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1957 Eldorado Seville in Norway - Rolling Restoration

Started by 57eldoking, March 14, 2014, 07:01:21 PM

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57eldoking

Very strange indeed  :o

The Seville is currently out in the cold (un-heated barn). My sister's S10 blazer also had a busted transmission so I'm rebuilding it for her. At least I get to somewhat hone my transmission skills, should be a breeze to remove the trans from the Seville compared to this Blazer though. It's ridiculous how compact things are on modern cars!

Should have the Blazer done in a week or two so the Seville can return to its heated garage spot again. Spring and dry salt-free roads are still months away, so should have it ready well before that and this summer's driving tour to and from GE2015 in Switzerland  :D

1957 Eldorado Biarritz #906
1957 Eldorado Biarritz #1020 http://bit.ly/1kTvFlM
1957 Eldorado Seville  #1777 http://bit.ly/1T3Uo1c
1995 Fleetwood Brougham  http://bit.ly/20YwJV4
2010 SRX Performance

1946 Chevy 1/2 ton pickup
1957 Buick Caballero Estate Wagon (x2)
1960 Chevy Apache 10 Stepside
1991 Jeep Grand Wagoneer (x2)
1992 Pontiac Trans Sport GT

DeVille68

Hi

Just found your thread! Very interesting. Congratulations!  8)

Nice to hear you are attending GE2015!
I am from Switzerland and also attend the meeting - probably have a small "duty" job too.

Write or call me if you need to know something about Switzerland.

See you in a few months! :-)

Best regards,
Nicolas
1968 Cadillac DeVille Convertible (silver pine green)

Thule

what an awesome car,

its kinda funny how many old american vintage cars are to be found around the scandinavian countries, given how facist the tax system around everything car related is, i know this living in iceland

one of my dreams is to drive my eldo to smyrilline, and cruise around norway and sweeden,  done it once, just not in a nice car. would be nice to check out gatebil and some of the sweedish festivals
Ivar Markusson.  icelandic cadillac club (part of CLC)
73 Eldorado coupe.

James Landi

Curious: wondering how many of these survivors were originally shipped over when produced, and how many came over as a consequence of collector interests decades after.  (I recall some foreign films, e.g. Fellini's, where new Cadillacs were featured; so can one assume there were Cadillac dealerships in Europe?)

gary griffin

I was in the army and served in Germany 1960 to 1962 and many officers and E-5 and above brought their cars over from The USA free shipped by the army. Quite a few of them purchased new European cars and left their old cars in Germany. I drove a 1951 Oldsmobile 98 at the time.  Gas for G I's was 12 cents a gallon and we had to buy coupons, and we got to buy 100 gallons a month for over 80 horsepower (as I recall) and only 50 gallons a month for under 80 horsepower.  My German friends envied me as the were paying the equivalent of 65 cents a gallon. I also owned a 1950 Mercedes 220 which is now a very rare car.
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

James Landi

THanks for the insight Gary... I know my question was somewhat off topic, which initially dealt with the restoration of these two beautiful '57 Eldorado's.  Our EUropean members certainly go through great lengths to get their cars looking showroom new...glorious restorations.

las39

1939 LaSalle 5027
1941 Chrysler Royal Coupe
1934 Oldsmobile F34
1976 Moto Guzzi Convert

57eldoking

Very few Cadillacs were bought new in Norway during the 50s. There were import restrictions in place on passenger cars from the end of WW2 until October 1st 1960. The idea was to ensure private capital was being spent rebuilding the country instead of going overseas importing new cars. To get around it you had to secure a special exemption from the government. These were generally given to the royal family, businesses or wealthy people with the right connections. In 1957 I believe two Cadillacs were imported to Norway; one Bahama Blue Eldorado Biarritz and one black Series 75 Limousine, both exist today.

Finally got started on the transmission job yesterday.






The new transmission jack made pulling the trans a breeze!













Got as far as pulling the front unit coupling yesterday. No noticeable wear or burrs on the parts pulled so far. The front unit coupling cover looks ok, I can't see any cracks. Does anyone know where they usually start cracking? I will function test it with the oil pump cover before pulling it apart. So far so good...
1957 Eldorado Biarritz #906
1957 Eldorado Biarritz #1020 http://bit.ly/1kTvFlM
1957 Eldorado Seville  #1777 http://bit.ly/1T3Uo1c
1995 Fleetwood Brougham  http://bit.ly/20YwJV4
2010 SRX Performance

1946 Chevy 1/2 ton pickup
1957 Buick Caballero Estate Wagon (x2)
1960 Chevy Apache 10 Stepside
1991 Jeep Grand Wagoneer (x2)
1992 Pontiac Trans Sport GT

59-in-pieces

#28
Please excuse me, but in my opinion you should double cross brace (with wood or metal) the wooden stands that the car is raised upon.
IMHO, they are not safe since they appear to be made of perhaps 2"X6" wooden pieces.
The cross bracing should be diagonal on the outside and diagonal in the opposite direction on the inside of each stand.
However, to be belt and suspenders - affix - place a plywood or metal gusset on the entire face on both sides of each stand.
These techniques will help stabilize the car if it is moved towards the front or the back - unfortunately not from side to side.
I would place frame jacks at each corner to help with both front to back and lateral movement.
Have fun - BUT BE SAFE.
Steve B.
S. Butcher

