#TheArk woken up and brought to the shop today

[Cape Cod Fleetwood]

"The cost for the clock fx is a rounding error on the total expense.

PMSL! Thanks James, I just snorted iced coffee all over my laptop...

[KOKNEYELDO]

They did a great and quick fix on my 75 Eldo clock and it keeps ticking!

[Cape Cod Fleetwood]

Another update yesterday, c/p from my fbook page -

*YAY*! Phone call update with crew chief Michael Amster from the WORLD FAMOUS Hyannis Vintage Auto. AC is blowing ice cold now, what exactly did I pay (a LOT of money) to Tirrell for? Progress continues on the 28 item "honey dew" (preparing for the Nationals in Gettysburg) list without issue, sounds like they're almost done! I was advised to reschedule our appointment for interior detail with Attention to Detail Auto Polishing - Cape Cod to next week just in case. Done. Really appreciate Hilary and Mike Medeiros being flexible. Looks like our first show of the year will be at Larz Anderson Auto Museum "Cadillac Day" on May 21st, fingers crossed for no glitches and good weather. See you there. #TheArk #HowMuchFunIsThis #AmEx

[billyoung]

WOW ! are they great. I was real concerned when I saw your dash torn down to the firewall and a pot full of screws bolts and fasteners. I am impressed.

[Cape Cod Fleetwood]

WOW ! are they great. I was real concerned when I saw your dash torn down to the firewall and a pot full of screws bolts and fasteners. I am impressed.

It's a great shop, they do magic daily. That dash was buttoned up in 2 days. Michael is keeping everyone focused and on track, and he's doing his time with The Ark too. And I really want the car back, I haven't driven it since last October. There were 3 local car shows this weekend, Friday/Saturday/Sunday. I was so looking forward to these, now I'm missing them all, in perfect weather. Argh. I need the car back, soon. It has to go to the detail shop, its a disaster inside, outside, under the hood. "I" have to do the engine and the outside with 1 arm and no back - Larz Anderson is a week from Sunday, and there's no way I'm just going to fuel and drive to Brighton. I need to kick it up and down the Cape hard to feel confident, (#DriveItLikeYouStoleIt) and I'm sure its fine. Its just the military aviation in me... "Class A FCF" etc. Word is the stereo sounds great, the AC is ice cold and the heat is raging hot - 3 things I've never had with the car before. Its those 'tower clamps', they scare me to death, and I'm using the 'real' ones. But.... argh....

Good to talk to you and Suzanne tonight if only briefly, I'm awake now and know you're not, LOL!

[Cape Cod Fleetwood]

*WEDNESDAY*!
Saw Michael and The Ark at the shop today, just a few blocks left to check on that list and -
WEDNESDAY! I'LL HAVE THE ARK BACK WEDNESDAY! YES!
He demonstrated the AC, it blows as hard and cold as my daily driver, the heat will make you faint.
The sound system sounds fabulous considering its completely stock now. Power doors and windows 100% and
all switches working, had to replace 2. Spring mntx done. Really, really excited now, I haven't driven the
car since October. *WEDNESDAY*!

Groovy, now I'll have 2 maybe 2.5 days (rain Saturday) to detail the engine bay and wash/polish the car with
1 arm, get it to interior detail on Friday - and beat the **** out of the car at all other times in-between.
I'm thinking 2 hard runs up and down the Cape, some "rush hour" around the bridges just to make it sit in
traffic hot, and make sure he behaves. We're on for Larz Anderson "Cadillac Day" on Sunday, and there's some
"developing 'hoods" to drive through on the way to that Boston suburb, I don't need any issues through there.
I can defend the car and myself quite easily and comfortably, I just don't want to have to.

*YAY!*

[stushug]

Cool plate eh? LOL! Just to pi$$ off the greenies with their battery operated roller skates. And that was 9mpg - BEFORE I got the AC restored. I have a friend still in the Air Farce, I'll just have a KC135 shag me on long trips...

Did you have the AC converted to R134a? If so, does it work worth a damn? I've repaired/replaced every item related to the Climate Control in my 1970 Sedan DeVille and the best I can get with the 134a is 58 degrees out of the vents. I might a well buy one of those battery operated fans you can carry around, I'd get the same results as far as keeping cool in even spring weather.

Your car looks awesome, by the way!

[Cape Cod Fleetwood]

Did you have the AC converted to R134a? If so, does it work worth a damn? I've repaired/replaced every item related to the Climate Control in my 1970 Sedan DeVille and the best I can get with the 134a is 58 degrees out of the vents. I might a well buy one of those battery operated fans you can carry around, I'd get the same results as far as keeping cool in even spring weather.

Your car looks awesome, by the way!

