Projects The Best 1955 Cadillac build

The car looks amazing Roger! Congrats on the awards, all that hard work and patience is now paying off!

 

Sending the shaved front bumper from my Shoebox off to Ogden chrome this afternoon - I made sure Charlie knew you were the reason I was using them.

 

Hey Roger,thats one sharp lookin' caddy!

 

Amazing thread, amazing dedication to a build, and an amazing, rolling, piece of art that is your car - fantastic, just fantastic!

 

Wow Roger, it turned out beautiful and you must be proud!

well done and congrats on the awards...

 

Very very nice!

I can't wait to see it in person.

 

The Caddy looks awesome! You did a killer job on it. I can't wait to see it in person. Let me know if you ever want to do a photo shoot with it for the magazines. I would love to take the pictures. I might know of a model that could pose with it too....

 

Really...you KNOW of a good looking model...or are you married to one...???

KaddyKimber here on the HAMB, and in Denver, told me at the show she also does modeling...and she owns a '58 Caddy...maybe we could use both models...think...???

Thanx Johnny...you got anything done on your car...??? You NEED to have one to hit the rod runs with us this coming summer...

R-

 

I would love to do it, just let me know!

 

Stunning!!!!!!!!!!! Congrats on the awards too. Feels great to debut a car and hit it big the first time out!! But please man, close the damn hood and trunk! This aint no atreet rod!

 

stone...cold...nasty Roger.
Love it.

 

Roger:

Really disappointed that we didn't get back home in time to get to the show to see your debut. The '55 turned out great! Looking forward to seeing it with the "correct" rear bumper. Can you really improve it any more....??

Tom

 

Thanx Bill...I appreciate it...and you're correct, it is a long way from a street rod, however, did you miss this explanation I posted to Mick (StrayKatKustoms) on 12/03/10...he also commented on that:

Yes, hoods and doors and trunks ARE supposed to be closed on KUSTOMS when shown and I planned to show the car all closed up (it sure looks better that way), but when I asked the show judges to let me know when they were going to judge my car so I could open everything up, they said, and I quote: "Can't do that...we don't know when we'll look your car over...and besides, it's not fair to other participants if we favor your car over someone that has his stuff open all weekend."... So, I had to play their game.

R-

Tom, watched for you two all weekend...hoped you'd show...wanted to get Michelle's blessing...but now you two are going to have to wait til Spring...

 

Tom, watched for you two all weekend...hoped you'd show...wanted to get Michelle's blessing...but now you two are going to have to wait til Spring...


Sorry that we were no-shows. Too much crap going on this month! If you haven't driven into Denver from the mountains at the end of the weekend, you don't know what real traffic looks like!

As far as Michelle is concerned: I GUARANTEE that you will get her blessing! Besides, she will may be discussing her latest acquisition and want your learned input. She picked up a '48 Ford Deluxe ragtop recently. It's a roller, but decent. Stupid money in places where you will never see it. But a blank canvas on top. She has some shade of purple in mind...

 

Nice convert body to own...does she want her fuel injection unit back now...???

I'd be glad to help her "design" it...purple is good...!!!

R-

 

LMFAO!

It has a 283 all done and ready to light. Dual quad WCFB's on a Corvette intake. Sounds like we have a theme going on in our household.

The 283 sits in front of a Ford 3 speed. Stock back to the differential which happens to be a Winters quick change! Buick 45 fin drums on all four corners. Can't see any of that stuff unless you are on a lift. Would have been better suited on a roadster.

Proud of her. She arranged the shipping and has the parts pile inventoried. Once she get her arms around it, she will get moving on it.

 

Take all that stuff off...sell it to a street rodder...that'll help get some of her money back. Put in a 9 inch Ford rear, a dropped axle with discs up front and a B.W. 4-speed w/Hurst shifter...keep the 283 and dual fours. Whitewalls on all four corners and some chromies/moons...and purple paint and an all white interior...

R-

 

Both married to one and know lots now. If you ever want some pictures done of the Caddy you pick if you want a model, who, and how many. I'll just do the pictures.

I almost have all the rust repair done on the main body of the Rancheroo. Got the engine and trans in, front lowered 4in, underside all painted. Gaining but hoping to have it done in the next few months so I can cruise with you guys. One way or another I am driving one of my many cars this year!

 

Fair enough......... I do remember reading that. Hope to see it soon!

 

Hi Roger,

I've just finished reading through the whole thread. I was transfixed.
I laughed! I cried! I hurled!

Okay, maybe not that last one, but it has definitely made for some great and absorbing reading.

Not a lot I can say that hasn't already been said, but here goes:
It's beautiful. Great choice of car, great choice of colour and kustom touches.
Some people just throw money at a car, but not everyone has great taste and ability, and the sheer guts to keep at it until it's done.

Would very much like to see more (better?) shots of some of the details, like the roof scoops, the side skirts, the modified chrome below the rear window, and some of the finished interior and engine.

Thanks for taking the time to document all this and put it online for the world to see (for free no less),

Alex.

 

Rog,
Congrats on the awards. Missed the show, went to Iowa. I've enjoyed seeing your caddy progress through the years, and I'm impressed with how it turned out. Nice job. Now back to the sedanette, I think you should rethink not having Bass chop it. It would look so much more bitchin with a chop. But what do I know.

