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1938 LaSalle Coupe restoration

Started by ValerieB80, December 13, 2015, 01:32:03 PM

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ValerieB80

Hi all! My father is the proud owner of a 1938 LaSalle Coupe. He has owned it since he was 16 years-old- it was his first vehicle. It still runs and is mechanically sound. The only thing we need to restore is the paint job, running boards, and interior including the upholstery. He recently was told that he now has colon, liver and lung cancer. We are ALL devastated!
I would love to get this LaSalle completely restored for him but have no clue where to start or how to go about it.
I need some advice!! Any ideas would be appreciated!
Thank you in advance.
Valerie

gary griffin

#1
Valerie, I am so sorry to hear that your father has such intimidating health problems.  It is so kind of you to want to renovate his apparently much loved LaSalle.  My first questions are where are you located? Are you hoping to surprise him or will he be making some of the decisions about the restoration? Do you have deep pockets (Or a deep purse)  Will you be trying to maintain authenticity? If you are going for authenticity my first suggestion is to obtain the "Authenticity manual" for this car. Since the car is mechanically in good shape it will not need major mechanical work? On the firewall there will be a metal tag with a lot of information on it including the original color. You can purchase the actual build sheet for that specific car which will give the rest of the information including when it shipped from the factory and where it went. The original upholstery colors and accessories originally installed on the car.  It will be a simple job if the body is sound and the mechanicals  are O K. Authentic upholstery material is available also. This Forum will be a good place to learn what you need to know. After you post your location and the other things I mentioned you will have a lot of advice from people in your area. Another resource is to contact the local chapter of the Cadillac LaSalle club for references for local shops and vendors.  If you are in Washington state I will be available to give advice and assistance for example. My prayers are with your father and his family.
Gary Griffin

1940 LaSalle 5029 4 door convertible sedan
1942 Cadillac 6719 restoration almost complete?
1957 Cadillac 60-special (Needs a little TLC)
2013 Cadillac XTS daily driver

ValerieB80

Thank you for your response!
I would like to surprise him with the restoration completion, we have spoken about what needs to be done. He is a purist and wants everything to remain as original as possible, as do I. He was the second owner of the vehicle, and when he got it in 1963 it was all still original/stock. He has the shop manual and the owners manual, still. Unfortunately, he lives in MA and I am in MI- I will be coordinating this restoration with my mother and sisters. The only mechanical work that needs to be done is the vent mechanism for the radiator (I have no clue what that part/parts are called). Other than that, it's all cosmetic. This car has always been stored in a garage and, as far as I know, has no body rust. He mentioned needing running boards, which I imagine wont be easy to come by. I did talk him out of painting it maroon, which I understand was a color option for that year and model, but as it was and has always been black I felt it should stay that way. (He caved!) This car is in VERY good shape, but the upholstery has seen better days, and he'd like to have it redone- (the floorboards are worn and there are some tears in the seats.) I am well aware that this project will be costly, I just need to figure out how to put a price together for all the work. In order to do that I need to find someone in MA that will be able to complete it.
I appreciate all your advice and your prayers! He certainly does need them!

gary griffin

Valerie,

  I would contact the local club and ask for references for local trimmer (Upholstery) and local painter. It will probably need  a little body work. Do the running boards need rust repair or just cleaning and painting along with new rubber treads?

  A good paint job (Not concurs) will probably be in the 3K to 5K range if no body work is needed. I would guess original style upholstery at about $5K and running boards at about 1K, With a little shopping around you could probably get it all done for around 10K. I hope someone else chimes in with more advise. You may want to post again using the location and what you want in the heading, you would probably get more responses. Good luck and a report back would be appreciated. It costs more to do a color change but if he really wants an original Lavender color humor him. He is you only father and having a tough time currently anyway. If may be wise to bring him into the committee planning the work?  He would probably really enjoy it.
Gary Griffin

1940 LaSalle 5029 4 door convertible sedan
1942 Cadillac 6719 restoration almost complete?
1957 Cadillac 60-special (Needs a little TLC)
2013 Cadillac XTS daily driver

carguyblack

Hello Valerie,
My prayers are for your father and your whole family as well. What is occurring in your Dad's life is a probability in each one of our lives. Who hasn't asked the question of him (her)self "What is going to happen to all this stuff if something happens to me?!" You are a pretty special daughter to think about what would make your Dad happy at this point.
Gary's ballpark prices for the restoration may be quite low, in my opinion. Either that or I did things rather unnecessarily costly. The paint supplies alone for my 56 Cadillac were close to $2000. Body work, blocking, painting and buffing were all on top of that. I had front and rear seats professionally upholstered with original materials and that alone cost around $6000. I say this NOT to discourage you but to go into this project with open eyes. It always costs more than you hope. With your Dad's car, it sounds like it would be worth it to invest whatever it takes to do it right. That assumes the "deep purse" spoken of that can bankroll it all now with the full expectation of recouping it in a future sale. I'm sure you aren't looking for a lowball price just to "get it done", so my advice would be to speak to a number of shops and access their honesty and frankness about what it will take. Remember, if it's too good to be true (price), more than likely it is!
Chuck
Chuck Dykstra

