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Restoring the Mothership – 68 DeVille

Started by Bentley, August 09, 2016, 05:26:01 PM

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Bentley

John,

My original plan was to replate only the bumpers, and polish all the other trim parts myself, since they looked like they were in pretty good condition. So I had a dollar amount in mind for the chrome. But while polishing the parts I found that the side moldings and the chrome fender skirt pieces (bottom, front of skirts), were too damaged for me to clean up. So I took them to the chrome plater. Also, the chrome trunk lid strip had a dent that I couldn't repair. So I bought a used one in good condition and polished it. These were the extras that I didn't plan for originally.
Wes Bentley
CLC # 30183

john henderson

#41
just kidding Wes! Your project looks great! When I first saw my car I felt bad for it-from a distance it looked bad,flat tires,filthy dirty and sunk into the mud.I assumed it was a rotter,it looked like it had been sitting there for thirty years.We were installing new gas lines on the street and when I got the chance I got the owner to let me look at it and I was amazed it was rust free,perfect interior and the motor turned by hand.The owner wanted to donate it to charity!To get back to my point,he had some idiots yank the car(with froze brakes) from the little garage it had been in for thirty years-they hooked a chain on the rear center bar and nearly ripped in half pulling it out.We made a deal,and I took it home.The brightwork on the car was quite good,very good for a survivor,but when my chromer restored my center bar,the contrast was to much,I chose to do all the bumpers,headlight bezels,sidelights and grill trim.I got the car at a great price,so it was justified,but it shows a point I've always realized,that the chrome budget is always in pencil!
65 coupe 76 coupe

Bentley

The car is finally finished. It was delayed for 3 months because of the windows. The glass mechanic could not get the driver's side front and right rear windows to go up and down properly. We cleaned and lubricated the regulators, and replaced the motors with rebuilt ones from Cardone, but the windows moved very slowly, if at all. We replaced the motors a second time, again using remanufactured parts by Cardone. Prior to installing them, we bench-tested the motors and the gears spun instantly. But when we installed them, we had the same issue - the windows would barely move. Finally, I found new (not rebuilt) motors from Fusick Automotive Products out of East Windsor, CT. We put them in and the windows go up and down like new. I can only conclude that the remanufactured motors work, but do not meet the factory torque specs.

During the media blast process, they body shop protected the convertible top area, but some of the media found its way down in there and scuffed the glass window. I negotiated a discount from my final payment to help pay for the new glass. I will replace the top with glass as my next project, but not until this winter. I want to enjoy driving the car until then.

We had our California June gloom drizzly weather this morning when I took these photos. Sorry about the low lighting.
Wes Bentley
CLC # 30183

Highwayman68

Nice color combination, glad to see the work was worth the wait!
1968 Fleetwood Purchased in 1981

Bentley

Wes Bentley
CLC # 30183

Bentley

Well it's been 1 year since I left off here. Last summer I enjoyed driving the car and taking it to some local cars and coffee events. I had some electrical issues that I finally got worked out (thanks to the help of many of you). And now, after a few months of planning and researching, I am ready to restore the interior.

The car will get new upholstery on the seats, seat backs and door panels, new carpet, a new boot and a new top. I'll send the seat belts out for re-webbing. Previously, I restored and repainted the dash, steering column, glove box, visors and A-pillar covers. So the only work needed on the front part of the interior is to repair/repaint some cracks on the steering wheel, which I have already started on, and to replace the rosewood veneer under the instrument panel.

Here are some photos of the interior in its present condition. I'll post more as the project progresses. Any tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Wes Bentley
CLC # 30183

metalblessing

Looks great. I want to try to clean the grill on my 68 soon
1968 Cadillac Miller-Meteor Hearse/Ambulance Combination

Bentley

Thanks. It will be a lot easier to clean/polish the grill if you can remove it and work on it on a table or bench.
Wes Bentley
CLC # 30183

Bentley

I'm repairing some cracks in the steering wheel before I bring it into the upholstery shop. I'm using a product called Fuze-It. It bonds like epoxy, but it's easier to work with. You can use your fingers to push it into the cracks. You don't want to do that with epoxy. Once it dries, you can sand it like you would epoxy. It cures a bit rubbery, so you need to start with a coarse sand paper, and work up to a fine one.
Wes Bentley
CLC # 30183

DeVille68

1968 Cadillac DeVille Convertible (silver pine green)

Bentley

To paint it, I'm using SEM Color Coat paint. According to the 1968 Cadillac Data Book, the vinyl is Dark Beige. I chose SEM # 15723, Monterey as the closest match I could find. The first picture below shows an original unpainted part next to the can of SEM Monterey. It's not exact, but close.

