Lovey, the 1955 Eldorado restoration story

[David King (kz78hy)]

This is the story of Lovey…the rebirth of a ’55 Eldorado.  The car was made on 12/10/54 with the order placed 16th in line from when orders were accepted at the Cadillac plant on Clark St. in Detroit, Michigan.  The original buyer died before taking delivery of the car.  The Autobiography of Wallace Lovell I received with the car has the original buyer’s life history and the car is mentioned a few times in his work.  When Mr. Lovell went to the Detroit Cadillac dealer in 1958 to purchase a car, he found this unsold ’55 in the service area covered up and inquired about it.  The car must have been tied up in settling the first buyer’s estate and was not retailed until 1958.  The car found an owner that day.  I have the original Certificate of Origin title showing Wallace Lovell as the buyer and as was done for ’55 Eldorado’s, the badge on the center of the instrument panel has his name engraved in the Cadillac crest.

Mr. Lovell moved to Rome, GA around 1963 and the car spent most of the remaining time there.  During that time the car was repainted a slightly darker copper than the original copper, updated with ’56 Eldorado exterior trim and the original tan leather interior was replaced with a “modern” theme of the day, white vinyl tuck and roll with embroidered musical themed images.  Getting the replacement interior bits turned out to be one of the most challenging parts of the restoration.

Around 2010, Mr. Lovell gifted the car to his Grandsons army commanding officer and shipped it to California.  Soon thereafter the car was taken a to restoration shop where disassembly happened and work started.  After a year or so, the shop went out of business and the disassembled car was taken to another shop.  If it was not taken apart yet, the 2nd shop took it apart so EVERYTHING was disassembled.  At least they did a decent job of bagging and tagging items.  Unfortunately, this shop also failed and the owner pulled the car/parts out and delivered it to garage he had access to.  A few years pass and the owner decides this is more of hassle than he wants to continue with.  An advertisement was placed in the cars for sale area of the CLC forum and I see a fairly complete ’55 Eldorado for reasonable money. Link to ad below:

http://forums.cadillaclasalleclub.org/index.php?topic=144182.msg355537#msg355537

After reviewing the images, several emails and phone calls, I decide to fly to CA and assess the car and photograph everything for inventory and completeness.  I bought my 58 Eldorado Brougham disassembled and swore I would not do that again...  Once in Pismo Beach, CA, 2 days were spent reviewing and photographing the car and parts.  I determined I would make a play for the car and a deal was reached.  This was October of 2017.

In January 2018, I drove from metro Detroit to Eau Claire, WI to pick up Rick Payton for a car retrieving adventure.  We loaded Tom Hibler’s ’65 Malibu into my trailer for transport to Oklahoma City where we would drop the car and pick-up Tom for the ride out to Pismo Beach.  The 3 of us had to build the car up enough so it was able to be loaded into my enclosed trailer, that took 3 days.  We brought with us a complete front end suspension and rear end off one of Rick’s parts cars so we would not have to put all the suspension back together from my car, just drag the complete unit under the frame and install.  It worked out well. 

A partially assembled car was pulled from the garage and loaded into my trailer for the trip back to MI via Oklahoma City.  Dropped Rick in AZ as he was staying for vacation in Scottsdale, so Tom and I continued on and I left Tom in Oklahoma City where we loaded his Malibu into his trailer for his return trip to Austin, TX.  I drove alone back to MI.

The car sat in the trailer for several months and was decided to have Rick do the body on the car while he was doing another ’55 Eldo for himself.  The trailer was pulled to Eau Claire again and the car dropped at his shop.

After 2 years, the car is making progress as the body is almost complete.  Interior is complete and ready to install.  Powertrain is done awaiting marriage to the frame.  That brings us to the current state.  Deadline is July of this year to start the sorting process as I have a date in late September where I want use the car.

Enjoy the photos, and updates as we finish the car.

1st group of photos is the car at purchase, and the adventure there to get it.

David

[David King (kz78hy)]

Putting the car together enough for it to roll and getting it to MI.

[David King (kz78hy)]

The start of restoration, the disassembled rear end was taken to a shop to inspect and reassemble.

[David King (kz78hy)]

The Gear shop was unable to take care of the leaf spring assembly so after they powercoated the part, I found the bag of parts which held the leaf springs together.  I restored them, made a hold and drive bolt, and built up the springs.

[David King (kz78hy)]

The thermostat housing had deep pitting, so decided to epoxy the clamping surface for a better seal.  Kitchen oven was used to speed up the drying, smelled bad and Becky was not happy.  I made a jig to mount the housing to so I could spin it in the drill press and sand it smooth.  Non centered axis so sanding was a little tricky and I did manage to whack my fingers a few times.  It stimulated the profanity center of the brain real well.
I bought a new A/C Delco 160 degree thermostat, installed to the pump and painted.  Ready to mount on the engine.

[David King (kz78hy)]

Steering gear was sent to Laar's Corporation for a rebuild.  One of issues when buying a car already disassembled is you don't know the condition of the car, parts, operation of it.  I did not know if it needed rebuilding or not, but I knew my 58 Brougham unit leaked bad when I put the car back together and removing it after the car was built was a pain, so sent the box in for rebuild.  Good thing as it needed some attention.  It is mounted now on the frame.

