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Partial restore of a 68 Deville Convertible: dash/bezel removal /install

Started by Trace, July 31, 2020, 06:04:13 PM

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Trace



When I got my deceased father's Caddy, the first thing I noticed was that hardly anything worked in the dash/gauge cluster. The speedo was stuck on '30', the clock was dead, the only tell-tale light that worked was the 'GEN' light, and half of the illuminating lights were out. This would be my first project. While in the midst of the disassembly, I came upon a few 'helps' that may be useful.
  1) Purchase one of those flex extensions that are used with power drivers. I obtained an 11in. flex extension and it turned out to be the best purchase. The engineers who designed the dashes in these cars were, no doubt, contortionists. There are cap screws in places that cannot be seen, much less reached directly with a rachet. Also, if magnetic sockets or inserts aren't available, I had great success with capping the screw with a small piece of paper towel. Once the socket grabs the towel and screw, it's not easily falling out. I started all of my smaller screws during reassembly this way. Also, a telescopic adjustable mirror is a must for peering behind/ under the dash/bezel.
  2) I was ready to ignore the clock. The repair 'guess-timates' for these inconsistant time-keepers were uncomfortable, ..... whether fixing the original mechanism, or replacing it with a modern setup. So I decided that if I couldn't get it ticking, I was going to just have it fill the hole in the cluster. After I opened it up, I looked for damage at the coil and saw none. I sprayed the 'works' with a cleaner/lubricant (suggested by other clock repair forums) and checked to see if the coil was okay. A 9 volt battery was used to check the coil and ..... tick-toc, tick-toc ....the mechanism came to life. What saved the clock was the fact that someone had broken the printed circuit tab that connected to the back of the clock. This prevented the coil from burning up when the car battery got too weak to re-wind the spring, which happens to many of these clocks. So I bypassed the printed circuit and wired the clock to the orange (constant voltage) wire at the main connector.... and now have the original clock working. 
  3) The speedo's issue was also lubrication. A small spritz of PB Blaster freed the needle and some lithium grease on the nylon gears in the back. The trip odometer numbers were a tad dirty but cleaned up well. A small 'help' would be to tether a line around the speedometer cable end when you disconnect it. Trying to dig for that thing with the dash installed is a pain. A string to pull the cable end up close to where it connects is much easier. Also, the wave washer is just pushed back off of the housing. The manual is too confusing regarding the wave washer. Original speedometer salvaged. 
  4) The light issues were bad bulbs (... and one disconnected wire at the oil pressure switch). So I purchased all new bulbs from ReplacementLightBulbs.com. They even have a supply of the discontinued map-light bulb (GE550). So all the interior lights, .... wherever they may be, ... are all new. 
  5) That connector that goes into the back of the cluster! ... I found the easiest way to remove it would be to take two small screwdrivers and slide them between each side of the connector and the housing. The connector has tabs that grab the sides of the housing once it's inserted. By slightly pushing the connector in while applying outward pressure against the top of both 'drivers (creating inward pressure on the tabs in the housing), that connector easily pops loose. You can do one side at a time also.
  6) Cruise Control did not function. I doubt my dad ever used it. The power light would come on when the switch was pushed to AUTO, but failed to stay on when released. In following the diagnostic tests suggested by the manual, the first failure came on section 15.10,  where the test light should remain on in the AUTO position and also when released back to the ON position. Mine did not remain lit. The manual states that the lock-in relay switch has "loose connections..." or is "defective". The connections were solid so I looked for a NOS relay. 'OUCH!' $150. So I called Mr. Groves. He can rebuild the whole unit for a little bit more than that relay would cost me (what a resource he is! His auto-climate control books are worth every penny!). But he did say that of all the rebuilds, he's only had one or two relays that were bad. He suggested I keep looking for another problem. Long story short, the Selector Control Assembly (the dash mounted 'wheel') was giving intermittent continuity readings when checking the AUTO/ON/OFF functions. It turns out that there is a spring behind a copper plate in the switch assembly that had gotten weak and was not keeping the plate against the contacts..... the completed circuit could not be maintained. A spring from a ball point pen, cut to size, cured the inoperative Cruise Control. Speaking of the Selector Control, someone must have put the retaining nut on with an impact wrench. I had to disassemble the whole backside of the switch to get it off. When reassembling, get the retaining nut just tight enough to keep the dial from spinning past the cable's limits. Hand tightening is all that's needed. Cruise Control works.

  7) The stereo dial indicator would not travel the distance of the dial. This was also a lubrication issue. The tracks/guides and gearing all needed a bit of 'grease'. WD40 makes a white lithium lubricant in a spray with the 'straw' applicator. Without taking the unit apart, I could get to all of the internal movable parts with the applicator. Just a few strategicly placed squirts and some back and forth coaxing of the Tuner wheel in the back and the dial now effortlessly traverses from 88.5 to 107.7. 

  8)  This is probably the biggest 'help' of all: Guard your time. I've read comments about these cars being 'money-pits', .... which I can believe. But those $$$ invested in these cars can be partially or fully recouped sometime down the road. The hours spent working on them cannot. They are gone. Prioritize your time wisely. 

   A rebuild of the power brake booster and determining if the ac compressor is salvageable are next on the list. Dad disconnected the compressor and rerouted the (shorter) belts shortly after he purchased the car from one of his customers (My dad did not like air conditioning in his vehicles). Oddly enough, after being idle for 40+ years, I uncovered the high pressure side Schrader valve and that line still had pressure in it. Not much, but enough to stoke my curiosity about the viability of the system.

   This stuff is addictive .....

Blessings, Tracy

Reviving my Dad's 1968 Deville Convertible
1964 Impala SS Convertible w/409 -SOLD
1964 Thunderbird Convertible - SOLD
1969 GTO Convertible - SOLD
1958 Impala - SOLD
Luke 12:31,32
Heb.10:36

cadillacmike68

Trace,

It sounds like your are doing well with the car!

22 years in and I still have a few things that are "not quite right". That plus everything I do to mess the car up myself has kept me busy (and broke) over the years.
Regards,
"Cadillac" Mike

DeVille68

1968 Cadillac DeVille Convertible (silver pine green)

Highwayman68

Great progress, will you be keeping the car or are you doing all of this to sell the car?
1968 Fleetwood Purchased in 1981