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#TheArk woken up and brought to the shop today

Started by Cape Cod Fleetwood, May 02, 2023, 01:08:14 AM

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Cape Cod Fleetwood

They promised me I'd have the car home in April back in October. Today, May Day, it was so warm and sunny, what a day to be cruising. Honestly, I've been so depressed, distraught actually about the car still being in storage and now I owe them another months rent. Luxury accommodations for car or human aren't cheap, and Area 51 is as good as it gets for cars, what I need to be is grateful such a facility exists in the same town, right?

I couldn't take it, I've been warned, I know better, don't ever go to the shop on a Monday, its always chaos. This is after all the ONLY full/all restoration shop in the northeast, and its the next town over from where I live, I should be grateful right? Today I didn't give AF, off I went. The place is jumping, found Michael in the office on the phone with a customer looking up parts for another car on the computer and fielding questions from other mechs simultaneously. Then I pop in. He looks up at me - "WHAT". Fighting back tears - "Michael, my car, WHEN are you going to get it in..." "I'm going to go get it in an hour if you leave me the phuque alone. I told you I needed room, I needed a lift for a week, I needed the time, I told you I'd take care of it."

Yes, yes you did. Michael rocks. \m/

He was bringing another car from the shop to storage, he'll drive The Ark back, he has another mech with him. I met them there to pay the final rent bill and watch him wake up the sleeping car. And I'm in tears I'm so happy... finally.

Jammies off, hood open, a quick inspection and then a crank, nothing. Another crank, nothing. A couple of squirts of "spray and pray" and the Reid's Automotive 472 roared to life. YAY! And that real COBRA sure made a racket next to us being started for the 1st time in the spring, pretty spiffy place this Area 51.

I told Michael I was going to get a new battery and I'd meet them at the shop. "What's wrong with the battery..." You told me to change it every 3 years, that one is 3 in October and I don't want to be thinking about a battery all summer on the road. "Go ahead, see you at the shop."

Advance Auto Parts had exactly what I wanted and just 1 left in stock. Die Hard Silver, Group 27, black, 1010CCA, a January 23 manufacture date and 10% off with my VA ID. Jeff on the counter is a sweetheart, he put the battery into my car, I can't pick it up, my right shoulder is completely inop.

Drove to the shop and The Ark is on the A lift in the A bay, sweet. Michael came out and got the battery and put it on the work bench beside the car. The guys seemed happy, Michael is happy, The Ark is happy, and I'm still in tears happy. There's a 5 page/28 item 'honey do' list on the dash and 5 boxes of parts in the trunk. "Don't come down, don't bother me until Friday, I'll call you if there's an issue."

<giggle>

No problem Boss, thank you.

'Attention To Detail' gave me a date of early May 12 for full interior and exterior detail, they did the interior last year, they have to do it all this year, my right arm doesn't work.

*YAY*!

Pics of The Ark being started at Area 51, then in the A bay with Michael at HVA.

#TheArk #MichaelRules #HyannisVintageAuto #Area51 #ShowSeason2023 #Cadillac #LongTripsThisYear
There are 2 kinds of cars in the world, Cadillac and everything else....

The Present -1970 Fleetwood Brougham

The Past -
1996 Deville Concours
1987 Sedan De Ville "Commonwealth Edition"
1981 Coupe De Ville (8-6-4)
1976 Sedan De Ville
1975 Sedan De Ville

The Daily Driver and work slave -
2008 GMC Acadia SLT *options/all

billyoung

So glad to see the Ark awake and alert. I told Raggedy Ann and she was thrilled her pen pal was still alive. I just noticed your unique license plates. They seem to be indicating 9 miles per gallon, if so my car also gets that downhill with a tailwind. I am sanding cutting and grinding and have removed the interior except for the now completed dashboard and the front seat. Sounds like next weekend you might be on the road!
Age 68, Living in Gods waiting room ( Florida ) Owned over 40 Old Cadillac's from 1955's to 1990 Brougham's. Currently own a 1968 Cadillac DeVille Convertible and a 1992 Cadillac 5.7 Brougham.