Stu, thank you so much. Sorry about the issues you're having with your car. I don't know what your mechanical background is, if you used Cadillac Tim's book, if you have a pro HVAC shop/resto shop in your area to help you? Yes converted to 134a, it didn't make sense to spend thousands to rehab a system when the refrigerant is unavailable. I hope you get your car sorted soon.

[stushug]

Stu, thank you so much. Sorry about the issues you're having with your car. I don't know what your mechanical background is, if you used Cadillac Tim's book, if you have a pro HVAC shop/resto shop in your area to help you? Yes converted to 134a, it didn't make sense to spend thousands to rehab a system when the refrigerant is unavailable. I hope you get your car sorted soon.

Hi Laurie,
Yes, I worked directly with Tim, Classic Auto Air and a local AC guy that's been doing this for 30 years. I've also had a ton of invaluable help from Greg Surfas and Scot Minesinger and a few others on this site Did you upgrade any of the equipment, such as the compressor or condenser? If so, I'm curious as to what you used. Thanks!

[Cape Cod Fleetwood]

Hi Laurie,
Yes, I worked directly with Tim, Classic Auto Air and a local AC guy that's been doing this for 30 years. I've also had a ton of invaluable help from Greg Surfas and Scot Minesinger and a few others on this site Did you upgrade any of the equipment, such as the compressor or condenser? If so, I'm curious as to what you used. Thanks!

JEEZ! You're working with the Gods, hard to believe you're still having an issue. Same condensor/dryer, 134a compressor that looks just like the R12. And the spiffy billion dollar CORRECT replacement radiator that's the size of a side-by-side refrigerator. The vacuum manifold on the firewall can be issue if its clogged, if its broken your car will let you know it. You sure your dash controller is working correctly? HVA found some fried wires on mine. There's the temperature sensor on the dash that gets its wires fried too if the dash pad is removed and not replaced correctly, ask me how I know. The solenoid vacuum valve can ruin your day, so can the heater valve on the firewall near the heater core. The 'correct' valve is almost $200, the $20 one from NAPA works, spray it flat gray, boom. ALL of the vacuum lines, and there's a mile of them, have to be good. Is your ducting behind the dash (watch the wires on the sensor and control head) attached and well sealed to the vents? Girl question, getting enough power with a fresh Group 27 battery? Is the blower blowing strongly? The fan is good? Blower relay is working? NOW YOU KNOW WHY I PAY PEOPLE TO DO THIS $HIT? Argh... Hope you get it sorted soon.

[stushug]

Thanks for the kind words and all of the info you posted. When I first started working on the AC, I knew very little about it. Now after years of work and help from Greg, Scot and the others that helped me, I have gained a very thorough knowledge of the system. I did most of the work myself, except for the compressor rebuild, making new barrier hoses and finally, charging the system. I'll get there eventually, In the meantime, enjoy your beauty, and keep pissing off the greenies with their electric roller skates!

[Cape Cod Fleetwood]

And did I get The Ark back today as promised? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Crew chief Michael doesn't like one of the f'ing TOWER CLAMPS. He let the car run, drove it hard,
and noticed a significant drip at a water pump hose. (Hoses are brand new, so are the TOWER CLAMPS) He did his voo
doo, going to drive it again tonight and let it run more tomorrow, if it doesn't drip again I can have car back.
Otherwise he'll go all medieval on it. I *HATE* those clamps, there's a reason why they were discontinued. But its -2
points for every missing TOWER CLAMP in Touring. So I have to risk a highway breakdown for 800+ miles with a car I can't fix for -2 points on every clamp. There's a reason why they stopped using these clamps. And bias ply tires.
Can't wait for the judge's conference on the 'rules'. This one has to be changed. My opinion. They know radials are
SAFER so they're allowed in Touring. The SAFER clamps should be as well. You trailer queen owners don't give AF, some
of us DRIVE our cars, especially TOURING cars ie cars that are actually DRIVEN versus dusted regularly. YES, I'm pi$$ed off. Its costing me real money to put obsolete parts on my car and make them work. That's just stupid.

ASSUMING I get The Ark back tomorrow I now have 2 days to complete a "satisfactory for me" A-FCF and get the exterior, interior and engine detailing done with the use of only 1 arm. Rain on Preakness Saturday, Larz Anderson on Sunday. I missed Larz last year and it broke my heart, the car was still in the body shop. I want to support my area, the New England Region, at that event, it means a lot to me.

My only bright spot today was Clock Works has the clock fixed, sent me a PayPal invoice, paid, will ship home tomorrow. $192? I've spent that for fuel to get to a show and back. Fix your clocks.