To apply this paint you have to spray many light coats. The instructions say to wait 15 minutes for a coat to dry before applying the next coat. I like to wait about 30. Once you have the area masked off, it's easy to do many coats over a weekend.

The next photo shows the steering wheel sanded and prepped for paint. I cleaned the small grooves on the ring of the wheel with a solution of vinegar and water and a tooth brush. Many years ago, I had previously painted all the vinyl with this same exact paint, so hopefully SEM maintains consistency with their colors and this will match.
Wes Bentley
CLC # 30183

DeVille68

nice! Thanks for the details.
That is a winter work for me to do some time.
1968 Cadillac DeVille Convertible (silver pine green)

benx13

Wes, swim is a fantastic long lasting product. It’s expensive (well, down here’s it is)
I use it myself for customers vehicles, I work in a body shop doing paint work.

I’ve enjoyed this thread.
1951 Series 62 - Under restoration

Bentley

Nicolas, Thanks. I've got some more posts coming soon.

BenX13, thanks. I googled Swim, but didn't see it. Is it some type of a plastic filler or adhesive?   
Wes Bentley
CLC # 30183

Bentley

The upholstery shop ordered the material for the top. According to the ID tag, my car was built with a beige top color called 'sandalwood'. The Cadillac Data Book says the sandalwood top had a sandalwood liner.

For the top material, I had a couple of choices: vinyl or Stayfast (cloth). The less expensive vinyl material only comes with a black liner. With Stayfast, you can choose the liner color. So, I chose Stayfast, in a color called tan that is the closest match to the original sandalwood color. And it comes with a tan liner.
Wes Bentley
CLC # 30183

Bentley

These kickpanel/trim pieces needed to be painted to match the rest of the vinyl. Carpet is attached from factory with staples. I removed it so I could paint them. I'll have the upholstery shop glue the new carpet on.
Wes Bentley
CLC # 30183

Bentley

I'm repairing a crack in the center of the steering wheel running around most of the circumference. I started with the top side of the wheel. I filled it with Fuze-It and sanded with #100, #220, #320, #400 and finally with #600. Then painted. I'll turn the wheel 180 and do the bottom half next.

I also painted the knobs on the gear selector, flasher, turn signal and tilt wheel levers. I read somewhere on this blog that you can't remove the knobs from the levers, so I left all levers in place and masked everything except the knobs.
Wes Bentley
CLC # 30183

Bentley

#57
When I first bought the car the dash board was cracked beyond repair. I bought a used one in good condition. It was olive green, so I panted it and all the other vinyl at the same time. I didn't know what to do with the area around the chrome Cadillac logo under the center vent. So, I punted and left it green. See the first photo.

I knew now was the only time I would have to try to fix this, as I don't want the car coming near a spray can after the upholstery and carpet is redone. I hatched a little plan to try to fix this. Using a fine brush, I coated the logo with petroleum jelly. Then, I spray painted the area. And when the paint is dry, if all worked out, the paint would peel right of the chrome logo. See next two photos, and next post.
Wes Bentley
CLC # 30183

Bentley

I sprayed it with 10 light coats, letting each coat dry between 15 and 30 minutes, before applying the next coat. Finally it was time to see if my plan would work. I slowly peeled the paint off the letters. It was working. See first photo.

When I removed the masking materials, I was happy with the end result, except for one thing. It wasn't dark enough to match the surrounding dash board. I realized it was because I didn't put enough coats of paint on it. See second photo.

I had to do it a second time to add more coats of paint, and â€" spoiler alert â€" it turned out well. More on that later.
Wes Bentley
CLC # 30183

Highwayman68

1968 Fleetwood Purchased in 1981