traveling

I'm traveling a lot without cars last weekend and next, so there won't be much content here...

New Car for Me!

My Dad bought me a 1995 Eldorado Touring Coupe. it has 98000 miles on it (that's about 100k less than my '93)

It's super-clean, and has a moon roof!

No Power

When I drove down the street this morning, the Cadillac didn't want to come out of first gear. I turned around and parked it in the driveway, and drove the 944 into work. I hope this has something to do with a vacuum leak repalted to the new dash pot and NOT a failed transmission.

I keep draining the battery

On the way to work, there is a tunnel I turn my lights on through the tunnel, and I keep draining the battery after I get to work because I forget to shut them off. There is no dummy bell to let you know they are still on (or at least if there's supposed to be one, it doesn't work). I finally put the jumper cables in the car so the next time this happens I don't have to wait an hour for Jim to come back to Berkeley from home to give me a charge.

New Dash Pot

My Dad went and worked on my car this weekend while I was on a road trip. He installed a new Dash Pot, but I need to install a t-fitting to the vacuum hoses.

Brake Part Suppliers

These places makes brake line tube replacements:
http://www.classictube.com/
http://www.inlinetube.com/

Brakes parts kits can be found at:
http://www.rockauto.com

Plan...

OK, so here's the plan. I will allocate 4 weeks to fix one part on all my cars. This does not mean that I will not fix other parts that break as needed during this time, it just means that I am trying to focus my energy on getting my cars running well and on the road instead of buying more cars. I may throw in a specialty weekend here or there as well.

through April 20 - Brakes (this may go a bit longer since I have three weekend trips planned in this four week period)
April 28 - Timing checks
May 5 - compression testing (may combine with timing checks if time allows)
through May 25 - Shocks
May 19 - Lube all points
through June 22 - Tires
through July 20 - Suspension
through Aug 24 -
through Sept 21 -

Cadillac Stops again

Dad and I went armed with a new master cylider for the cadillac to where I left the car at my work this weekend (I was relieved that it was still there). the old one came off, but the new one wouldn't go on. Turned out there are two different kinds of master cylinder that year, a bendix and a Moraine. I, of course, have the one that no local parts houses carry. It's a special order only item. The old one went back on, and the fluid was a bit down (not much though, maybe 3/8") so we filled it, and then it seemed to have some pedal. Dad drove it home while I led in his car.

We went and got a brake adjusting tool at Kragen (I also returned an air filter I tried to make work in the 944 a few weeks ago, and ordered the correct one) then we adjusted the drum brakes in the rear. The brakes seem to be working without problem now, I drove it in to work with no brake problems.

No brake problems, but the red light came on partway through my ride to work, I almost didn't notice it, it's so small. When it came on I realized that it had been more than a week since I checked the oil(there is a pretty severe oil leak, A&A apparently missed a spot when they re-sealed the engine). I stopped and got gas and topped of the oil. The light went away after about a half block, so I can only assume it was down too low, I wonder why the oil light didn't come on first. I'll need to check the coolant before I leave work today.

No Brakes

Is there anything worse than the feeling you get when you depress the brake pedal on a 4,500lb car and get no response?

This morning on my way into work, the brakes went out in the Cadillac. Well, there was a little brake, so I suspect the master cylider went out (I think this was the first year they had that in the Cadillacs, but I may be mistaken - I'll look it up later...)

Luckily, it happened just down the street from work(and not on the steep, windy road I came down on the way to work) , so I parked it in the parking lot at work. I 'll probably have to get a lift home from Jim and leave the car here. Good thing April is brake fixing month!

Idea...

I had a new idea on how to handle to masses of automobiles I now have. Instead of trying to work on one car at a time, I thought maybe I would try working on one part at a time. For example April will be "Brake month" I will replace all brake parts that need replacing on all of my cars in the month of April. I will buy four new drum brakes for the convertible, new front disk pads for the '67 eldorado (and check the drums in the rear), check the pads on the 944(and fix the wheel lock on the rear driver side wheel), and check the pads on the 93 Eldo as well... I may skip this process on the '79, but If I have time and/or money, I may not.

No Cadillac...

Well, the Cadillac (converible) did not make it to my house this weekend. I called a tow guy off of craigslist who said he had a flatbed trailer and would tow it the 60+ miles for $150. My sisters Husband had charged the battery up and it started when I got down there, but had a very hard time moving it, the brakes seem to be frozen.

When the tow truck guys came by, it wouldn't start again. We tried jump starting it with another car, but that didn't work. The trailer they had was too low to make it down the steep driveway and I wasn't willing to let his tow it up the driveway with his truck to load it on the trailer in the street, so I sent them home with $20 in gas money for coming out.

After they left, we tried charging the battery again, and it did start again, I'm guessing the alternator is not working, or maybe some wiring to the alternator is corroded.

Hot Cadillac

The weather has been just gorgeous here in Nor cal the last couple of weeks, and I'm getting a taste of how hot the black interior of the Eldorado is going to be this summer. Air conditioning seems like it will be a must this summer.

