I've been staggered a few times so far with this car...
I took a standing 8 count over that exhaust manifold...
But I'm getting off the stool for the 7th round....keep punching...
So far so good....
Mike
Mike,
Great three window body style. Patience and one bolt at a time it will be a "stand up and whistle" car when finished.
Thanks guys.....You know this but...
You start to hear the voices right after you buy the project...
There's too much rust...it's un-repairable...
The 85 year old engine is stuck....you'll never get it running...
It's not a convertible it's a 2 door coupe....it's not worth the effort...
Lots of the car is basically a one-off and parts are impossible to find....
But you just keep pounding away.....guys come into the warehouse and walk right by a 53 Buick and look at the LaSalle and ask what the hell is that??....it does have a look.
I think this one is going to be alright....I just have to stay the course...
Mike
Mike,
I don't recall where I heard this but it's certainly true.
"A beautiful restoration is not assembled. Rather it's given birth to painfully, one piece at a time."
Quote from: Ralph Messina CLC 4937 on March 14, 2019, 11:51:25 PM
Mike,
I don't recall where I heard this but it's certainly true.
"A beautiful restoration is not assembled. Rather it's given birth to painfully, one piece at a time."
So true Ralph!
Mike
Mike, Looks good and is certainly a worthwhile project. Just think, none of the hassles of a soft top. Quiet ride no leaks. Keep the pictures coming. Harry
Thanks Harry.....more pictures....
I finally got the car in high build primer yesterday....
A little more body work then the sealer and then paint....can't wait to start putting the car back together....
Mike
More pictures...
Mike
Mike, Really coming around. This round is yours. Harry
Thanks Harry !!........10-8 with a knock down !
Mike
Looking real good. Will be beautiful when done! Next year I hope to paint my 37.
Thanks Dave.....
Boy,.... did it get dusty in the shop today.....
Almost time for the sealer.....thank goodness!
Mike
Wow,
She will be beautiful. Keep us in the loop.
Bob R.
Remember that old Virginia Slims commercial...."You've come a long way baby"......
Here are a few of pictures of the car I bought in August 2018....slowly but surely we're getting there......
In the barn for 40-50 years...
I should have went to look at it before buying....lots of rust and the wood was in real bad shape......costly to repair, so the budget requires I cut some corners now on the chrome and the interior....but I can always get back to those in the future....
Mike
In the last couple of days the Black and the Burnt Orange paint were applied.....
I know the orange isn't everybody's cup of tea but it is eye catching when you walk into the warehouse.....
I mounted the new tires and the wheel disks today.....we're getting there....
I now get to start my favorite part.....trimming the car.....
Mike
More finishing pictures.......
We came up with a new mixture for the burnt orange.....if you put too much black into the orange I was afraid it would turn the color brown....
And the paint isn't cheap......the base paint was almost $400 a gallon...the clear another $100 per gallon...
We called it Mojave Clay....
Mike
"I know the orange isn't everybody's cup of tea but it is eye catching when you walk into the warehouse….."
"Eye catching" is an understatement. There is not a chance, wherever it goes, that it will be overlooked.
It will get strong reactions, positive and negative.
I think the majority of purists will be shocked. I am a bit of a purist, and I am shocked.
I’m also a conservative, and believe the best approach is always to bring a car back to its originally designed condition, budget permitting. Nonetheless what you are doing looks pretty neat, nicely done, and I like it. I look forward to seeing it when it is completed. I also want to hear your driving experiences. Have fun, and thanks for sharing.
Phil.
Sure would love to see it in KC in 2020.
'34 LaSalles are the BEST!!!
Looks good. I like the contrast. Harry
Looking really good! I like it and most importantly you like it:-) I did see a picture of a 34 or 35 LaSalle or Cadillac painted very close to the scheme somewhere and it was sharp looking.
There's the 1935 LaSalle convertible on the cover of the current membership directory owned by Randy Denchfield. No contrast but a beautiful orange color.
Harry
I'm a purist but ultimately its your car. I think the color combo looks great! Looks like something out of pulp mag from the 30s and 40s
Nice!
I saw your car online last year and hoped someone would save it. Great!
A few more today....
First I want to thank everybody for the good words of encouragement as my project chugs along...
I also want to thank those who showed restraint because I realize the car could cause strong feelings one way or the other....
I've been installing more trim and the bumpers.....
