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69 Sedan de Ville official restoration thread

52K views 278 replies 28 participants last post by  CADforce69 
#1 · (Edited)
It´s time to open an “official restoration thread” for my ‘69 SDV, as someday it may help to someone who have similar car / similar problems. First I´m gathering up most pictures posted in different threads along the forum.

I bought the car from a man who seemed to be a compulsive collector of classic cars. He had a piece of land and a warehouse where he stored about 20 classics, Mercedes, Bentley, Cadillac, Lamborghini, Ford, Lincoln… In the past he had about 100 vehicles in this land, some inside and others outside the building. Now he needed some money and had to sell some of the cars. This one started easily, engine run very well, transmission worked apparently well (afterwords I discovered relevant trans fluid leakage) and brakes were apparently well, just some humming in transmission that did not worried me at first. The price was cheap and we made a deal. The car title was not very clear as he confessed but he bound himself to get everything solved so I was inscribed as the car´s owner and the car was ready to run legally. I advanced part of the money and the rest would be paid when I picked up the car. Doing the paperwork would take 1-2 months (Finally it turned to be 3 so I had to wait what it seemed to be an eternity for me).

Finally, on December 29 2010 I went to pick up the caddy, that was about 280 miles from home, with some paper still not ready but which I received some days later. The travel was a hell as I could check steering was very loose and front tires about 40 years old (and warped). The result was a horrendous trembling every time the car speed was over 25 mph and the road had any slight unevenness. Then I discovered that if I drove at more than 45 mph such effect did not take place. Later on, when I changed front tires the problem disappeared. I also changed tie rod ends, idler arm and drag link and since then, the car drove like heaven. Distributor timing was too advanced so when engine was hot at idle the car stalled when I turned the wheels to top right or left. Apart from that there was no incident (except for the red brakes light on but braking was good enough) and I managed to park it in my underground parking space not without some effort. It stick out near one meter, what aroused some complain.
A pic of the night travel:


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Some weeks later I took it to mi girl´s mum country house. It has no garage but I bought a good exterior car cover that is preserving it perfectly. Before that 55 mile travel I changed engine oil, oil filter, gas filter, air filter, sparks, spark wires, distributor cap and rotor. We tried to change points but with new points the car wouldn´t start. When I took the car to an experienced mechanic, he realized that there was not a good ground contact with new points installed. He solved the problem just with a file touch.
First pics of the engine: Dirt everywhere


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Distributor cap off and very worn tie rod ends:


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This plate is the original one. Registered in Madrid (Spain) on july 31 1969




I know: What are those lights doing in the rear bumper? Requirements to adapt the car to the european car light regulations. I´m planning taking that out, changing back up lights for turn lights (just an orange bulb and wire change) and looking for the original moldings (not very easy to find)



Rear view is spectacular. I love it! Original trunk lock emblem and "V" were broken. They were changed thanks to the help of Sven914



Rear fenders "Sedan de Ville" and trunk "Cadillac" badges were missing but later I got them back to its place.





There was a lot of work to do with chrome but I´m making it shine... These headlights were not OEM but an adaptation that former owner screwed on the headlight frame. New OEM type headlights would be installed later on. Left turn light would be also changed for another one in better condition the seller gave me with the car… Cracked but not broken.
 
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#240 ·
Some updates:

My work brought me today close to the body shop so I went there to see how the work is going. I was pleasantly surprised to see that both fenders were being primed and prepared to be sanded to receive a new primer coat before paint. Right fender was repaired with a steel patch as was the left one, inner fender was cleaned and primed too. Before, space between outer and inner wall was sealed so as to avoid receiving more debris and moisture in the future. Previously a rust neutralizing agent was applied to prevent any remaining rust particle could reproduce. Sorry for the quick shots I took but at least you will have an idea of the work done:









This is the rotten part they cut from the right fender: There was bondo everywhere, layers and layers. It seems the work had to be made again as rust had began to make its evil work before expected. At some parts the bondo layer was 1 centimeter thick:





