Janice's 1974 Persian Lime Firemist Eldo Convertible

[hornetball]

The door is a wet environment and those relays and connectors do not look to be sealed units...otherwise a nice solution.   I am probably looking at it with my GM engineering hat on, but felt I should note not that there is a reason sealed connectors and parts are used in side closures.

David

Yes, this is only mocked up at this stage.  I'm waiting for some connector parts to come and then am planning to seal up with self-fusing silicone tape.

[hornetball]

I managed to free-up the frozen one I had, and replaced the rubber sleeve with a section of bicycle tubing.

How did you free it?  I did some searching around and didn't come up with much.  I'd love to get my OEM's freed up and working again.

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

What I did was to carefully unfold the crimped end and removed the end.

I used a mixture of side-cutter and pincers to carefully fold the metal back, and a hammer to reverse the procedure.   It doesn't matter if the metal tears in places, as the replacement rubber sleeve seals it back up.

The shaft unscrews from the plunger, and I just persevered with getting the solid plunger out, cleaning it up, and then re-assembling it.

I will see if I can find the rest of the pictures and post them.

Bruce.

[MaR]

There is also a person that "remanufactures" them by cutting a slit down the side of the body and then clamping them back together with hose clamps. I don't think that that method would be a long lasting repair.

[hornetball]

There is also a person that "remanufactures" them by cutting a slit down the side of the body and then clamping them back together with hose clamps. I don't think that that method would be a long lasting repair.

I saw that.  Looks goofy.  I'll give Bruce's method a try.  Are your locks working or seized?

[MaR]

I saw that.  Looks goofy.  I'll give Bruce's method a try.  Are your locks working or seized?

Seized up completely. I have several good ones that have the wrong brackets so I'm going to try and free up the stock ones for the heck of it.

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

What you have to remember is they they are just an electro-magnet, with a free-floating central lump of steel (Plunger) that is supposed to move either way when voltage is applied.

What causes the seizure is rusting is the plunger, causing it to expand around the sides, gripping the outer container.

Removing the rust, without destroying the electrical component is the clue, so be careful with the rust removal.

If the worst came to the worst, I would simply drill out the metal plunger, and then spin up a replacement in my lathe.

Bruce.

[hornetball]

What causes the seizure is rusting is the plunger, causing it to expand around the sides, gripping the outer container.

Removing the rust, without destroying the electrical component is the clue, so be careful with the rust removal.

If I can get it opened up, I was planning to try a long-term soak in Evaporust.  According to this, it should be OK for the windings and other electrical components.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwEJfnL77Nw

Maybe?

[MaR]

If I can get it opened up, I was planning to try a long-term soak in Evaporust.  According to this, it should be OK for the windings and other electrical components.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwEJfnL77Nw

Maybe?

I read up on how evaporust works; I don't see any issues with soaking it. The only way it could cause a problem is if the insulation varnish has broken down on the coils. If it's to that point though, it was going to electrically fail soon enough anyway.

[hornetball]

Still waiting for my paint appointment and continuing the journey on other doodads.

I bought a "RetroSound" radio to replace the non-functioning OEM AM/FM 8-Track.  Got it mounted.  I think it looks pretty good!  I was able to re-use the stock knobs.  The outer knobs worked out of the box.  I had to file the shafts a little bit to get the inner knobs on.


Modern radios need 4 ohm speakers, and the RetroSound radio won't work with a speaker that is referenced to chassis ground like OEM.  So, putting new speakers and speaker wiring as well.




Here's my new seat!  A corded race tire from my Miata with a towel thrown over.  Works well and gives a core work out while driving.  Drove around a bit today.  This will be sufficient for getting the car to the body shop.


Honest John's is about an hour from my house, so I went up there to take a look.  He's a great guy (so is Allen) and has a LOT more stuff than what appears on his website.




Poking around the yard with Allen, I noticed a derelict Eldo with Westerns.  Score!  They're in pretty nice shape.  I'll get them spruced up and they'll be a nice addition.  From the stickers, they were manufactured in 1983.  That's when I met Janice (love at first sight, seriously)!  Ronald Reagan was President and I was an enthusiastic Midshipman at the Naval Academy back then dreaming of getting my hands on a brand new F/A-18, which I managed to do a few years later.  Ahhh . . . good ol' days.

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

Congratulations on picking up the Westons with the caps.   Mine are different.   I have two sets and use them on my own '72 Eldo.   5 on the car, and 3 spares.

Bruce.

[hornetball]

John only had 3 of the caps like those in your picture Bruce.  He had 4 of the ones he threw in.  I've also seen pictures of these wheels used with chrome lug nuts and smaller center caps -- looks kind of sporty.


Not sure which way I'll go at the moment.

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

When I was building my '37 Chev Hot Rod, I came across the Western Bullet wheels, and purchased a set back in 1978 because they have the cap covering the nuts.   I still have those wheels, plus a few more of differing sizes for other projects.