Lesson learned...... There is a good reason to go and look at a car before you buy it......Beside the rust in the body, the broken exhaust manifold, the bumpers were rotted, twisted or missing completely....finding these bumpers in decent condition is probably impossible.....
So, what I did is grab some stainless steel channel, made some cuts and curves, welded them up to get the right shape and try to recreate those bumpers.....I really want to get the car back on the road and I don't want to wait for the right parts.....I could always keep my eyes peeled for them in the future....
Mike
More pictures......
Really nice work !!
Thank you for sharing !
Bumpers look really great. They will probably buff up just like plated. Harry
Thanks Guys!......She's getting there... still a long way to go....
Yes Harry I bet they'll buff up good but, with the expensive surprises found and repaired on the car, I had to base-coat / clear-coat the exterior trim, door, trunk & rumble seat handles and the hood ornament to stay on budget....so I decided to keep the bumpers dull for now....
I don't know how to handle the running board trim.....the car only came with some pieces and those fish gill trim pieces on the lower center of the front fenders...again only pieces came.....if I go with chrome pieces I think they'll look out of place....and that's if I could ever find them for sale...
Like I said before, I want to get the car on the road in a more or less complete/correct stage....It's not going to be a show stopper but I just want the average guy on the street to look at the car and it's overall Harley Earl design...It's easy to see Mr. Earl was really good at this design stuff.....something seriously lacking today....
With these wind tunnel designs of today we're not saying where have you gone Joe DiMaggio...No....It's where have you gone Harley Earl !!
Mike
Started to fit the running boards today.....
I had one decent original that I shipped to Smoothie Fabrication in North Carolina, I think it was the passenger side......They made a duplicate and then did a mirror image for the drivers side....they even punched the holes for the bolts.
They also did all the brackets and braces underneath...everything was done really nice.....only $250 per board, I thought was pretty good....
I still have to figure out the running board trim along the edge....
I'm hoping to be on the road soon!.....
Mike
'34 LaSalle is fabulous. It's coming together and looking great!
Looking forward to seeing it at a GN near you!
8)
The bumpers turned out really nice looking.
SWEET!!!
Thanks guys!!
Next is connecting fuel pump to gas tank....I know the engine runs....I've had it going off a gas can.....a little smoke...lots of marvel mystery oil - ATF - acetone went in and I'm hoping we're still burning that off.
Brakes feel good so far....I'm going to see how the clutch is.
One step at a time.....I like this part of the work....not alot of money spent...testing and watching the results.....fingers still crossed....on the road soon!!
Mike
Looking forward to seeing it's picture on a 2021 calendar. I love them stock. But your LaSalle is gorgeous.
Keep it up,
Bob
Thanks Bob,...I like stock also but, really going completely back to stock is expensive......I like to leave all that really fine detail work to the guys who have deeper pockets than me.....
Someone always comes along who can't live without the car....buys it and takes it back to that outer limit.....till then I'll really enjoy driving it around.....Only the people on this forum know what a 1934 LaSalle should look like....the average Joe has no idea what he's looking at.....I just say she doesn't look bad for being 85 years old right!
Done or not I had to get her on the road today....It was a big hit!!
Mike
Had to put her on the road today, done or not, she starts, moves and has brakes what more do you need....It's been a long year plus of work....
A couple of miles away the local NAPA store has coffee and donuts for the guys as they come and go all day with their hot rods and classics....Today I rolled up in the LaSalle....big hit!! Unusual look had everybody looking at the progress....
The car smoked a little more than I thought it might.....but I did put alot of ATF,...Marvel Mystery Oil,...Acetone and whatever other kind of concoction I could find to free the stuck motor.....I'm hoping it's going to be just time to burn all that off and to get those rings loosened up......
From what I understand, today was the first day in 50-60 years she been on the road under her own power.....it was a blast going down the boulevard....people just stopped and stared....Clutch, brakes, engine power was better than expected....
Here are some pictures I took out in the daylight....
Mike
Couple more pics....
Mike
;D Slick!
WOW in a few months it's going to be 2 years since I posted on the progress in the restoration of my 1934 LaSalle coupe....but the restoration goes on and may never end.....
Looks like I have the cooling problem fixed and the leaky wheel cylinder was re-sleeved.....I took the car out for a ride today and she ran great and looked good.....
The bi-plane bumpers I fashioned were ok but, they certainly didn't look as good as the originals.....I had a decent set of 4 blades I sent out to be re-chromed, along with the associated parts....the chrome guy chromed 2 of the blades and told me the other 2 were too far gone to re-plate.....
