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Cherie's '84 Coupe DeVille Project

47K views 369 replies 37 participants last post by  talismandave 
#1 · (Edited)
Hi there! :) My name is Cherie. You may have noticed me around the forums this week. I signed up a year ago but haven't really gotten involved on this site until now. I've been working on an '84 Coupe DeVille project since early 2012. It was my first car, and for all intents and purposes it's pretty much like a child to me -- me and my Caddy are inseparable. I've dragged it from Arizona to Utah and now to California. I couldn't work on it while I was in AZ and UT because I was in college (for engineering if that explains my lack of spare time). Now that I'm out of college, I'm finally working on it! I am more proud of this project than you will ever know.

I recently replaced the timing components and water pump among a semi-long list of other things. I HAVE to have this car running by the end of July, after which is must depart my friend's driveway, and since I don't yet have a driveway of my own, I have to have it running and registered so that I can park it at my apartment complex (registration is another hurdle I'm going to face.. more details on that dilemma later). I need all the positive energy and ambition as possible TO. GET. THIS. DONE!! :D

In order to get it running, I have to finish putting the rest of the components back onto the front of the engine (pulleys, compressor, radiator, etc), and then I have to reconnect the distributor and spark plug wires (both new), re-time everything, put new gasoline, change the oil, change the transmission fluid, and probably a handful of other things I'm forgetting right now. Since I'm waiting for my parts to come in from McMaster (I'm devising my own harmonic balancer installer), I thought that today I can go over and wash my Caddy, clean up some of the rust (Scotts Valley, CA is humid!!) and possibly sand and prime the areas that the naval jelly can't really get.

I've been occasionally updating a project website: http://1984coupedeville.wordpress.com/

But soon the project website will be moved to my own domain and server by August 2013 (so don't pay attention to this site 'til then): http://nebulosity.cc/

I'll try to post more updates on this thread as my project progresses. :)

I hope to get to know you guys, and all of your projects and posts and replies seriously keep me moving forward with energy on my own project!

Wish me luck!!! Time to work a miracle!
 

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#4 · (Edited)
Glad to see another project thread. I believe you will be the "First Lady" of the RWD forum.
Wow, the first? I'm not entirely surprised, but I know these forums have been on the web for a long time. :)

So was the old timing chain broke?
Nope. My chain outlived the cam sprocket (teeth were badly stripped) and so my car did this lovely thing where it wouldn't start, but the camshaft would turn "INTERMITTENTLY," as the mechanics said. Everyone I asked about this said my camshaft was broken, or the mechanics who reported this to me didn't know what they were talking about. Turns out that hand-cranking the engine caused the chain to slip, making the camshaft movement look intermittent, and cranking the engine with the key moved the camshaft just fine (the chain somehow stuck with the momentum imparted by the starter), but because the timing was all screwed up, it wouldn't start. It was a problem that baffled me for six months before I sucked it up and tore the front of the engine off to see what the hell was going on. In the end, you can see it for yourself in this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJElwzFkCW0

Terrible, huh! That was a really sad and dinky cam sprocket. :(
 
#3 ·
THAT is finest kind. A real gearhead that speaks fluent English and who can swing a wrench. (and pardon my old fart stereotypicality - is easy to look at)

Cherie, hang out in here, the Lounge and in the Engines threads. (The sticky posts at the top of each forum threads page can have some good info hidden there.)

Rust - find a spray rattle can of Rustoleum rust converter - sprays on just like semi-gloss black paint but it KILLS rust.
 
#6 ·
A real gearhead that speaks fluent English . . .
That's what 10 years of undergraduate and graduate school will do to you, lol. I suffered through grading too many papers written by junior year engineering students who couldn't even spell properly.

