My newly acquired 1974 Eldorado convertible project car

[MaR]

Great work as always!  I like your brackets.  That will make the console installation really clean.

I'm really pleased with the way it's turning out. I probably going to mount a small Bluetooth 4 channel amp on the bracket to run the audio system. Since the Talisman console was designed to fit in a RWD car it will need a riser to be at the correct height. That extra room under the console will be plenty of space for the amp.

[MaR]

Whenever I think I have gotten all of the interior parts re-dyed, I find another dozen or so parts that still need work....

[MaR]

I have been putting off working on the steering column for a while. On the '74 CDV I had years ago, I tried to do some work on the column and the end result was me having to hold the column up out of my lap while I took a trip to the junk yard to get a replacement column...
Like everything else, the column itself needs refinishing and the key in buzzer switch is stuck on all the time. I was hoping that the buzzer switch was just crudded up but after a can of contact cleaner sprayed in every direction possible, there was no change. On top of that, all of the various levers were rusty and needed to have their plastic part refinished as well. With the column already out of the car, I started removing parts to get to the key in switch. I started by removing the rubber bumper and the plastic retainer.







The retainer crumbled into bits but it's a readily available part in the aftermarket so it's no big deal. With the retainer removed, the lock plate retainer clip is exposed. To get the lock plate out you have to lock the telescopic rod in place with a bolt and then use a special lock plate spring compressor to push the lock plate down to remove the clip. The clip will then just slide out by hand.









In this slightly blurry pic, you can see the contacts for the key in switch. To get the switch out, use a 90 degree bent pick to grab the retainer clip and just pull the entire switch out of the column. The switch itself just needed the contacts adjusted internally so they have an airgap when it's in the normal position.







Next up was to get the turn signal stalk out. It VITALLY important to attach a fish wire to the end of the cruise button connector before you pull it back through the column. If you don't, you won't be able to get the cable back though the column without taking the whole thing apart. To unscrew the turn signal stalk, pull enough of the cable back though the column so you can loop it over the end of the stalk as you unscrew it. This will keep you from wrapping it around the stalk and damaging the wire. Once you have the stalk out, I like to take the fish cable and tie both ends together so it's not likely to get caught on something and getting pulled out. When I got the stalk and cable out, I found out that one wire was already rubbed through and the others look damaged. I will fix those after I refinish the stalk.









And that's it so far. Next up will be to refinish the column and stalks and then get everyting put back together.

[hornetball]

Is the end of your CC stalk black or a badly faded red?

I'm amazed at all the specialized tools and knowledge you have.  Have you been doing this professionally?

[MaR]

Is the end of your CC stalk black or a badly faded red?

I'm amazed at all the specialized tools and knowledge you have.  Have you been doing this professionally?

Badly faded red. My father was an aircraft mechanic so I gained a lot of knowledge from him and I have been tinkering with cars all my life. That also leads you to have lots and lots of tools...

[MaR]

Another weekend update. The reproduction horn contact retainer arrived for the steering column and it popped right back in place. This let me finish reassembling the inside of the column and move on to paint.









I also refinished the HAZARD switch endcap. I think it's supposed to have white lettering but I like the results with the chrome pen.







I have a number of ideas on how to restore my steering wheel. In the meantime, I have a spare wheel that I'm going to do a quick and dirty restoration on so I have something to point the car with. First off is to fill the cracks with epoxy. I'm working on it between other parts so updates on it will happen when they happen.

[MaR]

Next up is to get the HVAC box back on the firewall. The box itself I have already cleaned up and is ready to install but the vacuum harness is super dirty and needs some attention.









As you can see, it's quite dirty for something that lives under the dash. Here it is all cleaned up:







I also went ahead and cleaned up the floor defuser so I could mount it on the HVAC box.









Now I could put the vacuum harness back on the HVAC box:





And mount the box to the firewall:





While I was in the car, I also fitted the center console bracket after I spotwelded the mounts to the center plate. Next up for the bracket will be to locate the console forward/rearward, set the height, and then make the "U" brackets that will be welded on to hold the console in place.

