Here are some pictures of my 54 Caddy project

Love the grill treatment on that green 54. Did that car used to just be plain green, no seaweed flames?

 

dibs on the 331 cad motor and trans!

 

Don't listen to Joe, he's a homicidal maniac from New Jersey. DO NOT WELD GALVANIZED METAL. The fumes produced are toxic.

 

good luck with your project, thats a hell of a car to work on. luckily it looks pretty straight. i built a 50 cad hardtop earlier this year and i don't ever want to have to work on a car that big again. probably didn't help that one of its previous owners was a tweaker and tried to fabricate when he was high. here's a picture of the 50 right before i sold it.



and don't listen to any of the guys that give you shit, yes i agree that the floors should be welded in (don't try to weld the panels you have in there now, the fumes are deadly from galvanized), but if that is beyond your ability at this point, then you can just go back and fix them as your skills progress. focus on getting the mechanicals in order and have some fun driving it. the main thing here is that you saved the car from being crushed and sent to china, and at least your keeping your hands busy and out of trouble. i would much rather read about some kid learning how to build a car with poor spelling skills than some kid that is stealing hubcaps and valve covers to score drugs any day. keep up the good work.

 

Hey...
As you already know, I am also doing a Caddy rebuild.
At first, I was going to go with a period correct factory look..... until I priced out replacement chrome...
At that point, I decided that a "clean" look would be much better.
1400 bucks for a rebuild kit? I found them for 500 bucks on the web.

Anyway, first thing is to get it running.
After that, steering, brakes, and suspension. Safety first.
If you MUST do an engine swap, at LEAST stick with a Caddy engine.. (500 ci is very nice)
Don't do anything that you can't undo. Personally, I am filling in the holes that the side chrome resided in but, I can always re-drill them if I want to buy new chrome down the road.
Take LOTS of pictures. I am measuring the holes and writing the measurements in chalk on the body and taking a pix before filling them in.
Oh yeah... PB blaster will be your best friend.

 

Hahahhahaa...ahhhhhhhh....hahhahahahha....THAT sentence alone insults a lot of very intellingent "rodders." If it weren't for rodders like Iskenderian, Kenz & Leslie, Mickey Thompson, Tattersall, Petersen, ad infinitum...YOU wouldn't know what the meaning of the word is today...

Get an education kid...a good one...and that includes spelling, English, math AND geography. YOU ARE definitely going to need it in the future.

R-

 

You need to know math to rebuild cars?
Say it isn't so!!!!
I will actually need to add measurements and such?

In all seriousness, hot rodding can be an expensive hobby. Without an education, you won't make much money.
No money = no driving. (Thats Billy math).

 

Being a good speller at my day job helps me afford to mess with cars at night. Nice car, for sure. If you don't use the Caddy engine in it, save it for a hot rod. But, honestly, look into the caddy motor, your time is free to you. GM built their 50s blocks for high-end cars (Cads, Olds, Buicks) out of the strongest steel money could buy, so they're REAL durable. It could be something as cheap and simple as a head gasket and that motor would make any car twice as cool...

 

Well, no...as a matter of small fact, it was originally blue gray with a white top. And the car has never been to Cali...it's been a ColoRODo car all it's life...

So, if there was a Caddy, plain green, in Cali, somewhere, this ain't it.

The grille consists of several '58 Buick grilles...and those are hard to come by...the park lites have been moved from the grille to under the headlights...a small subtle change...but one not many people notice...along with a few other subtle changes no one notices...can you spot them...???


R-

 

i don't believe the 350/350 will fit at all without extensive frame mods, cutting up the crossmember and the like (chime in if your disagree). I'd get the 331 back together, that is what i'm doing on my '51.

 

All the spelling mistakes aside.......
YOUR GRANDPA WAS GOING TO GIVE THAT TO THE BONEYARD FOR 80 BONES????????? WTF?
Glad your into saving another one. We need all the help we can get.

P.S. At least try to use the spellcheck tab....It's located at the top right of the text box, three spaces to your left. You will get ALOT farther on any board that way.

 

thanks you guys im at skool will send more questions when i get home an about a hour

 

As long as we're having a spelling lesson, it's "school", not "skool".

 

SouthDriver1: Where did you find these kits for 500 at for the cadillac motor???
R8odecay: the 350 will actuallly fit fine without cutting up any thing on the caddy
So if you can give me places where the kits are cheaper for my 331 hell i will use that and then proably use a 350 tranny or keep the stock one because all of that will add more value.

 

Hey man, im in the same boat you are right now. I have a 53 Coupe Deville. im currently stripping the whole damn thing down.

here is some progress that i have made on it. there will be much more to come. i cant stay out of the garage.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=203250&highlight=FNG's

 

man i would have to brag to my car has always been in california and is damn near rust free well at least with eatin through rust. But thats was some good work you did. I wish my caddy was at my house my parents wouldnt be able to get me inside. Its at my grandpas because he has all the tools to work on cars so its there.

 

Hey I tried e mailing you my pics and came back with a failure to deliver error. Please pm me back your info. Joe

 

The spelling and grammar are no worse than most here in the forum, but that's no excuse. If you want to build cars for a living you're going to have to learn to communicate with people in a way that you can both understand what the heck you are talking about.
The forum isn't for text messaging, and we all do want to hear about your project, so take a moment to compose your thought, re-read it, edit it, and then click send.
This is a great project to learn on. Not too daunting for a new guy, and way better than driving a Neon.

