Dogbone motor mounts installed!

The new dog bone Motor mounts are in. The old ones proved much more difficult to remove than the one's in my 1993 eldorado. not extreamy difficult, just had to pry them out with a hammer. and one of the new one had to be hit into place with a hammer as well.

the rubber on the old one's fell apart as soon as I took them out. I had to pick some pieces out from the fan belt.

New Brakes for the '95

New rotor


Old rotor

See the big old scar?

also, when I took the tires off, I discovered that I have 1 new tire. The rest are ready to go, who replace one tire? I'll have to get new ones before the trip to Savannah.

Parts in

Got a call from Kragen that the dog bone motor mounts have arrived. I will pick them up tomorrow after work.

Also, on thw way home tonight in the Porsche, I saw the faintest red light behind the battery indicator.

Parts!

Last night I stopped by Kragen and bought tons of parts. They price match, so I brought in the costs from RockAuto.com and I also had two gift certificates I've been forgetting to use, so I got out of there for only $83.

Parts purchased:
Rotors for '95
brake pads for '95
spark plugs for '95
anti cease compound
brake cleaner
brake tool kit

Parts Ordered and paid for:
dog bone motor mounts (2)

Rotors

I have not been driving the '95 because of the grinding sound last week, and today I looked at the rotors, again, because of the grinding sound, and decided to replace the front rotors. The passenger side is obviously scored(deeply) on the outside of the rotor, and the other is most likely scored on the inside, even if it's not, it's probably best to change them both out so they will wear evenly in the future.

Parts

OK so I kind of lied last week when I said I'd ordered the parts for the '95. I was ordering them , but then I found out that there is no way to redeem a gift card for Kragen on their website. So, I decided to go into the store armed with the online prices and order there, but I never did. So here's the list to bring into Kragen for the '95 after work today:

Brake pads
dog bones
spark plugs

Brakes for the '95

Uh, the 95 need brakes, Badly. They are grinding, which means I probably will need rotors as well. I may take the car in to have this done. I don't have any time to do it myself.

New Brakes on the '67 vert

My dad and I changed the rear drums on the '67 deVille. The one thing I'm not sure about is the drums. The new ones do not have the hole in them to attach to the wheel hub.

We did not get to bleed the brakes, so there is no pedal (and therefore no brakes). So next step is to bleed the brakes and check for leaks. The rear passenger side cylinder looked like it may have a leak, but it was hard to tell, since there were so many bugs and so much dirt and rust built up.

I also need to put some power steering fluid in the car, and change the oil and other fluids.

It starts, but only after charging the battery, which doesn't seem to want to hold a charge, so I may need a new battery as well. I suppose it could be the generator. Maybe I can bring the battery in to an auto parts store to test it? can they tell if it's still good?

parts for '95

ordering dog bone struts and spark plugs for the '95 today. Dog Bones are a special order part.

Porsche repair

Yesterday I called a couple of Porsche repair shops to get quotes on replacing the struts in the front (they've been shot for a while, the car bounces all over the place).

The first place I called quoted $195 per strut, and $350 labor and did not give me a price for alignment (because I forgot to ask)- $740.00 pre tax + $80-100 for alignment

the second place quoted me $268.52 for one side and $290.20 for the other plus $275 labor and $110 for alignment, and said "we only use genuine porsche parts, none of that cheap stuff here." - $943.72 pre tax

give me the cheap stuff!

All parts in

I had intended to do the brakes on the '67 convertible last weekend, it being a long weekend and all, but the weekend went by so fast.

Since we will not be going to 'vette magic this year, I decided to do the brakes this weekend. but this weekend is also the goodguys show, so I might need to make some room for that as well...

More Parts!

Today I got the brake Drums, and hardware kit for the '67 deville, and the brake pads for the '67 Eldo. Hopefully, I'll get the Brake shoes for the '67 deville by Thursday.

First Part arrives

It is the least urgently needed... the air filter for the 944

shipping confirmation!

I get the notice that my parts are shipping today! There are six parts and 5 packages. it seems a little wasteful on their part to ship so many packages.

Cleaned the 944

I washed the Porsche today, so it will look good for anyone who might like to buy it... I also started working on getting the tree sap off of it. I had tried this little hand held sap remover thing where you squeeze some goonk onto the sap and then scrape it off with a rubber scraper, but that didn't work so well. So today I tried this other stuff, which works better, but is a lot of scrubbing. I got about 7 spots done, but there are probably 20 more that need to be done. Sap is really a pain. My advice is to avoid it at all costs.

Ordered parts!

Today I got of my lazy ass (well, actually I didn't as I ordered online) and ordered a ton of parts from RockAuto.com

I got air and oil filters for the Porsche

Brake pads for the '67 Eldo

brake drums/shoes and hardware for the '67 deVille

YAY!

Why are the prices different online?

I find it incredibly annoying that I have to go online and search for the best price on a part so I can have it pricematched at the store. Kragen is so much more expensive in the store than parts america which is owned by Kragen. Why? why don't they just have the same prices? or why can't they at least offer to look it up in the store for you instead of sending you home to look it up and drive back to order it?

example: a drum for my 67 deville is $51.99 online at PartsAmerica (again, owned by Kragen) but it is $110 in the store. what on earth could possibly cause such a huge price difference?

I have let all this suspend my parts purchasing for another week.

Spark Plugs

I think I'm going to need new spark plugs in the 95. It's starting to feel sputtery, and the plugs that come in the car are supposed to last 100k miles, and I'm now at 100, 200.

OW!

While I was trying to see if there was a vacuum leak that was causing the transmission problem, I burned myself on the hot exhaust pipe.

new air filter for the 944

I put in the new air filter yesterday. I need to bring it to get the oil changed as well. I hope the place I've been going still has the oil filter in stock.

I also attempted to drive the Cadillac around the block, the car would shift but only after the engine was revving really high (since there is no tach, I can't say exactly how high)when I parked it in the driveway after going around the block, the carb was smoking. I have no clue what's wrong with it.

Turned 100,000

The odometer turned 100,000 miles last night on my way home from work on the 95 Eldo. So what was that? 2,000 miles in six weeks?

How did another week go by?

I had intended to buy some parts for a bunch of cars this week, but somehow is has gotten for Friday already and I haven't done it. I was even in a parts store last night picking up the air filter I ordered a month ago for the 944. I guess having a car that runs makes you forget about the cars that don't run...

new parts store

I need to check this place out, it's near where I live:

Walnut Creek Morgan's Auto Parts
1285 Parkside Drive
Walnut Creek, CA 94596

944 websites

http://www.clarks-garage.com/

no bites

I listed the 944 and the 93 cadillac on craigslist and got zero responses.

Here's a link to a company who rebuilds cadillac northstar engines. http://www.ae-engines.com/cadillac46northstar.html

Oil drips

I parked the 95 eldo in the garage over a long weekend to see if it leaked. It does but just a bit. There were three small drips of oil under the car after it was parked for 4.5 days.

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...