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1966 Eldorado 'barn find'

Started by Julien Abrahams, September 29, 2023, 05:46:56 AM

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Julien Abrahams

In the 'Technical / Authenticity' section I had already mentioned that I am starting a new big project. I that section is better for asking technical questions and use this topic in this section to keep a progress with updates.

So the story begins with me going to a bike meeting in July of this year, to raise monney to research prostate cancer. For "decoration" purposes a couple of classic cars where there as well, so I decided to take the '67 and put it on display next to a '74 Eldorado.

Out of nowhere an acquaintance of mine approaches me telling me hes has the same car that has been in storage for years and he would like to get it back on the road. It had belonged to his father who purchased it in the late 90's putting it away with the plan to start working on it after he had retired.
Unfortunately the father passed away only a couple of months after he retired. So he never started on the car.

Being that we both work fulltime, holidays etc it took a couple of months before we had picked a date to go and pick up the car. It turned out that it was a '66 Eldorado that had been sitting in a barn/shed for more than 25 years. 

It had been on jack stands, so it was relatively easy to inflate the tires and we were luckily that the brakes had not frozen. So with 5 guys and some muscle power we were able to push it out of the barn and onto the trailer. That went surprisingly smoothly. The whinch on the trailer had a difficult time pulling the Cady up the ramp, but with a little extra help from a few guys pushing, it went up.

We unloaded the car in my garage and then one of the guys experienced first hand how much effort it takes to steer a Cady with no power steering and with old tires that had roughly 25 psi of air in them.

The project begins....

In the future I will update when I can and keep you guys posted on how I am gonna do my besst to get this Eldorado back on the road.
1954 Cadillac series 62
1967 Cadillac Sedan De Ville HT
1969 Austin Healey Sprite
1979 Opel Kadett

Julien Abrahams

Update:
I did a general inspection to see which (electrical) systems (kind of) work and I made a list of all the things need to be addressed in the future. Besides checking and repairing the cooling system, ignition system, fuel system, replacing just about all the rubber hoses and lines, the braking system etc. I found the folling things that do not work:
- Cornering lights
- Upper and lower left headlights
- The middle horn (trumpet and one low horn work)
- Oil pressure warning light (oil pressure switch)
- Driver's side tail light: one bulb is out (I did a little search and probably the whole bumper needs to comes off to fix that....)
- Seat does not move (it draws power though)
- Trunk light
- Trunk pull down (opening cannot be tested until it runs because I think it is vacuum operated/controlled)
- Convertible top
- Passenger side power vent window
- Power door locks cannot be tested yet as they are vacuum operated
- Igntion vaccuum advance.

Also:
- the keys only fit the ignition, not the doors. Lock cylinders from both the trunk and the glove compartment are missing.
- a couple of trim pieces are missing: on the hood the trim pieces that is just above the grille, Eldorado letters on the drivers side are missing entirely, on the passengers side a few letters are missing. On the drivers side the chrome sill plates (that run from the bottom of the front fender all the way below the door to the rear fender).

Oh yes, did I mention that it was a bit dirty :). When it is running I will probably power wash it and see where it is at. It is not my call to decide if it will get new paint and rear bumper rechromed. That is up to the owner to decide.

On the upside: there was a "new" top lying on the back seat. It was most likely purchased in the late nineties and appears to be in very good shape. Although it was a bit mouldy, after some  of cleaning and elbow grease it came out nice. Then inside I cleaned with a dry brush while it was lying in the sun. That worked well. The outside I cleaned with a soft liquid sope and a brush. It came out very nice.

Next on the list: check the inside of the fuel tank.
1954 Cadillac series 62
1967 Cadillac Sedan De Ville HT
1969 Austin Healey Sprite
1979 Opel Kadett

Julien Abrahams

Update:
Yesterday I took out the fuel tank (which was quite a challenge with the rusted bolts) to see how dirty and badly bad the inside was corroded.
To my surprise that was about a quarter tank of fuel in the tank. That was also indicated by the fuel gauge, but I assumed that had not moved in a while so might be frozen). The did not smell like it was put in there the day before, but it did not smell like varnish either. The inside of the tank was really clean, which surprised me. It was not dirty, nor was there any corrosion. I think that some type of fuel stabilizer has been put in it before the car was stored, but I don't know. I expected to find a completely dry, gumped up and corroded tank. Well, the good thing is that it can be mounted again and fresh fuel can be added (after draining the old fuel).
According to the current owner, the car was put away with a leaky fuel line. I will be replaceing those anyway, the steel fuel ines look pretty rusty). I am curious to see if the fuel pump works.
1954 Cadillac series 62
1967 Cadillac Sedan De Ville HT
1969 Austin Healey Sprite
1979 Opel Kadett

Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621

Regarding the power trunk, only the glovebox release is vacuum actuated. The pulldown mechanism is entirely mechanical and does not require the engine to be running nor battery power.

