Waking up my inherited 67 Eldorado

[K_Cassutt]

Montana 67  Eldorado update. The engine bay is cleaned out and a few parts ordered. However, the most amusing discovery is I am now known as the owner of the car that caught fire during the town's summer celebration. Caddy owners have notoriety, I guess.

[K_Cassutt]

I asked my daughter to paint a pic of my 67 Caddy. I gave her the bottle of pinecrest green I bought for paint matching following the fire.  She faithfully drew and painted the car, including the scorch marks. Her warped sense of humor is genetic, I fear.

[K_Cassutt]

I just spoke with my mechanic. "The Beast" as he calls my 67 Eldorado is under the wrench as I write.
I ask all Classy Caddy owners to turn on their troublelights and point them toward Montana for a moment of silence....

[hornetball]

Mine is pointed . . . .

[Cadillac Fleetwood]

Four flashlights and a fluorescent trouble light pointed in that direction.  May the spirit of enlightenment moveth over the darkness...

-Charles Fares

[67_Eldo]

It might not hurt to also ask your credit-card company to raise a credit limit in your honor as well. :-)

[35-709]

 

[K_Cassutt]

It might not hurt to also ask your credit-card company to raise a credit limit in your honor as well. :-)

I am finding multiple sources for parts-air cleaners, washer tanks to name two. Seems everything is $150-300.
Daughter and I are so looking forward to driving the car this summer-
kcassutt

[K_Cassutt]

IT'S....ALIVE! i.e. its running again
My mechanic repaired the damage caused by my fire.
He declined to install the new glass bowl fuel filter.  Claims they are a fire hazard. (Such a nice way to tell the customer how he burned up his car).

I'm waiting for an invoice 

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

I would be more concerned about a plastic filter than a glass one.

Can't see how a glass one would cause a fire, unless it was incorrectly fitted.

Bruce.

[67_Eldo]

Seems everything is $150-300.

That's about right.

Everything that costs $15-30 from conventional salvage cars is $150-300 for a '67 Eldorado.

[cadillacmike68]

Congrats on it running again.

How about a refreshed picture of the engine compartment?

[James Landi]

Make sure that your vacuum advance on the distributor is working.. If you don't already own a vacuum gauge, I urge you to purchase on and research how to use it-- you can check the advance with it.  Your Cadillac does a lot of automatic functions with manifold engine vacuum, and those tiny 1/8 hoses, small plastic check valves, and various vacuum "motors" can cause your engine to run poorly if there are vacuum leaks.  Tracking down leaks with a vacuum gauge is not something that you want to pay a mechanic to do.... it's time consuming, but it's relatively simply work--- somewhat like finding the bad bulb in a string of CHristmas lights.    Hope this helps--- love those cars.   James

[TJ Hopland]

Anyone know if he for sure needs a 67 eldo air cleaner setup or will other years and models work?  68-78 I don't think there was a difference between Eldo and RWD cars.     

If you don't have the AC compressor in place just about anything should fit as long as its not so tall it hits the hood.    Some of the smaller aftermarket ones will clear the ac compressor too but they are not the common 15" or so ones that are cheap and easy to find.   I want to say I had an 11" on one car that cleared the original compressor. 

[K_Cassutt]

Update. My mechanic just called me.  He says he's driving it around!!
Here are some items on his squawk list.  I submit to the Caddy Corporate for advice and commentary.

1. "Soft plug" in block is dripping antifreeze.  We are hopeful that "stop leak" will repair.  Otherwise its pull the engine. Thoughts?  Common problem? Ideas to fix, etc.

2. Turn signal.  The cool turn signal driver's side does not work due to burned wires.  Repair requires bumper removal. Really-remove bumper?

3. Vacuum covers open to reveal non-working headlamps.  Culprit is thought to be light switch. I would spray it with WD-40? Other thoughts?

4. Muffler needs attention. Sure.

Daughter's smile when she learned it's moving and she will drive it this summer.....priceless!

I have a phone interview for a job in an hour.  This puts me it a Cadillac frame of mind!

[35-709]

As to the non-working headlights --- could also be the dimmer switch.

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

Boy, what a list.

(1)   If the "soft plug" is dripping, it needs to be replaced, and if that was the case, then the rest of them will most probable be leaking soon, as these things rust out from the inside.   The "Stop Leak" install is only a temporary fix, and depends where the plug is situated, it will mean that the engine will need to be pulled.   Replace with Brass Plugs.   Never go back to the cheap steel ones.

(2)   Turn Signal.   Don't know.   BUT, if the wires are burnt out, it could also be causing the Headlights (3) to not be working.

