Carl 61 Fleetwood Phyllis

[Clewisiii]

Well only the outer ring is chrome. The center plate is stainless. The stainless polished up from the buffing machine.

The outer ring had rust dots. But nothing to cancerous yet. They cleaned up with just the buffing machine as well.

[6262]

Really impressive. What kind of buffing machine do you use? Do you add some sort of abrasive compound?

Well only the outer ring is chrome. The center plate is stainless. The stainless polished up from the buffing machine.

The outer ring had rust dots. But nothing to cancerous yet. They cleaned up with just the buffing machine as well.

[Clewisiii]

I finally bought one of these. Smaller then I pictured.  I would still like one of the Fleetwood Trim books like Dan LeBlanc has.

[Clewisiii]

Dang I ordered and received my digital automotive multimeter to monitor RPM during break in. But then realized it did not come with the inductive clamp for the rpm. 

So ordered that. I might not find the time to actually do all that until Christmas break.

[Clewisiii]

I have a large selection of rubber bumpers. But it still seems to never be enough. I think I have only a couple of one version that will work for my ashtray bumpers. But I guess that will be enough.

[David King (kz78hy)]

Steele rubber has them, spendy but they are available.

https://www.steelerubber.com/search?q=ash+tray

[Clewisiii]

I think I am happy for now with what I got. I will check again when I install to the complete instrument panel

[Clewisiii]

I know people have just painted the inside of their Ashtrays black. But if I cannot find reproductions I will just have mine chromed.

I know the inside will still be pitted. And most likely will not have a good uniform plating. But I can live with that.

I tested the lighters a couple of years ago. They heated up nicely.

[Clewisiii]

I have spent years trying to decide what color to paint these.

I believe they should be the same color.

One is painted over chrome, one is painted over zinc.

I believe the colors have changed or faded differently across each.

On both of them the color is different under the areas that were protected or not visible.

The chrome part has more of a bronze tint.

The zinc part has more of a dark pewter color.

When I looked at the painted blue parts the paint over stainless steel was still correct. The paint over zinc had discolored.

So I think more of the metallic bronze tint over the chrome should be correct.

I have purchased many spray cans of paint over the years trying to determine the best to use.

[Clewisiii]

So I had said this winter was going to be an interior restoration time.

I am trying to determine what will need to be rechromed and what I will need to do first. The big bezel pieces of course will be first. That is why I need to confirm the paint color I want before I strip the old paint off. But I just wanted to show off these vent pieces.

Mice had eaten through my original vent deflectors. And I was missing one chrome handle. So I have collected more pieces over the years. I think I am in a good place for parts. But now I will need to figure out the costs for new chrome plating. In the past a shop told me they did not want to mess with a small part.

[Clewisiii]

My steering wheel chrome is great. But not perfect. I will get a quote for new chrome to determine how much I care about it.

The shifter and turn signal indicator are bad. So since those will need to be new chrome I will have new chrome under old if I leave this.

[Clewisiii]

For a while I thought the inner area of the seat side trim was brushed chrome. But now I see it looks more like it was a sandblast texture. I don't know if this was plated over texture, or if it was painted.

[James Landi]

Carl,

Your focus on chrome parts jogged my memory... I owned a lovely '61 convertible back in the mid 60's through the early 1970's. It was the 62 model, but under the white paint just in front of the windshield, the fresh air inlets and the cowl piece (I think cowl is the right word), that entire piece, which is nearly the width of the car was chrome under the paint.  It remains a ''puzzlement'' to this day.  Other, unrelated  observations-- one upper shock bracket in the rear broke its wield... also, tie rods that mound under the radiator to a cross member -- that cross member broke its wield on both sides. The flex plate ''ears'' snapped in several places, so I had yet another job for an experience wielder.   This obviusly became a high mileage car, and overtime, the engine blow-by was beyond tolerable, so I rigged a pcv to the intake to vacuum up the toxic smoke. Alas, typical of high mileage GM cars of this era, the odometer locked up so I have no idea how to track these issues to mileage.  Rust through around the headlights I repaired frequently with Bondo and a rattle can. That 61 ran and ran... but way down the line, following 10 years of ownership, it refused to go into reverse. It was a lovely, durable car, and with the tires (underinflated) to factory specs, it was a joy to drive.   James 

[Clewisiii]

I packaged all the stainless that will need to be polished. This will be thousands to get them professionally mirror polished.

All the parts that will need to be painted are set aside. I will need to strip and sand them. Two parts are aluminum and will need to be polished and anodized first.

[Clewisiii]

I had two glove box bins reflocked. And in doing that I noticed a midyear change.


The early build had an offset guide pin. They must have realized that was stupid.


Because mid year they changed to an inline guide pin. They had to cut a new hole in the bin.

[Clewisiii]

My rear seat grab handle chrome is nice enough that I do not want to rechromed them. But I would like to paint them. But to do that I would need to remove the pins to separate the handle. And doing that would probably cause more damage.

[Clewisiii]

Wow, I just learned something I did not want to know.

An uncut key will turn my ignition cylinder.

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

Goes to prove that one doesn't know what someone else has done in the past.

The previous owner probably had many cars, and decided that he only needed one key, so modified all his cars to allow any key to work.

Bruce.

[Clewisiii]

An hour left tonight to tinker. I am not really going to start anything. Just looking at and thinking about stuff.

I don't know if I will repair my own steering wheel or send it out. I think these chrome pieces need to be removed then the wheel built up and repaired around them. The did not all shrink in the same direction. I do not want to add material to the dark blue section. I would rather build up the light blue since it has no texture.

[David King (kz78hy)]

The steering wheel is one part that I go all in for.  That is the thing you get to grab when driving the car, why not have it nice.  I sent my 55 Eldo wheel to Dennis Crooks and he recasts them with the transluent/color as the original, not paint.  Rechroming the divider pieces is done as well.  He had the molds for the knobs and cast those to match.  His molds have the correct texture for the grips.  It is expensive, but worth it to me.

I will send him my Eldo Brougham wheel when it goes through the fountain of youth.

https://qualityrestorations.com/cadillac-steering-wheels/