They sanded the valley between left rear fender and body. Most of the problem was bubbles formed by too thick layers of paint applied falling from rear pillar and part behind trunk lid. Also some slight trace of rust. They painted both rear quarters above the moldings, trunk lid and part between lid and rear window from side to side. They found the paint code. It belonged to Mercedes: 375 Atollblau (Standard), that confirms our theory that they had applied some common modern code (that is really similar to the original '69 Athenean Blue):



In the above pic you can see the end of the spraying near the top of rear pillar but the matt shade will disappear when they polish the paint, that was applied yesterday.
They painted even the rear part of the rear door opening, fixing most of the paint decay you could see when you opened the doors. Driver´s door front opening corner was being sanded and the rust was disappearing. Fortunately it was superficial rust and there was no serious damage. They will paint it when fenders are done.



Luciano, the owner of the business had repaired the upper hinge of the door so now it closed almost perfectly. It didn´t hit down anymore but he was going to repair the lower hinge, as it was slightly loose too. As he told me, his intention was doing all in 3 weeks but they had some more work than expected with this car and with others so finally it will be finished probably after Easter... Anyway it seems to me they are faster than other professionals, specially dealing with this kind of cars. He even made new pics but he didn´t have time to send them to me... But this gives me the opportunity to bring you another update :thumbsup:

... And finally, Rex awaiting his new old fenders and front bumper:

 
#244 ·
Thank you guys, the paint looked really good, though it can not be perfect, as the base was not perfect and I did not ask them to sand all the rear end to delete all the mistakes made before (they painted all on their own initiative just to avoid cut effect), but it was not finished when I took the pic. They still had to polish the painted area so maybe the results are even better.

The pics of the fenders are made in backlighting so you can not see clearly the smooth finish they had. It seemed incredible that there is a patch behind. By the moment I´m really happy about the work they have done... And yeah, I hope Rex will keep alive for many, many years, even when I have passed by and someone is as lucky as to enjoy it :)
 
#245 ·
More updates:

Finally they painted all the door openings. The driver´s door hinges are repaired, so the door closes perfectly. The fenders are painted and installed. On these pics the spears were not yet mounted. It´s a great job. Just a problem: When they removed the masking tape, some of the paint on the front door edges went with it (Another problem caused by the bad previous paint job). By the moment, it will be solved applying a little of paint with a brush.

Front bumper was succesfully installed with its new upper parts so the car´s front is cleaner now. They covered two holes on the upper part of the bumper -maybe they installed fog lamps in the past- with two rounded bolts; they used square bolts before:annoyed:



















And now, the new image of the rear bumper:


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They had to work a lot to make room for the new indicator lights (1970 back up lights inserted on the bumper moldings), using a pneumatic saw so that the housing dimensions were adjusted to the light (Not bigger or smaller). Now they fit perfectly but they found a new problem: The holes the previous owner got made to install the truck taillights were higher than the moldings as you will be able to appreciate on the above pic... Now I have to leave; in the next post I will explain how they solved it and post the first pics of the car totally finished ;)
 
#246 ·
Looks great CadForce!:worship:

Have some fun and go back and look at you first posts in this thread. I feel stupid admitting it, but I actually got misty eyed looking at how far you have brought Rex along.
It was fun re-reading the tread and all the twists and turns the old boy has thrown at you. What an outstanding example of a great classic Cadillac.

All of the new work looks great, but without a doubt the hugest improvement has to be the rear bumper. Those old lights were a wart on your otherwise handsome gentleman!:thumbsup:
I am anxiously part 2!:bouncy:
 
#247 ·
Thank you for your kind words, Dave :) Looking back to my first posts -as you pointed out- it´s incredible also for me all I have done in the last 3,5 years to bring this car from his initial deplorable in many senses condition to a great classic car cond. I knew the list of to-dos was very long but I just ordered them by priority: First, what it would need to pass inspection and making it reliable, second what it needed to be presentable -above all, as refers to interior-, third, comfort and body & paint repairs. In the middle, fixes that the car asked for and little cosmetic & trim touches... And yes, the rear bumper was one of the greatest aesthetic pains, that I could not solve by myself but in the end my plan could be carried out as I had thought although it needed more work than planned.

