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1959 cadi vert "conversion" the beggining

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by boomosby, Aug 29, 2010.

  1. boomosby
    Joined: Dec 20, 2009
    Posts: 415

    boomosby
    Member

    here is the 59 fleetwood, its a very solid car, complete all the way to air-cleaner. motor turns over easy! But since, its fleetwood, i am thinking to keep it as a 4door. the bumpers, caps and all power ooptions would go great on a convertible....suggestions please ;p
     

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  2. Abomination
    Joined: Oct 5, 2006
    Posts: 6,719

    Abomination
    Member

    That IS solid. And it comes with a matching dog!

    ~Jason


     
  3. boomosby
    Joined: Dec 20, 2009
    Posts: 415

    boomosby
    Member

    abomination, you always chime in! tell you me what you think.....59 fleetwood to convertible? or 59 sedan? fleetwood, has power vents, ac, cruise...sedan has most similar but no cruise, and no side panel trim? advise!!!
     
  4. nowhereman
    Joined: Oct 16, 2011
    Posts: 111

    nowhereman
    Member
    from illinois

    go fleetwood convertible:)
     
    Last edited: Mar 25, 2013
  5. Abomination
    Joined: Oct 5, 2006
    Posts: 6,719

    Abomination
    Member

    I say the Fleetwood... but only if you keep it a Fleetwood.

    Make it a 2-door, and tell people it's a prototype! :cool:

    There's just so much there to work with, man. It's like fate is deciding on the Fleetwood for you! But remember, it's a Series 75, so tread lightly. It's real, real, real close to the 6xxx series, but the few differences shouldn't matter. If you've got the balls to do what you're doing, the mad skillz needed to roll with any weirdness you encounter kind of come along with that skillset, anyway.

    And it's a FLEETWOOD. I mean, if you were going to buy a "hey, I've made it" car back then, it's between this or an Eldo. And the Fleet was WAY more expensive. Think of the project as a "grandma car redemption", for like, cool grandmas. I say to find a good stainless guy and let him have at, lengthening any door panel stainless, etc so you can keep it a Fleetwood interior, only have it fit the 2-door door panels. Likewise, you'll have to swap to a 2-door front seat, but if you're having a guy do the interior for you, he can make the Fleetwood pattern work on the 2-door seat (pockets and all), and likewise, use the leftover interior stainless that was chopped to lengthen the front door panels work on the rear interior ones on your newly converted 4-door.

    This is gonna br so freakin' rad...

    And you know what? Because everybody wants a 2-door, most Fleetwoods you find out there still have all the stuff on 'em! Parts are easy as hell to find!

    ~Jason

     
    Last edited: Mar 25, 2013
  6. Abomination
    Joined: Oct 5, 2006
    Posts: 6,719

    Abomination
    Member

    And add a power trunk pulldown to your list of awesome stuff to add into the mix. It'll make you a hit at all the '59/'60 Cadillac parties. Women will want you. Men will want to BE you.

    FOR REAL.

    ~Jason
     
  7. Abomination
    Joined: Oct 5, 2006
    Posts: 6,719

    Abomination
    Member

    As for the cruise, looking at the parts books, manuals, etc, I've always wondered if the '59/'60 interior cruise controls could be adapter to the factory '64 429 cruise control guts mounted on the engine. It looks like it could...
     
  8. boomosby
    Joined: Dec 20, 2009
    Posts: 415

    boomosby
    Member

    abomination, this thing will be a full on convertible! so in theory it will be a two door! haha, but its going to go all the way to the full functioning top!!! power everything! hahah....and your right, the fleetwood interior on a convertible will be to die for! i have never seen it done. the cruise control is hooked up to teh engine, when i say that the engine is complete , it even still has the air duct for the generator that gives that fresh air! hahahah
     

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  9. Abomination
    Joined: Oct 5, 2006
    Posts: 6,719

    Abomination
    Member

    ow - the Fleetwood it is, then!

    Looking over it, dude - that totally WAS somebody's grandma's car. LMAO! You can totally feel the "sat in a garage, was given to a grandson, who let it sit outside, and passed it on to a disinterested kid who sold it" vibe off of it.

    You know, I think if a convertible kit were made one day, it might help save a lot of 4-doors. If only I had the parts and a large enough 3-D scanner... even if I couldn't get the capitol to get it done, maybe I could pass the data around freely until someone eventually did! Harry Truman said, "It's amazing what you can accomplish when you don't care who gets the credit."

    :D

    ~Jason

     
  10. boomosby
    Joined: Dec 20, 2009
    Posts: 415

    boomosby
    Member

    you know, i will qoute that for my team! we been losing lately and lets ssee if it makes a difference!

    but you are correct, to get stamps for all those pieces would get so many more cadillacs into the main market, hmmmmm
     
  11. Abomination
    Joined: Oct 5, 2006
    Posts: 6,719

    Abomination
    Member

    Here's one guy producing sheet metal:

    http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=527848

    Here's some other folks:

    http://www.classiccadillacforsale.com/store/category/sheetmetal/

    The first guy is a guy trying to help make Ecto-1 replicas possible for folks. The second link is a company that does concours Cadillac restorations, that went so far as to make a few bucks to custom make new quarter panels, etc (instead of having to buy $1000 pairs from Arizona), and decided to sell them to the public.

    It's not too big of a jump to go from selling a couple of quarters and patch panels to selling the parts for a convertible kit.

    Then again, if you could only find a donor, it's so much easier of a swap. But you and I both know they're getting more scarce by the minute.

    ~Jason




     
  12. boomosby
    Joined: Dec 20, 2009
    Posts: 415

    boomosby
    Member

    thanks jason!!!! that guy does have some serious skills!
     