I found an article explaingin the basics of air conditioning from of all places mother earth news.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Green-Transportation/1987-07-01/Auto-Air-Conditioning.aspx

Gas price shock

I've been driving a 4-cylinder car to work for the last year or so, the last two weeks I've been driving my 67 Eldorado to work and back everyday. I just added up the amount of cash I've poured into the gas tank over the last two weeks - $151.15 - ugh.

Tires

http://www.carbibles.com/tyre_bible.html

anything and everything you could every want to know about tires. Including an awesome tire size conversion chart for those times when you need to replace the old bias-ply with radial.

also check out the other car bibles, Brakes, transmissions, anything you want...

http://www.carbibles.com

Trailers

I need to find a Trailer to tow the Cadillac to my house with. My Brother-in Law has volunteered to tow it up to my place with his truck, but I need to find a trailer. I'm not sure if the one's from Uhaul will work. My car is pretty big.

Too much 944 not enough Cad

I'm noticing that I'm doing a lot of work on the 944 and not nearly enough on the Convertible (meaning none). I'm also noticing that the show in Savannah is coming up pretty quick, and I've got to get rockin if I'm going to bring the 'vert...

battery light

Last night as I was driving home from work in the 944, it looked like the battery light was on ever so slightly, and I thought "oh shit." This morning the battery light was definitely on, and as I thought back over the last few days, it has been taking the car a little longer to start than normal. The last thing I want to deal with is a non-funtioning alternator or starter, so I took the Cadillac to work. It drove so beautifully today! Normally, it feels like I am really trying to coax the car up the mountain in the morning, but today it just shot up it like a rocket.

Porsche weekend

This weekend was spent on the Porsche. On friday one of my headlights went out, so I went to pep boys and got a new one. I was kind of suprised that they carried it, considering they don't even carry oil or air filters for this car. Sat I pulled it into the garage and ended up leaving it in there all day and night. The next day my dad came by, and that motivated me to finish the project. When I went to take the plastic housing off that goes around the lamp, I noticed something odd. it looked like leaves or something had gotten inside the housing. As I was pulling the housing off, I found a huge stash of nuts! The squirrels have been using my headlamp for storage.

Cadillac blog

Blog from the Cadillac division of GM

http://cadillac.gmblogs.com/

exhaust leak

I have a full-blown flu this weekend, so am doing nothing. This week, the '67 Eldo developed an exhaust leak, my dad came by and looked at it, and it turns out one of the bolts on the flange where the exhaust pipes connects to the exhaust manifold was slipping through the hole in the flange. My dad found a washer in the dirt on the side of my driveway (the previous renters left a lot of crap around the house). and used that to keep the bolt from slipping trough the flange. I need to go out and get a grade 8 bolt and washers to replace the one that's in there, which is not a proper automotive grade bolt. I wonder why they didn't use a correct one when it was at A&A.

Photo

I took the car out in the rain last night to get a photo.

these guys are offering 10% off

...on steel rubber products, I do need new weatherstripping on the Eldo, but I can't figure out how to actually order steel rubber products on this web site... I suppose they expect you to use a telephone or something. ;-)

http://www.fenenterprises.com/about_fen.html

Suprise fix

I got in the 67 Eldo last night to put some gas in it and go to the post office, and when I backed out of the driveway, I saw light in the dash! Granted, it was very dim light(you can barely see the instruments in the photo above), but light where there was none before. I guess the new switch also fixed my dash lights, bonus!

vacuum hoses

While taking off the negative battery cable from the frame, I discovered that the vacuum hoses that lead to the passenger side headlamp assembly was split. This might explain why the headlight covers do not go up and down (and why the car was dieseling so badly when I'd shut it off), so I picked up some new hose while we were at the parts store this weekend.

My dad installed the new hose, and also found some other hoses that were disconnected or improperly plugged. Now the passenger side headlamp cover kind of works. and it doesn't diesel nearly so bad when I shut it off. I will add "replace all vacuum hoses" to my list of things to do to this car.

New Battery Cables/Connectors

While working on this car over that last month or so, the battery had gone dead. We hooked up the trickle charger to it overnight hoping that would be enough to charge the battery, but it didn't start. It did however produce a spark coming off of the battery conections. It melted the back of the battery connection right off!

We went to the auto parts store and picked up a new negative battery cable, and new connector for the positive cable along with an auxillary connector for the second wire.

My dad also pointed out to me that I did not have the battery secured with the super-cool battery lock down bar.

Steering wheel Done!

The steering wheel is now on the car and all of the lights are working. Including brake lights! YAY! I can drive it again!

Bird crap

Today a flock of birds decided to hang out in the tree directly above where I park my cars. They left a mess. They wouldn't leave, even when I threw rocks at them. Stupid Birds.

bearing back together

Jim and I were trying to figure out how the bearing assembly went back together, it turns out it just needed to be pushed together really hard. neither of us could do it with our bare hands, so I stood on it. That worked.

caddy blog

http://www.caddyedge.com/

new springs!