(3)   I would be checking the individual lights first, and trace back.

Bruce.

[67_Eldo]

1. "Soft plug" in block is dripping antifreeze.

Ugh. The "right" answer is the expensive answer. I hate magical fluid "fixes" but I just resorted to one myself. It seems that I had a tiny leak in the cooling system that is due either to a flawed head gasket or tiny crack in a cylinder head. I flushed out the cooling system a few times, bypassed the heater core, removed the thermostat, and added water + K&W "Fiberlock" (with nanotechnology!). I used a half of the big green K&W bottle -- pouring it in very slowly -- and ran it for a few days (approximately 200 miles plus lots of long idle sessions). Flushed the water out, saw a few remaining unwelcome bubbles, dumped the second half of the K&W bottle in (plus water), ran it for about 200 more miles, and then replaced the water with good ol' green antifreeze (after re-connecting the heater and putting in a new 180-degree-F thermostat). So far, so good.

In your case, it can't hurt to give some cooling-system sealant a try, but do what you can to not clog the heater core or get tripped up by a pesky thermostat.

2. Turn signal.  The cool turn signal driver's side does not work due to burned wires.  Repair requires bumper removal. Really-remove bumper?

The turn signal is doable without removing the bumper, although the wiring insulation may well be melted to the sheet metal somewhere along the way. If your car is a California car -- with the A.I.R. filter taking up some space up against the driver's side fender -- I'd probably remove that to get more wiggle room.

The turn-signal wiring takes a certain amount of determination to attack, but it isn't really that bad. The ability to work blind is a big plus because you have to stick your hand up under the top of the fender to rotate the bulb socket free ... if it isn't all melted together. I'd follow the wiring harness out to the last point where you can easily inspect the wiring and then I'd cut the wires there and splice new wiring in.

That splicing might be easier if you removed the turn-signal housing from the fender. There are a couple of little nuts that hold the turn-signal housing in place. If you can see them, it isn't tough to do. :-)

One (or two) things that will help you figure out what goes where is the camera in your phone and, better yet, an endoscope. The best way to visualize how things fit together is to seek out turn-signal-housing listings on eBay and look at the photographs. You can then compare those photos to the ones you took by sticking your phone up into the fender and snapping away blindly. :-)

3. Vacuum covers open to reveal non-working headlamps.

The electrical part of the Eldorado light switch is the same as the lights switches used on GM products for years. Then, behind the electrical switch, there, operated by the same Lights-control shaft, is the vacuum valve that controls the headlight doors. You can pay a gazillion dollars for a Eldorado-specific vacuum-enhanced switch or you can separate the uncommon vacuum mechanism from the very-common electrical section and replace the electrical section. The electrical switch is available everywhere. To be sure, rebuilding the combined vacuum-electrical switch takes a certain amount of patience and a steady hand. Move slowly because the switch contains little springs and little balls that will pop out as soon as they're able to do so. Take lots of pictures as you disassemble it.

Go to eBay or Google images and look at the structure of the GM headlight switches of the 60s onward.

BTW, don't try to "wing it" when messing with the Lights switch. It's a funny little doodad that is held together via its own unique logic. Have the manual at hand.

Removing the Lights switch from the dash is sort of a pain (as is any operation related to working on the Eldorado's dashboard). Have your small tools for tight spaces at hand.

Or it could be a fuse. :-)

In my case, I'm replacing the headlight-door vacuum canisters with electric linear actuators. Being too lazy to fabricate and wire up two switches on the single factory Lights shaft, I'll just add another DPDT switch to the vast Bat-array of other switches I've already accumulated.

4. Muffler needs attention.

If you *need* to keep your car absolutely "original," then ignore this advice. But if you want it to run a bit better (a common real-world scenario), then this would be a good opportunity to switch to dual exhausts. The 429 wants to process lots and lots of air and dual exhausts help it do so. On my car, the exhaust guy was surprised by the presence of the auto-leveling sensor on the top of the rear "axle" (on the passenger side). Since I'm not using the auto-leveling setup, we removed that sensor when he ran the new pipe. But I think there's enough clearance there to preserve the sensor, routing the exhaust around it. You have to have an exhaust guy who isn't in a huge hurry.

What daughter wouldn't want to have dual exhaust?!?

Good luck!

[bcroe]

A dual exhaust system will perform best with less noise, if there
is a crossover pipe near the engine. 

A long time ago I got tired of replacing exhaust systems.  Now I
make them up once, from 304 stainless steel.  Bruce Roe

[K_Cassutt]

Thank you! Your comments are priceless. I will have a copy of them when I am with my car.