I have to thank my friend, the body guy, who did all the work with all his love and attention, and even gave me a set of products to polish and wax the car, and just charged me less than half of the work they did. The shop employees also did their work with the same dedication.

These are detail pics of the rear bumper back to see how indicator lights and moldings were attached:



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They had to cut a steel sheet of 3.5 mm. (0.14 inches) to adapt the '70 back-up lights.

On the first pic a rivet was used to close a hole made to attach the old lights. On the other side it was not necessary as it was hidden by the molding. The old holes were not symmetrical and on one side it was larger on the upper edge whilst on the other was larger on the lower edge. Once the bumper is installed this gap was not visible on the lower side but it was on the upper side, so we thought the best way to solve this was adding a sheet of stainless steel, held tight by the upper side of the molding and the upper rear bumper so If you don´t know, it´s difficult you notice, as you can check on the pics.

Some pics of Rex prepared to leave the shop:









These are some pics of the first ride of Rex after his surgery, first a classic car meeting and then a lunch at an American food restaurant:







Now that all fenders and back are just painted is even more evident the hood needs a good paint job. Before I bought the car, it was painted without sanding properly the cracked underlying paint, so you can notice it if you watch it carefully. If we wanted to do it the right way, it should be sanded totally, reaching the bare metal, like they did with fenders and priming, sanding, priming... and painting when everything is perfectly levelled, but maybe this and other details will be faced later on. The point now is the car look has made a good progress, perfection is like horizon: No matter how long you walk. You´ll never reach it :p
 
#251 · (Edited)
In the last years some 69 cadillacs have been brought to Spain from USA, most of them convertibles. I don´t remember having seen another hardtop sedan here. Maybe some Coupe de Ville... But I only remember another '69 cadillac (A black series 75) that was exported brand new to Spain right in 1969, recognized by a license plate similar to Rex´s one (apart from the black one shown in the following post):



At least mine is the most beloved and cared :p

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Your Cadillac dwarfs the Seat its like Jupiter's is to Venus :D
People in Spain will think Juan Carlos is on board ;)
This is the same pic from another point of view that makes this even more evident :p Rex´s length seems almost double than the Seat.



In fact, two black 69 cadillacs are part of the Spanish Royal Household car collection, inherited from the time General Franco -a great cadillac fan- bought new cadillacs for his fleet every year for his escort. These are the survivors, a Calais and a convertible adapted for their escort function:





The plates beguin by ET (Ejército de Tierra; in Spanish means Army). No one compelled them to install new orange indicator lights in the back :rolleyes:
 
#253 · (Edited)
Absolutely gorgeous!:worship:

Be careful....if you fix Rex up too much more he will be looking for a more handsome driver!:duck:
Maybe... Last Sunday people turned their heads on the road, made shots with their phones and made thumbsup signs. He´s an innate seducer, but he will never find someone who care for him as much as me :p The mechanic who made most of the work (except for body) and saw the car even before I bought it said "This car is very lucky for having been bought by you" :lol:


Really cool photos of the General's cars.

......funny how that works for their marker lights:hmm:......indeed!
In Spain there is a saying that "There have always been classes" :D

BTW, the black Calais followed General Franco during his last journey in 1975, just behind a '66 Dodge Dart hearse (A car frequently used here from 1966 to 1971 for hearse transformation). You can see this TV capture, maybe leaving hospital:


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#257 ·
That´s the initial idea (I even made a photoshop image to check how it would look). Not as easy as I thought initially but finally it worked thanks to the body guys, that even fixed one of the wires, that was about to break. Now it looks even more handsome, just like a cadillac should look.

