Register now to get rid of these ads!

Projects My 1959 Cadillac Six Window Sedan DeVille in Dubai

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by LaurieB, May 11, 2012.

  1. LaurieB
    Joined: Aug 10, 2011
    Posts: 143

    LaurieB
    Member

    Been lurking in the background and reading up on here for a while while saving up for my new baby, and now that she's registered I thought I'd get the project thread started :)

    As the title says - she's a 1959 Cadillac Six Window Sedan DeVille. I've wanted a 1959 Cadillac since I was 9 years old and saw one at a classic car show in England. To this day I still have the 1:18 scale model that I had as a child. 18 years later here we are :) Always loved the 2 door convertibles but after seeing this one in person, totally in love with the 4 door coupe style hard top with no B-pillar :)

    Lets start with some pictures:

    [​IMG]

    My original 1:18 scale model serving as a paper weight when I paid the deposit :)

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Dubai is home to the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa, and the 1959 Cadillac is famous for having the tallest fins... so naturally one of the first things to do was take a photo where the fins were above the Burj Khalifa :)

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]


    It's an ex-california car so she's rust free. She runs great and is mechanically sound. Just a few minor things to tweak, grease or tighten here and there to take it up a level and then in the long term there's plans for some seriously cool upgrades with some modern technology all hidden in a very retro way. My goal is that when you look at the car, you'll struggle to figure out what was original and what wasn't.


    I'm fortunate that I get to work with some very cool technology in the automotive design field - with Laser Scanners, 3D engineering and 3D prototyping at my disposal.

    After the obvious bolt-ons such as the Retrosound radios and Ridetech airbags and Truespoke wheels, stay tuned for some unique ideas and executions that would not be possible without the above equipment. :)

    Using today's technology to design with a 1959 style will be fun!

    Hope you enjoy the pictures and stay tuned for more soon :)
     
    Last edited: Dec 9, 2012
  2. BEAR
    Joined: Sep 10, 2007
    Posts: 1,309

    BEAR
    Member

    Welcome to the h.a.m.b.
     
  3. yetiskustoms
    Joined: May 22, 2009
    Posts: 1,932

    yetiskustoms
    Member

    What he said ^^^

    and amazing shots of the 59. I bet it stands out over there!
     
  4. How much does fuel cost there?

    Just curious.
     
  5. LaurieB
    Joined: Aug 10, 2011
    Posts: 143

    LaurieB
    Member

    Thank you - it certainly does. :) The funny thing is over the past year I've only seen this car out at classic car events or in the previous owner's garage where it sat along side a '56 Buick Century convertible and a '54 Coupe DeVille. Even among those crowds it stands out... but NOW that it's mine and I can take it out any old day of the week - boy does she stand out :cool:

    Just gotta remember to keep the eyes on the road and not spend too much time looking at shop window reflections ;)
     
  6. LaurieB
    Joined: Aug 10, 2011
    Posts: 143

    LaurieB
    Member

    We actually have the highest gas prices in the region but nobody is complaining too seriously because it's not bad at all :)

    If my conversions are correct - it works out at US$1.95 a Gallon for premium fuel.

    If I cross the border to Oman (where I grew up) it is about 30% cheaper.

    So costs of fuel aren't a problem for driving a '59 Cadillac around town. The current lack of Air Conditioning however, is a problem!
     
  7. GaryM
    Joined: Mar 27, 2008
    Posts: 215

    GaryM
    Member

    Always good to see another Cadillac person on the HAMB, especially those with the good taste to get a '59.
    Welcome from South Carolina.
    Feel free to PM me with questions and I can also hook you up with Cadillac specific websites.
    Gary
     
  8. Congratulations Laurie can't wait to see it on the road again when I go back. I used to love cruisin' around with Jamal in this thing. Also get some new wheels soon, because my '56 is dieing to have those wheel covers on her;):D
     
  9. LaurieB
    Joined: Aug 10, 2011
    Posts: 143

    LaurieB
    Member

    Thanks Gary!

    It's always had to be a '59 :) '59 is by far my favourite, followed by 52-54 and maybe 57-58.

    Thanks for the offer to help - would definitely appreciate some good Cadillac specific sites!