Dad had some springs manufactured (four total). the one to the left of the bolt in the photo is one of the originals. To be honest, I was not expecting the springs to be as close to the original as they are. They seem to have the same springy-ness, length and circumference as the original. I'm impressed.

I'll try to put everything back together this week.

link to car photos

On this site, there are tons of cadillac photos just go to the "C" section...

http://www.seriouswheels.com/

from Yahoo Answers:

someone's opinion on a question which asked" should I buy a mustang or a cadillac?":


"PONY", It screams "COOOL" !!!!

"Cadillac" It's screams "Yo Hoe, where my dollar be at, I'll slap yo azz, if i finds yo been holen out on me"

I thought that was funny...

GM are you listening?

steering column update

My Dad is going to try to have a new spring machined to replace the one that is missing. I need to put the bearing assembly back together, since he also managed to disassemble it somehow. I am checking in with my Cadillac groups on the location of the lockplate since we can't remember how it was in there to begin with and it is not properly documented in the manuals. The 944 is operating on borrowed time, and I really need to get the cadillac moving before it fails...

I also want to take the '93 and bring it to a shop to rebuild the engine so I can bring the convertible to my house.

I think the convertible needs to have the suspension (at least in the front) replaced, so that will be the first thing I tackle on it.

34 chevy gone

My brother finally came and picked up his rusted 34 chevy body that was in my side yard. It JUST fit into the trailer thay had. There was MAYBE 1/2" clearance on each side and was hanging over lengthwise. With the rotissarie pole still in it, it kinda looks like a tank...

steering wheel repair

here are some interesting links on steering wheel repair. I didn't even think about it but I should have sent the wheel off while we were working on the turn switch.

repair kits:
http://www.eastwood
http://www.por15.

repair service:
Gary's Steering Wheel Restoration
2677 Ritner Highway, Carlisle, PA 17013
Phone: 717-243-5646
Toll Free 866-879-6525
Email: wheelrest@aol.com
www.dealsonwheels.com/parts/garys
http://www.dealsonwheels.com/parts/company.aspx?c=37

no progress

Well I found the bolt that I lost, but there was never a third spring, so this weekend, we tried to find a spring that would replace the missing one on the steering column (A&A had no idea what I was talking about when I called). We found one that was close but didn't work out, it was a bit too small(the one on the left in the photo). The spring needs to fit losely on the bolt so it will slide on, but the spring we found was a bit too tight you had to screw it on, which won't work because of how the whole assembly installs.

hunting for small parts

I must find a spring and bolt (I lost one of them) to put the steering wheel back on the
'67 eldo. I will call A&A in Brentwood today.

I also need call around and see how much it would cost to have the '93 fixed. and how much it will cost to have the 944's timing belt and seals done (the guys I went to this week said about $1200-ouch!).

944 on the road

I picked up the 944 today. It's so weird to drive a car after you haven't for over a week. It doesn't feel the same. The repairs cost $560 after tax for: a new master cylider (brake and clutch) and slave cylider (clutch), labor.

They also listed a whole bunch of other things that are wrong with the car, including: struts, wheel bearing in need of adjustment, and power steering fluid hose leak, but the most expensive and urgent is the oil leak at the front of the engine, apparently, it is leaking onto the timing belt (NOT good). To do the timing belt, and seals in the front of the engine, it's like $1200. also, he thought the clunking was the clutch pad or the transmission(another big chunk of $$ to fix).

I will need to evaluate what to do over the next few months car-wise. I don't think I'll be making it to Savnnah this year.

944 repair

Ok, so I got a call from the repair shop European Auto Repair. They say I need to replace both Master and Slave clutch cylinders, at a cost of $560 (If I remember correctly), and it can be finished today. I told them to go for it.

I'm a little concerned that they will call back later and say my timing belt needs to be done as well (which will cost $1200, since they do the water pump and seals at the same time). Not suprised though, as I'm pretty sure the guy I bought the car from was lying when he said all this work had just been done.

This is going to set back my plans of finishing my Cadillacs.

I think when I get it back, I may list it for sale. It will be worth the most freshly repaired. And that will give me the cash to put into one or more of the other cars.

944 towed to garage

The 944 is towed! I'm sure Jim's parents are happy to have it out of their driveway! Luckily, the 944 car is small and light, and four of us pushed it up the hill of the driveway pretty easily.

Up until about 20 minutes before the tow truck driver showed up, I was still debating where to bring the car to be fixed. I really wanted to bring it back to the place in San Rafael, but it's so far from where I live and there's no public transportation to get there. It would be very difficult to pick the car up when it was done, and it was just a bit over the maximum mileage (100 miles) on my tow service with AAA. So, I chose a place at the end of the street I live on (only 89 miles).

strut supplier?

I found these today:
http://www.arnottindustries.com/parts_Cadillac_Eldorado_yid29.html

I wonder if it would be worth it to get these instead of the OEM parts for the '93 touring coupe. They do not have the electronic adjustment like the OEM parts, but they are soooo much cheaper...

it's tempting, but I think I want to keep all the cool features of the car intact. Now I just have to build up enough courage to spend the $$$.

quotes

I called a couple of repair shop in Walnut creek, for the issue with the 944 ( i think it's the slave cylinder).

