1966 Eldo Rear Quarter Interior Lights

[Robert Green]

Hi all, I have just signed up to this forum. I'm based in the UK and I'm lucky enough to own a '66 Eldorado in excellent condition. There is is one thing I need to do though, to complete a very fine automobile.

The original interior lights in the rear quarters, which are different from the De Ville drop tops of the same year, have gone missing.

Can anyone on the forum help me? Obviously I'd love to locate a pair, but it would also help to know if these lights were used in any other models. From pictures, it looks as if maybe the lights on the back seats of 1965-1967 Fleetwood Broughams, just over the pull down trays, are the same.

Any assistance would be gratefully received! Many thanks, Robert Green

[Cadillac Fleetwood]

Congratulations on being the owner of a wonderful car, and one of my all-time favorites.  The lamp portion of the Eldorado convertible's rear quarter interior courtesy lights is one and the same with the ones used in the fold-down rear seat trays in the Fleetwood Broughams. They are die-cast, chrome plated, with the interior surfaces sprayed semi-gloss white.  The lamp contains a tubular, clip-mounted bulb, which if memory serves, is a 212-1 or 212-2, whichever is the one with the metal barrel-shaped ends.

The lens is similar, but not identical.  The lens assembly for the Fleetwoods, like the one for the Eldorado, consists of a white, or in some cases, off-white translucent plastic lens, with the top portion (approximately half) covered with a thin piece of brushed-finish metal, which serves to deflect the light downward. It's just that there is a diffeerent shape, with the lens for the Eldorado having a "squarer" appearance, with a pronounced longitudinal crease near the bottom, and sharper corners.

Our resident 1966 Fleetwood and Eldorado expert is Ralph Messina. Perhaps he'll see this post and contribute his knowledge.

If you need a pair of the Fleetwood lamps and lenses, send me a PM with your e-mail address and I'll send photos.

-Charles Fares

[Robert Green]

Hi Charles, thanks so much for your helpful message. I'm new to the site so not sure if this is the way to send a PM?

[Robert Green]

Guess it's not!

[Robert Green]

PM addressed to Charles Fares didn't go as messages app couldn't find recipient!

[Cadillac Fleetwood]

Robert, I sent you a PM.  Sending a PM is simple:  Click on a member's name at the left, in one of that member's posts. This will take you to the member's profile.  Below the member's name, there will be a menu, including the option to "send a PM" Click on that, and a box will appear in which you can enter your message.  Then hit send, and your'e done.

Charles Fares

[Ralph Messina CLC 4937]

Hi Robert,

Welcome to the Forum.  I searched for those lens and had no success.

I'll try to explain how I made replacement pieces that look identical when installed. Some of the following may not be completely accurate as I'm doing this from memory. If you get the overall method you'll be able to improvise..

To make the lenses you need a sheet of 1/16" translucent , not opaque, acrylic plastic .... a 6"x6" piece will do. Search industrial plastic suppliers for a source in the UK. You'll need a short section of ceiling cove molding to act as the shaping dye.. The contour of the cove should approximate the curvature of the lens. You want something with a fairly tight radius like 2 to 3 inches in diameter. You'll need a  large  1" diameter dowel to push the heated plastic sheet into the radius of the curved portion of the ceiling cove.

Measure the width of the lens opening: "W" . Measure the height of the lens opening – straight line - and estimate the extra length you'll need to compensate for the curvature...("H" + some small amount). . Now layout a small rectangle on the plastic sheet with dimensions of "W" x ( H"+ small amount). Carefully cut the rectangle from  the plastic sheet.  Lay  plastic lens in the cove section of the wood molding and heat it with a hot air gum. Do this step slowly because too much time or temperature can cause the plastic to degrade. After heating the plastic in the cove use the dowel to push the plastic sheet into the contour of the cove. When you're satisfied with the curvature, remove the heat gun an let the part cool, You can now fit the lens to the exact shape by filing to fit. When you're happy with the lens, assemble the metal lamp casing with a new bulb and install rear quarter upholstery back into the car.  A dab of clear silicone adhesive at each corner of the lens will glue it into the chrome bezel.. A small dental pick   will remove the lens whenever necessary

My description is a bit crude and may sound difficult but it's simple enough that  you can experiment with it until you're satisfied.

HTH

Charles....Thanks for the kind words

[Robert Green]

Thank you so much for sharing your (probably hard earned!) experience Ralph. Learning to do new stuff is part of the fun, and I will probably end up trying your technique!

However I will still need to find the lamp casings... As the number of scrapped Broughams and Eldos surely exceeds the survivors and the casings can't be used elsewhere, I will keep looking.

Any suggestions for possible sources?

RG

[Ralph Messina CLC 4937]

Robert,

I have the utmost respect for Charles' encyclopedic knowledge of all things Cadillac this vintage. However, I do not believe that the courtesy  light in the Brougham writing table is the same as quarter courtesy light in an Eldorado.. My reasoning stems from having restored a Brougham a few years prior to the Eldorado. I first searched all my MPL and supplement bulletins and could not find a part number for the Brougham light. I knew the Eldorado quarterlights would be unobtianium and hoped a Brougham lens would fit. I called a friend who measured the lights in His Brougham and found they were not as wide as the Eldorado's quarter light. Thus I found a work around by making my own lens. I hope I'm wrong, but if not, your only hope is finding a lamp base from a '66 Eldorado. Hopefully Charles has part numbers to prove me wrong.

[Robert Green]

Oh dear! Thanks Ralph. I do actually have a Cadillac parts book but work and Covid have conspired to to keep me far from home (and the car). Look forward to hearing more - I would have thought economies of scale would have resulted in commonality at least for the base but who knows?

The rear quarter footwell lights for a '68 Deville convertible appear are rectangular and appear somewhat similar in size. However it has no visible surround so I assume the lamp base is different...

Robert Green