    Yours looks great too - LOVE the convertibles but the Sedan DeVille makes it realistic for me :)
     
  10. LaurieB
    Joined: Aug 10, 2011
    Posts: 143

    LaurieB
    Member

    Thanks :) A friend has a container coming over pretty soon with a 67 Mustang in it... there might be some wire wheels in there which would free up the stock hubcaps :)

    Can't wait for the temperatures to drop again... I think the Air Conditioning project will be aiming for next summer. Wanna do it once and do it right :)
     
  11. GaryM
    Joined: Mar 27, 2008
    Posts: 215

    GaryM
    Member

  12. Gator
    Joined: Dec 29, 2005
    Posts: 4,016

    Gator
    Member

    Very cool - maybe you could post some (smaller) ;) pics in the Cadillac Cruisers thread too:

    Cadillac Cruisers
     
  13. GregCon
    Joined: Jun 18, 2012
    Posts: 689

    GregCon
    Member
    from Houston

    I don't think the 59 Caddy had the tallest fins. I think there were Imperials with taller fins.
     
  14. I'm back in Dubai until the 28th. Let's go daddy-o!
     
  15. LaurieB
    Joined: Aug 10, 2011
    Posts: 143

    LaurieB
    Member

    Bit of an update to the thread. As mentioned before - the plan is to add the modern technology and functionality to the Caddy while trying to preserve the aesthetic of the original style.

    First to be upgraded was the headlights. After some research decided that the JW Speaker LED headlights would be a good option but unfortunately - in the 5-3/4" size they only offered them with a black internal bezel. They do however supply them to Harley Davidson with a chrome internal bezel. That was definitely the most headlights my local Harley Davidson dealer has sold to one customer. :p

    Had to custom make brackets on the laser cutter to support them as they were too big for the original headlight buckets.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Very happy with the lighting output on these. Has made a big difference to being able to see where we are going on these roads!
     
  16. LaurieB
    Joined: Aug 10, 2011
    Posts: 143

    LaurieB
    Member

    Next up was the audio. The previous owner had an aftermarket unit installed in the glovebox. Unfortunately the car audio shop did such a bad job of it, you could no longer close the glovebox!

    [​IMG]

    Was one of those things that had been done last minute before a weekend, and never went back to be fixed.

    The obvious solution - throw that out and put in the RetroSound Model One radio in the dashboard using their 59 Cadillac kit.

    The Retrosound Cadillac kit is supplied with some "Cadillac style" knobs for the control stalks, but they're just not a perfect match. They're too shiny and too smooth compared to the headlight control stalk which has the ribs on it. They were also not going to fit with the Cadillac's original "Speaker" and "Tone" knob surrounds. So we removed the control knobs from the AM Radio and put them on the Retrosound's rotary encoders and it all mounts up perfectly.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    That's the Baseballs on the stereo. AWESOME band from Germany that covers modern hit pop songs in a retro style. Definitely worth checking out and really suits the mix of old and new that we have planned for the car :)

    http://www.thebaseballs.com/

    http://www.youtube.com/thebaseballs

    They've also just done a christmas album - worth checking out.

    Sample bonus track not on the album

     
  17. LaurieB
    Joined: Aug 10, 2011
    Posts: 143

    LaurieB
    Member

    Next up - the hood had a lot of stone chips and then one really bad mark on it where the previous owner's assistant had dropped the buffing power tool and worn all the way through to the primer... Really unfortunate as it happened just 2 weeks before the change of ownership went ahead.

    [​IMG]

    The hood was fully repainted just last week. The guys did a great job of matching the paint.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    I'd say that's a good match! We had to give the rest of the car a reeeealll good polish to match the shine of the new paint though! Happy with the end result :)
     
  18. LaurieB
    Joined: Aug 10, 2011
    Posts: 143

    LaurieB
    Member

    Final update for now: Wheels and Tires.

    The car has Bias Cross Ply tires and they sort of give the car a mind of it's own when the road surfaces are uneven. Replaced bushings in the steering column has helped but it's still extremely sloppy. Wanted some nice modern radials to improve that.

    Also wanted to put the car on wire wheels because IMO it just makes the car look a million bucks... but also want to upgrade to disc brakes in the future. In order to get the most out of the disc brake upgrade I wanted much bigger rim diameters. Don't like the Dayton wire wheel look - the small spindle hub is much more suited to european cars IMO.

    Originally was toying around with the idea to have wire wheels made with an artificial whitewall and run a low profile tire. Even came up with a concept design.

    Version 1

    [​IMG]

    Version 2

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    But that would have been horrifically expensive to custom machine.