The first one I called ( ) was annoying because the guy who answered the phone did not want to give me a quote. he called back and gave it to me anyway.

The second (European Auto Repair) was annoying because although he was nice on the phone, he never called back with the quote.

What is with these shops? they never seem like they actually WANT your business.

updated registration and neat link

Yesterday, I went to the DMV and got the registration straighted out for my 944. They claim they never recieved a check. So they had me re-pay (luckily they had me re-pay the original amount, not the overdue amount). I also changed the address of the registration to my current address, and got a new drivers licence with my new address.

I also was going to try to put the steering wheel back on the Cadillac, but I am missing one of the springs that goes behind the lock plate. I want to try to find one before I put it back together.

also, check out this link for cool automotive news: http://jalopnik.com/

can't tow it...

ARGGH! The registration is expired on my 944 (apparently I haven't noticed for two months!). And the tow truck driver won't tow it unless it is currently registered. I swear I paid it, but I apparently never got the new tags. I'm sure this has something to do with the fact that it is registed at my old address where my sister now lives.

944 died

well this morning as I went to leave to go snowboarding, I got into the 944 and the clutch was depressed to the floor. Not a good sign. there was also a large puddle under the car. I am hoping that I will not need to replace the entire clutch. I think it may be the master cylinder(since there were no signs of the clutch failing before), but have no idea what kind of cost or work is involved in fixing it. The porsche place I like is in San Rafael, and the car in in Orangevale. (about 150 miles away).

christmas presents

For christmas I got a trickle charger for the 93 Cadillac (to keep the battery charged while it sits) and a carb adjuster tool which is a flexible driver that makes it easier to adjust the carb.

paint class?

Since I have two cars that really need to be painted and two that could stand to be painted. I'm thinking about taking a auto painting class at my local community college. There is an evening class starting in Jan. It would be pretty much every night though. I wish there were shorter more intensive classes somewhere.

more steering column issues

OK So it IS possible to get the switch out without removing the entire column. you just have to go as far as the lockplate (just before the shifting mechanism). Dad came down to my house and helped take it apart. It was a tight squeeze, but we finally got the old switch out of the steering column.

I am concerned about a couple things though... the parts in my steering column do not exactly match the parts (or the order of the parts) in the diagrams from the Master parts book or the Service manual. I'm not sure if I should try to put it back how it's supposed to be, or how it came out.

I will probably try how it came out since it worked before. I do need to try to paint the gear indicator while it's all in pieces so I can clearly see what gear I'm in.

In the near future, I need to get the convertible up to the house. Dad brought a battery charger down and charged up the battery in the '93 Eldo so it starts now(which means I can move it out of the garage to put the convertible in). I need to remember to start it every week or so to keep it going. Or maybe I'll get a trickle charger for it. I'm not sure what to do with the cars when I have four at home, I don't really have space for them. I might just send the '93 off to a mechanic to rebuild the engine that should give me at least a couple months.

steering wheel pulled

The steering wheel is pulled, My dad went down to my house while I was away for the weekend and did it, so I don't know if there were any issues, but know I need to find out if I can replace the switch without pulling the steering column, it doesn't look like it...

I'm a corvette

apparently, if I was a sportscar, I would be a corvette.

I'm a Chevrolet Corvette!

You're a classic - powerful, athletic, and competitive. You're all about winning the race and getting the job done. While you have a practical everyday side, you get wild when anyone pushes your pedal. You hate to lose, but you hardly ever do.

Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.

I'm so crabby...

I went to sears and bought a steering wheel puller/harmonic balancer puller and the older guy(maybe in his 50's or 60's) who rung up my purchase gave me a look and said "you're pulling a harmonic balancer!?" I said, "no, a steering wheel" then asked what kind of car, and I said "a Cadillac." Then he asked me if I knew how to get the nut off, and I just said "yes" even though the answer is really not specifically, because I was tired and I didn't want to listen to an explanation (that I wasn't going to remember any of) about how to do the whole procedure right there in the store with a line of people waiting behind me. I felt bad, because to that he said "oh, I didn't know you were such a consummate mechanic." then he tried to talk me out of buying the tool "ya know you don't really need a specialty tool to pull the steering wheel..." To which I said, "yes, but it makes it easier." afterwards I felt bad because people really like to feel like they can pass on their knowledge to others, but I also didn't, because he was a little chauvinistic.

need a steering wheel puller...

I will swing by Sears and pick one up tonight. I hope they have made advances in the ability to access this kind of thing in newer cars...what a pain.

The switch is here!

I'm so happy that I seem to have a good source for future parts. The parts arrive exactly when they said it would, and in perfect condition. I plugged it in without disassembling the steering wheel, and the brake lights now work! all I need to do know is take the steering wheel apart to replace the switch.

waiting...

