I bought a 1961 Cadillac Eldorado GM factory custom off craigslist

They're not 8 lug wheels, they're just hubcaps, very complex and difficult to duplicate at that, I wish I had them.

 

You have just become the caretaker of something so rare (one!) and valuable ( six figures to the right guy), that I would not be the one to be responsible for it. It's an irreplaceable piece of history that I would not want to take out into the world of distracted soccer moms and texters. Sell it and buy ANY rod or kustom (or 5) that you ever dreamed of owning, and let some cork sniffer treat it like the princess that it is.

 

Nads - what about the grille?

I'm looking at the GM archive photos, and there's a different grill than what you've got now. Is that the standard '62 grill? I'm crossing my fingers that it's not an irreplaceable custom job . . . .

 

The grille in it now is the one that was in it at the 1962 Chicago show, it is similar to a 1962 Cadillac grille but it is a one off, the grille that was in it when it was the LeMans is more like a 1961 grille but it too appears to be unique, it doesn't have bullets.

 

Also, the car has been hit in the front, but I'm pretty sure it can be straightened fairly easily, it has to be taken apart and the pieces rebent but it's not broken or has pieces missing.

 

There is actually a Fuego owners club. Mostly members are in South America. Right now I am having hydraulics installed. Do you know where I can find some 23" wheels witha Renault lug pattern?

 

Just amazing!!

 

My daughter was here for thanksgiving and she's a pretty good photographer so she took some shots of the Caddy. Thought I'd share.

 

this is an amazing story and car... GM dream cars are my sweet spot... i read through a bunch of it and saw that you are trying to recreate some parts, coulnd see if you got em right or not tho??? if all else fails you might want to track down Russ Meeks in Portland Or... he can make about anything.. dont have his contact info handy but Im sure someone knows how to reach him.... bitchin car man, glad to see it being put back how it should be.

 

hey see what you can do to make up that" fv 2463" lic. plate somehow?

what evidence of the"LE MANS " name plate still exist under the deck lid?

 

Missed this earlier, all I can say is that I think it's great you got the car, versus some stuffed shirt commodities trader who would hide it away in his secret garage. Your cars show your love and attention to detail, she definitely has the right owner now.

 

wow. great photos!

 

Interesting...I hadn't really noticed how the leading edge of the hood on your car (a complete departure from the factory '61-'62) hinted of things to come on the '63. Also interesting is that the hood spear/trim looks like the twin of my '63 Oldsmobile...I could study this thing for hours. Love it!

 

What the H?!?!? Who goes out lookin' for a 4-door and comes home with this!!!???
This car is amazing! Very cool find! I can't believe I missed this thread! Congrats!
Sel




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Yeah Todd, the hood's easy to overlook, it's made of fiberglass, also the lower front bumper, both predict the 1963 models but the rear end is still stuck in 1961, the car is really an oddity.

 

The 8.20-15 US Royal bias ply narrow whitewalls are on, the car drives a million times better, those old snow tires were really flat spotted, they were from 2009, only three years old.

 

What a difference! The tires just woke it from it's slumber, and maybe even made the rest of it look better already.

 

Nads, I'm one of the thousands following this thread. You've done great things for this one of a kind piece of history. You haven't mentioned the hub caps for a while. Are they off the list or is that still a work in progress? Please keep posting details about this gem.

 

I was contemplating getting them made in an aluminum wheel, but I'd rather have real hubcaps but I don't who could make them, I haven't found anyone yet.

 

Here's a couple of pics of the neato back up lights, they come when the gear lever is in reverse whether the ignition is on or not.

 

I wonder how the originals were
made? Since they would have
been a 'one-time' deal, unique to
this particular car, it's not likely
that even GM would have gone to
the expense of die-stamping them.
I wonder if they were cast, perhaps,
from aluminum, using a clay or
plaster pattern and perhaps a "lost
wax" or similar casting process?
After casting, the wheel-covers could
have been machine-finished on a
lathe to fit - and then have had clips
added to the back-side to attach and
hold them to the wheels and then
were polished and/or chrome plated.
It'd still be a pretty big and time
consuming project - not to mention
hugely expensive if you were paying
normal shop rates - but maybe some
'benefactor' here on the HAMB with
experience in aluminum casting could
help you make some duplicates this way.

Mart3406
==================

 

Looks to me like ther was a closet Buick guy on the desing team for that rear end.

 

A friend of mine has exerimented with forming stainless steel sheet with explosives, he just needs a negative female die to incorporate into a pressure chamber. I'd bet someone here knows a guy that is good at it. My buddy just does tank shapes a simple stuff but I'm sure this would be cheaper than a full set of dies and the press to use them.

 

Great find!

 

I removed the front bumper to fix the split in it, I also found a rust hole in it, the brackets to hold side lights in place are rotted out but they'll be easy to replicate. The fiberglass lower bumper needs a lot of work, I have to strengthen the bonded in steel mounts and fix many cracks from being hit.
The grille will have to be removed and taken apart completely to straighten in, it's pretty complicated but I think it's repairable.

 

When I saw the disassambly pic on face book i'd tought you got hit at first

 

I hope I am not on the "late freight" with this but what about pulling a mold and making them from fiberglass? Maybe 'glassing them to a steel or aluminum/steel mounting ring?

 

Ok, I must have missed something. What is up with the hubcaps? I have read the entire thread (not today), but I have read it. I thought it had wires on it originally. Do you have a good picture of the original wheel covers?

 

No, it never had wires, it had one off hubcaps. It would look great with a set of Daytons or Buick Skylarks, but the Skylarks would be retroactive.

 

Looks like spun aluminum with a secondary stamping process to open up the rectangular holes or recesses that are painted black. That should be doable.