I think my mechanic is growing fond of this car. I do pay him promptly. I expect to have him pull the engine next year and replace plugs along with other things. I can quit anytime, I am already telling myself.
I rh

A dual exhaust system will perform best with less noise, if there
is a crossover pipe near the engine. 

A long time ago I got tired of replacing exhaust systems.  Now I
make them up once, from 304 stainless steel.  Bruce Roe

quote author=67_Eldo link=topic=156524.msg459607#msg459607 date=1586228234]
1. "Soft plug" in block is dripping antifreeze.

Ugh. The "right" answer is the expensive answer. I hate magical fluid "fixes" but I just resorted to one myself. It seems that I had a tiny leak in the cooling system that is due either to a flawed head gasket or tiny crack in a cylinder head. I flushed out the cooling system a few times, bypassed the heater core, removed the thermostat, and added water + K&W "Fiberlock" (with nanotechnology!). I used a half of the big green K&W bottle -- pouring it in very slowly -- and ran it for a few days (approximately 200 miles plus lots of long idle sessions). Flushed the water out, saw a few remaining unwelcome bubbles, dumped the second half of the K&W bottle in (plus water), ran it for about 200 more miles, and then replaced the water with good ol' green antifreeze (after re-connecting the heater and putting in a new 180-degree-F thermostat). So far, so good.

In your case, it can't hurt to give some cooling-system sealant a try, but do what you can to not clog the heater core or get tripped up by a pesky thermostat.

2. Turn signal.  The cool turn signal driver's side does not work due to burned wires.  Repair requires bumper removal. Really-remove bumper?

The turn signal is doable without removing the bumper, although the wiring insulation may well be melted to the sheet metal somewhere along the way. If your car is a California car -- with the A.I.R. filter taking up some space up against the driver's side fender -- I'd probably remove that to get more wiggle room.

The turn-signal wiring takes a certain amount of determination to attack, but it isn't really that bad. The ability to work blind is a big plus because you have to stick your hand up under the top of the fender to rotate the bulb socket free ... if it isn't all melted together. I'd follow the wiring harness out to the last point where you can easily inspect the wiring and then I'd cut the wires there and splice new wiring in.

That splicing might be easier if you removed the turn-signal housing from the fender. There are a couple of little nuts that hold the turn-signal housing in place. If you can see them, it isn't tough to do. :-)

One (or two) things that will help you figure out what goes where is the camera in your phone and, better yet, an endoscope. The best way to visualize how things fit together is to seek out turn-signal-housing listings on eBay and look at the photographs. You can then compare those photos to the ones you took by sticking your phone up into the fender and snapping away blindly. :-)

3. Vacuum covers open to reveal non-working headlamps.

The electrical part of the Eldorado light switch is the same as the lights switches used on GM products for years. Then, behind the electrical switch, there, operated by the same Lights-control shaft, is the vacuum valve that controls the headlight doors. You can pay a gazillion dollars for a Eldorado-specific vacuum-enhanced switch or you can separate the uncommon vacuum mechanism from the very-common electrical section and replace the electrical section. The electrical switch is available everywhere. To be sure, rebuilding the combined vacuum-electrical switch takes a certain amount of patience and a steady hand. Move slowly because the switch contains little springs and little balls that will pop out as soon as they're able to do so. Take lots of pictures as you disassemble it.

Go to eBay or Google images and look at the structure of the GM headlight switches of the 60s onward.

BTW, don't try to "wing it" when messing with the Lights switch. It's a funny little doodad that is held together via its own unique logic. Have the manual at hand.

Removing the Lights switch from the dash is sort of a pain (as is any operation related to working on the Eldorado's dashboard). Have your small tools for tight spaces at hand.

Or it could be a fuse. :-)

In my case, I'm replacing the headlight-door vacuum canisters with electric linear actuators. Being too lazy to fabricate and wire up two switches on the single factory Lights shaft, I'll just add another DPDT switch to the vast Bat-array of other switches I've already accumulated.

4. Muffler needs attention.

If you *need* to keep your car absolutely "original," then ignore this advice. But if you want it to run a bit better (a common real-world scenario), then this would be a good opportunity to switch to dual exhausts. The 429 wants to process lots and lots of air and dual exhausts help it do so. On my car, the exhaust guy was surprised by the presence of the auto-leveling sensor on the top of the rear "axle" (on the passenger side). Since I'm not using the auto-leveling setup, we removed that sensor when he ran the new pipe. But I think there's enough clearance there to preserve the sensor, routing the exhaust around it. You have to have an exhaust guy who isn't in a huge hurry.

What daughter wouldn't want to have dual exhaust?!?

Good luck!
[/quote]