So I brought the 2 bad bumper blades to a local metal fabricator for them to duplicate....that was 2 months ago and I haven't hear a word from those guys....I'm going to go over there next week and make sure they don't forget about me....
A couple of entries above this post are pictures of the custom bumpers I made.....below are the pictures of the 2 bumpers I got back from the chromer.....I like the stock bumpers better....I'm waiting for the rear bumpers....
Mike
Mike,
Looks terrific. The 33-35 GM cars have unique style and detail. The color choice only adds to that. I think
Thanks Ralph...
I got the fabricated bumpers back from the local metal workers....they really did a nice job recreating these impossible to find bumpers!
They took the 2 bumpers that I got with the car and cut the ends off of them and grafted them on to the new center sections they made.....they spent alot of time getting the contours right...even the the rear rumble seat step will fit nicely back on....
They charged me $1200 each for the fabrication...but in the long run the car needs these and not my hot-rod looking bumpers.....Harley Earl was better at the designing than I am....
The old bumpers were too far gone to rechrome....pitted and twisted beyond repair....
Then I pre-fitted the fabricated bumpers on the car so I could mark up and drill the holes for the bolts that hold them on....I used a pair of short pieces of rope with a slip knot in them for another pair of hands to hold everything up as I tried to pre-fit....
Check out the pictures below for the new bumpers.....I just boxed them up and shipped them off to the chromer....probably be another 3 months before they come back to me.....this Covid thing has everything backed up.....
Mike
Mike,
Lookin' good. They'll be just like gm production when plated
Got the quote back from the chrome guy.....another $1600 to chrome the 2 blades and the 3 rumble seat steps....
Nothing is inexpensive about our old cars....
Mike
Ouch--- please explain, why is re-chroming so expensive? Wouldn't it be wonderful if the Cadillac division created a financial subsidy to help defray these restoration expenses? As a way to help build brand loyalty and endow the divisions legacy models. (I'm dreaming, of course)
James
G'day James,
From what I understand, the biggest cost of re-chrome plating, that is, to get a perfect job, is in (1) the preparation, (that includes the restoration of the pieces to be chrome plated), (2) the Environmental problems with the chrome plating process, and (3) finding people that are willing to work in the horrible environments of the whole process.
Let me explain..... Remember that we are dealing with parts that have suffered years of use and abuse, corrosion and destruction, hence the need for replating. The parts are not perfect, as was not the case with the brand new pieces that came out of the presses, with surfaces that were virtually perfect. Those parts just needed cleaning, Copper Plating, buffing, cleaning again, Nickel plating, buffing again, then chrome plating, then straight onto the car. These factories were mass-producing the same things, one after the other, so it was easier to do thousands, instead of one different piece at a time.
The tiniest of imperfections have to be removed, and believe me, after years of use, a steel bumper bar does suffer a lot of abuse over years of use. A little scrape here, a bolt too much tightened there, and these spots have to be beaten and fixed before plating starts, or the customer will complain.
Diecast parts is a whole other story. As soon as Diecast starts to degrade, it pits, and these pits have to be ground out and filled prior to plating. Do them poorly, and the part can explode due to trapped air within the material when the process heats up the part.
The environmental concerns of the current age make it extremely expensive to perform the same processes, and the workers have to be protected. Not sure what the life expectancy of a plating worker would have been back then, but when I was having plating done as long ago as 5 years, I would go out the back of a shop, only when allowed, and the worker would be black from head to toe, covered with the polishing compound. That shop is now closed never to re-open again, as the efforts to try and keep up with the environmental permits, simply became too much of a burden, and the shop, and other shops would find that the people wanting parts plated just couldn't afford the prices that the owner needed to make a profit.
A vast amount of electricity is consumed as well, so there needs to be a good, reliable and uninterruptable supply close by.
Bruce. >:D
Thank you Bruce for your comprehensive response. The prices certainly make sense to me, and I better appreciate a set of gleaming chrome bumpers on a perfectly restored Cadillacs and LaSalles. Appreciatively, James
I seem to remember that Custom Metal Shaping in LA did these bumpers years ago. I'm not sure if they're still in business.
Bob
I wanted to update the bumper situation....
I shipped them off to the chromer just 3 weeks ago and today he emailed me pictures of the finished products.....and he shipped them today !!!
