The Best 1955 Cadillac build

[Mooseman]

Originally Posted by 40StudeDude

R-

How do you get the wheel off?

[VonBurke]

you dont... you buy brand new tires and drive carefully

[40StudeDude]

Originally Posted by Mooseman

How do you get the wheel off?

You jest, Shirley...???

Surely you jest, Mooseman...???

The wheel is held on with five lugnuts...it's a simple twist of the wrist with the wrench in hand and they'll come off...

And now I see you live in Wanganui, New Zealand...do you not have automobiles over there...???

Seriously...the skirt is removable...all it takes is a 7/16" socket to remove six bolts...and the whole skirt comes off (both sides are removable, BTW)...then you can "change the wheel..."

I apologize, but if you'd read the whole thread, you'd have read where I said I had to make everything removable so it could be replaced in case something broke or the car got wrecked. The above applies to the skirts.

But, as Von Burke said, I did buy new tires so I don't have to remove/change the wheels/tires.

R-

[kisam]

Wow = incredible detail! Can't wait to see the final product!

[Ole_Red]

just spent my morning at work reading this build up. simply beautiful. cant wait to see the final product.

[carshowgirl]

Sweet ride! Cant wait to see more pics.

[Mooseman]

Originally Posted by 40StudeDude

You jest, Shirley...???

Surely you jest, Mooseman...???

The wheel is held on with five lugnuts...it's a simple twist of the wrist with the wrench in hand and they'll come off...

And now I see you live in Wanganui, New Zealand...do you not have automobiles over there...???

Seriously...the skirt is removable...all it takes is a 7/16" socket to remove six bolts...and the whole skirt comes off (both sides are removable, BTW)...then you can "change the wheel..."

I apologize, but if you'd read the whole thread, you'd have read where I said I had to make everything removable so it could be replaced in case something broke or the car got wrecked. The above applies to the skirts.

But, as Von Burke said, I did buy new tires so I don't have to remove/change the wheels/tires.

R-

Haha Must of missed that post about them being removable the body work is absolutely amasing I just took one look at that picture and couldn't see any seems and it got me wondering . Now that you have said that it is removable and the fact that it doesnt look removable thats even more impressive . Great work

[motorhead711]

Great pics. Killer work. Keep those update photos comin'!

[VonBurke]

now that the show season is coming to an end whats the plan for the caddy?

[40StudeDude]

Hey Von Burke...thanx for kicking this back to the top...I was about to do an update on it...so, I'll answer your question at the end of this update...

Let's go:

When we last left this Caddy building saga (thread)...the interior was just getting finished up...I still hadn't finished the grille...so, when I got back from Salina, KS, where I met CadillacCoffin (of Lincoln, NE) at the HAMB M & G...and, just so you all know again, CadillacCoffin is the HAMBer that lasered my grille bars...I cannot give enuff props to him...he is great to work with...IF you've got a one-off you need made...give him a shout. I just want to say here...IF you've never been to the Leadsled Nats in Salina, KS...you are missing one hell of a good time...waaaayaaaay too many kool kustoms, retro and new...lots of "celebrities" and plenty of trad rods...sometimes even a few bubble top cars show up...last weekend in July, 2010 for those that plan ahead.

Now then, I sent CadillacCoffin a new pattern for the sides of the grille...said pattern had to include an area to be lasered out behind the 'bars' for the park lights...I gave him measurements and a couple days later he fired back a sample...

So, here's the way the grille looked going to Salina... note the area alongside the Dagmars and the square park lites...that's the area I'm going to finish.


This is what I got back from CadillacCoffin...note the square area in the middle of the bars...I had to have 16 of them done this way ...


Next I laid out my "stuff"...the threaded rods that would hold it all together...the spacers for between the bars and my lone wrench...gotta KISS, ya know...???

Assembly began...bar, spacers, bar, more spacers...bar...more spacers...oh, BTW, I painted all the spacers flat blak (horrors--flat blak on one of my cars...???) Yep, I painted them flat blak so they'd "disappear" ... read into that last statement what you want...!!!


With the bottom bars in place, I had to determine where the park lite would set, it needed to be in the middle of the bars...eight bars later it was in the perfect spot.


The finished piece...I purposely left the rods long at the top because I didn't know quite yet how I was going to mount the piece to the body...