1956 Sedan DeVille
1956 Coupe DeVille (2 sold)
1957 Oldsmobile 98 (sold)
1989 Bonneville SSE

gary griffin

#5
Valerie,

    Chuck has made some good points. I am assuming finding competent shops with good recommendations and competitive pricing. Costs can vary from local to local and from season to season.  Since it is a coupe the upholstery will be less than  a sedan or convertible. Retail price for authentic materials at a specialty vendor like SMS will be near $100 a yard. Similar modern materials will be much less.  A modern paint job with clear coat  will look great and cost a lot less than the original hand rubbed lacquer which is very labor intensive. The shutters in the front of the radiator have a thermostat to open or close them to control the temperature of the water in the radiator. I have a 1940 LaSalle and a previous owner removed them and the guy I purchased it from had purchased the shutters and thermostat but I have not installed them yet. Since I live in Seattle and my LaSalle is a 4 door convertible it does not get used most of the year. Not knowing your schedule or the limits of your finances  it is hard to make recommendations. If you were in the Seattle area I would work with you finding good shops and hopefully there is someone who can assist in the local area. Find a retired car guy who has done a few restorations as a mentor. Good luck and please follow through by updating the post as you proceed.
Gary Griffin

1940 LaSalle 5029 4 door convertible sedan
1942 Cadillac 6719 restoration almost complete?
1957 Cadillac 60-special (Needs a little TLC)
2013 Cadillac XTS daily driver

carguyblack

My juices get flowing when there is a project like this on the table! However, I realize this is not a project to complete at your leisure. There is somewhat of an unpleasant time constraint I would imagine. I am located in Michigan as well and am familiar with qualified people in my area. Perhaps you are as well, where you live.
Is there any merit to considering shipping the car to your area rather than long distancing it to Massachusetts? I am located near the Gilmore Car Museum so there are quite a few folks in my area who would be able to help with this project should it come this direction. Not sure where in Michigan you are. Just something more to consider.
Chuck
Chuck Dykstra

1956 Sedan DeVille
1956 Coupe DeVille (2 sold)
1957 Oldsmobile 98 (sold)
1989 Bonneville SSE

ValerieB80

Thank you so much, gentlemen!
At this point I do not foresee how to get it to Michigan, which is unfortunate because I do know several men that have restored classic cars. My uncle, who also lives in MI (father's brother), is quite versed in all manners of authentic restorations. He deals specifically with Fords, though. I'm sure there is no shortage of qualified individuals here. We are not sure of Massachusetts contacts, though. Dad said that he had a guy that was going to paint it but he recently passed, somewhat unexpectedly.
I'm actually not sure what needs to be done with his running boards. Would you all agree that $20k would probably get the job done and get it done right? The family is going to pull together to get this completed, but we may end up having to do a little fund raising.
(I talked my dad into keeping it black because all of our memories of this vehicle are of it being black, and he DOES want to keep it original. He understands that when he passes I'd paint it back to black, anyway.)
Also, we are looking for the tools that came with the car originally. He does have the jack but not the wrenches and whatever else. Does anyone know where I might look? He said he found a set at Hersey and regrets not buying it.

ebuliavac

Hi Valerie, sent you a PM.  Ed Buliavac
1940 6227C
1996 Fleetwood Brougham

George Stuart-Vail

Hi Valerie, How is your father doing?
Any movement on the cars restoration?
I currently work for a professional restoration company in Southern New Hampshire (right on the MA border) and I was searching this forum for information on a specific project when I found this post.

I hope all is well.

George Stuart-Vail

CR Patton II

#10
Hello Ms. Bridges

Glad to read of your 1938 LaSalle 5027 restoration plan.  There were 5801 models manufactured in this body style for $1485.  Our  2016 CLC International Membership Directory only has 35 listed.

The advice you have received thus far has been great.  Please allow me to offer further assistance.  We are the Cadillac & LaSalle Club Muesum & Research Center located in Hickory Corners, Michigan.  Our gift to the public is the premier attraction for viewing historical Cadillacs and LaSalles.  The library provides historic resources to help and supplement the enthusiast that yearns for knowledge.

Additionally I am a member of the Cadillac & LaSalle Club Motor City Region.  We have a number of members who appreciate the beauty of any LaSalle.  Please contact me for assistance.
CLCMCR President
CLCMRC Board Member
CLC National Director
CLC 5960 Cadillacs Chapter