1960 Caddy goes under the knife on Bitchin' Rides tonight on Velocity channel

[chrisntam]

Just noticed Bitchin' Rides on Velocity channel will be working on a '60 Cadillac.  It may be hurtful to some based on what they've done to cars in the past.  I'll DVR it and watch it when I can.  It's a two part episode and they will be featuring other cars they are working on too, not just the Caddy.

I'm interested to see how the update the look and ride.

Just FYI.

[76eldo]

No one here for the most part likes to see a solid vintage Cadillac sliced and diced but you cannot deny that the finished product was beautiful. Their fit and finish and custom leather interiors are beautiful.

The show itself is refreshingly absent of the drama and fake deadlines and is shot over a long time period. The metal work on the car and fitting it in the custom chassis took over a year.  No phony 1 week builds on this show.

I have two 1960's and like them bone stock and correct but at least Cadillac got some attention. Vogt laugh at how overwhelmed the guys were at the number of parts, brackets, and fasteners they had to deal with to put the 60 back together.

Brian

[marty55cdv]

  Glad I have this DVRed ,  but I am in Salt Lake and have seen quite a few of Kindig-it cars in person, on TV they look amazing ... in person they look even better ! The vehicles I have seen are usually flawless.  Dave and crew are pretty much what you see on TV, like Brian says no fake drama or deadlines.  The 47 Caddy they did was a stunner and still my favorite even with the bright green motor.

[smatarese]

Looks like the car they started with already had the roof/windshield chopped. I found it interesting that they had an acrylic windshield made rather than trying to cut down an original glass windshield. It would have been nice if they kept a Cadillac engine in the car, but I can see why they went with a GM crate motor.

[76eldo]

They didn't elaborate on the back glass either but they made a special panel to replace the package tray so that is would all be painted in body color. Not sure if the changes the window angle due to the chop or not.

They made references to the chopped roof but on TV it was hard to tell how much lower it was.

The custom moldings they fabricated were very impressive too.

Brian

[59-in-pieces]

I too watched the "Copper Caddy".
As much as I believe in OEM, I couldn't help but admire the finished product - just flawless, fit, finish, trim, design - including the mods.
I had to chuckle out loud when they couldn't figure out how to rebuild the grills and corners - lucky they had pieces from another car to match.
I saw so much of myself while watching them struggle to mount the front bumper - only to find out they installed ONE bracket upside down on each side - reversed them and voila it fit - DUH.
I agree, the fake deadlines, and in fighting, and bravado of most of the similar show folks gets in the way of what I can learn from their processes - and underscores why I would not turn my restorations over to those type Bozos.
Have fun,
Steve B.

[Ralph Messina CLC 4937]

I saw the episode and agree with all the comments.....beautifully done. The guys doing the metal work are using all the correct techniques and boy do they have the forming equipment needed. The top chop was at least 2” and to my taste a bit too much. A ‘60 coupe is sleek enough stock. The reason they used the polycarb windows was to have a uniform amber tint on all pieces. I also would like to have seen what the finished rear window area looked like. 
Does anyone know whether they used a clear coat on the copper? It will tarnish in weeks.

[chrisntam]

A ‘60 coupe is sleek enough stock.

I think the coupe looks better than the 'vert.  Both forward and rearward sweeping lines.  It's a beautiful unit.

[Dan LeBlanc]

Being up here in the Great White North, it takes an extra 6 months for the TV signal to beam up here, so we don't have the episode yet.  I saw pictures of the car on Facebook this morning, and while I too am not a fan of customizing, I can appreciate the workmanship that went into the finished product.  It seems to be well done.

[rwchatham CLC 21892]

The fit and finish is fantastic. It sure puts the black one in vegas for sale to shame.

[NORTHPORTGUY]

Agree with the positive comments but  though the holes cut in the hood decorated with grill elements were excessive...

Ken Wiebke

23013

[Scot Minesinger]

I agree with the comments, beautiful car.  Wow!, that would be a great car to own.

Modified earn a bad rap because so many of them are done due to budget reasons or in bad taste, but done right they can be way better than original.  Of course we all might like a little thing here or there to be different.  If your going to spend that kind of money, I would started with a convertible instead.

That gets me to how much does something like this cost, 250k?

Also they changed the chassis (including suspension) and of course a GM crate motor.  I have owned one of my hobby cars for ten years now with no plans to sell and this 1970 Caddy is stock, so I always know what parts to buy.  For example last night had to remove the trans tail to replace o-ring on outer trans output shaft that seals against inner drive shaft so fluid leak would stop running out of drive shaft weep hole at universal joint.  Since this is likely a long term ownership, how do you know what parts to buy?  Given the low miles likely to be driven and all new components it is unlikely to need anything for a decade, but you never know.  It is the second and third decade I would be worried about.

Does anyone know cost and long term parts resolution?

Good thing that car was on the show, if not when sold it would bring less because it may not be apparent what went into it.

[76eldo]

I think most of these guys that commission cars to be built like that would just ship the car back to the builder if anything "broke".

On the the show they have freshened up a few things for customers on cars that the had built previously.

The 60 Seville chassis and parts load I bought in Ohio was from a shop that was building a custom 60 Seville on a custom chassis.  I was told the build cost for the car would be $350,000.00.  The cost of getting the low mileage 60 Seville was negligible in comparison to the final number.

I have never owned anything that expensive or that custom but I don't see cars like that getting too many actual road miles.

Brian

[chrisntam]

Can you imagine the grief that would come with the first rock kicked up into those copper fenderwells?

[rwchatham CLC 21892]

Like the owner said he didnt just want best in class he wanted the best of show. The owner will probably never drive the car more than a mile or two. It will be taken from show to show, and the owner will pay the shop to take it, show it , transport it, detail it, set it up etc and just show up on awards night to collect the awards.  My favorite part of the car was the grille inlaid into the center console.

[INTMD8]

I have never owned anything that expensive or that custom but I don't see cars like that getting too many actual road miles.

Brian

Some aren't but many that I've seen are used more after being somewhat modernized.  If I ever finish my Brougham it will be driven frequently.

[Scot Minesinger]

True the copper inner fender walls where stones would impact and compromise that beautiful finish means it is unlikely to be driven.  No way I would want a 100k plus car that I could not drive without ruining the value quickly.  Driving is the primary activity that allows me to enjoy the 1970 Cadillacs.  Working on them is fun too.  My work and family allow very little free time, but you have to drive places, hence the enjoyment.

This hiring a shop to transport your car from show to show, maintaining and etc., is just not me.  I'm sure this shop could be commissioned to build a beautiful car with durable finishes intended to be driven and enjoyed.  Hope to have enough money some day to maybe do it.

[Blu68caddy]

 I personally think what they did to that Cadillac was incredible… And pretty much along the lines of something that Harley Earl himself would have appreciated if not done himself‼️‼️‼️Well done I say to the talented folks over at Kindig-it design and Jerry Logan for his foresight in the design.







1968 Cadillac Deville convertible
1966 Oldsmobile Toronado