a wire to the sensor too, I will put this at an angle as soon as I have installed the engine.
Might not be driving with this sensor all the time, but it is nice to know what the temperatures are.

Best regards,
Nicolas

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

Nice to know what goes on inside the engine, but I wouldn't be too worried about stuff like that as Cadillac spent millions of Dollars getting it right before releasing the engines to the public, with exception of the HT4100, and correct oil temperature is one reason why these engines last so long.

Plus, another reason why GM doesn't fit Oil Pressure gauges to the dash boards, and just idiot lights.

Remember when cars had Oil Pressure, Ampere Meters and Water Temperature gauges in the Dash array?   Now, just the fuel tank Level is all that is needed.

Bruce.

PS.   My Wifes' BMW doesn't have an Engine Dipstick.   Just an electronic gauge to check the oil level.   Spent hours looking for the Dipstick, and as is the case, "if all else fails, read the manual".   The Diesel version has a Dipstick, so why not the petrol? 

[DeVille68]

Hi Bruce

Yes, that is probably correct. But I am an engineer, so finding out what temperature the oil has is just something that interests me. Probably going to remove the sensor after some time. I did not buy the gauge, I will just use my multimeter. I don't want to have those gauges in the interior anyways.

Best regards,
Nicolas

[spolij]

Nic don't forget the heat riser. It has a lot to do with the engine warm up.

[savemy67]

Hello Nicolas,

I would think that you should get some useful data from the oil temp sensor.  If you combine the data you get from the oil temp sensor with data from a coolant sensor, you should be able to pinpoint when your engine is fully warmed-up.

Many of us do have a small concern with starting our cars, and running them for a short time in cold weather, as this may promote condensation of water vapor in the crankcase.  You may get data that allows you to determine the time needed to minimize potential condensation issues.

I am not an engineer, but I too find this sort of information useful to help get the best out of our engines.  Now, where did I put my pocket-protector and slide rule...

Christopher Winter

[DeVille68]

Yep, will keep you updated on the engine oil temp project.

First progress on the engine rebuild:
Installed the dowel pins for the heads, those are not shown in the engine exploded drawing, so I ordered to wrong ones. Had to order some from Germany. Finally, they arrived last week. The dowel pins for the heads are 5/16 x 5/8'' (four needed), those for the manifold are 1/4'' x 1/2'' (two needed) and those for the front cover are 5/16'' x 5/8'' (two needed).
My plan was to drill and tap the dowel pins for the heads, but I got some hardened ones, now I don't have a thread in them. Well I don't want to open up the engine any time soon!

Now heads are installed and torqued, connecting rods have assembly lube on the bearings and torqued to spec.
Today I painted the engine, took me about 4-5 hours to mask everything and clean twice with acetone and once with brake cleaner.
Painted with rattle can from Bill Hirsch - Cadillac Blue. Very nice color, easy to spray.

Pan, manifold, front cover, valve cover were already painted about 10 months ago!

Tomorrow I hope to start assemble more things.

Best regards,
Nicolas

[spolij]

Nic is blue the oem color for the whole engine?

[Roger Zimmermann]

It seems to me that the plugs in front of each head are not expanded enough. I see just a slight indentation, (see the arrows on the picture); is that deep enough?

[savemy67]

Hello Nicolas,

This is just a suggestion.  If you apply masking tape to the entire machined surface and extend the tape over the edge of the machined surface, you can use a soft-faced hammer (bronze, lead, plastic) to tap the edge of the machined surface all the way around the part.  The edge of the casting is sharp enough to cut the tape, which you can then peel off, leaving the machined surface perfectly masked.

Roger's question makes me ask, did the plugs come with an engine kit for your 68's 472, or did you order the plugs separately?

John, the dark blue was the original engine color from 1949 through about 1976.

Christopher Winter

[DeVille68]

Nic is blue the oem color for the whole engine?

Yes, depends. Some parts are semi gloss black, some are unpainted.
Here is a list of parts that I assembled, information from shop manual, Cadillac Authenticity Manual.

Cadillac Blue:
- Engine Block
- intake manifold (including vacuum nippels)
- heads
- Valve Cover
- oil pan
- oil pump  ( not sure, could be bare aluminium)
- Breather cap and tube
- Front cover
- Water pump and fittings
- fuel pump
- fuel filter
- Alternator hold down
- engine hooks
- igition coil bracket
- thermostat housing
- dip stick and tube
- timing pointer
- Distributor Vacuum advance canister
- Distributor hold down
- Kick down switch braket
- cover flywheel between engine and transmission

- mani fasteners too, the engine was originally painted after assembly



semi gloss black:
- crank pulley (actually blue, but I'll paint it black)
- water pump pulley
- power steering pump
- power steering pulley and braket



bare aluminium:
- Distributor shaft
- oil pump


Manifold gray:
- exhaust manifold