New Blog, Restoring my 1942- 6719

[gary griffin]

This site does not like me. Every time I forget to reduce a picture it eradicates my blog. This is my third try.
I purchased the car which was originally Bing Crosby's ranch car for his ranches in Nevada. This car shipped out of Detroit December 3rd 1941 and was probably on a train when Pearl Harbor was attacked. During the War Bing donated it to the military and it was sold at a military surplus auction in 1951. I believe it was used a few years and then sat 30 years in a Quanset hut in the Utah desert for 30 years. During this period it served as a home for a variety of desert creatures with bad personal hygene and my 7 year old grand daughter vows that she will never ride in it. I bet she changes her mind when it is done though. The attempts by previous owners to restore it were not successful except in losing  parts and chrome plating some of the other parts.

[gary griffin]

The first picture shows the condition of the car prior to beginning restoration and the next pictures show it after being stripped for painting and a little body work. Basically a rust free car with only minor body work required.

[gary griffin]

These pictures are of the body and parts with first prime coat. A second prime coat will be dark in color to highlight and imperfections during sanding

[gary griffin]

Body and parts with second coat of primer curing in the paint booth.

[gary griffin]

Painted Antionette Blue, so dark it looks black inside especially in the evening.

[gary griffin]

Body outside on sunniest day in Seattle last year and the Antionette Blue really shows up as dark blue rather than the black appearance it has in the previous pictures.

The white residue is from wet sanding  the paint to remove any imperfections

[gary griffin]

At this point in the restoration the engine was out of the car and I had the paint shop remove a couple of brackets that were apparently for an after market oil filter. In the process the 4 head bolts that held the bracket on broke and I decided to rebuild the engine while the head was off. It has taken longer than I expected but at this time it is getting close to being done. The engine ran O K but had 63,000 miles on it so a rebuild was not out of order. In the 346 engine the head bolts go into the water jacket (which I did not know) and they usually break when removed. The trick to get the stub out is to drill for an easy out and then get the stub red hot, and if an easy out dosent get it out then put some CO2  on the stub to shrink it and they then break loose.
During this time I reconditioned all of my light buckets, painted them with black engine enamel on the outside and white on the inside, checked out and repaired my heating system, bought a wiring harness and used part of it in the buckets and got the rest ready to install in the car. Had my exhaust manifold re-procinalenized, bought all of the flat glass (Rear window is curved but mine was O K.) , had my antenna rebuilt, and had my interior trim repainted wood grain. There are31 pieces of dash and trim and they look great. I hope I can get them installed without scratching any of them. I had almost everything re-chromed and I repainted the medalions in the center of the hubcaps. Below you can see the rebult steering wheel. The rim was repalced as the plastic was beyond repair, and "Steering Wheel Bob" of New Jersey painted all of my knobs and brake handle to match the steering wheel which are in the first picture.The second picture is the dash board and trim for the back of the front seat. The third picture is the rubber for the running boards and the stone guards for the front of the rear fenders. The third picture is the hub caps re-chromed and repainted centers on them. The last picture is the bases for the running boards. I have straightened them out and painted the backs with P O R 15 since this picture was taken. This car has running boards concealed under flared out doors. Yesterday I received my Diamondback wide white wall tires and they look great. I have all of the rubber moldings for the car already and have a lot of newly chromed parts. Of course I am anxious to get the car from the paint shop and put it back together hopefully before summer is over with

[gary griffin]

More pictures showing different views and perspectives of the Antionette Blue paint. I am getting anxious to start trimming the car out as soon as the rebuilt engine is installed

[Ralph Messina CLC 4937]

Gary,

My favorite color. Meticulous work and spectacular results. What interior trim are you planning?

Ralph

[gary griffin]

   Thanks for the comment Ralph. I am trying to do a very authentic restoration but possibly deviating a little on the upholstery. The options were broadcloth or bedford cloth in tan or light blue-gray. The car originally had tan broadcloth but I think I will go to the light blue-gray bedford cloth. It will be authentic as it was an option on the car but not original. A lot of people go to the burl wood trim (Painted on the interior trim metal) which is quite attractive and I think it is appropiate for the 75 series cars but I went with the straight grain walnut matching the original as closely as we could.
   In keeping with my attempt at authenticity I just bought  another 1942 6719 to get the last of the rare parts I need.
   I certainly wish the engine would come back so I could proceed with the work.