Will my package be there when I get home? I hope so!

so small

The 944 is so tiny...I often do not see it on parking lots until I'm right on top of it. you don't even know how many times I've had that "did my car get Stolen?!" jump of the heart before it appeared. I guess i'm just used to the giant boat cars that you can see from the end of the aisle (or further).

Turn Signal Switch Found!

One of the guys in my Cadillac group totally saved me...He suggested these guys: Shee Mar they also have an 800 number that does not seem to be listed on their site. 1-800-627-8876.

I got the switch for $104 + $6 shipping, Part #SM229 for a non tilt and telescope steering column (I never thought I'd be happy I didn't have one, but they didn't even have the switches for the tilt and telescope). It should be here Tuesday.

Yay! I've been getting way to used to the little car, I need a big boat to drive around.

-c

more hard to find parts

Aparently the turn signal switch is not being manufactured any more. there do not seem to be any obvious suppliers. I was pointed in the direction of ebay, and to places that might hand-make them. Again, I ask...WHY are these parts so diffucult to find? We are talking about GM parts they should be plentiful and cheap and new.

It's Alive!!!

The convertible starts!! I put a new ground strap and a new positive battery cable on and now it starts! That's what I get for not changing out the easy stuff first...I moved it from the spot it was occupying (which will become a pit of mud as soon as it rains) so it would be easy to access it when I can get a trailer to tow it to my house (could not find one this weekend).

I went to go change the brake pads on the 944, but the pads are not worn (at all) this seems weird to me, I usually go through brakes so quickly, and they have been squeaking so much, I'm worried that they are wearing unevenly and the insides are worn but the outsides are not. Also, I discovered that the locking lug nut on the rear drivers wheel is not letting me unlock it with the key I have. It's like there is something stuck in the lock. I will poke around with a toothpick or something to see if there is something in there.

also, My dad came to my house today and helped me track down the reason for the non-operational brake lights on the 67 Eldo. He suspects the signal switch in the steering column. I'll hunt down a place to order one this week.

so lazy...

I haven't ordered parts for the cadillac yet. I'm supposed to work on some cars the weekend of thanksgiving. But if I have no parts, that's not going to happen...

good leads

My next project will be to replace all the wiring in the '67 eldo as well as the carpet, I got a couple of leads for parts suppliers, and it looks like the carpet will run a little more than $200, and a new wiring harness incl engine harness around $500. it's kind of pricey, so I may just see if I can fix the rear lights only.

here's a place I found that has pretty inexpensive struts for my 93: http://www.actionsalvage.com/airspringeldorado.asp

Great parts catalogs

I just got a catalog in the mail from Automotion who specialize in parts for Porsche. this thing is so complete you can get virtually any part you need for any Porsche made. Not only that but you have a selection of manufacturers. There are like 5 different options for brakes pads for my car in this thing!

WHY does this not exist for Cadillacs? Do you realize how difficult it is to track down parts for Cadillacs? you have to get 20 catalogs from 20 different companies and then many of the parts are STILL not available.

Here is a list of parts catalogs you would need if you have a cadillac:

Rock Auto
Steele Rubber
Cad500 (performance)
New Cadillac Parts
SMS Auto Fabrics
electric window parts
lectriclimited electrical parts
Automotive Carpet
Carpet/Mats

Cad Auto Recycler

List of Stuff to Fix

Things each of my cars need:

1967 Eldo
Tires
Repair on electronics to rear lights
radio installed
new dash face
paint
controls in passenger side door repaired

1984 944
Brakes (maybe rotors too)
oil change DONE
coolant leak find and fix
antannae installed
fix ipod hook up

1993 Eldorado
new engine
new struts
new windsheild

1967 de Ville
body work
paint
engine work, tranny work (unknown)
front suspension work
new convertible top?

1979 de Ville
vinyl top needs to be taken off and rust prevention applied
engine rebuild
tires
suspension work
electrical work (I don't think the windsheild wipers work, or the twilight sentinal)

Giving Up

Maybe because it's winter...or maybe because I moved and now I pay more for rent, but I don't think it's possible to get the convertible done by next summer.

SEMA

the SEMA show was really great, but there is way too much to look at. Also there was a lack of cadillac representation. The theme was american muscle, so maybe they just got edged out by the mustangs, camaros and mopar...

Las Vegas

I'm going to Las Vegas on Monday for the SEMA show. It should be awesome!

sluggish...

I haven't even thought about my cars other than the fact that the 944 probably needs new brake pads (and hopefully not rotors, I have a nasty habit of waiting too long).

Last Thursday, I went and talked to the guy who runs EPPCO the place around the corner from work that looks like they work on cars. It turns out, they don't they are a machine shop, but he's been doing body work for friends. I was supposed to call him on Monday and ask for some references for people who do body work, but he said I should just sign up for a bidy shop class at lankey college to learn it myself. I don't know if I have the time to do that.

suggestion

I got a suggestion today to check out the neutral saftey switch on the convertible to see if that's the problem.

Also, the lights are still working in the Porsche!

this weekend

OK, so this weekend, was all about electrical. Last week I got a fix-it ticket in SF for my tailights not working(I had forgotten to hit them to make them go), also the light above the license plate has stopped working as well, but when you tap on them they came back on.