When I got my Eldo, I started looking for the Western Cyclone II wheels to fit on the car, as they really look good to me, and having the nuts being covered really adds class.

Bruce.

[hornetball]

Getting ready to pull the steering wheel for restoration.  I was surprised that I couldn't find a description of the procedure in the FSM.  I have a wheel puller and am familiar with pulling steering wheels in general.  But I haven't ever pulled a Cadillac steering wheel nor a telescopic steering wheel (this car has the tilt/telescope option).  Any gotcha's?

[Cadillac Fleetwood]

Rick,
Pulling the steering wheel on a T&T equipped car is not difficult.  Remove the horn pad; there are three 5/16" (IIRC) hex nuts on the back side, one in each spoke. Lift the horn pad and carefully remove the horn connector. It twists, and has tangs and notches like a bulb in a socket.  Move the telescoping lever to the "release" position.  Three 5/16" hex nuts hold the adjusting lever to the T&T lock.  Before removing the nuts, you may want to mark the position of the lever to the lock, so it can be re-installed in the same position. You will note that there are slots in the lock portion, and extra screw holes in the release portion, which permit adjustment of the lock and release.  When released, with the lever at the left-hand extremity, the wheel will telescope freely, without any scraping or binding.  When locked, with the lever nearly at the right-hand extremity, the wheel should remain locked, and a firm tug on the wheel should not cause it to move.

Remove the nut holding the wheel to the center shaft.  There is a line or mark on the center shaft for alignment purposes.  Make a reference mark on the center of the wheel aligning with that mark, so that the wheel can be re-installed in the same position.  Use a conventional steering wheel puller, threading two hex bolts into the threaded holes straddling the center of the wheel. Place a washer or some other suitable metallic item, on top of the shaft, in order to protect the threads on the shaft, and to prevent distortion of the top of the shaft, where you will observe a hollow core. Snug up the puller by hand, and then use a box end wrench or socket and ratchet to tighten the center bolt. In less than two turns, the wheel should pop off the column. It is a tight "press-fit".  If you notice any rust in this area, you may want to use some penetrating lubricant before attempting to pull the wheel.

There will be a large wire coil spring on the back side of the wheel and shroud assembly.  That furnishes the ground for the horn, and makes contact with a plastic disc containing brass contacts. Re-assembly is the reverse of the above.

In order to achieve the appropriate lock adjustment on re-assembly, once the wheel is in position and the center nut torqued properly, thread the lock (with the adjusting lever behind it) into the center hole. When you reach the point where you can no longer turn it by hand, check whether the wheel will telescope.  If it does, use a screwdriver in one of the slots on the lock and continue to turn the lock until the wheel cannot be telescoped.  Then re-insert the three screws and tighten.  Operate the lever several times, and using the slots, fine-tune the adjustment if required, to obtain free movement when unlocked, and complete locking when tightened.

In the salvage yards in the past, for lack of a steering wheel puller, I have removed the wheel by releasing the T&T, removing the center nut, and giving the shaft a forceful, well-placed strike with a hammer. I am then left with the steering wheel in my hand, and the center shaft driven down into the column. This is NOT RECOMMENDED, but I did resort to that method on cars that were obviously going to the crusher.

-Charles Fares

[hornetball]

Thanks Charles.  Very clear.

[hornetball]

Got the car off to the body shop for paint on Wednesday.

Had the Westerns restored by an outfit called RimSpec LLC in Grand Prarie.  They got the wheels perfectly straight and then replicated the original machined and black finish all sealed up in powder coat clear.  The pictures don't do justice, they really pop!

[MaR]

Those turned out great!

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

Looking closely at the wheels, I see a slight issue over the originals. 

The spokes should be exactly 90 Degrees on the edges, and not rolled over like yours have been done, and the actual outside surface should not be as deeply "grooved".

I have sets that I purchased new, and the Bullet wheel and the Cyclone II wheels, which is the Cadillac FWD wheel, have surface finishes both the same.   Not polished at all, just finely machined.

But, having said that, with so few sets still around, yours still look nice.

One day I will get around to painting the insides of mine.

Bruce.

[hornetball]

Bruce, I think what you are seeing is the difference in thickness between clear paint (per original) and clear powder coat which is much thicker and glossier.  There wasn't any "rolling over" on the spokes during the machining, it is a sharp 90 beneath the clear.  I agree that the machining isn't quite as fine as the original, but I was excited they were able to replicate it pretty closely.  Most of these that I see redone are just powder coated aluminum and you lose the machined surface altogether.

I didn't have much choice.  3 of the wheels had deep curb rash in the spokes (since that is what sticks out).  During repair, the shop filled those gouges with TIG and then re-machined the surface.  I'm really happy with the job they did and I hope the powder coating is durable (should be).

If you don't like the thickness/gloss of the powder coating process, then make sure you stick with paint instead if you ever redo yours.  From what I could see of the originals, Western used a satin clear paint after machining the surface.