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I bought a 1961 Cadillac Eldorado GM factory custom off craigslist

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Nads, Sep 17, 2012.

  1. Nads
    Joined: Mar 5, 2001
    Posts: 11,862

    Nads
    Member
    from Hypocrisy

    Dave Smith over at the Cadillac La Salle group graciously scanned these.
    Look at this clay, it has stock 1961 caps on the back and what could be the Le Mans ones on the front, the other has the Le Mans caps front and back.

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  2. roadkillontheweb
    Joined: Dec 28, 2006
    Posts: 1,409

    roadkillontheweb
    Member

    Not only can Craigslist lead you to nice finds like this it can also help you track history. You need to put an ad in the wanted section of the Traverse City Craigslist looking for anyone with information about the car. Anyone that may have known the past owners. Did the church get it? More pictures of it while being used in the parade? Identity of the Cherry queen to determine what year it was used in the parade. Also check youtube for anyone that may have posted video of the parade it was used in.

    I have very successfully used Craigslist to track information on the Junior cars I collect and hell if it doesn't work, it didn't cost you anything but a little time.
     
  3. HealeyRick
    Joined: May 5, 2009
    Posts: 573

    HealeyRick
    Member
    from Mass.

    Great find, man! It's been fun reading about your discovery of the history and differences from the stock model. Good luck with it and enjoy.
     
  4. plodge55aqua
    Joined: Jan 4, 2009
    Posts: 1,710

    plodge55aqua
    Member
    from Alberta

    Nice Concepts..
     
  5. Elrod
    Joined: Aug 7, 2002
    Posts: 3,566

    Elrod
    Member

    That appears to be the same design courtyard that your cars photos were taken in. That's a little crazy that they kept those caps. Makes sense though. It must have been a lot of work to make them and they wanted to hang on to them. They are their "funky new" caps that make their prototypes pop, like special jewelry in a clothing designers shop. They are really cool. Hopefully they didn't hit the scrap pile in the mid 70s
     
  6. It would be a little freaky that the wheel covers could still be sitting on a shelf inside the GM design center , or better yet in the garage of the guy who made them , as a memory of his work from the past . They are always worth the follow up just to eliminate the possibility .
     
  7. froghawk
    Joined: May 9, 2008
    Posts: 857

    froghawk
    Member

    While they have a similar design I'm not sure those are the same wheelcovers. They have a deeper rim, and the center section doesn't project out as far as the ones shown on the convertible. If they are the same they've been significantly modified.
     

    Attached Files:

  8. Nads
    Joined: Mar 5, 2001
    Posts: 11,862

    Nads
    Member
    from Hypocrisy

    I think they have been modified, the bumper on my car or a copy of it appears again on a clay for the 64 Cadillacs.


    This came to me in a dream, why not make the missing fender molding out of sheet metal? I already made some pieces for my 59 El Camino and they came out really nice. I only pay myself $1 an hour and I'm sure it won't take me 2,000 hours to make these which is what it was gonna cost me before chroming.
    All you have to do to make a reverse is to flip the pieces, easy as pie.
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    I'll post more progress as I go.

    The ones I made for the Elky

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    [​IMG]
     
    kiwijeff likes this.
  9. Jeees Nads... I can't stop staring at it!

    Next you need to install a turntable driveway like the one pictured!
     
  10. ^^^
    I'd be willing to bet that your car is what convinced the designers to do a radius reveal on the rear of the '64 Eldo rather than skirts on previous models...

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    Last edited: Oct 18, 2012
  11. Nads
    Joined: Mar 5, 2001
    Posts: 11,862

    Nads
    Member
    from Hypocrisy

    No doubt, Todd. The attempt to make those pieces failed, might carve them out of foam and fiberglass up a pair
     
  12. Come on, your FIRST attempt failed. Don't give up that easy.
     
  13. Nads
    Joined: Mar 5, 2001
    Posts: 11,862

    Nads
    Member
    from Hypocrisy

    The inside curved piece is almost impossible to shape and weld
     
  14. SIC98
    Joined: Mar 27, 2010
    Posts: 183

    SIC98
    Member

    Holy sheep crap Batman, how did I miss this!! Awesome car Nads, can't wait to see it, bring it to Billetproof drags on Sunday, Sunday, Sunday, and see what she'll do! Ha-ha, Man U lucky dog!...Brian
     
  15. FRENCHBLUE72
    Joined: Mar 12, 2009
    Posts: 58

    FRENCHBLUE72
    Member

    WOW!!!! What a beautiful ride.
     