Cherie, hang out in here, the Lounge and in the Engines threads. (The sticky posts at the top of each forum threads page can have some good info hidden there.)
Trust me, this will be my constant, online home for the next few weeks and probably the next few months as well. There are so many posts here on the forums that every day I spend digging through threads, I learn new things. I'll keep looking too. :)

Rust - find a spray rattle can of Rustoleum rust converter - sprays on just like semi-gloss black paint but it KILLS rust.
I didn't know if that stuff worked well; I'll definitely try it!! Thanks for the recommendation. Naval jelly has been my best friend until now. lol
 
#7 ·
Don't you love being able to stand in the engine bay?
YES YES YES YES times a million. Especially considering even finding a place for your hand in this engine compartment fully loaded with parts is hard to manage. I could fit three of me in here!

People get a kick out of it when I pop the hood and:
A) a small block chevy looks tiny
B) I demonstrate I can stand inside there..
Haha, yup! Sometimes when I'm working inside there, I'm sitting down, and no one ever sees me in there, so when my friend walks by and I pop up, occasionally he still laughs because it's unusual for people to disappear inside engine compartments. It's not the first time I've fit myself inside an engine compartment though.. I managed to get cozy inside my friends Cherokee WITH the engine block and most of its parts still in there. See? (photo attached).

Vehicle Car Automobile repair shop Bumper Technology
 
#9 ·
Yep, it's got pinstripes on the hood and the sides of the body. Is it not common?

And yeah, no one else thought that it was the cam sprocket that had stripped. It was an issue that really baffled me for a long time. I hope anyone else in the future who is seeing the strange crank-no-start behavior I saw will find my post to know that it could be a stripped cam sprocket. I sure didn't find a single thing online when I spent weeks searching and asking several mechanic friends. :/ I post about everything on my project website in hopes of saving someone the confusion and time I've spent.
 
#11 ·
Interesting. The car has been in my family since 1994, and the paint and exterior haven't been changed since then (except for a few spots I primed to prevent further rust, lol), so if it was added, it was added by the older couple who were the first owners in the '80's and early 90's. Now that I know it's not common, I'll definitely keep an eye out for similar Caddies to see what other people have. Thanks for pointing that out. :) When I restore the paint, I plan to add the same exact pin-striping that has been on it for as long as I've known the car. I'm really quite fond of it. :)
 
#12 ·
You've come to the right place. I've dabbled in many automotive ventures over the years and have joined lots of related websites as a result. I firmly believe that the people in this forum - particularly this RWD section - are the best you will find anywhere. If you can't get help here, you can't get it anywhere.

Good luck with your project. You need to get that thing out of your friend's driveway and enjoy driving it - and let others enjoy seeing a classic on the road.
 
#13 ·
Also, once you get a factory service manual, you'll burn that haynes manual in the next bonfire. I know that thing has got to be making you mad with the lack of info. You'll be reading the service manual by the bed and on the toilet, its pretty damn cool. Every single bolt of your specific model is covered in the service manual. You will not get the car to where you want it without it.
 
#14 ·
HA! Should I be embarrassed then that I was reading such a terrible manual in bed and on the toilet? LOL Yes, it was crappy, but at least it was something. I've had to combine various resources to make up for not having a factory service manual. It looks like I can get one off Rock Auto. Is that the REAL factory service manual?

I have the emisisons chapter and the V8 engine chapter of the haynes manual practically memorized. LOL I need new reading material! Where did you get your service manual?
 
#15 ·
#17 ·
Actually, I really LOVE that hard copy one in the first link!! For $25, I went ahead and ordered it, so even if it's not right for some reason, not much lost. I've seen the one in the second link around, and somehow I just wasn't sure about it, so I never ordered it until now. If anyone has ordered that particular copy and loves it (and it's different than the hardcover copy I bought), please let me know. I have multiple oinline subscriptions and books, so I'll get a copy of every different item I can get my hands on.