It looked great and would make the car look even wider...I couldn't wait...with one side completely assembled, I had to see what it was going to look like, even tho I had a lot of work building the brackets to hold it in yet to do...I positioned it in the 'hole'...note the top piece of trim has been removed...all the better to see how it would fit and to figure out the brackets.


The easy part was done...now I had to remove the tire and wheel and climb inside the well to figure out how to build the brakets and mount the grille solid so it wouldn't rub, squeak or make noise against the bumper or the body...

It took the better part of two days to figure out brackets as I fit, make patterns, remove, plasma cut, drill, weld, build more brackets, fit again, drill more holes, remove, modify, fit again, weld and finally, once the brackets are finished and welded in, bolt it all back in...and that's just how I build things...

When all is said and done...the whole front end looks like this...


and this...


As you can see, the Dagmars have been spot welded together...those need finishing yet...the lower bumper needs chroming/finishing and the hood still doesn't fit correctly, but I have a "professional" working on the hinge assembly right now...so it will when he gets done with it.

So, Von Burke...the summer was a whole kick...my brother, Dan, in his green flamed '54 Caddy, my pal, Ron, in his white '56 Caddy, and I went rod running...can you just picture three Caddys rolling into an event...??? Talk about turning heads...and isn't that what it's all about...??? Why we build our cars...to turn heads...???


We do our best "head turning" out on the hiway...it's prolly a really strange sight to see three Caddys rolling down the hiway...and parked together at an event.


We've had a couple people tell us that "it's awesome to see those three Caddys rolling into an event."

My brother and I rolled to Wichita mid September for the Starliner event...which was a mistake on my part...

No, no, the event was great and I'm really glad I went...but I shouldn't have taken the '55 Caddy...ya see, it took six quarts of oil to go to Salina in July (and another six home)...I didn't go to the HAMB drags in Joplin cuz I didn't trust the engine in the car to make the 13 hour trip...and so, two months later, the engine is running fine, it's getting decent gas mileage... I figured OK, one more trip with the Caddy before I tear it down...should have listened to my gut and took one of my other cars...but the Caddy is so much fun to drive. Well, It took 8 quarts of oil to get to Wichita...and 12 to get home to Denver...

Yeah, the previous owner was correct four years ago when I brought the car home...it does have "good oil pressure"...IF the oil would stay in the engine...!!! Needless to say...it's time to rebuild the engine...

I have two more 'local" events to go to before the car comes apart...and the teardown will happen in mid-October...I won't be doing any more bodywork, it's close but not flat...and I won't be doing the paint...I want this car to be good...and neither my finish bodywork or paint work just isn't that good. This is a Cadillac...it HAS to be good.

The first thing that will happen is to pull the front clip, then the engine goes to the rebuilder...then the interior will come out as well as the glass...then the doors and trunk will come off...and the car will be trailered to the body man...

I hope to have it done and back together in time to drive to Moab, Utah in late April...and Norm Jones has personally invited us to the Lone Star Round-up, but that's the first of April and we'll see how close I get before I commit to that...

So, stay tuned to this saga...there is more to come in the next months...

R-

[Gotgas]

Man that grille and parking light detail is slick as puppy-dog .. you know.

Good to see those cars on the road together, that is quite a sight. Too bad about the engine, is it leaking it out or do you have a ring/compression problem?

Absolutely bitchin!!

[kisam]

I love the grill. It fits the theme of the car perfect!

[carshowgirl]

Love the grill!!!!

[40StudeDude]

Originally Posted by Gotgas

Man that grille and parking light detail is slick as puppy-dog .. you know.

Good to see those cars on the road together, that is quite a sight. Too bad about the engine, is it leaking it out or do you have a ring/compression problem?

Absolutely bitchin!!

Thank you...

From what I've been told about Caddy 500" engines...the heads use some kind of "plastic" valve guides...and those wear badly... From what I see, the right side of the engine puffs blak smoke, so I'm thinking the rings are bad as well...we'll find out in a month or two...

R-

[66Newport]

That looks killer! I love the detail with the parklamps.

[vein]

cool! love those caddies! superhuge! definatley a head turner!

[40StudeDude]

Prolly should add a photo of the park lites lit up, eh...???

R-

[Nads]

Good job Roger, I dig it and thank you for taking the time to show us the build.

[VonBurke]

pretty nice... VERY well done

[andycpsco]

Can i just say,you have inspired me to go back into the garage and work on my 49,there is nothing nicer to see years/months of hard work come together you must be very pleased!
thank you