   When I started I was not as concerned about authenticity but Jeff Hansen provided an authenticity manual and lots of advice and even the plastic push buttons for the radio which are authentic for the 1942 Cadillacs unlike the chrome push buttons of earlier and later years. With that much information I just could not deviate from authenticity in good conscience. There are so few of this year and model surviving it bacame important to me to stay authentic in all possible ways.

[Paul Tesone]

Looking fabulous Gary . Did " Steering Wheel Bob " recast your steering wheel as well as repaint your knobs ? Could you provide info about whoever did the recast ? I have to do the same thing for my 47 . Thanks , and keep the pictures coming. Paul Tesone CLC # 6876

[gary griffin]

Paul,

  Bob repairs the plastic if possible and then if not he welds a new rim on the wheel. The new rim is the same dialmeter and looks the same as original. It costs about the same as recast. I sent it in hoping to get it repaired but that would have cost more than a new rim. Bob would have sent it back and I could have had it recast but he assured me that it would look and preform the same as new so I went for it. It looks great and having the knobs and handles matching was important also. He also sent me the remaining special paint he uses so if I add anything or scratch anything I can touch it up.
I googled steering wheel repair to find him I think. He is in New Jersey and somewhat of a perfectionest.

[Paul Tesone]

Thanks Gary - I googled him and found his web site . Looks good . ...Paul

[gary griffin]

Waiting for the engine rebuild to be finished and checking out all of the parts. First 2 pictures are my new Diamondback 750-16 R tires. I think the beauty ring on th edge of the whitewall makes them look like Bias ply instead of the radials they are. 3rd picture is Carb rebuilt by Daytona parts. Looks too nice to unrap. The next picture is my rebuilt Vacuum antenna and brace.
The last picture is the frontal view of the car awaiting the rebuilt engine. This is so frustratiing to be ready but the engine is still in the machinists  shop. Hope it is done soon!!!

[gary griffin]

The first 2 pictures are of a few pieces of the 31 that Robert Kennedy painted for me. His work is fabulous as far as I am concerned. The next 3 pictures are of some of the parts boxes I have. They are inventoried and everything in them is new or reconditioned, If you look to the left of the boxes in the 4th picture you will see most of my exterior trim

[gary griffin]

First picture is my grille, and second picture is hood trim. The 3rd picture is of bumper guards and the next 2 pictures are the rear and then the front bumpers and the last picture is some of the exterior chrome.

[gary griffin]

The first picture is a stack of parts boxes with the exterior trim pieces stacked on top, and the second box is a bunch of interior chrome parts ready to install and some hub cap centers I repainted. I did a few extra hoping for 4 good ones.

[Ralph Messina CLC 4937]

Gary,

I see from your pics that you have the most important restoration tool ever invented: the gray plastic shelves from Home Depot. I have this strange feeling that 1000 years from now, when archeologists comb through America’s artifacts, they’ll conclude that we were a culture that worshiped gray plastic shelving.........I couldn't do without them.

Ralph

[Richardonly]

Gary,

I am truly amazed as I watch the progress of your fine automobile.  To think that the original photos of it looked like something to perhaps be used as a parts car, is beyond belief.

When it is finished shortly, it is now a "brand new" Cadillac.

It is GREAT people like you who have a vision and stay with it until completion.  I, for one, thank you for this and the many others who shall now see a wonderful automobile, instead of it slipping into the past!

Thank you for sharing with us the progress of turning coal into a diamond.

Sincerely, Richard

[gary griffin]

Thanks for your kind words Richard. Keeping the blog up has been quite satisfying and I am enjoying it as much as those following it. In this case I was fortunate to get a car that was sound and had only minor surface rust and very minor previous body work. The guy I bought it from had lost a significant number of parts and some were 1942 specific and a few were even model specific like the short foot rests of which one of the two was lost. The last owner had a chrome plating shop and had done some of the plating which was a savings. The car ran O K but had 63,000 miles showing and I was not going to do anything to the engine but change belts, flush and refresh fluids but when we broke a few head bolts removing an after market oil filter I decided to rebuild the engine. That has taken longer than anything else. Hopefully I will get the engine back soon and continue reassembling the car. I have spent a lot of time preparing the parts and of course getting new parts where needed. I certainly expect to be able to enjoy some club functions with the car this summer.