Sweet! Only way that could be any cooler would have been to have found a Coupe. And don't use oil, use acetone and ATF as posted above.
Thanks. I now have the cylinders filled with Marvel Mystery oil and spark plugs in. Pulled the valve covers (a bit of sludge but not too bad considering the age) and oiled everything in the valvetrain and added 5qts of oil to the sump as well. I'll let it sit a while and try again. Brought the car home. Not too many cars are going to make an Eldorado Brougham look small. Should be interesting to work on, LOL.
I removed the engine today and did a major de-greasing and powerwash on the engine compartment. Pulled the oil pan and it looks pretty decent, just surface rust on the bores which is likely why it's so reluctant to turn.
Who would call a coupe cooler than a convertible? I swear...if there was an entry exam to this site...
You scored big time with your recent purchase. What a great garage mate to the one your already working on. If the rest of the car turns out to be as solid as it appears and the engine will not free up I'd take it to a reputable engine shop and have it restored to new specs. After that all you'd have to do to have transportation for the rest of your life would be to maintain it. Frank
This is now the plan! ^^^ And thanks for the kind words, the car to my surprise is completely rust free aside from the battery tray. I removed the heads and there was a fair amount of rust and dirt. Once I cleaned it all out and oiled the cylinders again it turns freely. Some corrosion in the bores so it's getting a complete rebuild, new pistons/etc.
you scored!!! Unfortunately your cylinders are too, but no biggie, parts aren't cheap for a Cadillac but nothing is quite as cool either.
Nice find.. jealousy would be the word for sure. One of the sexiest cars out of Detroit. My dad had a super sweet coupe de ville when I was young early 60's. I still can still hear the jc whitney dual exhaust he put on it. blue blue interior Glad someone found it that appreciates it..
Engine is torn down completely and machine work has begun. Builder found a valve guide that will allow the use of late model LS1 valves (and we'll use LS1 springs/retainers as well). I removed the rusty exhaust today and took a few pics of the undercarriage. Dirty and some surface rust but overall very nice. The top pump was locked up so I took it apart. Cleaned all the gel'd fluid out of the gerotor and now it spins freely but I've yet to try it. One of the hydraulic rams has some pitting on the chrome so I don't have much hope for it.
Thanks! I took the top pump apart and cleaned out all the gel'd goo. After re-assembling and re-installing surprisingly it works great. No signs of leakage or problems yet.
I started cleaning the interior. Normal leather cleaner did almost nothing. I tried a small spot with Castrol super clean and a toothbrush and it's an amazing difference. (and is not pulling off any dye, at least as far as I can tell on a white towel). Also I was happy to see the electric antenna still works perfect. At first I didn't think it worked because it didn't go up when the radio was turned on but then learned you must operate it with the right button. Seats with just leather cleaner- Other side with super clean- Left side with super clean, right side with just leather cleaner. Center speaker grille and white surround also with super clean-
Awesome score. Everyone that I tried to purchase over the years was way out of my price range. My favorite caddy. Ken
WOW, do you have any idea what that thing is worth?,im sure you do!.one of my all time favorites,would just drive it the way it is,very very nice. Harvey
Harvey, thanks, I plan to drive it all banged up as it is. For those interested, here is what it's looking like after some polishing-