James Landi

Laurie,

Caring for these cars is, on occasion, like being pulled through an emotional knot hole. I can't write as compellingly, vividly,and competently as you, so I won't try.  Waking up these old cars from winter slumber is often replete with disappointments, and I'm really challenged this season with the '88 Allante.  Fortunately for us Allante devotees, we have Johnny Monzo and Dick Hussey who willing provide wise consults and parts--- God love them, they are patient and enduringly helpful---I have to do my own work...or ship the car to one of these two guys- 350 million Americans, but in a "tissue paper society" where we throw so much away, there's just a miniscule interest in the presevation of ANYTHING old.  I'm thinking when I croak, maybe I should be buried in my car!        Happy day,  James   

Cape Cod Fleetwood

Quote from: billyoung on May 02, 2023, 06:15:18 AMSo glad to see the Ark awake and alert. I told Raggedy Ann and she was thrilled her pen pal was still alive. I just noticed your unique license plates. They seem to be indicating 9 miles per gallon, if so my car also gets that downhill with a tailwind. I am sanding cutting and grinding and have removed the interior except for the now completed dashboard and the front seat. Sounds like next weekend you might be on the road!

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...
There are 2 kinds of cars in the world, Cadillac and everything else....

The Present -1970 Fleetwood Brougham

The Past -
1996 Deville Concours
1987 Sedan De Ville "Commonwealth Edition"
1981 Coupe De Ville (8-6-4)
1976 Sedan De Ville
1975 Sedan De Ville

The Daily Driver and work slave -
2008 GMC Acadia SLT *options/all

Cape Cod Fleetwood

Quote from: James Landi on May 02, 2023, 07:06:19 AMLaurie,

Caring for these cars is, on occasion, like being pulled through an emotional knot hole. I can't write as compellingly, vividly,and competently as you, so I won't try.  Waking up these old cars from winter slumber is often replete with disappointments, and I'm really challenged this season with the '88 Allante.  Fortunately for us Allante devotees, we have Johnny Monzo and Dick Hussey who willing provide wise consults and parts--- God love them, they are patient and enduringly helpful---I have to do my own work...or ship the car to one of these two guys- 350 million Americans, but in a "tissue paper society" where we throw so much away, there's just a miniscule interest in the presevation of ANYTHING old.  I'm thinking when I croak, maybe I should be buried in my car!        Happy day,  James   

James, just say it. We're masochists. There's something emotionally wrong with us, we are the definition of insanity as we keep doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different outcome. The pain and aggravation is relentless.

Then you drive it...  8)
There are 2 kinds of cars in the world, Cadillac and everything else....

The Present -1970 Fleetwood Brougham

The Past -
1996 Deville Concours
1987 Sedan De Ville "Commonwealth Edition"
1981 Coupe De Ville (8-6-4)
1976 Sedan De Ville
1975 Sedan De Ville

The Daily Driver and work slave -
2008 GMC Acadia SLT *options/all

Cape Cod Fleetwood

Holy cow, got a progress report phone call today from crew chief Michael Amster that I wasn't expecting. These guys are slammin' and thrashin' The Ark! PSYCHED! #TheArk #MichaelRules #YAY #HyannisVintageAuto #WhatATeam #DontTouchTheCarLaurie

There are 2 kinds of cars in the world, Cadillac and everything else....

The Present -1970 Fleetwood Brougham

The Past -
1996 Deville Concours
1987 Sedan De Ville "Commonwealth Edition"
1981 Coupe De Ville (8-6-4)
1976 Sedan De Ville
1975 Sedan De Ville

The Daily Driver and work slave -
2008 GMC Acadia SLT *options/all

jaxops

#6
An emotional roller coaster.  I feel like I'm waiting for my wife to have baby when my car is in the shop.  Lamaz Deep Cleansing Breaths is all that I can recommend!!

Hang in there Laurie!
1970 Buick Electra Convertible
1956 Cadillac Series 75 Limousine
1949 Cadillac Series 75 Imperial Limousine
1979 Lincoln Continental
AACA, Cadillac-LaSalle Club #24591, ASWOA

Cape Cod Fleetwood

Quote from: jaxops on May 03, 2023, 02:22:05 PMAn emotional roller coaster.  I feel like I'm waiting for my wife to have baby when my car is in the shop.  Lamaz Deep Cleansing Breaths is all that I can recommend!!

Gang in there Laurie!

LOL! I hear you Mark. Now that its in the shop I'm breathing again. I know when Michael hands me my keys, it will be - PERFECT. It always is.
There are 2 kinds of cars in the world, Cadillac and everything else....