[MaR]

I also cleaned up and rewrapped the main dash harness with the fuse box. The harness was not super dirty but the wire wrap was coming apart and needed to be redone.









And here it is after it was rewrapped and cleaned up.

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

What are all the holes for that are between the front and back plates of the console mount?   Were you looking for oil?

Bruce.

[MaR]

What are all the holes for that are between the front and back plates of the console mount?   Were you looking for oil?

Bruce.

On the seat rail plates or the console bracket?

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

On the floor, covered by the black "paint".   There is a row of them, front to back.

Bruce.

[MaR]

On the floor, covered by the black "paint".   There is a row of them, front to back.

Bruce.

Beats me, they were both like that from the factory.

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

They don't look very "Factoryish" to me.   Not in alignment, and oddly spaced.

Bruce.

[hornetball]

My car doesn't have those holes.  Mine was also a bench seat car and only has the threaded inserts for seat mounting at the edges by the door openings, nothing in the middle.

[MaR]

They don't look very "Factoryish" to me.   Not in alignment, and oddly spaced.

Bruce.

Here is the best shot I have of it before I coated the floor with POR-15:




I agree that they do look odd but they were in the brackets before the body was painted and if you look carefully, you can see the staggered "pattern" is a mirror image from one bracket to the other.

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

Thanks Michael,

I remember that picture, and was going to ask the same question back then, but didn't.

Would be interesting to know the reason for them.

Bruce.

[MaR]

Thanks Michael,

I remember that picture, and was going to ask the same question back then, but didn't.

Would be interesting to know the reason for them.

Bruce.

I was wondering the same thing. They are too big to hold wiring harness clips, the floor pan is right under the holes so not much could stick though the hole. Maybe it's a common GM part and it has a use in some other vehicle.

[MaR]

I acquired a replacement turn signal lever form Charles here on the forum. The chrome is in great condition and the wiring is not damaged like it is on mine. I immediately prepped it and sprayed it to match my interior. I'm not sure if they are all this way but both my stock lever and this new one have a black button and a color keyed outer bezel. I'm sticking with that setup. It's a bit tedious to tape off the center button but doable. I used a paint can lid opener to push the button down while I was spraying it to be good coverage.









Here is the column with it's topcoat and then the column installed with the levers in place.

[MaR]

Before I could put the brake pedal assembly back on the car, I had to address the ripped boot on the pedal side of the vacuum booster. There were also loose parts rattling around between the boot and the booster. I started by removing the booster. It was a bit rusty so I was going to also take the opportunity to clean it up.





Here you can see the ripped boot and the pieces that were loose on the actuator shaft. It turns out that the parts had just come unseated and I was able to just press them back into place and then put on a new boot. The total repair was about $5 in parts.













I really wanted the look of cadmium plating but not enough to actually have it replated. I have seen a number of painting techniques to simulate cad plating so I figured I would give it a shot. Worst case is that I hate it and I just paint it black. First off (after cleaning it up) is to give it a silver base coat.




Next I gave it splotches of red and green. I used transparent paint that lets the silver show through.





After that (while the red and green were still wet) I gave it thin gold topcoat. I have seen instructions that say to do the red and green after the gold but when I tested that, it just looked like red and green spray paint on top of gold. The way I did it made the colors blend much more evenly. It's not going to fool any judges at Pebble Beach but it's more than adequate for me.









With the vacuum booster back in the car, I was finally able to mount he brake pedal assembly.

[MaR]

It seems that there is an unending supply of wiring harnesses.
Before:





After:





I won't bore you will shot after shot of harness so lets skip to the end where I'm putting them back in the car. Here is the fuse panel harness and upper cross harness mounted along with the center top support bracket. All the wiring tucked neatly back into their retainers and I was able to tie a few things back even further to keep things from shifting around in the future.












I also installed the rigid ducts from the HVAC box. The defroster duct is retained at the top with metal tab that are twisted to keep the duct from popping back out of place.











The next step will be to install the large cast dash frame. I will install it as soon as I have it cleaned up.