Here are some pictures of my 54 Caddy project

I got this cadillac because my grandpa was going to send it to the salvage yard for his 80 bucks I told him to give it to me, so thats whay he did. Im getting ready to spray the top half. Im 16 and this is my first build very fun but very expensive. I plan to paint it a daytona flat blue plural from hot rod flatz. Im going to put a 350/350 combo in it all white pleated vinyal. Let me know what you guys think about my cadillac it a 1954 Cadillac 62 series 4 door.

 

no thats how they are going to stay the 3 othere then the driver are just there for extra support the drievers one is covering up a big rust hole that was there

 

Make sure when you weld in those floors, you do it inside the car with the doors shut and the windows closed. It'll probably get hot in there, so remember to breathe deep

 

Helluva project for a 16 year old...but glad you saved it from the junkyard...my bro has a '54 done in flat turquoise with lime green flames...and I'm in the midst of a '55 Coop DeVille...

Keep at it and don't get discouraged, you'll git 'er done.

And since you're only 16, I'll forgive the "stellie" rims in your tag line...and suggest you look up in the dictionary the correct spelling of "steel"...

R-

 

oh shit oops. You have any pictures of your and your bros caddys would like to see them

 

I like the body, it seems really straight. Nice car, LOTS of WORK! but hey hit it a little at a time and don't rush it or you will do it twice. Mack G.

 

yeah it is very straight only about 5 little dents, yeah its a nice car and before i started working on it i thought o this will be easy after seeing shows on t.v. but those shows dont show all the hard parts and it takes a lot of time im hopping to have it running by next year so i can drive it skool a couple of times my senior year

 

Cool project man. Only work on it when your in the mood, It'll get done soon enough!

 

what's the deal with the 331? run? locked up? either way, if you're pulling it out and using a different motor you can probably sell it and get a nice chunk of change to put towards the car.

Here's a piece of advice. Go around and look for people throwing out refrigerators, then take the doors. It's a good piece of flat steel that is ideal for patching floors...and it's free...and won't kill you if you try to weld it....

 

The 331 is rusted in the inside the water was geting in through the head when it ran. I plan to take it apart to get that unrusted and either way i might sell it without the valve covers because i plan to rig them on the 350. U never thought that about the doors .

 

Now, '54 Caddy...you need to look up the word "cherry" in the dictionary...

Yeah, I've got pix...I'll post one or two later...

R-

 

Nice car. Keep us updated.

 

Cool..
I am working on my 1949 project myself.

As others have stated, slow and steady is the key.
I soaked the pistons for three week with a combonation of PB blaster and Marvles Mystery oil before I was able to spin it by hand.
I just rebuilt the water pump this weekend and, if I get my starter back this week, I hope to actually have it running on September 16th.

 

thats perrty nice

 

OK "kid"...and I use that term fondly...cuz I'm about 4 times older than you...here's a pic of my bro's '54 Caddy...



and here's one of my '55 project...





It's a bit farther along than this pic shows...It's about to get wired, a driveshaft needs to be built and then the exhaust should go in...that's a 500" Caddy you're looking at there...I think I can take it on a maiden voyage around the blok in a month or two...it's been two years and three months...it was a body-off rebuild.

R-

 

Damn that 54 is crazzzzzzzzzzzyyyyyyyyyyy i have been looking for the person who owns that to just find out because i see it everywhere on the internet. How long did it take him? Does he know where to get the rubber stuff cheaper or where do you guys go to get your parts let me know

 

good looking ride man, i am near you in hanford. keep at it, the first drive is the greatest!

 

thanks man any more 50s caddys on here

 

there is lots of part up here in the bay area for caddy's....a&a in brentwood, ca is a caddy yard!!

 

OK kid...here's the scoop on that '54 (well...some of it anyway). We found it in a field north of Denver...home to about 23 field mice...it ran when we hooked up a battery and a can of gas on the fender...so we bought it...(actually my bro put up the money), but I talked him into it by telling him it'd make a nice sled...and I was correct...!!! Right..??? Right.

So, the engine is the original '54 331"...purrs like a kitten and has about 738,323 miles on it (no, I'm kiddin' ya cuz we ain't got a clue how many is on it...)...the owner told us it was close to 150,000 and we believed him. Anyway, we drug it home and it took about a year to get it looking like this...we hustled on the body, had a bit of minor rust, but nothing serious...and we did a bunch of kustom stuff to it...some of it is quite subtle...see if you can spot any of it...

We let the mice live in there until we were ready to do the interior...they lived in the headliner...finally kicked them out and tore out the headliner (full of mice nests...and smelled bad) and the whole interior...then we cleaned, sanded, epoxied, and blew two gallons of Lizardskin all over the interior...killed the smell and deadens sound and heat.

The glass is still the original...but that's gonna change soon, we're putting in a darker tint.