The Present -1970 Fleetwood Brougham

The Past -
1996 Deville Concours
1987 Sedan De Ville "Commonwealth Edition"
1981 Coupe De Ville (8-6-4)
1976 Sedan De Ville
1975 Sedan De Ville

The Daily Driver and work slave -
2008 GMC Acadia SLT *options/all

Cape Cod Fleetwood

Heh, now they're in the weeds... Michael said that thingy burned a long time ago, way before I bought the car. He'll fix it so it doesn't happen again. The radio is now working normally, they're working on the clock. All the electrical light 'stuff' is done in and out, I think another guy is working on the doors. The power door locks work but they're "lazy", same with the windows, they work but they're 'slow'. And I want all of the exterior door handles to work like the left rear door, Michael replaced a spring on the 'clam shell' that holds the door closed, I like how that feels.
There are 2 kinds of cars in the world, Cadillac and everything else....

The Present -1970 Fleetwood Brougham

The Past -
1996 Deville Concours
1987 Sedan De Ville "Commonwealth Edition"
1981 Coupe De Ville (8-6-4)
1976 Sedan De Ville
1975 Sedan De Ville

The Daily Driver and work slave -
2008 GMC Acadia SLT *options/all

billyoung

That gizmo on the dash is for the Automatic Climate Control and takes the temperature in the car and tells the brain to run heat or AC. I've got one of those on Raggedy Ann.
Age 68, Living in Gods waiting room ( Florida ) Owned over 40 Old Cadillac's from 1955's to 1990 Brougham's. Currently own a 1968 Cadillac DeVille Convertible and a 1992 Cadillac 5.7 Brougham.

The Tassie Devil(le)

You are lucky that the burnt-out wiring was caught before it got worse.

It reminded me of my Son's car.   Had to replace the complete loom as the melted wire compromised every wire it was up against.

Bruce. >:D
'72 Eldorado Convertible (LHD)
'70 Ranchero Squire (RHD)
'74 Chris Craft Gull Wing (SH)
'02 VX Series II Holden Commodore SS Sedan
(Past President Modified Chapter)

Past Cars of significance - to me
1935 Ford 3 Window Coupe
1936 Ford 5 Window Coupe
1937 Chevrolet Sports Coupe
1955 Chevrolet Convertible
1959 Ford Fairlane Ranch Wagon
1960 Cadillac CDV
1972 Cadillac Eldorado Coupe

2011DTS

Laure, Bruce is right luck that there was no flammable insolation near by. Glad to see the Ark out of its winter hibernation. Now you can have a summer of miles and smiles.

Cape Cod Fleetwood

AND now we're deeper in the weeds. I thought I just paid another shop a fortune for HVAC resto? Or did I dream that... 'How' they got the car to perform for me when I picked it up is a mystery. Michael, Chris and Kevin are finding more burnt wiring in the AC system. This must be the "relay or resistor" the HVAC shop said was still a problem. They'll have a bigger problem with me in the not to distant future, that I can promise you. Anyway, Michael will get this all figured out, fixed and working correctly and safely. Thanks to Gar Tompkins for rushing me the valve thingy they needed. They said my radio worked really well now, and they're replacing the speakers I supplied too. Funny things happen when pro's molest your car and do things like ground the radio, attach it to the antennae etc. Wonder if they'll get the clock to work! Chris is thrashing the AC control - they're still being detectives trying to see what failed first... whatever. I was allowed there Friday briefly and took these pics while trying not to yack. They're trashing, get The Ark fixed, get it out, get the next one in. Wash, rinse, repeat.
There are 2 kinds of cars in the world, Cadillac and everything else....

The Present -1970 Fleetwood Brougham

The Past -
1996 Deville Concours
1987 Sedan De Ville "Commonwealth Edition"
1981 Coupe De Ville (8-6-4)
1976 Sedan De Ville
1975 Sedan De Ville

The Daily Driver and work slave -
2008 GMC Acadia SLT *options/all

Cape Cod Fleetwood

Quote from: 2011DTS on May 06, 2023, 09:25:08 AMLaure, Bruce is right luck that there was no flammable insolation near by. Glad to see the Ark out of its winter hibernation. Now you can have a summer of miles and smiles.

And LONG trips this year Lynn, need to build confidence for that 500 mile ride to Gettysburg, right?
AND I have to fly to Pittsburgh this year for the day to renew my PA LTC, fortunately Jet Blue has regular
daily service between Boston and Pitt, the courthouse will issue a permit while I'm there. I was previously
licensed in PA and have my MA LTC-A so it's pretty easy at the Allegheny court house.
Gotta keep that Cadillac known as The Ark safe!  ;)
There are 2 kinds of cars in the world, Cadillac and everything else....

