I bought a 1961 Cadillac Eldorado GM factory custom off craigslist

Got my eyebrow moldings back from Spacecoast Plating, they look pretty good even the one I made from scratch, there's a couple of divots and blemishes, but they're in the areas that are gonna be painted so I can prime and putty them smooth.









They picked up my bumper too, I worked on the fiberglass lower bumper, I fiberglassed all the damaged areas, the old chrome peeled right off but it was sharp like a razor blade, I got lots of cuts, I shoulda worn gloves.









This bumper's off to Paul's Chrome in Pa, they do plastic and fiberglass, I don't how this process works, I'd love to know.

 

OK, this is a crazy thought that just flashed across my mind when I looked at this photo. I thought: it looks so sporty, like a smaller car. And then it hit me: is this convertible built with the shortened rear end of the "easy to maneuver" Park Avenue model?

 

Once you stand next to it then it doesn't look so compact anymore...

 

No, according to the build plate on the cowl it started off as an Eldorado, all Eldorados were convertibles and they never made a Park Avenue version of any convertible, however one thing I'm not 100% certain off is whether the front fenders have been extended or not, I have to measure it against a stock Caddy but they sure do look longer to me, maybe that's what makes the butt end look shorter.

It just fits in my garage with inches to spare.

 

Damn nice ride.

The proportions look spot on. Those front fenders ARE long to begin with. When I picked my new fenders up they fit in to my Grand Cherokee at an angle and it is still such a tight fit that I can just barely close the hatch.

Check this site out if you are looking for Caddy info/community.

http://www.61-62cadillacs.com/

Also check out http://www.usaparstsupply.com/

 

Yeah, I'm a member there, lotsa knowledgeable folks there and friendly too.

 

Here's the lower bumper all cracks fixed and smooth,I shipped it out to Paul's Chroming today, I don't wanna talk about how much it cost just for shipping.

 

Is the center section going to get body color after chroming? If so are they masking that area or will you just paint over the chrome?

 

The whole thing will be chromed then I have to mask it off and paint, it was fully chromed by Cadillac. I guess I'll have to scuff and etch prime so the paint will stick.

 

It would probably look a bit too "heavy" and obviously not build correct if you left it chrome.

 

Ah, yes, a set of measurements would be good. Given that the hood is custom, they sure could have extended the front fenders. But then I'd expect all sorts of special brackets to support the longer front end. Interesting.

 

It was never fully chrome, the back bumper which is stock is likewise split into paint on the lower half, that'll will also need rechroming eventually but it'll have to wait.

AMcA, there are other brackets up front which look very crudely made, some pieces are simply angle iron, I can take pics if you like.

 

IT WAS YOU WAS IT ? i wanted that welder, so not only did you take that welder away from me, you went and found this amazing part of history
thats it, im gonna call you a lucky basterd and be done with it

on a more serious note, she is an amazing find and congrats, i too have had a couple of what we call "demo" cars over here in the UK, but nothing like this at all, congrats again on such an awsome machine

 

and look at the size of your House, jeez
pillars to hold it up and this is just too much

 

way cool find ....

ok, the car below appears to be a four door:



notice the rear door seams ...

Again, GREAT find ...

 

I don't think that is a 4 door. I think that is Nad's car. The door is too long for a 4 door. Also a four door only has a small peak at the bottom not that odd shaped line. I think that is an optical effect or a shadow on the car.

 

It's the same car, I think it's a microphone or light cord.

 

Me too!

 

...I see dead people...

 

NADS, There is a product called Marine-Tex that works wonders on fiberglass, real good stuff. I think you would like it.
Stronger than glass and does not shrink, I have made parts out of it.

 

It's done now and sent out, the repair came out plenty strong, the bumper was really structurally strong, it just had two breaks in the bottom where it was hit and a couple of small cracks around the license plate holder, I'll remember Marine-Tex for the future.

 

This car's like an archeological dig, I removed the outer headlight buckets, both of which are damaged and when I looked at the bulb retaining ring I found that SO# stamped on the backside 50110, yup this is fer sure that car.

You can see how crudely constructed the backs of the buckets are, there's holes everywhere, there's no specific hardware it's all, whatever was laying around was used. The right side bucket had its bottom part broken off but luckily it was in the trunk of the car, I've started fixing all the pieces then I'll send them off to get rechromed, the inner buckets and all four rings are in perfect condition.

 

I think I dated her when I was in high school. Never got anywhere with her, hence the name!

 

So are you going to fix the grille next? Any rechroming work needed on it?

 

It's anodized but the vertical bars are too fragile and thin to take it apart, I might get it bead blasted and clear powder coated, it would be very hard to get it re-anodized.

 

This car is VERY kool! "Nads-worthy" Congrats...

 

Man, hate to say it but those hubcaps are a pretty big part of the car. It might be pricey but worth it to have em recreated. They're damn cool even if they remind me of RV hubcaps. Johnny

 

Floorboard, those caps could be modified to work, believe me if I could find someone to make these caps I'd have found a way to get it done, but I've had no luck. I can get it done in an aluminum wheel but it's not the same thing.

 

Nads, Dallas had had his grille in his 60 wagon stripped and re-done ask him where and how much...

 

That is really cool that you are restoring this Cadillac. This is the car they should have build for the 1961 model year, in my opinion. It's pretty amazing there is so much fiberglass in this car, along with plastic, from some of the bits you've shown.

Chromed fiberglass? Ain't that something?