Also Thursday night, we took the '67 eldo out for dinner. When I came out of the restaurant when it was dark, I backed out of my parking spot and noticed the backup lights were not working, in fact NONE of the lights on the back half of the car were working. not even the brake lights...Luckily, I got home without another fix-it ticket.

My dad came down to my house with his ohm meter to help me fix this stuff. The Porsche had corroded connections, so we cleaned them and I also replaced the bulbs. Those lights all seem to work now, but I need to go back in and put some anti-corrosion spray on the points of contact. I think when it rains the hatch does not protect from moisture as well as it should.

The Cadillac is a bit more of a mystery. The fuse had gone out for the parking lights, when I replaced that, they started working. But when I replaced the flasher fuse, and fuses for the stop lights and reverse lights(even though they looked OK), none of them started working. Then my dad was trouble shooting, and after reconnecting all the wires, not even the parking lights worked anymore. When I moved the car into it's proper spot in the driveway the right blinker did work, but that was it.

The electrical stuff in this car is a huge mess and really needs to be gone through with a fine tooth comb. There are a lot of workarounds and weird things from the person who "rebuilt" it.

slump

I'm not sure what to do this weekend. I could go get an ohm meter and try to track down the faulty connection in the convertible...or I could try to get the carb running right in the '67 Eldo.

I don't think there is enough time to get everything done on the convertible before next summer, maybe if I skip the painting part and just primer it hot rod style it could be ready.

5th starter

Ok, so I removed and exchanged the wrong part number starter for the right part number starter, but it still didn't have the hole in the bottom for a bracket. I went to two stores to verify this. This sucks, why would one part have the correct hole for the bracket and one not when they are the smae part number from the same company!?

I bought it anyway and installed it, and the car still does not start. Obviously it is something else. I may have it towed to a garage, so that someone else can figure out what the hell is wrong with this car. Before I do that, I'll need to remove the fender I started taking off, and make sure the primer is fully covering the metal so it won't rust away in the hands of someone else.

I also went and bought a new cover for the car, I couldn't find a new tarp, so the old tarp went under the car cover and I tied it down. The old car cover went over my brother's car with a couple bags of bark on top to make it stay on.

starter reciept!

I found one of the reciepts for the starter I bought...now I can return one. Yay!

nothing

I've done nothing, well, I pulled all the cars out and switched which side of the driveway/garage I occupy so that Jim will have an easier time getting into/out of the garage. I also washed the '93. I need to take a clay bar to it than wax it, there's a lot of crap on the paint.

Oh- and I also cleaned and lubricated the lock and fasteners to the hatch of the 944, so it doesn't stick now...

Pretty cars

I washed and waxed the 944 last night, it was looking pretty ratty with the bird poop on the hood and all...I also washed but did not wax the '67 eldo (it was waxed in June).

On Saturday, Jim borrowed my 944 to go to the store and get his hair cut. He turned on the air in the car (which I never do). When I started it next to move it the fans belt were squeeking like crazy until I shut the air off. I hope that doesn't mean something...I wonder if the compressor is going out.

interruption

I am having a party at my house and have been focusing all my energy on cleaning up all the crap in my house, so nothing is done on the car yet.

I need to call eppco and find out about body work, and find the reciepts for my starters so I can get the core charges back, and return the last one...

lazy...

I've done nothing on my cars. I went to LA for the weekend instead.

Poor Porsche...

Jim drove my Porsche on Tuesday because my arms were too sore to shift from working on that starter on Sunday and his car was boxed in the driveway. He used to own the exact same car: same model, same transmission (and year) car as this, but he's so used to his Accord now, that he tried to start the car with out pushing the clutch in, right after he said "oh yeah, it's a stick..." I found this very funny since his favorite running joke every time he is in that car with me is the "Women can't drive manual transmissions." The best part is he did it again later! :-)

Oh, and then on the way home, he got pulled over because my taillight was out. He got a warning(we didn't tell the cop we knew about the problem). Good thing I wasn't driving! I really need to see about fixing that...

Starter Fiasco

Sunday, I went to go put the new starter in the convertible. The day started off well with plenty of time to get the starter in and trouble-shoot in case it still didn't turn over. I took all the wiring off the starter, and unbolted the bracket, and the first bolt easily, the last bolt was a bit of a pain and took a while because it is a really long bolt, and the ratchet would not fit and I had to do with a regular wrench. All while I lay on the ground and held the starter up to keep the bolt aligned. As I unbolted it, all I was thinking was "damn, I wish we had a ratcheting wrench set here."

Then I broke the third starter, and had to go get another...I was trying to take the nut off of the copper bolt that is where the positive battery cable connects to the starter, and the nut was on there so tight, that the entire copper bolt twisted right off when I tried to take it off.

I went to Kragen down the street and got another, got lunch and when I got home I was looking around in the garage and found a ratcheting wrench set that was missing a couple wrenched, but NOT missing the size wrench I needed! How easy it would be to put the new starter in...