The Present -1970 Fleetwood Brougham

The Past -
1996 Deville Concours
1987 Sedan De Ville "Commonwealth Edition"
1981 Coupe De Ville (8-6-4)
1976 Sedan De Ville
1975 Sedan De Ville

The Daily Driver and work slave -
2008 GMC Acadia SLT *options/all

The Tassie Devil(le)

G'day Laurie,

You thought your wiring was a "Dogs Breakfast".

This is what I had to deal with when I got this Right Hand Drive '69 SDV to put back together.  Rebuild the dash and get everything working.  Everything in it was bad.

Bruce. >:D
'72 Eldorado Convertible (LHD)
'70 Ranchero Squire (RHD)
'74 Chris Craft Gull Wing (SH)
'02 VX Series II Holden Commodore SS Sedan
(Past President Modified Chapter)

Past Cars of significance - to me
1935 Ford 3 Window Coupe
1936 Ford 5 Window Coupe
1937 Chevrolet Sports Coupe
1955 Chevrolet Convertible
1959 Ford Fairlane Ranch Wagon
1960 Cadillac CDV
1972 Cadillac Eldorado Coupe

Cape Cod Fleetwood

Quote from: The Tassie Devil(le) on May 07, 2023, 02:51:59 AMG'day Laurie,

You thought your wiring was a "Dogs Breakfast".

This is what I had to deal with when I got this Right Hand Drive '69 SDV to put back together.  Rebuild the dash and get everything working.  Everything in it was bad.

Bruce. >:D

"Dogs breakfast", LOL! My dog's breakfast looks far more edible.
Around here we call it a "birds nest, snake pit, or cluster f***"
And this is why I pay people to do this stuff. I just want to drive the car and enjoy it.
Michael and the boys at HVA will unf*** all of this, make it like new, hand me my keys with one
hand and a bill in the other. Its all good. Let's drive.
There are 2 kinds of cars in the world, Cadillac and everything else....

The Present -1970 Fleetwood Brougham

The Past -
1996 Deville Concours
1987 Sedan De Ville "Commonwealth Edition"
1981 Coupe De Ville (8-6-4)
1976 Sedan De Ville
1975 Sedan De Ville

The Daily Driver and work slave -
2008 GMC Acadia SLT *options/all

bcroe

I do hope, you have a good quality battery maintainer
for the car.  Anything here that sits a week gets
connected up.  Before I learned my lesson, I bought
a lot of batteries. 

I have a permanent connector under the hood, with a
dirt cover and fuseable link protection.  No battery
clips.  Bruce Roe

Cape Cod Fleetwood

Quote from: bcroe on May 08, 2023, 03:14:03 PMI do hope, you have a good quality battery maintainer
for the car.  Anything here that sits a week gets
connected up.  Before I learned my lesson, I bought
a lot of batteries. 

I have a permanent connector under the hood, with a
dirt cover and fuseable link protection.  No battery
clips.  Bruce Roe

Here at home I have a good battery maintainer, always on the car as soon as I park it.
They have a monster one at the shop obviously, they already put my new battery in.
There are 2 kinds of cars in the world, Cadillac and everything else....

The Present -1970 Fleetwood Brougham

The Past -
1996 Deville Concours
1987 Sedan De Ville "Commonwealth Edition"
1981 Coupe De Ville (8-6-4)
1976 Sedan De Ville
1975 Sedan De Ville

The Daily Driver and work slave -
2008 GMC Acadia SLT *options/all

Cape Cod Fleetwood

I had lunch with my tribe today, they liked the pizza's, I loved the progress they're making with The Ark.
Starting to put the dash back on but not too tight, more testing to do. The clock is heading to "ClockWorks" tomorrow, at this point, why not.
There are 2 kinds of cars in the world, Cadillac and everything else....

The Present -1970 Fleetwood Brougham

The Past -
1996 Deville Concours
1987 Sedan De Ville "Commonwealth Edition"
1981 Coupe De Ville (8-6-4)
1976 Sedan De Ville
1975 Sedan De Ville

The Daily Driver and work slave -
2008 GMC Acadia SLT *options/all

James Landi

" The clock is heading to "ClockWorks" tomorrow, at this point, why not."

Laurie, you've been in "might as well" territory from the start, and why not? You're either going to enjoy your vintage car from the outside at ten feet away,and ignore all of the timed out and worn out bits and pieces or you're going to get the damn thing thoroughly correct as it came from the showroom "INSIDE OUT."   The cost for the clock fx is a rounding error on the total expense. Those original clock mechanisms generally failed by the time the first owner turned in his three year old Cadillac for a new one... Those guys enjoy a good lunch> Happy day,  James