The interior was a one week wonder...yeah, it's a wonder it got done...!!! We'd taken the seats over to the upholsterer several weeks before...and told him he (we) had exactly five days to get it done when we were done spraying the flat...he did...but we had to help put it back together...three of us inside the car and on top of each other putting in carpet, door panels, headliner, kick panels, seat belts, handles, window cranks, arm rests, package tray, and anything else associated with an interior...it got done the morn we left for the Lone Star Roundup.

Now then, here's a suggestion...KEEP the old 331" engine...just rebuild it...there's plenty of places that can do that for you...that old engine is bulletproof...and you can get an adaptor to mate up a later model tranny to it...please don't do the 350/350...!!! If you do, keep the hood closed.

We use places like McVey's Cadillac, Merriam, KS, 1 913-7220-0707 for new stuff...and USA Parts, out of Kearneysville, WV, 1- 800-872-2013 for pieces we can't find anymore...or decide we need new. Lynn Steel has rubber parts...they are the best...we also have a junkyard close by that has a few old Caddys that we steal parts from.

But remember, if it's got Cadillac in the name...there is just no way to cut corners...you're gonna have to pay.

That's about it...hope you enjoyed it.

R-

 

yeha that true about cadillac in the name. But the enging i beleave needs a full rebuild because when my uncle got it before he passed the water was mixing with the oil and i seen that when i drained it, it looked like damn grease. The engine is too expensive for me to get rubuilt just that kit alone is 1,400 and i dont have that kind of money(shit i'm only 16 n not no damn drug dealer just mow lawns) But the mounts for the 350 will go in the original mounts for the 331 and maybe one day i can get it all rebuilt and put it back in because that is whay i really want and it would add so much value because it's stock. Any kits you know for cheaper 40StudeDude and also does your brother have the original A/C in the headliner or what did he do????

 

I wasn't suggesting you were a "drug dealer"...a regular job, even part time after school, even McDonald's flipping burgers, can earn you more than what you are earning now...save it...!!!

What you'll learn, if you don't already know...is that Caddy made not only Coupe DeVilles, but Series 62 Caddys...and not all Caddys had A/C...my bro's is a Series 62 hardtop...zero options -no power windows, no A/C, no signal-seeking radio, no power antenna...basically it was a "cheap" Caddy...if there ever was such a thing...!!

I'd be willing to bet that you can find a rebuilt 331" for the same price you'll pay for the 350/350...and you are going to have to buy both of those, are you not...??? I can safely assume you'll have to put out your hard-earned to purchase same...???

Since you've got that Cad torn all apart...you do not need, immediately, an engine, or tranny...save your pennies, save your new paychek...watch around, one will come up when you are least expecting it. Do the top, do the floors, do the body, pull the engine and tranny, clean the frame, shoot some paint on it...all the while listening, watching the HAMB classifieds...one will show up...and when that happens...you'll have your money saved and ready.

I know of no "cheap" kits to put a Chevy in a Caddy...

R-

 

Nice ride kid!
It may seem like it will never get done but just keep peckin away at it and pretty soon you'll have it rollin again.
Not to sound like an old fart but in about 20 yrs you'll be glad you put the effort into it. It'll remind you of your gramps and have a lot of years of memeories in it.
Keep it up and good luck.

 

Mine...

 

I'm an English Teacher and you're killing me! Where's my red pen?

Seriously, though... Cool project. You have a lot of ambition. Listen to the advice here, READ everything you can get your hands on (don't just look at the pictures) and keep it simple. I speak from experience. I thought a frame-off was the only way to go when I was fifteen. I tore my '55 Chevy down to the bare frame and guess what? Twenty years later, it's a basket case in my garage (at least I didn't sell it!)

Start from the bottom up. Get the mechanicals in order first. Get your suspension sorted out. Figure out the drivetrain you want to run. The pretty stuff can come later. Working in stages will help you see your progress and give you that satisfaction of a "job completed".

Take it slow and realize that this most likely won't be the last time you "finish" the car. If you love it, it will have several more lives and as your skills progress, it'll get closer to the ideal you have in your imagination.

Good luck. Keep us updated.

 

I'm NOT an English teacher...and most of the guys on here kill me with their atrocious spelling: "know" for now..."where" for were, "your" for you are (or you're)...WHO teaches the kids this crap nowadays...???

I'm an author...I HAVE to know how to spell...it pains me deeply to see any wrong spelling (or grammar, or no punctuation)...that's why I asked 54Caddy to change the word Stellies to steelies...can't get him to change cherry tho..

R-

 

Hey you guys my spelling has never been good i always piss off my english teachers cuz i cant spell or puncuate worth shit but thats why i am a rodder and dont want to be a teacher. But 40Studedude my cadillac is a 62 Series and it originally had all the A/C and heater still have all the setup plasic tubes and all, I beleave it was an option???

 

-cuz
-puncuate
-plasic
-beleave

Come on pal, it's time for an English lesson. It may seem dumb now, but it will benefit you later in life to be well versed.

Now that I am done being a spelling nazi, cool car. Take your time and do it right.