Take a look....they look pretty good!....all that time and money to fabricate them and then chrome them is all coming together.....I can't wait to get them on the car.....
Mike
I got the rear bumpers & the rumble seat steps back from the chromer....they look good coming out of the box....
Put them on the car and I think they look great!.....you can't tell they were fabricated....everybody did a great job!
The fabricator guys wanted me to bring the car back to show them how everything worked out.....next week I'll do that....
I'm going to save my pennies to get the exterior trim and handles chromed....maybe next year....
Took her out for a ride...stopped at a gas station and I got more than one "nice car" and "what year is that".....1934 Cadillac LaSalle....
Mike
Sure looks good to me! Harry
Mike--- it's BRILLIANT---- love it --- thanks to you for sharing your journey with us. James
Thank you guys!
I found the pictures the owner sent me when I bought the car.....She has come a long way....more than once I almost gave up.....
Driven hard for the first 30 years...then 50 years of sketchy storage took it's toll.....
Mike
more.....
Mike
G'day Mike,
Thank you very much for your perseverance. A truly beautiful vehicle, and a credit to you and everyone who assisted.
Bruce. >:D
Agree! A truly fine job!
Thanks for posting these---you have incredible. skill, perseverance and vision... Did you ever find anymore information about the length of time in storage, and potentially, who the original owner was? James
Mike,
That's a "stand up and whistle" car. The colors and two tone paint befit a LaSalle perfectly. The workmanship is what everyone hopes for when they start on their dream car
I can't thank you guys enough....all thru this rehab you guys encouraged me to not give up and stay the course....
The car came out pretty good because of you guys.....Bruce, James, Harry, Ralph, DaveZ, Bob R, Chris J, Tim N, Mike G, Giuseppe, Mitchell, G Newcombe....we all had a hand in this!!
Ralph, you said "will be a stand up and whistle car" about 2 years ago when the going really was getting rough....That helped alot !!
Thanks again,
Mike
WOW Mike! BEAUTIFULLY DONE! The '35 & especially the '34 LaSalle coupes are 2 of the COOLEST looking cars ever built, in my opinion. I really appreciate your perseverance. You help me to stay focused on the end result . I'd love to see a couple videos! Maybe a walk around your car & a quick tour of your shop. And of course hearing it purr & a bit of a drive? Thank you Mike!
Thanks Bob!....I'm lucky I can take a picture of what I'm looking at and not my chin......I'll work on the video....that's going to take some time....
Check this out....a set of 1934 LaSalle bumpers just sold on eBay....$3,100 !!....these were very rough....I'm really glad now I had mine fabricated.....talk about unobtainum!!
https://www.ebay.com/itm/174781706202?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&nma=true&si=OG6HVW%252BxvVp2NrSuWf0CYL9RUBg%253D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc
Mike
Absolutely a magnificent body style and what a fine job of bringing her back to life you've done. I can tell you from experience you're not going to like driving it unless you get some outside mirrors, the 3-Window looks great because it has such a huge blind spot. You might be able to cruise some back roads, but don't try to change lanes on the freeway.
I am in the process of drilling my top door hinge pins to accept, well, another pin that indexes into the stem of a 4" round motorcycle mirror. The right one is convex as it should be and the left is a normal mirror. I have a '37 LaSalle coupe that can be called a 5 window but even it has a huge blind spot and I know from my motorcycle experience that freeway driving is real challenge if you can't see both lanes. You want to exit..NOW, and are you sure there's no one in the right lane?
Years ago someone did made hinge pin mirrors for my '37 but no longer available. In fact, some of the modern rectangular mirrors wouldn't look bad on either my car or your coupe. fabricating the brackets (to go into a hinge pin) is the challenge to make it look factory.
A wide angle mirror in the cockpit is also advised.
Great job and wonderful accomplishment on your vehicle.
Back up cameras and maybe hidden side cameras in the side vents will help with blind spots. A lot of these can be sent to your smart phone so you can put your phone on the dash and it can be a second rear view mirror. Some of these systems can be connected to their rear view mirror, like the rear view mirror in the CT6.
Oh My....Back up cameras and maybe hidden side cameras!!...
This week I'm putting in a directional switch because people are waving to me when I'm hand signaling to take a right!!...haha
I did put mirrors on both sides, I just don't have good pictures of them yet....they don't look too bad though....
Mike
Here are the mirrors I put on the car....They're not great for the blind spots but better than nothing....