    Then discovered that TrueSpoke can actually make their wheels in custom sizes and still have the Cadillac style hub and supply the whitewall tires to go with it. Much easier and more sensible!

    Original wheels and tires - 15x6 and L78-15 (equivalent to 235/75-R15) with a 4" WW

    New wheels and tires - 18x8 and 255/55-R18 with a 2.5" WW.

    The outer diameter of the tire and the outer diameter of the whitewall remains the same. Tire's a bit wider.

    Just waiting on the tires to be mounted and they'll be shipped out next week, but in the mean time check these pictures out!

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Can't wait, so I photoshopped them on the car to scale :)

    [​IMG]

    Wheels and tires should be here next week :)

    Sure - the purists might not love it, but in an effort to maximise form and function I think these are great. Much more traditional than doing a Foose style 18 or 20" alloy wheel.

    Once the wheels are here, we can start planning for some big Wilwoods to bring this thing to a stop. Hidden nicely behind the spokes with black calipers. You'll see them if you go looking for them, but not in your face if you're looking at the car as a whole.

    This beautiful Jag was in the paint shop at the same time as my Caddy, also sporting blacked out Wilwoods behind the spokes.

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Dec 9, 2012
  19. oakmckinley
    Joined: Jan 21, 2012
    Posts: 241

    oakmckinley
    Member

    Nice Looking caddy!
    Some beautiful pictures too, take some more!!
     
  20. LaurieB
    Joined: Aug 10, 2011
    Posts: 143

    LaurieB
    Member

    Thank you! I'm itching for the wheels and tires to get here for more pictures :)
     
  21. kma4444
    Joined: Sep 24, 2008
    Posts: 197

    kma4444
    Member

    Very cool stuff, keep the updates coming.
     
  22. LaurieB
    Joined: Aug 10, 2011
    Posts: 143

    LaurieB
    Member

    Until the wheels get here - here's some nice shots from the local Diner :)

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  23. LaurieB
    Joined: Aug 10, 2011
    Posts: 143

    LaurieB
    Member

    A few more teaser pics :)

    I think it's teasing me the most!

    All 4 TrueSpoke wheels together. Once again, 18x8 as opposed to the 15x6 original steel wheels. Plenty of space for brake upgrades.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]


    And the tires are in!

    255/55-R18 with a 2.5" whitewall. These things look like they're going to have a great stance. Can't wait to see them mounted and on the car :)

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    The tires still have the blue treatment on them to protect the white surface during shipping and handling, but I photoshopped them to white in these images...

    Tires should be mounted on the rims later today... will have more pictures then.
     
  24. Nads
    Joined: Mar 5, 2001
    Posts: 11,867

    Nads
    Member
    from Hypocrisy

    Was the car sold new in Dubai?
     
  25. dad-bud
    Joined: Aug 22, 2009
    Posts: 3,884

    dad-bud
    Member

    Looks like you are 'livin' the dream' over there in Dubai.
    I just love my 60 Cadillac Coupe and understand your passion for your SDV.
    I don't know whether you need to upgrade to discs unless you're planning on plenty of crash-stops. The huge, truck-sized drums on my 60 Coupe do a fine job of hauling the speed back, though I do drive it like a Cadillac, not a Corvette.
     
  26. gr8ness13
    Joined: Aug 28, 2008
    Posts: 405

    gr8ness13
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    i think he said it was a California car originally..
     
  27. Beanscoot
    Joined: May 14, 2008
    Posts: 3,402

    Beanscoot
    Member

    Mmmmm.... Fatburgers!
     
  28. Nads
    Joined: Mar 5, 2001
    Posts: 11,867

    Nads
    Member
    from Hypocrisy

    Whoops, missed it, I know that a lot of American cars were sold new in the mid-East, Turkey especially was full of Yank Tanks.
     
  29. Sweepspear
    Joined: May 17, 2010
    Posts: 292

    Sweepspear
    Member

    Great Caddy you have there LaurieB!
     
  30. That does it...I'm moving to Dubai. I'll ship my 34 five window there and cruise in year-round comfort. Not to sure about it's safety with Ali Babba and the 40 thieves tho.
     

Share This Page

Register now to get rid of these ads!

Archive

Copyright © 1995-2021 The Jalopy Journal: Steal our stuff, we'll kick your teeth in. Terms of Service. Privacy Policy.

Atomic Industry
Forum software by XenForo™ ©2010-2014 XenForo Ltd.