1960 Questions - engine and grille bits

[Hayden P]

pic 1 & 2 - engine - is this a 1960 390 ?

pic 3 & 4 - grille bullets - what is best way to remove these... manual just says - move tabs...

pic 5 - side of grille - what finish is this supposed to be ?

pic 6 - any way you can repair this diecast piece which attaches side piece of grille ?

[Dan LeBlanc]

The 60-62 390 engines are most indistinguishable from one another. The intake manifold casting number is the same all the way through and the accessory mounting brackets etc all interchange and bolt on to each other. The only true way to know is either by the engine unit number on the LH side of the block back by the distributor of the serial number stamped on the blocks above the oil pan on the LH side.

[quadfins]

   There is one clue that gives this away as a 1960 engine (at least the intake manifold) and that is the vacuum source at the front of the manifold, seen in pics 1 & 2. I note that it is capped off and apparently not being used. Inside of it is a ball-and-spring check valve. This is the source for vacuum used for the parking brake release, heater, and AC actuators.

   In '61, this source moved to the rear of the manifold, and uses an upright brass nipple, without a check valve. A hose feeding from the top goes to the throttle dashpot, and one on the side leads to the connector on the firewall. Cars with vacuum door locks had a longer one with two side connectors, the second one going to the door lock vacuum reservoir. The pic below is of the longer type, and also includes an additional aftermarket check valve that I installed in-line.

   As for the grille bullets, each one is held in place by one of those star washers. I'm sorry to tell you that you'll have to deal with each one individually by bending enough of the tabs back out so that the washer will release it's grip. Then bend them back straight enough so that they will grip again when you push them back into the bullet during reassembly.
   That is one reason why I did not remove my bullets when I restored my grille. Keep the band-aids nearby, and small children away, so they won't be exposed to new "vocabulary".

Jim

[59-in-pieces]

The 60 bullet retaining stars are very much the same as the 59.
I use a small needle-nosed pliers to gently twist the long pointed spikes just slightly and place a very small straight bladed screwdrive below the spike and gently push up.
Notice I said gently a couple of time because you can't moose the knife sharp barbs of the spikes from the bullet without damaging the star or breaking it.
Also there is a small piece of rectangular rubber in the nose of the bullet which crosses the intersection of the grill bars that keeps the bullet tight once the stars are reinstalled.
There is a nifty tool - see pics - for pressing the stars back in place with a firm tap with a hammer - got mine on eBay years ago.
Steve B.

[Hayden P]

wanna sell that tool ?

[Hayden P]

Another question - the FW 5 digit number on Build ID plate on firewall is not the same as VIN number ... Should it be ?

Build ID BODY number is FW12894.  VIN is 60J103585.

Thanks everyone !!!!

[Grant Owen]

Hi Hayden,
The best way to remove the clips is to put a spike in the centre hole & move it back & forth.
I am currently considering making 1960 Grills new including the clips but this wont be till towards the end of the year, If I make them I will be making the front , corners & Eldorado Rear.
I make new 1959 Grills  front, corners & rear both Eldorado & 62 series , I also make the bullet & backing plate between the headlight.
The tool you can get to assemble the grills is not that great you will always end up scratching & damaging a few bullets & if not done correctly you can also bend the slats. I assemble mine with tools I have made & I use a press to assemble them.
I did have some old 1957 -  1960 Grills about 30 odd but I sold them for scrap for about $120 .
In my opinion you will be wasting your time restoring your Grille it probably wouldn't look that great afterwards & buy the time it is polished the shape will be gone & it would probably rattle.
Be careful not to buy the 1960 Grille clips that some one is selling on Ebay apart from looking completely wrong they are Stainless & they will corrode the Aluminium.
Your Vin & body number, your car is the 12894 Coupe deville built , with the total production so far that year of 103585 1960 Cadillacs built.
I hope this helps.

[Hayden P]

grant...they only made 21,585 Coupe deVilles.... I am confused - "with the total production so far that year of 103585 1960 Cadillacs built"

the 103585 is my VIN number.

[Grant Owen]

Out of the total production of about 130.000 Cadillacs produced in 1960 yours was the 103,585 car built Vin #.
Out of a total production of 21,585 Coupe devilles built in 1960 yours was the 12,894 Coupe deville built Body #.

[Hayden P]

now I get it ! THANKS !!!!!

[59-in-pieces]

Hayden,
Sorry, the tool is not for sale.
I think the watch words for all who restore cars is "be careful".
Our cars are of some age and as such they are easily prone to damage, if we are not careful with the tools we use to fix them.
This bullet tool has served me well for years by my being careful.
The key to keeping a grill tight and free from rattles is to include the rectangular piece of rubber - about an inch to one and a half inches long - across the intersection of the vertical and horizontal grill bars, before the bullet is placed over them.  This is how the grills were originally constructed.
There is a point about newly made grill bars in that the edges are clean straight edges, just like OEM.  Bars from an original grill often lose those straight edges - to varying degrees - based upon how ham-handed the polisher gets.
Have fun with your car and any restorations you attempt.
Steve B.

[n2caddies]

I used a deep socket to push the "stars" down tight and gave a slight twist with the needle nose as needed. Haven't lost a bullet yet and its been 17 years!
Randy