57eldoking

#29
No worries Steve, it's a good thing that we can point out safety related issues on the forum.
The blocks are built out of 2x8 that measures an actual 2x8 inches and not the standard U.S nominal 1.5"x7.25" 2x8. Each of them are screwed together with 16 5" wood screws. I've tried rocking the car both sideways and back and forth as violently as I can and the wood blocks do not budge a millimeter. I take safety very seriously when working under these cars, this setup is safer than any 2 or 4 post lift I've ever used. The car is not going to go anywhere by any force exerted by a normal human. The blocks are rock solid and I would confidently place my 8 ton Case Bulldozer on top of them and still feel safe. 
1957 Eldorado Biarritz #906
1957 Eldorado Biarritz #1020 http://bit.ly/1kTvFlM
1957 Eldorado Seville  #1777 http://bit.ly/1T3Uo1c
1995 Fleetwood Brougham  http://bit.ly/20YwJV4
2010 SRX Performance

1946 Chevy 1/2 ton pickup
1957 Buick Caballero Estate Wagon (x2)
1960 Chevy Apache 10 Stepside
1991 Jeep Grand Wagoneer (x2)
1992 Pontiac Trans Sport GT

59-in-pieces

Henning,
You're a young guy as I recall, and like my sons you all think your bullet proof.
We older guys - we have come to learn that it just "aint" the case.
As I say to my own sons - BE SAFE - HAVE FUN - and DON"T TALK TO STRANGERS  LOL.
You are doing gr8 work.
Steve B.
S. Butcher

Blade

Totally agree with you Steve. On the flip side check out this '59 found in Australia ...

Ralph Messina CLC 4937

1966 Fleetwood Brougham-with a new caretaker http://bit.ly/1GCn8I4
1966 Eldorado-with a new caretaker  http://bit.ly/1OrxLoY
2018 GMC Yukon

59-in-pieces

Tibor & Henning,
Even in my earlier restoration days - frames off, I was belt and suspenders - safety first.
After boxing in the convertible body, I built four towers outside the body line to raise up the body from the frame.
This allowed me to work under and along side the car with little restrictions.
Here in California we have earthquakes and lots of shaking as a result.
The towers I built were about 2 feet square for a stable base and it allowed me to work under the car with ease and safety.
I see the lifts that others have in their garages and I am green with envy.
In keeping with that elderly gentleman - designer who built a device to put on his 47? sombrero hubcaps, most times you do the best you can, with what you have at hand.
And like the Cad in Australia & maybe the pyramids, you jack it up, block it - jack it up, block it (repeat steps 1 & 2)- slow and steady and safe.
Have fun,
Steve B.
S. Butcher

Blade

Yup ... safety first here also. I use the 2 or 4 ton jack stands as these are safe, easy to use and last forever (I have my 2 tons for over 25 years now!). These are factory tested and approved and easily adjustable to different heights on the fly, wherever you need them at time ... and for around $25 a pair at any auto store I think it's just not worth the time/effort tinkering around building wooden blocks.

When I jack up a car I only lower the jack to let the car sit on the stands firmly and always still leave the jack underneath it locked for extra safety ... you never know and it's better be safe then sorry.

Far as the Cad in Australia goes I wonder if he did it from afraid of flood or mice infestation or simply living out a childhood dream when he firmly believed the '59s CAN fly?

59-in-pieces

Tibor,
Once I could afford the jack stands, I too use them even today.
And like you, I always leave the floor jack in place after the car rests on the jack stands.
I'm still envious of those who have lifts in their garage.
Have fun,
Steve B.
S. Butcher

Roger Zimmermann

Well...Sometimes you have to take risks. When I put the body back on the Biarritz frame, my jack stands were not high enough. I had to compensate with some wood. I'm glad I'm still here to relate it!
Sorry for the poor quality: pictures are a scan from paper images.

1956 Sedan de Ville (sold)
1956 Eldorado Biarritz
1957 Eldorado Brougham (sold)
1972 Coupe de Ville
2011 DTS
CLCMRC benefactor #101

Blade

Quote from: Roger Zimmermann on May 14, 2015, 02:51:37 AM
Well...Sometimes you have to take risks. When I put the body back on the Biarritz frame, my jack stands were not high enough. I had to compensate with some wood. I'm glad I'm still here to relate it!
Sorry for the poor quality: pictures are a scan from paper images.

Sometimes I just wonder how we got to where we are?   ::)

Do I see a convertible off the chassis with no X-frame connecting the firewall to the body?    :o

Roger Zimmermann

Quote from: Blade on May 15, 2015, 08:29:20 PM

Do I see a convertible off the chassis with no X-frame connecting the firewall to the body?   
That's right. All those tubes and strange constructions are not needed at all. Do you think that convertibles have such reinforcements when they are done at the factories?
I have to confess that the floor and body work were done while the rusted body was on the frame. With the help of some basic measures, the structures stayed as expected. The picture below is showing that the front of the body is totally independant from the rear. Where would you go with braces in that situation?
1956 Sedan de Ville (sold)
1956 Eldorado Biarritz
1957 Eldorado Brougham (sold)
1972 Coupe de Ville
2011 DTS
CLCMRC benefactor #101

Blade

So first you guys built the body, then took it off the frame and finished it? I would be afraid the floor bends and you have to start over, so just as precaution I would still use the connecting bars. Actually my convertible will be done similarly to yours as my floor and one rocker panel are shot. Nice work you guys did so far!