It´s funny but when I was back to the garage where I store it I realized the hazard and the stop lights did not work. It was the fuse that had blown. When I changed it, the hazard lights were lighting all the time -They did not blink- while the turn signals worked ok, so I think the hazard flasher blew and that caused the fuse blow too. I´ll have to order a new one, a cheap fix ;)
 
#259 ·
Thank you Tom :)

I have started to enjoy it. Last Sunday I took Rex to another meeting. He stood out among the other cars:






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BTW, the hazard / stop lights fuse blowed again twice, even though I did not use hazard lights, and for some time the blinkers and the reverse lights did not work... Then they worked again. I talked with the body guy and he told me to take him the car to check the connections and wires they changed.
 
#261 ·
Here in Spain, most classic cars are much smaller than Rex, even most American models seen here. That red Ford Fiesta by his right is a good example. Back in 1969 the biggest car sold regularly here was a Dodge Dart -and it was considered a huge and expensive car-.

The red Mazda behind Rex would have been blown away when my caddy started the engine if it had still been there :D

Many who pass by comment how much gas it must guzzle... They don´t suspect it´s a small price to pay for so much satisfaction :p
 
#264 ·
In the 70-80s here, the youth who had one of this was the king, specially if he had the sports version, XR2... Yeah, I guess I could tuck one of these in the trunk in case I run out of gas :lol:

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not to bash anyone's taste but i just don't see the appeal of any of those other cars. especially next to Rex!
Confidentially, I think the same :shhh: but I can´t tell it openly in these meetings. There is a great enthusiasm for these cars here, specially old Seat/Fiats or Renaults. There were plenty of these models in the street when I was a kid -My father had these kind of cars- but I dreamed with the cars I saw in the movies -like Rex- Why dream small when you can dream big? :cool2:
 
#269 ·
Hi there!

It´s more than 5 months since I last updated this thread. During this time I have enjoyed a lot of rides with Rex and we have done some weddings together :) Finally I bought new inner tie rod ends from USA Parts Supply as well as some Hood bumpers and fender to hood bumpers and a pair of flashers. I took the opportunity to get the upper and lower arm bushings changed, as well as the stabilizer bar link, as they seemed worn last time the mechanic took a look at the front end. It took a lot of work taking some of the bushings out. They were almost welded to the control arm, apparently due to the huge weight of the car and wearing over time. After that, a new visit to the alignment shop to bring everything back to its place.

As refers to the hazard/stop lights fuse that blowed frequently, I learned that when I interrupted the hazard circuit, taking out the flasher, the problem did not happen again. When the wheel was removed to see the wiring inside the steering column, we could see the wire plastic covers were stiff and cracked. Some of them were charred. As I used frequently the wheel tilt feature, some of these bad wires could make ground blowing the fuse. Now I leave the wheel in the upper position, as it seems the most comfortable one for the wiring -not for me :( -. I got a new turn signal switch with wiring included that should solve the problem.

This week Rex should pass his annual Safety Inspection. This year I´ll try to get the VIN engraved on a visible part of the body (The driver side cowl, for example), as in Europe Inspection should check this every year; VIN should have been engraved on a visible place when the car arrived at Spain and we have not been able to find where on earth it is on this car (Apart from the tag between windshield and dash, that isn´t worth for this purpose, as it could be easily changed). This should be done only by a inspection station following a complex procedure of checking every measure and feature of the car.

The next step (If there is no other unforeseen circumstance) would be changing wheatherstrips, as they are in a bad condition.

Some shots of the last wedding Rex did:












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In the last one I´m in a somewhat bowed position due to a back pain I had for the last week. Why is it that after that long ride in Rex I began to feel much better? :p
 
#270 ·
Awesome photos, thanks for sharing them . I am disappointed by Spanish regulations , your inspection should be every two years like Germany's TUV .
 
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