Hi all, i have a suspected head gasket fail. poor tick over, excess pressure in cooling system and oil in the water. is this an easy job to do as i am no mechanic and i have no manual yet. I was planning to just take off bits as i go until i reach the heads, and then re-fit in reverse order with new gaskets. does any one have a copy of the pages in the manual to cover this. I am in the UK.
Many thanks
Dave

A manual will help more than anything else, but as this is a general situation, the answer should be found in any motor manual. The most positive check would be to take the car to a mechanic and ask him to do a block check. He would place a tube with a bulb on the end over your radiator inlet and draw the gasses into the tube through a chemical, which will change color if combusted gasses are pressent.

I would suspect that a Caddi head gasket should be pretty easy. Ive never done one on a Caddi, but I have done a Saab. The Saab was easy except for the way everything was compressed/hidden, so it was a PITA getting tools in to reach certain bolts etc... I had some scraped knuckles, but still managed. I say the Caddi should be easier as there is more room to work. Good Luck.

Hey Dave!
Where in the UK are you? and what do you have with the 429 in it?
If you are in the Surrey area and need a competent mechanic to help look up Nick Smith of Dixie Automotive in Normandy near Guilford. Very helpful, very knowledgeable and a good bloke too.
regards, Nick, ex of Surbiton, Surrey.

Hi nick,
your name sounds very familiar, not sure where from though.
The car is a 1965 Cadillac Sedan Deville and I am in Lewes Sussex, at the moment the car is involved in a trading standards investigation, it was sold to me as a runner and its not, i am in two minds what to do. i dont fancy working out in the cold as i have no garage and im not sure what im doing so i might give it to Alders Automotive which are local and suffer the cost, What that will be i dont know. any ideas?
Cheers Dave.

Dave,

:welcome:
Hi - I went to school in Lewes! Amazingly small world and we have to meet on an American web forum! My name is probably familiar from the Cadillac Owner's Club of GB?

Do have a word with Nick Smith. He's on 07927 6620495. He's worked on 7 of my Caddys over the 9 or so years I've known him and although I spend a lot of my time in Ireland we speak regularly on the phone and I still drop by when I'm over every 6 months of so so he can service the cars. I bringa differnt one each time. How's that for going out of your way to get your car serviced!

In the 9 years I've known him he's always been a thoroughly decent honest reliable truthful chap. None better. He won't tell you something needs doing if it doesn't and will tell you if something will last longer than you might think. He's a Mopar specialist but makes his living running an American car garage servicing and repairing American cars exclusively, nothing else and 50's- 90's ones at that. Mainly 60's and 70's ones. Another good friend of mine takes his 73 Coupe deVille there and he's recently done an extensive resto on a 65 Coupe DeVille.

If your car isn't running it might be difficult for him to take a look since it would involve a good fe hours drive on which he's nto earning but it's not like you are in Manchester, Liverpool or Newcastle though so I'm sure something could be worked out. I've a good friend in American cars who live sin Burgess Hill also. I've not heard of Alders Automotive but looking at their website they seem US transmission experts which is a step in the right direction!

Your situation sounds a sorry tale but I can think of at least 2 ways Nick could help you. I'm happy to chat on the phone. Mobile is 07775 704205 and regular UK number is 0208 321 4358 which routes through to my house in Ireland so calling it won't cost me any roaming phone bills. I'm often up pretty late so feel free to call daytime or evening.

regards, Nick

Hi nick, good god small world, i was a member of the cadillac owners club when i had my 69 convertible, there is a photo on this site, back in about 2004. who is the guy in burgess hill, and what does he drive, i might know him, i am a member of the Boneshakers and most of the others are sort of local. I may give nick a ring when i know what is happening with trading standards. The work on the car has stopped at the moment.
Cheers Dave.

Hi Dave,
The guy in Burgess Hill is Alan Letts. He drives a '70 Plymouth GTX with a 440. Won most original Mopar year before last. I've a '67 Town & Country wagon with an original 440 TNT in it. We met up again through the Mopar UK club after 30 years. He was writing a series of articles on the resto of his GTX. We're old school best buddies from the ages of about 8 to 12 when we used to race wooden go-karts together. It is an amazingly small world!! :bonkers: I'm pretty sure he wouldn't be a member of the boneshakers but he's a American car fan all the same!
To be honest I don't think Nick would be interested in getting involved in your trading standards wrangle. He could give you an honest appraisal of the car though and could repair whatever needed doing to it for you though.
regards, Nick