The head lights had small jewel like lights on top of the headlight buckets....somebody must have put them in years ago....I don't think they were stock....I used them for the front blinkers....
Advice...when you think your ground wires are ok...add another one...It always helps....
Mike
Mike, Job well done! Sorry have had issues with login and finally figured it out:-) Hopefully we will meet up at a car show next year. It's funny you mention people waving back at you. That happens to me all the time. makes ya wonder:-(
Thanks Dave,
It was a fun restoration.....and I'm really enjoying driving her around....people just stop in their tracks to look at the car....
There's something about the styling, the look and/or the colors that cause people to come over and comment on the car....
The serious car guys see the bi-plane bumpers right away....
The flow of the car front to back is really cool....1934 Cadillac LaSalle Coupe....
I received a lot of advice and encouragement from everybody here on the forum.....
Mike
The '34 has the best styling of that era, and certainly is worth another look.
8)
Chris you are a great man!....your picture brings back a good memory....
This was the day I took the car to the local NAPA....It was the first time that the car had been on the road in 50 years!....
From this photo you can see my home made stainless steel bumpers....
Here are a few more pictures with the new bumpers taken this summer....
Thanks again Chris,
Mike
Wow Mike that is a beautiful Car. I haven't done a restoration in over 30 years. But, your car makes me want to do one.
Thanks Wayne
Thanks Wayne !!
Jump in... the water's nice !!
It's only money & lots of time !!
Mike
It's a brilliant accomplishment and a tribute to your creativity, perseverence, and discipline. Thank you for taking us along for that incredible journey. While the majority of folks who view your car now will be impressed, those of us who followed your narrative on this forum know just how challenging this project was. Congratulations James
Thanks James,
I always look forward and enjoy your opinions....
Mike
Mike, That's a beautiful example of such a distinctive car and testament of your passion. Harry
Mike,
DId you ever figure out just how long your car had been "stored." I recall suggesting that you estimate the age of the trees that grew outside the doors of the barn, and then you found someone's business card. Was That mystery solved? And what did you do with the original engine... I recall that it had some "unfixable" issue. There are a number of YouTube "posters, " mainly young men who are successfully entertaining at bring abandoned older cars back to life. (the most entertaining: Vice Grip Garage) --- these guys make a point of stating just how long an old car had been left, and what follows is getting the cars running----that's the challenge. The guy on "Vice Grip" gets an abandon 70 Cadillac going after a 20 year slumber in a farm field.
James
Quote from: harry s on December 05, 2021, 11:14:31 AM
Mike, That's a beautiful example of such a distinctive car and testament of your passion. Harry
Thanks Harry, I couldn't have done it without your suggestions....
I remember complaining about that cast iron vendor we used to repair that exhaust manifold.....That guy did great work and that original damage was probably why the car was parked 50 plus years ago....
Mike
Quote from: James Landi on December 06, 2021, 07:29:39 AM
Mike,
DId you ever figure out just how long your car had been "stored." I recall suggesting that you estimate the age of the trees that grew outside the doors of the barn, and then you found someone's business card. Was That mystery solved? And what did you do with the original engine... I recall that it had some "unfixable" issue.
James
Yes James, that was the 1939 Convertible sedan I was trying to restore....that car was pulled out of a barn/garage in New Hampshire, I was told, that had serious trees growing in front of the doors....The trees had to cut down to get the car out....
I put in calls and emails to the original auction house that sold me the car.....I was looking for information about where the car came from....the family who had them auction the car....maybe they could tell me where or if they still had the convertible top frame, or whatever info they might have....
I didn't receive any responses from the small auction house in Rhode Island about any of this....What can you do?...you have to move on....
The motor that came out of that car was stuck beyond belief....Fortunately I had a rebuilt motor & trans that I swapped into the car.....the stuck motor had the matching chassis number.....I put that motor & trans in a pallet box and put on the shelf....maybe someday the guy who buys the car from me, Ill give him that motor & trans....
Mike
THanks for the up date, Mike--- there are engines that are simply not going to get un-stuck... especially when valve stems get stuck in the block--- I've un-stuck pistons in such motors, but I failed with those stuck valve stems. On the history matter, It's unfortunate that no one took the time to provide some history--- it's possible that the car had some complicated past--- moved through various owners, and was simply abandon. Takes a mighty effort from someone like you to resurrect these fine old cars. Greatly appreciate your efforts and results, James
Love these 3 windows. Not really an orange fan myself but excelent job. Looks good 👍