  16. flynbrian48
    Joined: Mar 10, 2008
    Posts: 8,220

    flynbrian48
    Member

    I'd think that car is worth more AS-IS, than restored. What a great find, clean it up, drive it.

    Brian
     
  17. ronzmtrwrx
    Joined: Sep 9, 2008
    Posts: 1,137

    ronzmtrwrx
    Member

    I agree, these pics were taken in the same place. Both cars are setting on turntables exactly alike. Very cool.
     
  18. Nads
    Joined: Mar 5, 2001
    Posts: 11,862

    Nads
    Member
    from Hypocrisy

    That's the patio of GM's design studio, it was top secret with high walls to stop the peering eyes of competitors. The design center was designed by Eliel Saarinen and his son Eero and finished in 1959.
     
  19. Nads
    Joined: Mar 5, 2001
    Posts: 11,862

    Nads
    Member
    from Hypocrisy

    After looking at the passenger side molding I realized that it can be welded up so I took it to Badger Welding and they fixed it up for $40. I ground it smooth and it's ready to get plated. I took another shot at making the driver's side molding and instead of using brake line to make the inside curve I formed it with plain sheet metal, it came out pretty darn good, there's a divot or two in the area where the molding is painted but the area that gets chrome is really nice..........this piece cost nothing, well I did run out of shielding gas, that was $52.



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  20. pwschuh
    Joined: Oct 27, 2008
    Posts: 2,827

    pwschuh
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Great news. Glad you found a more reasonable solution for that.
     
  21. Nads
    Joined: Mar 5, 2001
    Posts: 11,862

    Nads
    Member
    from Hypocrisy

    I'll post pics when they're chromed, damn things are virtually invisible but when they're not there it's pretty obvious.
     
  22. Ram Air Bob
    Joined: Oct 20, 2012
    Posts: 24

    Ram Air Bob
    Member

    Congratsulations on such a great find. Alomst the same thing happened to me, except I found a car in a barn of a house that I bought. And that the car I found turned out to be a Renault Fuego. And the condition was almost exactly the same, except that mine was rusted to death, interior was rotted out, and the roof of the barn had colapsed onto the car.
    But other than that it was just like your find.
    Good luck with your caddy.
     
  23. slammed
    Joined: Jun 10, 2004
    Posts: 8,150

    slammed
    Member

    ^^^^Hi, my name is Bob and I'm an alcoholic.
     
  24. chevydave1965
    Joined: May 2, 2010
    Posts: 370

    chevydave1965
    Member
    from Iowa

    WOW thats sharp !!!!
     
  25. 'Mo
    Joined: Sep 26, 2007
    Posts: 7,432

    'Mo
    Member

    Unique and beautiful...in a class by itself. I'm speechless! :eek:
     
  26. yetiskustoms
    Joined: May 22, 2009
    Posts: 1,932

    yetiskustoms
    Member

    Unbelievable find. Wow
     
  27. mart3406
    Joined: May 31, 2009
    Posts: 3,055

    mart3406
    Member
    from Canada

    -------------------
    Wow talk about all the luck! One-off ,
    Cadillac factory-custom-built show
    and concept cars are one thing, but a
    genuine Renault Fuego??!!! Now you're
    talking about something really unique
    and exotic! Of course you're going to
    restore that rotted, rusted-out wrecked
    and crushed Fuego to showroom
    condition aren't you?? I've heard
    that in some alternate universe,
    they're considered to be true
    classics and just about - if not the
    ultimate - in that alternate universe's
    "gold-chainer-collector-set's" must
    haves!!:eek::D

    Mart3406
    ==================
     
  28. mart3406
    Joined: May 31, 2009
    Posts: 3,055

    mart3406
    Member
    from Canada

    ----------
    Ditto on that, times ten! An absolutely
    gorgeous and outrageously cool and
    historic car. A truly amazing and
    spectacular find!!!

    Mart3406
    =============
     
  29. Zombie57Ranchero
    Joined: Oct 7, 2009
    Posts: 562

    Zombie57Ranchero
    Member

    Whoa that thing is awesome, nice score!
     
  30. CDXXVII
    Joined: Nov 5, 2010
    Posts: 144

    CDXXVII
    Member
    from Vermont

    Maybe the engineering drawings for the wheel covers are buried someplace in the GM archives?
     

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