so i have a 1960 cadillac convertible. i thought the car was decent from pictures. after i received it, found out it had been into a fire.most of dash was burnt up and firewall vents. but the car kept its structure and integrity. the frame is really solid, rockers are solidand the convertible mechanims(mounting points) havnt been harmed. so , i have two directions to go with this car.i really want a 59 and already have a super clean 60. so i can take some 59 quater panels and graft them to this car. this will save me the measuring with coupe conversion and the mounting of windshield post. or; i can use this cars convertible stuff and put it on a much cleaner 59 body. ( i found 59 fleetwood, for possible use). but after looking around teh fleetwood, would be cool to keep as a fleetwood. 1)so i guess my question to the group is, or are, can you guys look at my cadillac pictures and tell me if after sandblasting this thing can bbe saved? 2) has anybody ever had expirience with fire cars and sandblasting to clean up?if so , can you post pics and links? 3) does anyone know of any decent sandblasting companies in the greater albuquerque area, including santa fe?
i really dont know why these pictures are so big, sorry guys, but i guess detail will be good! here is the area ii am most concerned with. the dash. in cadillacs, it is all bolted. if the brake pedal and dash mounting bolts havve all been melted into nothing. its clear for what direction i need to go. can this be saved more expeirieneced body-men? convertible area and back seat are very useable!!!
That one is fixable with a donor car for all the dash stuff. Honestly, the burn damage doesn't bother me as much as the mud busting off over the wheelwells and on the door bottoms, maybe bottoms of the front fenders too. I think once it's stripped, the major work won't be fire damage, it'll be poorly repaired rust during the first resto. I've done a burnt car and I've done a convertible swap/conversion on a hardtop and if I had this car, I'd rather do a build based on this body with parts swapped on, rather than a convertible top swap. It's going to be a big job either way, but it's very much buildable.
Yea, judging from the quarters and doors, the fire damage seems secondary. And I would be checking the rockers closely as typically they are not usually a whole lot better than the surrounding panels. From the pics and your description I agree with Squablow, get a donor car and build from what you have. Regarding sandblasters, there is a pretty good guy near the WalMart north of Rio Rancho right off of 528. If you can not find him I've got his info buried here somewhere and I'll dig it up.
If you think the pictures are too big, you ought to increace your monitor size 400% and look at the mud on the RFF wheel opening and the rockers. It lools like a total bondo job.
you guys are correct, i hit the doors with some long blocks and DAs and i thought a dust storm had started , i am curious to see what the panels will look like after sanding. and squablow, i was thinking along the same lines as you. the rockers wont need the reinforcing work, the frame is already solid and reniforced, and the body panels are not completley fried or bent. all the areas that the sand cant clean up, i will probably hide behind steel panels and interior work. as long as its solid, i dont need it to look a hundred percent, just not to fall apart. the area with the brake pedal is a growing concern right now, that cannot be soft metal!!! if it is , i will be stopping like fred flinstone! what percautions do i take to make sure it is ok, or do i just cut out there, and put fresh steel?
and thanks NMcarnut! i am getting qouted like 2k from abq blasting and i think there has to be a better way cheaper somewhere around town...
2k isnt a bad price for blasting that monster at all. Looks like it had a cad 472 or 500 motor in it from the looks of the motor mounts and the cut out in the frame for the oil filter.
yes, the th400 is still there, i am thinking the fire may have come from a faulty remote oil filter. i wonder why they cut the firewall and tranny tunnel, to clear the heads on the firewall or to make tranny fit. some guys i know are getting 400 for complete cars. so if i cant find a price i like , i will go to family dollars, get 3 pairs of old jean jackets and pants, and blast it myself!
speaking of such, has somebody ever done there own sandblasting? what can you say ab it and the results?
try R&R in the South Valley.Take Coors south to Pajarito and make a right(west) to Douglas and and hang a left.All the way to the end of the street right before its makes a hard left.Its on the right hand side.They have done car bodies before and they have a 58 hardtop on hand to show you tey can do it without warping.
As has been said, the fire damage to the panels doesn't look too bad. But after seeing how even low-pressure sand-blasting can warp panels, (in a couple of threads here) I doubt I'd ever go that route or suggest it to anybody else, except for the more durable (thicker) parts or where sandblasting is generally the only alternative. And most agree that doing any major sandblasting yourself is not worth the effort, time, and expense...have the guys set up for it do the job if need be. The hot ticket for home craftsmen seems to be a solution of molasses and water. 9 parts water to 1 part of molasses. Buy the molasses from a farm supply store, along with a big feeding-tub to mix the solution in for the bigger parts...hood, decklid, doors, front fenders, etc. It seems to be the least expensive, least caustic, and easiest method for the do-it-yourselfer...just not real quick...1-2 weeks of sitting in the solution. The major portion of the body-shell will be ok with sandblasting, but you still gotta be easy on the quarter-panels. The large flatter panels are most prone to warping. And don't think that "keeping heat generation down" with only light sandblasting will eliminate the possibility of warping. It's been determined that there is negligable or no heat build-up, and it's actually the peening and stress-relieving of the metal surface that's responsible for the warping. Watch this video for all the info and visual proof. You can't help but to see the benefits. This is the method I'll be using in the future. Good luck with the Cadillac, boomosby. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UMpC5qly78&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PL02EE805E51A5E7B1
so i called a few places around town, waiting to here back from R and R, and so far i the best i have is ab 1200. i was thinking how difficlut can it be, espcially since these panels will need work. so i placed a called to Frank Rentals and they have a 300 lb blaster they can rent for 200 per day. bags of sand are 10 dollars for 100 lbs. so i am thinking , pay 1200 and have on car done, or pay ab 400 and be sand blasting everything i can think possible and for my friends!!!? i decide to go the rental route and enjoyin 24 hours of blasting!!!! i figure that with ab 5 cases of beer a good lunch break and 2 or 3 guys, we can get a whole lot accomplished!
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