And I'm playing Nationals Monopoly here too -
Its -1 for a clock not working. $192? Fine for a point.
-2 for each TOWER CLAMP (x12 = - 24 points), use the obsolete clamps.
-1 for a crappy steering vs $3000 for a perfect wheel, I'll eat the point.
I've given myself -5 for the interior, driver's seat is worn, because its a DRIVER. Cost to fix the interior?
$12-$15,000. I'll eat the 5 points. 3 grand a point? See steering wheel math above.
This is not a primary trailer queen car, its a DRIVER ie Touring. One should expect an actual TOURING car to have
some signs of battle. I think The Ark looks pretty good for a coming 54 year old car with 206K on the clock. Everything else in the judge's manual is perfect. Let's go to PA. What stops a perfect trailer queen primary car from throwing on radials and calling itself 'touring'? Absolutely nothing. Whatever.

[Cadman-iac]

Hi Laurie,
Are those tower clamps that you're talking about the ones with the 1/2" wide strap and the long screw that pulls the strap tight around the hose?
My experience with these is that they only work once IF they are used on new hoses and a new radiator, or heater core. Once they are tightened, they tend to distort the piece they are supposed to seal. I don't even know if you can get a new clamp like that. Can you?

Rick

 P.S. I hope you get him back in time and have a great time at the show.  Good luck!

[35-709]

"I don't even know if you can get a new clamp like that. Can you?"

Tower clamps are readily available (Google it/them) and GM used them across the board for 10 years (give or take).  Doesn't make them any better though, they were always a PIA.  Beware T-clamps made in, er, "off-shore", they are even worse.

[Cadman-iac]

"I don't even know if you can get a new clamp like that. Can you?"

Tower clamps are readily available (Google it/them) and GM used them across the board for 10 years (give or take).  Doesn't make them any better though, they were always a PIA.  Beware T-clamps made in, er, "off-shore", they are even worse.

Thanks for your reply. I've never tried to get any of these types of clamps before, I've always been happy with the regular old worm or screw type clamps.
 How are the old wire clamps compared with a screw clamp? I've seen them but again, never tried to use one. They look too flimsy to me.

 Rick

[Cape Cod Fleetwood]

The tower clamps are out there. Someone bought the rights/blueprints, whatever to the original design, those will be stamped "Wittek". Shop for the best prices.

[Cape Cod Fleetwood]

AND that's a wrap, The Ark is home. After an $80 sip of fuel a nice long cruise for groceries.
Michael gave him a bath today at the shop, saving my arm and back, so appreciated! Using all the correct
Adam's products as always. 18 of the 28 items on the 'honey dew' list are done, the other 10 can wait until
he's back in the shop this winter for the LAST time. Fun to see the dashboard with ALL of the lights working,
hearing a stereo, feeling hot air on your feet during the chilly ride home from grocery shopping tonight. A few
minor issues left to sort after this evolution, no big deal, it was a HUGE list of 'to do'. And all of the really
important stuff got "to done". No major shows this short season for me, its all good. Just so happy to have the
car home after 6 months away at finishing school. God I missed that car.

We're due at Attention To Detail for interior detail in 8 hours so its time for a nap. Another fun thread with you folks and The Ark! Now let's the hope the weather cooperates so we can do our FIRST show of the year Sunday at Larz Anderson.

Nitey nite

[James Landi]

 Laurie,

Such a great time to celebrate when nearly everything on your FLeetwood is showroom perfect and appears new. And to think that in a country of 325 million people, only a few dozen folks are driving a half century luxury automobile designed and executed for those who had the cash,and desired the flash, comfort, and convenience for Cadillac's top of the line Fleetwood. Indeed a unique immersive  experience of a bygone American culture.   Hoping that you continue to enjoy every moment.   Happy day,  James

[wrefakis]

put 10 miles on my fleetwood as it is back with me from storage at 18436 original miles with real 100 octane in tank,it is as new as the one i had for a day in oct 1969,same colors as well quite a treat at 15 in that we had no car,let alone a lloaded new cadillac!

[Cape Cod Fleetwood]

Laurie,

Such a great time to celebrate when nearly everything on your FLeetwood is showroom perfect and appears new. And to think that in a country of 325 million people, only a few dozen folks are driving a half century luxury automobile designed and executed for those who had the cash,and desired the flash, comfort, and convenience for Cadillac's top of the line Fleetwood. Indeed a unique immersive  experience of a bygone American culture.  Hoping that you continue to enjoy every moment.  Happy day,  James

Awww James, thank you! The interior looks 54, but I like the gray hairs. You've been following all along, I really, REALLY noticed that completely restored suspension/steering last night. Body springs, shocks, the entire front end re-done. The car is just a blast to drive.