 

Amen to that. put down the picture machine Johnny and turn some f'ing wrenchs.


Looking forward to seeing more photos with Lacy and Rogers Cad, now that its all finished up.

 

Roger my friend! Congratulations! Even though I'm not surprised, this just tells me that there are guys who do it, others who starts and those who just say that one day...!
When I grow up... I hope I will build cars like you!!!
Rod on.

Toni

 

A day and a hlf of company time reading all 33 pages and WOW! You did such a great job. The attention to detail is amazing. I hope that I get to see it in person one of these days and I hope my car comes out looking HALF as good as your Caddy!

 

What did u get that power brake and do u have pictures of it under the car installed. I'm building a 55 ambulance i put disk brakes on the front that i bought from kanter but i didn't see the power brakes that u have.

 

nice work!

 

Well, it's been a few months since the debut of the Caddy at the car show in November...and the Caddy has been safely hidden in my garage... Now, as I said previously, small things needed to be taken care of before the spring rod runs begin...this then is a few updates on the car. I hope there's something here you can use.

And you thot I was done with all the updates on this car, didn't ya...??? So, let's just call this update:

SPRING'S A COMIN'...

I finally figured out my tires/wheels...since I have a Trans Am sub frame up front, currently running 14" wheels, I wanted to run 15" whites all the way around so I could rotate the tires at regular intervals...friends helped me with finding some 4 3/4" bolt pattern 15" wheels...and the Diamond backs are ordered -three weeks out at this date. BUT, the worst/best part of all this wheel/tire wrangling was trying to find some 15" 'caps to go on the car...and since I liked the early Olds three-bar spinners I had on the 14's, I wanted to stay with them...I put an ad in the HAMB classified, I scoured the swap meets, I called up friends that I knew would have 'caps...no luck. I finally called the one guy I had forgotten about (I'm getting older, my memory is slipping...!!!), my last hope..."bring the 'cap down and let me see if I can match it up." I figured maybe, just maybe I could find something close, or in good enuff shape to use on the Caddy. I took the Olds cap down and showed it to him. "Let me look," he said, and 10 minutes later he came back and said "Bad news for you." I figured as much. "I only have three,' he said, and proceeded to hand me three brand new, still in the brown wrappers, Olds hubcaps. Unreal. Perfect. Now all I have to do is find some repro "wings" and mount them...or maybe run the caps the way they are...I'm undecided at this point. Anyway, the wheels are painted...and as soon as the wide whites get here, I'll get them mounted up and then get the front end aligned.



The next minor thing I needed to get done was install a better turn signal switch...the one on the bottom of the '66 Buick column I got was so much junk (and these work on a cable with the useless switch mounted at the bottom of the column at the firewall- I've never had one work correctly. I had to find something better --gotta have turn signals. Hotronics advertised a self canceling item...I bought it and have it installed but not wired ...yet. I'll let you know how it works.

The other electrical item I needed was/is a neutral safety switch. Ron Francis advertised one...mounts right to the tranny and is also a back-up light switch, which I wanted as well.



It's installed now and wiring is in progress. I'll let you know how this one works.


The final item in this update is the rear bumper...finally got it installed and I think it adds a lot to the rear of the car...I built it but what a pain it was to get it to fit correctly...let me explain what it is: the end pieces are '48/'49 Cadillac. I hated the exhaust coming out the stock bumper end, and of course, very few '54/'55 Caddys have end pieces that are not completely rotten (read that-rusted), and if replacements can be found, they cost and arm and a leg. After some studying, I figured I could improve on the bumper...I think I managed that. Those end pieces are welded to the stock '55 Caddy center section. The stock upright license plate lights were removed and a '59 Caddy front license plate box was robbed from my son's '59 Caddy parts car (he hasn't missed it yet), and welded on...since a front license plate box has no provision for a license plate light, I purchased a lighted aluminum frame and drilled some holes in the backing plate to mount it up...it works well. I also notched the lower part of the bumper so the late Eldorado Cadillac exhaust tips, which you can see laying on the carpet, would tuck nicely up to the bumper...

In the shots below you can see the difference between the old bumper and the new one...cleans up the rear very nicely, yes...???


New ends....

Old ends...


Now, for all of those reading - I need some additional chrome pieces...I need four more of those small upright chrome pieces under the trunk...I built the small round piece out of aluminum in the center of the trunk and placed a gold Cadillac emblem in the center of it, gotta let those that are not familiar with early Cadillacs know what the car is, right...??? Here's a shot of it.



Anyway, I need four more of those uprights to finish off the rear of the car...got any...???

There are a few more items that need to be taken care of...and since spring is coming up fast (actually only three more weeks til the official calendar start of spring -- 20th of March), I'm hustling to get them all done...don't want to miss the Moab, Utah, rod run this year. See some of you there...???

R-

 

Roger, that new bumper gives the lower rear of the Caddy a cool '56 DeSoto look. Very impressive. Looking forward to seeing you and the car at the Stray Kat 500!

 

That rear bumper turned out great!! Gives me some ideas, mine is pretty much Swiss cheese on the ends!!

I have all 6 of the little chrome pieces under the trunk lid and am planning on shaving them anyway. They are pitted but you are welcome to them if you need 'em! They will need plating i'm sure.

Let me know!!

Bill

 

VERY COOL I like the new look. You've been busy, but what's with that ford in your shop?