  13. Abomination
    Joined: Oct 5, 2006
    Posts: 6,719

    Abomination
    Member

    Hey man, if you ever want to know any weird '59 & '60 Cadillac stuff, feel free to hit me up. I know the stuff the other folks don't know... mostly because I've been "on the verge" of getting started on my '60 for so long! LOL!

    ~Jason

     
  14. boomosby
    Joined: Dec 20, 2009
    Posts: 415

    boomosby
    Member

    ok guys , so a few more updates to talk about. i receently found a very complete (but virginia crusty) coupe de de ville. since it is already a coupe, i am pondering would the conversion move along much faster using this body.....but then a series of pictures came my way and the thought to be completely different started to bite at me.first off here are pics of the 59 coupe
     

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    Last edited: May 2, 2013
  15. boomosby
    Joined: Dec 20, 2009
    Posts: 415

    boomosby
    Member

    and here are teh flooors..phewwww....so what i thought was...hmm....the floors in the pink car are really( ok failry) nice.....so i can use them to repair the floors in the coupe.all the pink floors need are floor pans, rear underseat pan is almost perfect and the support braces are strong in teh rockers.so that will save mucho time and money :D
     

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  16. boomosby
    Joined: Dec 20, 2009
    Posts: 415

    boomosby
    Member

    last on the coupe, picked up these eldorado series hubcaps...and found thsi picture on the net....my new inspiration
     

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  17. boomosby
    Joined: Dec 20, 2009
    Posts: 415

    boomosby
    Member

    ok guys. so now i am thinking of 4door functioning convertible with suicide doors.....IE like lincold did for most of th 60s. i have a very good base to start on a 59 fleetwood. so it is already a specialty package car. i found a few expamples of functioning four door verts and a guy who did the suicide doors on a 59. neither car was a fleetwood, but i really think that would be a excellent custom!! do check out these pictures guys and tell me what you guys think.


    a) first lets start with the suicide doors. this is the only expample i have seen of it so far on a 59/60 cad and i think it really stands out!
     

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  18. captainjunk#2
    Joined: Mar 13, 2008
    Posts: 4,420

    captainjunk#2
    Member

    man I couldn't cut up that coupe , dig those massive fins , id have to fix that one , and not mess with the body style give it a paint job and drive it , but no matter what you decide I will still follow the thread lol
     
  19. boomosby
    Joined: Dec 20, 2009
    Posts: 415

    boomosby
    Member

    so next the 4door conversion. i found tons of pics of cars with chops tops, carson, and removabe rags. but very few with with full functioning finished racks........until now...thoughts pleaasseee!

    a)the gold one as understand is a car done in sweden

    b) the white one is what gm had as a concept car from the factorcy back in 59.

    c) this 1968 model was one i came across on the internet and it answered alot of my questions about where the cylinders moount up, how the back seat would fit, how the rear jambs would be in place, and how the rear doors can be kept.


    i really think that if i can get the suicide doors done, the sedan conversion done and have it as a fleetwood model, that would be a reallly coool car! once again, tell me what you guys think....
     

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  20. boomosby
    Joined: Dec 20, 2009
    Posts: 415

    boomosby
    Member

    captainjunk,

    i have decided to keep the coupe as it is. just get thje floors solid , drop a good running motor in it and have fun. i think this four door conversion/convertible will really become something special!
     
  21. junkyardjeff
    Joined: Jul 23, 2005
    Posts: 8,588

    junkyardjeff
    Member

    There used to be a 67 to 70 caddy 4 door around here that was converted to a convertible,I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me until I got a closer look at it.
     
  22. Abomination
    Joined: Oct 5, 2006
    Posts: 6,719

    Abomination
    Member

  23. Stefan T
    Joined: Sep 15, 2008
    Posts: 2,165

    Stefan T
    Member
    from Sweden

    I have a pic her of a caddy 59

    [​IMG]

    this caddy have the posibilty to take of the steel roof
    What i have heared about this coneversation that have been done when the car was new
    I know that the car have this possiblty the first time when i say it and it was in approx 1980 and i still went in school

    /Stefan
     
  24. boomosby
    Joined: Dec 20, 2009
    Posts: 415

    boomosby
    Member

    hey stefan, very cool car pics! what ever you want to say, can you put it in swedish, i will have some of my freinds translate becuase i am very lost as to what you are trying to say....
     
  25. Abomination
    Joined: Oct 5, 2006
    Posts: 6,719

    Abomination
    Member

    I think he's saying that that Cadillac has a removable roof on it he thinks came that way new. At least it was that way in the 80s when he was still in school. ;)

    ~Jason


     
  26. Stefan T
    Joined: Sep 15, 2008
    Posts: 2,165

    Stefan T
    Member
    from Sweden

    Sorry for may bad english
    I have a little bit of dyslexis and some day it is worse
    so it dasn't matter witch language i write in
    I can be realy strange

    /Stefan
     
  27. Abomination
    Joined: Oct 5, 2006
    Posts: 6,719

    Abomination
    Member

    Most of us on the HAMB are very strange. It's just another day, here. LOL!

    After a while, you begin to suspect that all strange people have their own language. Here on the HAMB, despite the occasional language barrier, we all kind of know what we all mean! LOL!

    Then again, there's always http://translate.google.com/

    ~Jason

     
  28. 41fastback
    Joined: Sep 25, 2005
    Posts: 360

    41fastback
    Member

     
  29. 41fastback
    Joined: Sep 25, 2005
    Posts: 360

    41fastback
    Member

  30. Modded 105E
    Joined: Jul 3, 2017
    Posts: 90

    Modded 105E

    looks like you've died on us. Great project man. Please bring us up to date.
     

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