[David King (kz78hy)]

Engine photos.  The engine was rebuilt by a shop in Chippewa Falls, WI and it as not been fired yet.  The engine is correct to the car as the engine number and VIN number match the build sheet.  The 311th Eldorado engine manufactured.

[David King (kz78hy)]

More engine shots.  Engine & transmission mounts were re-vulcanized by Steele Rubber and installed.  Water pump installed.  As it turned out, many of the engine parts had to be replaced as the engine had major work done prior to my rebuild.  Heads were cracked and welded, block had to be bored 0.060 because it had already been opened up to 0.030.  Crank was ground 0.010.  That meant the piston kit purchased from Egge had to be reordered for a 0.060 and by the time we figured it out a restocking fee kicked in.  Finding uncracked heads turned out to troublesome, but Ken Karer ended up having a nice set and those were used.

[David King (kz78hy)]

Transmission has been rebuilt and ready to be reunited with the engine.  I hope to do this next week when I am in WI.  This is 95th Eldorado transmission produced, tag is 1095 and the counting starts at 1000.

[David King (kz78hy)]

More transmission photos.  Lou Commisso had some '55 factory body drop photos that confirmed the transmission was not painted as there was no evidence of any paint traces on mine, so no Cadillac blue for it.

Mainshaft in the transmission had a worn planetary and luckily Rick had a spare good one to use in the rebuild. 

[James Landi]

An amazing series of circumstances and now a labor of love.  SO sad to hear yet another narrative about a "rebuilding shop" that has the capacity to take a car apart, but then fails to reassemble it, goes "out of business" and leaves "others" to clean up an expensive and extraordinary mess. This happens far too often-- so glad to know that you're saving this one, for it's now in competent hands, will be restored, enjoyed, and provide many more years of significant life.   Keep the narrative and picture going.  Fascinating in so many ways,  James

[Lexi]

Well said James. My thoughts exactly. Keep up the good work David and do keep us posted. Clay/Lexi

[David King (kz78hy)]

How about some body photos.  When purchased, it was described as being almost complete.  In fact the doors, hood, decklid had been worked, but not as well as they should have, and those were corrected and now ready for fitting and finish.  The RH quarter panel had been hand fabricated as the original had been damaged badly.  When the mud was removed and behind the door, Rick described it as looking like a James Bond DB5 wheel extending cutter had ran down the side of the car as there were 2 long gashes which had been poorly repaired.  There was enough out of shape surface on the contours that to make look like a correct panel would be easier to just cut in a correct panel, and that was what we did.  Our chosen car to cut was recently placed outside at Rick's shop.  A huge snow and ice storm happened and a great big chunk of ice/snow slid off the shop roof right on to the back of the donor car ruining the rear of the car so another donor car had to be used.  Overall, for a convertible, the floors were not to bad but still some serious repair in the normal spots is required.  Rockers, floors, braces, trunk in the rear either have been fixed or in the process of getting repaired.

The body will be placed on the rotisserie soon to finish the work and get the underbody painted, jambs shot, and prepped for marriage to the frame again.

[Roger Zimmermann]

What a story! Thanks for taking the time to pubish it. It's a shame that digital cameras were not yet born when I did mine. The story was published here, but with only a few scaned paper pictures.
Good luck!

[David King (kz78hy)]

The steering column is under restoration now.  I have been doing Rick's and mine at the same time.  Parts have been cleaned and the black stuff blasted and painted.  The interior color paint has not been completed and that what's stopping the final assembly.  I had some parts scanned and printed and can offer those now.  The horn terminal (5684071 horn contact) and insulator (265136 Horn Contact Bushing) were made and used on my car and the new terminal on Rick's.  The scan/print shop managed to loose the original terminal so they made me an extra to replace it.

[David King (kz78hy)]

More steering column photos.

[David King (kz78hy)]

More steering column photos.  There NOS brake switches on both panels, polished brake pedal closeouts w/new seals on Rick's column.

[David King (kz78hy)]

More Steering Column photos, I assembled most of the column today.  I spent the previous week at Rick's place and he painted my column the correct brown for my tan Eldorado column.  My do it twice motto was in effect today as I had to install the shift arm bushing twice as I forgot to put the close out cap on first and the pressed in pin for the neutral safety switch was installed on the wrong side of the arm.  Getting all the parts in the right order is a challenge and several attempts to get the sequence sorted was needed.  A thing to do is to stress to the chromer to NOT plate the internal threads of the end keeper as that is really hard to clean out and that big nut rotates on the housing when the gears are shifted, so if it binds, no shift movement.

[David King (kz78hy)]

The previous week was spent in Chippewa Falls at Rick's place and a lot was accomplished on both cars.  Rick's car had the internal body bracing removed and it was transfered to my body.  Rick's finished convertible top frame was assembled using mine as a reference.  The RH quarter panel was roughed into place and the internal body bracing was installed to my body.  Once braced, the body was lifted off the frame and placed on the rotisserie.  The frame was moved and I married the engine and transmission back on the frame and ran the brake and fuel lines.  The fuel line has be done again as it must be a Fleetwood version as the aft portion is to long.  All the lines were ordered 10 years ago by the previous owner, so now I've ordered another fuel line.  Rick had templates made to mark that frame and that was done.

[David King (kz78hy)]

more body photos.