From 1956 to 1961, power pulldown was motor driven; from 1962 to 1973, it was spring driven; from 1974 and beyond it was motor driven again.
A Cadillac Motorcar is a Possession for which there is no Acceptable Substitute

Julien Abrahams

Update:

So, I got quite a lot done in since the previous update. I replaced the steel fuel lines (supply and return) all rubber fuel lines have been replaced. Replaced the oil and filter. The old spark plugs looked fine so I regapped those (can always replace in the future). Left the ignition timing alone but replaced the broken vacuum advance unit. Installed new spark plug wires (as the older ones disintegrated). After assuring that I had oil pressure and oil got to the rockers, I put the valve cover back on and ran it on the starter to check if it still got oil pressure (which it did) and then found out that no fuel was coming in the fuel filter bowl. Made sure that there was at least 3 gallons of fresh fuel in the tank, but after cranking twice for about 8 seconds I still did not get any fuel in the bowl (which was strange as I just replaced the lines and made sure the tank was clean). So my conclusion was that the fuel pump was toast. After remobving the fan shroud, air pump (which was pretty much a PITA job) and moving the PS pump out of the way (breaking the completely hardened PS return hose in the way) I finally was able to replace the fuel pump. Checked the old fuel pump on the bench and could not move the lever at all.
After replacing the fuel pump, I ran the starter again and after about 5 seconds the fuel bowl filled right up.
So then it was time to hook up the coil and try to start it for the first time in about 30 years.
The accelaration pump seems to be working as I got two fairly large shots of fuel when moving the throttle lever. So I turned on the ignition and hit the starter. The first tries it fired and died immediately. Then I discovered that the hose just before the pcv valve also broke in half. So I plugged that  figured that may have caused a massive vacuum leak, so I plugged that line for now. Then I turned the key again, and it fired right up. The valve lifters were tikking for the first few seconds she ran, but after about 10 seconds of running they quieted down.
I discovered an exhaust leak on the passengers side (not sure yet where it is coming from).
But, she runs pretty well (even idles) considering it has not run in more than 25 years.
Then I put the transmission into drive just to see what would happen. Nothing at first, but when I gave it a little bit more gas it moved forward and backward. I made sure there were block of would about a foot from the front and rear wheels (to prevent hitting the car behind it going into reverse and to prevent it from rolling/driving to far forward.
Next is going to be addressing the brakes because the pedal goes to the floor and the front system reservoir is completely empty. I will most likely have the master cylinder rebuilt. I have not done that myself yet, and because brakes are a safety issue I'd rather have that done by a company that specializes in rebuilding master cylinders (and wheel cylinders). Then I will replace all wheel cylinders, brake shoes and hoses. Hard lines probably to (although the front brake lines look good, but I guess they could be corroded on the inside.
After that, probably put a kit in the carb, change points and spark plugs, set timing and fuel mixture, replace all the hoses (water, air (California car), PS pressure and return), flush out the radiator, and reverse flush the heater core. Put new oil and a filter in the transmission and then see if she will move.
1954 Cadillac series 62
1967 Cadillac Sedan De Ville HT
1969 Austin Healey Sprite
1979 Opel Kadett

James Landi

Julien,

You're doing everything right! Congratulations.  One note regarding electrical issues--- over the decades, all of the electrical connections and switch contacts are subject to oxidation.  For example, high amperage electrical components,such as head lights, horns, window and power seat switches, and the convertible top switch may not make sufficient electrical  because of oxidation at the metal contacts. This is also true for your alternator, where the output lug often looks very tight and secure, but there's so much oxidation causing high resistance that you'll think the alternator is shot (I've burned my fingers on one such oxidized lug).  The same is true for battery wires and sometimes the cables look fine, but the copper wire under the insulation is turning to white dust.  All this is to say that before you replace an electrical component, test it.  In many cases, setting up a pair of long jumpers to a strong 12 volt battery that you can use to power up what you think might be a bad component will prove that weak electrical connections are the source of the problem.  ALso, because so much of the car's high amperage load goes through the ignition switch , I suggest that you consider purchasing a new ignition switch.   Hope this helps, and please keep us in the loop with your fascinating project.  James

Julien Abrahams

Update:

So, after installing new fuel lines it was time to address the brakes. First I put the car on jack stands and removed the wheels. Then started in the rear and removed the brake drums which was easy. After a little bit of pulling the drums came off to reveil the most build up of brake dust that I have seen. I am beginning to think that the brakes have never been touched since '66. After spraying it down with brake cleaner, it cleaned up OK. Springs looked good and although somewhat worn, the shoes were OK as well. The drums do not have any major scoring, so I presume they will clean up fine using sandpaper and brake cleaner.
In the front it was the same story. But, I have never seen brake shoes that were so worn (see photo). Normally a wheel cylinder gives up well before the brake shoes have actually worn down. So I am assuming that these are the original brake linings. Kind of cool :) .
Then I went on to tackle the wheel cylinders and brake lines. By applying penetrating oil the week before and applying a bit of heat,alle of the brake lines and hoses came off without a problem. I ordered parts and will be replacing the brake lines, wheel cilinders, linings and have the main cilinder rebuilt. I am assuming that the power unit is OK, but it will take a test drive to confirm.

While waiting for parts I changed the filter and the fluid in the transmission, putting in a new transmission oil pan gasket as well. It looks like that has been replaced at least once in the past. Oil pan was still straight. Nice.

Then I checked to see why the seat did not move at all. No sound from the motor either. So after looking on this forum I found an older thread that helped a great deal. Luckily the seat was already up pretty high, so I was able to lay behind it and was able to reach under the seat to loosen the screws that hold the cables to the transmission housing. It helps that I am quite slim.....
Then I took a battery power drill and spun the cables using the drill. The seat moved without a problem. So using this method I first moved the seat completely forward (alternating between the left and right side). Then I was able to reach the bolts. Then using the drill method moved the seat as far back as it would go, and then undid the front bolts. On its own weight the seat tipped backward and then I got acces to the motor and the relay. Removed the motor and bench tested that. The motor worked fine in both directions. Suspecting stuck gears in the transmission I removed the transmission and took apart the transmission. The gears all were in good condition, no broken teeth or anything. I was amazed about the quality of the parts, considering that they are plastic gears. Took the whole transmission apart and found a little hardened grease on the shafts but other than that it was OK. Cleaned everything up, relubricated and put it all back together. Then connected the motor, transmission and the relay on the bench with an external power supply (battery charger). The relay made a buzzing sound and the motor would barely move. I am guessing that either the power supply could not provide the required amperage or the relay is on its way out. Will have to test that again with a good battery. If it acts the same way I will replace the relay. In the meantime clean and relubricate the tracks, cables and the 'jacks' that move the seat up and down.

Finally I could not help my self to do just a little bit of cleaning. I cleaned the driver's side door handle using a soap and then a chrome polish (see photo).  It came out nice enough. Only the rear bumpers is so badly corroded that it needs rechroming in the (far) future.
1954 Cadillac series 62
1967 Cadillac Sedan De Ville HT
1969 Austin Healey Sprite
1979 Opel Kadett

Julien Abrahams

Update:
Because of the freezing temperatures, and the not so great heating in the garage, progress is going slow.
But I managed to check another couple of things from the list. I changed all the coolant hoses and checked all the lighting. From the 4 headlights, 3 have given up after almost 60 years. By using a test light I confirmed that the the wiring is good. I also double checked the headlights to make sure that they were indeed broken, which they were.
So to summarize: the headlights, 1 cornering light, the parking lights, 1 turn signal indicaotr and one rear brake/turn signal indicator all need to be replaced.
I was not able to properly test the auto dimmer function yet, but it appears to kind of work. The twilight sentinel also kind of worked, but the tail lights would not come on. The Workshop manual stated to check the fuse, and that indeed was the problem. For testing I used a blade fuse to see if that was the problem. Now I just need to find the correct glass fuses because the original 14 amp fuse is smaller than a regular glass fuse (the 7,5 amp fuse from the radio is even smaller).
While waiting for new brake line material to arrive, I also took apart the convertible top motor which was completely dead.
After opening it up I found what I think was crystalized brake fluid. Also the gears wehre stuck and it was all just a bit of a mess. After carefull cleaning, I looked at the motor section. Took that apart, cleaned everything up and make sure there was no short. After fiddling some more with the contact points (what is the purpose of these contact points?) the motor worked again, forwards and back. In the future it needs a rebuild kit with all the seals, but for now it can be put aside.
Next project is going to be the brakes: new lines, wheel cylinders, brake shoes and master cylinder.
1954 Cadillac series 62
1967 Cadillac Sedan De Ville HT
1969 Austin Healey Sprite
1979 Opel Kadett