 

yeah i know my spelling skills are bad but damn people give me a break i thought this was a ol' skool car forum not a internet english class.

 

Hey man,

Good to see younger guys like myself on this fourm.

Like everyone says, take it in steps, don't rush, or it will never come out right. Whatever you decided to do about your motor, well, do what makes you happy, but whatever you do, save that Cad motor. That motor will sell for a real nice pretty penny probably even in the state that its in now. You could always take that motor and use it towards your next project.

Look at the classifides, you'll find what you need, and just wait. Make the car run, and drive it while you work on it. You don't want to have that car sitting at your grandpa's house for 2 years plus, not driving yet. GET THE CAR ON THE ROAD!

And lastly, best of luck, and if you didn't live so damn far away, I would be able to lend you a hand with all of this stuff. Best of luck, and get that baby running.

-See you on the streets,
Rick

 

Whether you believe this is an "ol' skool" car forum...or not...and it isn't an old school car forum nor an English class and "breaks" aren't handed out like jelly beans...here...or in life. This forum is a traditional rod forum, cars are built here safely (at least I'd like to think we're better than some schmoe throwing something together just to look cool), ...but perhaps you want the OSR forum (but I certainly hope you don't) ...if not, stick around here and learn something...

You're off to a good start by posting pix of your project...and asking questions...but PLEASE, even tho there are other folk on here that cannot spell either...those of us that MIGHT help you would like to read a question in the proper way: correct spelling and correct punctuation. If we have to struggle to understand what you are asking, or typing, perhaps we'll just blow by it and not bother because of its bad spelling...I don't need to work at a question to try to understand it AND help someone.

I see you've corrected your tag line...for that you get a B+...and the last thing you posted was 1000 % better than your first post...for that you get a A...at least from me , I don't know about the English teacher...!!!

We don't mind youngsters here...and as someone else said...you're better off learning here on an old car than driving a rice rocket or a Neon.

Stick around...

R-

 

Hey alright 40StudeDude didnt mean to hit a nerve there. But do you know where i can get engine kits for my 331 cheaper than the one i found for $1,400. Also I am a member of the OSR Forum and of the ruffrodders forum you know why because any help or advice anybody can give me that is usefull i will accept

 

54Caddy, Be careful about guys from cities you can't spell or pronounce. Next Joe will be asking for your address and then show up at your doorstep. Just kidding, Hoboy is a very cool Caddy 4life guy. I saw your replys on my other thread about getting parts. What are you looking for to start with? I have a rebuilt Chevy 350 in mine. One of the only things it came with. Very easy for parts when needed. Keep in touch....you too Joe ,
Brian

 

Well if you read all the replys i am going to paint the top half of my caddy this weekend first with etching primer then with trim black because my local paint shop said it is basically a primer but just cheaper. So in that case i am going to pop out the front and back windows so I need some window weatherstriping if you know where i can get some at an affordable price for a 16 year old let me know. Also on your bags how did you do the rear end and on the 350 in yours, did you have to cut anything for room as another hamb member said i might witch i dont beleave i will have to

 

Sweet caddy. Its not a nova or camaro though. I know they're cheap, but go find something other then a 350/350, PLEEEEAAAAASSSSSEEEEE!!!! Caddys have class man, you need to respect that. Go to a junk yead and find a caddy 500, of buick or olds 455, they're cool motors, make more power, and came in classy cars, not your neighbors '76 pickup.
Good luck though. I remember bein that age and workin on my car, all of two years ago, and it wasnt a caddy, but hey, it was still fun as hell.

 

Yeah i know everybody if i kept the 331 it would be better but i would need to come up with the money for a kit and then pay somebody to put it in. You know what maybe i will put in the 350/350 combo in for a while then save up while it is runing and put the 331 back in with a 350 or a 700R-4 tranny with the kit they sell to mount them together. It would be better if i just put the caddy in the first place though. Before i do that i need to find a job to get some money because my lawn side jobs aren't doing that well because people bought there own lawn mowers, people moved and some just cant afford it any more do to things that have happened to them personally.

 

very nice for a first build... good luck kiddo!

 

Hey 54Caddy,
PM me with your address.. I have the entire shop manual on CD. I paid 50 bucks for it. if you want, I will burn a copy and mail it to you.
It is worth it's weight in gold.

 

Listen 54Caddy,

I know everyones telling you to put the Cad motor in it, but think about it like this, do you have another car? A daily driver? SBC's are usually pretty reliable, and easy to find parts for if anything goes, from a local autoparts store, and I'm not talking about Pepboys, Autozone, Advance or Autobarn.

I would love to see you put that Cad motor back in it, but listen, don't let people tell you what to do, (And i'm not saying that in any disrespect to what anyone else has said about the Cad motor.) Do what makes YOU happy, paint it what makes YOU happy, do what you want, and trust me, my car club, they've been trying to tell me to put a Small Block in my Kustom, but it's just not worth it to me. I waited, and scored a free running Flathead V8. On the other hand, I have a daily driver that I can fall back on if anything goes wrong on the Flathead. Think long term. Keep that Cad motor, and build it up on the side, when you have the funds. Get that thing running and drive thre friggin' wheels off of it!

See you on the streets (Hopefully soon 54Caddy)
-Rick