Projects The Best 1955 Cadillac build

Awsome car man!

 

Awesome build. Love the grille. Can't wait to see this done.Keep it up.

 

Thanx guys, I appreciate all the comments...

Since you all kicked this one back to the top , I'll do a mini update...we'll call this update:

I HAD to seek professional help...!!!

Lots of things have been happening to the Caddy since it made its last trip in mid-September...the most important thing was to get the hood hinge assembly taken care of...the passenger's side arms were bent so bad that the hood would not lay flat against the cowl...so, much to my chagrin, I had to seek professional help. I happen to know a very proficient rod builder, have known him for over 25 years...when I have a problem, of any kind, he's the first guy I go to. Quenton Sonnenfeld (Sonnenfeld Enterprises) can figure anything out...and I mean that...at one time he was on the cutting edge of building hydrogen powered city buses...needless to say, any small thing I have is child's play to him. Anyway, I took my Caddy up to him, he studied the hinge assembly as I opened and closed it about 20 times...then asked if I'd remove it from the car...



The affected hinge assembly in the ugly yellow color...

I said no, I'd bought 3 assemblies hoping to find one good one (which was not to be), cuz each of them had one side bent, which apparently is the weak spot in a Caddy hood, so I'll bring you two of them.

Right at the first of October, Quent called and said he'd disassembled the hinges, machined several shoulder bolts, straightened one of the arms and put it all back together...adding, "It should work like it's supposed to." When I went to pick it up, it certainly looked better than the one I already had on the car...

It took four hours to remove the springs and the old yellow assembly simply becuz I didn't want to remove the fenders to access the bolt that was on the bottom of the hinge...but we got it...and it took all of 15 minutes to slide the new one into place and bolt it down. The rebuilt assembly looked like it laid flat and even with the cowl...but the final test was putting the hood back on and getting it bolted on, which, at one point when I was building the car, a real pain in the ass simply becuz the mounting portion of the hood was hard to get at. Well, my bro went and purchased some new cage nuts for me, we put them in place and slid the hood on and it lined up perfectly with the new cage nuts...the new bolts slid in like they were supposed to and it went together so smooth I thot something was wrong...

I gently lowered the hood and it closed and latched like it was new...I checked the rear of the hood at the cowl...and voila, we didn't even need to adjust it. It fit perfectly. I'm still amazed at Quent's skills...to be able to figure out what was bent, disassemble it, straighten it and put it all back together without the car even being at his shop...I'm flabbergasted. Maybe that's why he's a pro and I'm not.


Note how the hood fits the cowl now...like it's supposed to.

With that major item out of the way, I moved on to building some pieces to finish off the grille. I dug out the topmost pieces of the original grille and trial fit them.



I had to trim 8" off the ends of it where it used to fit the grille opening, and I had to build a bracket to mount each end to the fender with one bolt. I then drilled and tapped the topmost two bars of the grille and put in two chromed bolts to hold it to the grille...it finishes off the grille, don'tcha think...???


These pieces will be painted body color as will the rest of the under hood area.

Next I will build a brace to go on the under side of the huge expanse of sheet metal called the hood about halfway to the center to keep it from bouncing as I drive...I didn't like it moving around as I drove to various rod runs this summer...so I'll make it more solid...that small thing will be the last thing I do before I pull the front clip to pull the engine.

Speaking of engines, my friend Mad-Cad (Big Tim Boyle) here on the HAMB (and a fellow Cadillac nut) has turned me on to his engine builder...Sean Cleary of Sean's Engine Service (and a Cadillac engine guru) is currently assembling an engine for me, and we'll simply swap engines when he gets his part done...should be about mid-November when it's ready to go...Just for the record, Sean built Mad-Cad's record holding Bonneville Cadillac engines for him...Mad-Cad got three new records at Bonneville this past August with his blown 500" Caddy engine in his Model A sedan...my new engine should run fine, fine, and fine...!!!

So, that's about it for this update...more to come, I'm sure...!!! Thanx for looking...

 

Wowzers Roger. Your Caddy keeps on getting better. I suck , all I have done lately is have the heater blower assemblies blasted and powder coated. I had 4 sets done so I can pick the best two. The shop next to me is a powder coat shop and has the ability to do complete frames. Man I got to get WAY busy. Looking into getting rocker/ front lower quarter panels bent up. Keep on motor-vating me do keep up with you

 

Looking like a real Caddy now.

 

Looking good!

 

Continue to follow your build with much interest. Love the grill.Kinda modern or billet but works perfectly.

Your taste is right on!

 

hey Von Burke...mr. man U are the master! and i dig Ur dodge lancer collection. only us old farts know what i'am saying. well this rebuild ,should be your retirement fund! HA! i can only guess at his bill, HOLLY CRAPERS. please ask him if he has a bad hart.U have more stick rodds on that cady. than a porkey pine! HA. just kidding my friend. i realy enjoyed Ur pics. call me POP...or the old FART!

 

Pops, if you are referring to my hub cap collection, those are Olds Fiestas hanging on the wall...not Lancers...