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I *just* ordered one five minutes ago. I'm gonna read this thing cover-to-cover like normal people read fiction!!! I'm SO EXCITED!! :D Thanks for the warm welcome. :)
 
#18 ·
The "hardcover" version was an attempt to have a updateable version of the shop manual, so as new service info became available, the techs could remove the old pages and replace them with updated pages, thus saving the cost of printing up a whole new manual just to change three pages. Silly pre-computer days! :lol:
 
#19 ·
I had one like that for my GN. I had to buy 3 gigantic 3-ring binders for it and the pages were stupid thin so they wore out in a hurry. Of the 3 million or so pages, only about 50 actually applied to the Turbo Regal. But it was fun thumbing through it. Someone took the time to put it all in PDF format back in the late 90s with a searchable index and table of contents. S/he must be a saint.
 
#20 ·
So today we reinstalled the steering pump pulley and the harmonic balancer (98% of the way). Without a crankshaft bolt and without any kit having the right adapter, we had to make our own installer tool from threaded rod, heavy nuts, washers, and the bearing from the harmonic balancer installer kit we bought that DIDN'T work (at least we got some kind of use out of it??).

Anyways, to get the last 6mm of the harmonic balancer pressed in, we're going to need a washer with a big center hole to allow the crankshaft to pass through as we snug it into place.

Motor vehicle Windshield Auto part Vehicle door Automotive exterior


Auto part Wheel Machine tool Gear Tool accessory


Auto part Machine tool Machine Wheel Tool
 
#26 ·
LOL. Thanks, I'll keep that in mind.

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Behave yourselves, gentlemen. :tisk:
Thank you, Craig. :D Somebody's gotta help me keep these guys under control.......

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Well...that didn't take long. :nono:


Great new member, who is doing wonderful work, and posting terrific project info and videos.
I would be lying to say I didn't notice how attractive she is, but can't we focus on the wonderful work and forum community involvement?
She is giving most of the guys around here a "run for their money" on the wrenches! :eek:snap:

Rock on Cherie!:thumbsup:
Thanks, Dave. :D I love my Caddy, so I'm working hard!!! :)
 
#28 ·
Hey guys! Just wanted to give you a quick update to keep this thread alive. :D

1. Finished putting on the crankshaft pulley assembly,
2. Put a new thermostat in and bolted the top of the thermostat housing on with gasket and RTV ( Haynes manual said "gasket sealer" and so my best guess was RTV because it's the same kind of mating surface as the water pump.)
3. Reinstalled the AC pump (had to adjust my fabricated EGR tube because it was slightly in the way)
4. Installed new belts (except for one, which I'll have to order, so I just put the old one on).

Today I'm going to:

1. Tension all the belts and
2. Start putting the radiator on.

The project is moving forward!

I ordered the shop manual, and it's out for delivery, so it'll be here today! Wee! It turns out that the seller accidentally initially sent me a shop manual for an '85 Fleetwood DeVille FWD/'84 Cimarron, but he realized it quickly and also sent out the right shop manual. The '85 manual came yesterday in the mail, and I spent some time reading through it last night, and OMG I AM IN LOVE. I cannot WAIT to see the shop manual for my Caddy!!! I can't believe that there is THIS MUCH INFO for repairs on my Caddy all in one place! I'm so excited.

Engine Auto part Motor vehicle Vehicle Fuel line


I won't spam you guys with a million images, so the rest are here:
http://1984coupedeville.wordpress.com/2013/07/16/putting-the-front-of-the-engine-back-on/
 
#32 ·
It's looking suspiciously engine-like! :thumbsup:
That is exactly how I'm feeling. ;)

I'm taking a break from the Caddy today because I'm deliriously tired and the Caddy is 20+ miles away on a winding road, and I'm worried that I'll be too tired to drive safely home. It's not so bad since I ....

JUST GOT MY SHOP MANUAL, Wee!!!!!

OMG I don't know what to read first!!!!! ^___^ :cloud9:

Text Paper Paper product Book Newsprint
 
#33 ·
They are the best. I bought both computer and hard copy of both service and body manuals, even several other year's models.

I picked up the Chilton and Hayes books too, but just for the alternate drawings/photos. They are way to general to be anything but supplementary. (Although as great as you have done with one I may have to rethink my position on that!):hmm:

I will let you go get your favorite beverage and settle in for some quality time reading...:cloud9:
 
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