...so I thought

Once I got under there and got the new starter positioned, I realized the ratcheting wrench was also too thick to fit between the bolt and the transmission. Uh! What a pain to hold up the (heavy) starter and try to align and tighten this huge bolt at an awkward angle. plus, I must have had food coma after my lunch, because the first few times I tried putting this on, I was turning the wrench the wrong way, and kept wondering why the bolt kept falling back out (Jim says this is actually because I don't know my right from my left, but it's not true! I claim disorientation from being upside down and food coma).

After I get the thing in there with the two main bolts, I go to but the bracket back on and realize that there is no hole in this starter to screw the bracket into. Then I look at where the starter meets the transmission, and notice that it does not line up exactly where the old one did. SO, I check the one I just took off and the new one, and they are different part numbers. Ugh! What a waste of a day.

1993 ETC

I totally flaked on the engine for the '93. I don't want to spend the money. I just want to concentrate on the '67 convertible. I wonder if I should part it out to fund the convertible project.

Also, I was looking at my paint chips for the '67 and '68, and I think I do want to go with the '67 color of Atlantis Blue Firemist the spectre blue from '68 looks too blue.

For Sale

I have listed for sale my '93 Eldo, I'm going to give it another shot on Craigslist before I buy a new engine. I think I'm finally ready to part with it.

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/car/201797783.html

To be realistic, there just in not enough time to rebuild all my cars. The Porsche is going to need a new clutch soon, and the convertible needs so much work before next August, I really need to spend my time and money on it.

I'm also really depressed about the dent in the bumper on the '67 Eldo, and the thought went through my head that I should sell it before I destory it any further. that thought quickly left though.

'67 Eldo Broken

Last night I pulled the most bonehead move ever.

'67 eldo fixed

Well, part of it anyway... I haven't been driving it because the battery cable was not connected properly and was dangerous to be using, and was difficult to start from the lack of proper battery connection. I've been trying to find a new battery cable, but no luck. I went to Pep Boys last night; they didn't have the one I needed either ( a 2 gauge 72" or 78" cable).

What they DID have was a new battery cable clamp/attacher thing.



I installed that last night, and now it starts right up no problems! Yay! I drove it to work today, and I haven't really been driving it since the muffler was replaced, but I could actually have a conversation on my phone and hear the other person on the line! Even in the tunnel! My car is awesome.

Shipping Sucks

I wanted to order a battery cable from RockAuto for the Eldo, but the shipping is just as much as the cable, and it's got a 15 day wait to ship. blah... I'm going to try PepBoys tonight after work.

New Dash!

I got a new dash for the convertible this weekend! It's in great shape, I'll need to have it dyed to go with the interior(it's black right now). I'm going to try to sell the old one on ebay, we'll see what I can get for it, it's got a quarter-sized hole on the top, but is in decent shape other than that.



I also forgot to bring the starter with me to the convertible, so didn't install it. Maybe next Monday, since it's a holiday weekend...I really need to get it going so I can get the work done on it. I will try to talk to the place near my work that looks like they do body work to see if they can fix the sheet metal.

I was looking at my '79 this weekend, and I think the vinyl top is rusting underneath, I was thinking that I should strip it off and do what I can to save it now, maybe next Monday I'll do that too.

Starter

OK, I finally bought another starter for the deVille, I will try to install it on Sunday, when I am in the same city the car is in. I also bought a new battery cable for the Eldo, and was giong to install it last night, but I'll need a jack and stands to get under it. Those happen to be with the deVille in another city. So, I will pick those up this weekend, and change the battery cable in the Eldo next week.

Engine/Dash

OK, all is set for me to go check the engine out and/or pick it up. I go to West Sac at 10 am on Saturday to the shop it's at. There's an extra tranny too I guess, I'm not sure why but that also makes me suspicious.

Also, I will be picking up a stereo dash board for the '67 DeVille this weekend in San Jose. It is black and I will need to dye it the blue color I think it is supposed to be.

I will also try to pick up a new starter for the '67 DeVille and a new Battery cable for the '67 Eldo.

Random call

I got a call today from the guy who was selling the 94 northstar engine. He said he was going to check the engine number I suspect that it is not what I need, as he says it comes from a deVille. I thought I read somewhere that the deVilles did not have the L37 model Northstar available in them. but maybe that is only for 93 models, and not '94's?

Dash?

I may have a new dash for the Deville! Yay!

I still haven't ordered the new starter, but I think I can just pick one up at the local Kragen. I also saw on ebay an ignition switch I may pick up just incase that's the problem.

I'll be away this weekend, and won't be able to work on the car anyway. Next weekend, I will try to get it started, then I can bring it to a mechanic to get it fixed.

no new engine for me...

Well the people selling the Northstar engine will not reply again and won't give me their number, so it's looking like that is not an option anymore which turns out to be fine, because I really need to get started on the '67 convertible.

I'm going to order a new starter for the '67 Convertible, and try to get it running (the last one I ordered and installed a few months back is broken (I may have broken it).