As for this thread, to avoid further confusion, VonBurke started this because he liked the way I (40StudeDude) was building the Cad...but I am the builder...NOT VonBurke (he has his own Caddy he's working on) and he's about due to add to his own thread...right VB...???

As for a bad heart...NO, I'm still a very healthy individual and plan to build the 1948 Cadillac Sedanet I have next, I put it away to build the '55...I'll start on that one in a year or two.

As for the "stick rodds," I'm not following that one...please explain, unless you're referring to welding sticks...if that's the case, then no, I use a MIG...

At any rate, Pops, thanx for the compliment...glad you enjoyed the whole thread/build...stay tuned, there's more to come.

R-

 

sadly no, i have the write up, and the pictures... but due to my up coming wedding and consequentially paying for the wedding, the Caddy must be sold. I cant afford the project now, nor do i have the space to store it for a later date. so yes the 62 is for sale for $1200 to any hamber to help fund my ball and chain. OR i can accept donations?!?! just a thought

 

Go ahead and post the write up pics on your thread VB...I'd like to see what you've done...

Congrats on the upcoming wedding...wait, according to "tradition," isn't the bride's Father supposed to pay for the wedding...or are you collecting money for the extended honeymoon...???

R-

 

Coming right along, good job.

 

I HAD to seek professional help...!!!


















Sean built Mad-Cad's record holding Bonneville Cadillac engines for him...Mad-Cad got three new records at Bonneville this past August with his blown 500" Caddy engine in his Model A sedan...my new engine should run fine, fine, and fine...!!!

Kool. Hey Rojer can I go along for your record attempt in your caddy?
Oh and good luck in getting out to your garage. I got 14 inches of snow in front of my house...John

 

If you can get here John...BTW, that record will be broken soon...I have the previous depth marked on my garage door...and I need only three inches to surpass the deepest storm and set the new record...

Merry Christmas...ehr...uhm...Happy Halloween...!!!

R-

 

Coming right along - very cool.

 

very nice build!!
thanks for sharing

 

very cool inspirational to all of us

 

Needs a straight axle under it.

 

Wow! I need more!

 

UPDATE...

Well, it looks like it's close to two months since I posted anything on this thread as far as an update...so...

The new engine rolled in today, Saturday, Dec 12. It's been done for about two weeks now, but it's been so cold (17 below last week) and snowy here (six to eight inches still on the ground), I couldn't keep the rear drive shoveled...



Sean Cleary, Cadillac engine builder extraordinaire, put this one together for me...good friend Tom Boyle, aka Mad Cad here on the HAMB, turned me on to him. He's been building Caddy engines for Tim for a couple of years now...and Sean built Tim's Bonneville record-setting Caddy engine in his Model A sedan. Tim grabbed three new records at B-ville this past August. I think the engine is going to be a good hiway screamer...

So, while waiting for the engine to get built, I pulled apart the front end...the hood was to the first to come off after we fitted the new hinges. It's down at the body shop right now getting its final finish before paint. I pulled the driver's side fender off first...



and then proceeded to pull the passenger's side....both fenders are being sandblasted as we speak...I'm going to do some body work on the inner fenders so those will be smooo-ooooth like the rest of the car...once those get back home that is.



As you can see, I've got to pull the engine yet in order to remove that chicken-fat yellow from the firewall...on most kustoms, you seldom see the hood or doors open...reason being it breaks up the lines of the car...but in my case, I didn't want to show off the combination of yellow, blue engine and purple...so I almost never opened the hood while at car events this past summer.

As you can see, I've still got to pull the rad assembly, grille and bumper yet...but that'll come soon enuff...remember what I said many updates ago: everything I put on the car had to be made removable. Well, this is an example of why it has to be made removable...and it needs to be able to be put back in place like it was...I hate modifying things AFTER it's painted.

I still have a way to go before this Caddy comes out for the spring...but the new engine will be ready for summer...I just don't know at this point if the bodywork and new paint will be done and I'll get the car put back together ...I'm hoping it will and working like crazy to make it so...stay tuned.

R-

 

Damn Roger your Caddy just keeps looking better every time I see it. I'm hoping to work on mine during Christmas shut down at a buds garage. I talked with a shop across from work to bend up some inner and outer rockers and lower front quarters. Have a great holiday

 

Looks Great!

 

It's about damn time you gave us an update, Roger!!

Lookin good with that new mill, you must be psyched!

 

Chicken fat yellow! Now that is some funny shit right there!!! Glad to get a update.

 

I love this car!

 

DAMN That engine is pretty!!! I was wondering if you had gotten it yet...John

chicken fat yellow, now I'm not hungry. Thanks

 

you got to love the build and thought that went into this car

i like those side grilles very cool

 

Looking great. You are making awesome progress on it. Glad to see your new engine, it looks good. The Salina trip should be a little easier with the new engine.

 

Keep going it is looking just like I wanted it to!

Beautiful.

 

Appreciate the comments...

Figured I'd better kick this back to the top...with 100,000 members of the HAMB, I see by the recent 'view' count, since I posted the update yesterday (29,526 views), to today (30,701) over 1000 members have viewed it...so that leaves only 98,000 plus members that haven't seen this update...

R-