Projects 1960 Cadillac Sedan "Sharky"

Lights stuck on high beam- usually the floor dip switch.
Power vent windows- the driven gear usually strips on these, new ones available through McVey's Caddy parts (not cheap).
Dash lights- the dim function on the light switch usually craps out, if you remove the dash light wire from this and feed it from the park lights terminal , you will get full brightness bulbs.

 

The way the paint/bondo flaked off the lower half of the car is super weird. It was originally a slightly lighter shade of turquoise, then repainted in the somewhat darker shade you see on it now. Someone welded in some patch panels which are mostly still there but I guess it needed a lot of bondo to smooth it out. There are big patches of bondo that have fallen off the passenger rear quarter (apparently a bullet hit it) and the driver rear door too. If I leave it a few years it may start to look like a green cow.







Front seat is sunken in where the driver sits and really uncomfortable, you can tell almost no one has ever sat on the passenger side. There is a company called SMS Auto Fabrics that a lot of the factory spec restoration guys talk about that can get you OEM reproduction fabric and I may do that!

Thanks -- gonna order kits for the other two carbs, I popped the lid off the front carb and it was full of varnish and possibly remnants of a mouse nest on the throttle plates.

That makes a lot of sense because the dimmer switch doesn't do anything until you turn it all the way to the left and the cabin lights cut on. I will have to try that, might be an easy way to fix it!

 

Just a quick update: rebuild the outside carbs which were even more gummed up than the center carb.



Somehow lost the cobbled together fuel lines that go to the secondaries so I took that as an omen to order the proper reproduction pre bent tri power fuel lines from Caddy Daddy. They weren’t too expensive.

gonna be running on center carb only until that stuff gets here. It seems like I still have a dead spot in the pedal if I stomp on it although it is much better than before I replaced the accelerator pump.

Next up are exhaust and tires. I also would like to route the draft tube back into the air cleaner somehow.

 

There is a great forum for these old caddys at the Cadillac-Lasalle clubs website.It is free to join and im sure someone there can help wit your project,it is a fairly active forum and always guys on there who live for this type of stuff. Harvey

 

Often, a dead spot on acceleration from a stop is caused by adjusting the idle mixture control screws TOO RICH!

Assuming the engine condition is somewhere between 1000 miles and not burning oil, then the idle mixture screws should be at 1 turn from lightly seated.

The choke should touch closed (no tension) on a cold engine with an ambient of between 65 and 70 degrees F. Run the engine until the choke butterfly is vertical (choke is completely off), and set the idle according to the manual (GUESSING about 550 RPM in drive) using the throttle positioner screw.

A new engine, badly worn engine, or modifications could change the above

Jon.

 

Please listen to Jon! If you sold the car without the tripower you would loose more money than you would make selling the tripower. GM ain’t building them anymore!

 

Thanks! I think it was set to idle way too rich. The annoying thing about this setup is it’s almost impossible to reach the idle mixture screws with the front carb installed. I did tweak it a little bit with the front carb off and it was set wayyyy wayyyyyy too rich. So now it seems a little happier but I still have more work to do.

Tri power fuel lines will be here at the end of the week by the way — I’m keeping it.

I found a set of used thin whitewall radials for a good deal. My bias plys are really too unsafe to keep driving the car. While I had the car up on stands I noticed what seems to be gear oil running down the tire so I guess I blew an axle seal suddenly.

 

From over here it looks like brake fluid. But your there and seals do go bad.

 

Check that your diff vent is not blocked. It is usually part of the brass brake splitter block mounted on the top of the axle housing. You could put a "T" piece on you vacuum fitting going to the power booster, and install a PCV valve in there.

 

On a factory tripower, the idle mixture screws may be adjusted quite easily:

(1) Acquire a six inch piece of vacuum hose from your FLAPS that will fit over the head of the screw
(2) Cut in half, and slide each half over one of the screws with the carburetor OFF the car
(3) Turn each screw to lightly seated
(4) Make a mark ((paint, tape, your choice) on a point on each hose denoting the lightly seated position
(5) Reset the screws to where they were
(6) Re-install the carb, the screws are now adjustable by rotating the hoses

Jon

 

Just saw this post for the first time. These are one of my favorite cars. Love the big ones. Anyway, you are getting a ton of good info/help here. You've gotten a lot done but still have a ways to go. Just keep at it. Make lists and tackle one thing at a time. I'll be watching this thread!!

 

Yeah that is what I thought initially too.... Once I got the drum off it was def gear oil.

I will have to check that. Stupid question but the diff vent clogged would mean what? It pressurizes too much and blows out the seals?

Wow. I can't believe I didn't think of that. Great idea. Thank you again for all your help in this thread.

 

[QUOTE="lincolnkid, post: 14671302, member: 127761"I will have to check that. Stupid question but the diff vent clogged would mean what? It pressurizes too much and blows out the seals?.[/QUOTE]
It won't blow the seal out, but the hot air inside (expansion) will blow the oil past the seal.

 

Welcome back. By the way Sharky's is my favorite bar in Panama City. Go there every time I am in town.

 

Avoid McVey. His stuff was really expensive even 25 years ago. He was a dick to me after I pointed out some issues on a repop trim part.
Caddy Daddy is OK. I had good experiences with him.

 

by the way... your high beams were on.

nevermind, i see you resolved that, its very often i see people wondering what the little red light means.