I also want to check out a metal fabrication shop around the corner from where I work and see if they can/will do the body work the '67 convertible needs.

Once that is finished, I can get some suspension work and engine work done, and then find someone to paint it.

It doesn't look like a lot of work when you write it out, but it'll be a lot. I hope I can get it all done in time for Savannah!

Wash Wash Wash the car...

I washed the ‘93 Eldo when I got home last night, man was that car dirty! I don't think I've ever seen a car that dirty before, the water coming off it was black. It looks good now.

My brother forwarded me a listing from craigslist about an engine and tranny (which I may possibly need) from a '94 Cad, for $1000, which should work in my car. I emailed and got a reply, so I'll hopefully go look at it this weekend.

Smoking through the night

In the dead of night last night, I brought the '93 eldo to the new place. Jim followed me just in case it blew up or something. He says it was smoking pretty bad. I think this car is done. For now, it is in my driveway I will post it for sale on craigslist.org and see if anyone takes it as is.

One the way home, I saw the funniest thing, I wish I had thought to bring my camera with me...there was a flat bed tow truck that had another flat bed tow truck on it's bed and that tow truck had a van on it! It was so funny to see them all stacked on top of each other like that.

New Muffler!!!

I brought the '67 Eldo to the muffler shop today and had the muffler replaced. It still has a meaty sound because I left the dual exhaust and the muffler isn't quite stock, but it's not Funny-car loud anymore. It's nice to cruise around in a car that doesn't give you a headache when you drive it. $170 installed after tax at Allied Muffler on Gilman in Berkeley the guys in the shop are nice.

moving

I am moving this weekend. All my cars overheat easily so I will have to bring them over in the dead of night when it is cool...

Almost Lost the '93...

So my cars are parked on the street around the block my apartment is on, and the '93 Eldo has not been near a car wash in a number of months so it's looking pretty dirty right now. Apparently, someone is sick of looking at it because there was a notice on it from the city of Berkeley letting me know they were going to tow it if I didn't move it dated 7/21. Luckily yesterday I drove home a different way, and saw the windshield when I pulled up to my place. The part about it that I thought was pretty hilarious was the chalk markings they used to determine if the car had moved...they were a little over the top. there was a vertical mark on the tire from the wheel to the ground then there was a half circle on the ground marking where exactly the tire was and then a crossing mark which also lined up with the mark on the tire it looked a little too CSI...I wondered what they would do if I moved the car an inch so the lines didn't line up anymore...

Actually, there were two notices on it. The other was from a guy who had seen the for sale sign on it months ago, and wanted to know if I still wanted to sell it. Then someone else walked by it and wrote on that guy’s note that they would also like to know if the car was till for sale.

I called the first guy, and he said he'd look into how much it was going to cost to fix and call me back today, and since I'm sure he will not be calling back, I'll call the second guy tonight.

Ordered Muffler

The Eldo was looked at this morning, and a new muffler was ordered. It will get replaced on Friday or Monday depending on when the part comes in. I decided to go inexpensive, and just replace the muffler with a stock-style one that will fit the existing pipe pattern (which is no where near stock).

Loud-ass car!

I went to a Cadillac meet on Sunday, and I was a little embarrassed about my car. If anyone is going to know all the things that are wrong on my car, it's this crowd.

The first embarrassing thing was that the coolant boiled over when I got there.

Then while they were doing the awards, some cars left early and drove out right behind where the announcer was. They were so quiet the announcer didn't even need to speak up, I don’t think many people even noticed the cars drove by. That was depressing, If I had driven by at that point, they would have had to stopped that whole thing until I passed. I was embarrassed for something that didn't even happen...I really want to get this fixed!

On the way home, I turned the heater on, and that kept it from boiling over again. Of course, it was like 20 degrees cooler at home than where the car show was, so that may have helped too ;-)

muffler quote

I called a place right down the street from where I work and got a quote to replace the muffler, he gave me an off-the-top-of-his-head-without-looking-at-the-car quote of $150 installed.

I'm going to bring it by their shop on monday morning, and see about having it done. I'm not sure if I should put it back to single exhaust or leave it dual. I will post on the CML and get some feedback.

I can't wait to have a stealthy cadillac once again!

muffler

Uh I have GOT to get this muffler replaced! the car is so damn LOUD it's making me not want to drive it.

dash dying

So I got some good info on dying dashboards, it seems possible, now I just need to look and see if my car was supposed to be mono or stereo. If it was mono, I may have a new dash!

Dash

I got an email from someone who has a 67 cadillac dash for sale. This was in response to a post I put up on a parts board a few months ago. It is a mono speaker set up (one speaker in the middle) for a deville, and it is gold.

Now, I know it's possible to dye these things, but I don't know if it's possible to succesfully dye one blue if it is gold to begin with. I have posted that question to the Cadillac Mailing List(CML), hopefully someone there has tried it, and can tell me if it will work.

Uhhhh...

Today...I have no cars that work. The 93 Eldo smokes like crazy if I drive it, the 67 has a bad battery cable, and the Porsche has a flat tire.