cadiwumpas
New Member
Outstanding!
'79 CDV: 425 out 500 in!
- Thread starter Doc Zinger
- Start date
Andy V
Active Member
wow looks great. Now that it's done you want to sell it? LOL
MOCRUZN
Active Member
.
Lpve that color . Your determination has paid handsome dividends, well done . An inch and a half drop will really set the car apart from other CDV's near it.
Miles
Lpve that color . Your determination has paid handsome dividends, well done . An inch and a half drop will really set the car apart from other CDV's near it.
Miles
Doc Zinger
Member
Thanks for all the comments. Have a few small odds and ends to tie up and it should be ready for a few shows next summer.
Ron... crossmember from '72 Impala - not sure year ranges and GM interchanges match up.
Have been thinking on lowering front, sounds like atleast a coil will have to go, if one cuts less than a coil or more than a coil should you cut 1/2 the total from each end to keep everything lined up for the spring pockets?
Right now the only way I would sell would be a good offer and a desire to build another '78/79 CDV using what I learned from this build to do it better and a little cheaper. I've got $ 20,000+ in this car, it would have been less whatnot for some of the mistakes made, wrong paths taken, changes made, parts bought and not used, things I wanted to do to get it out of my system ie- porting heads, painting car, figure all these things cost $ 4000 + -.
I would go with the aluminum heads from the start and maybe more cam, but everything else about the same, just be able to do it quicker and waste less money screwing around from lack of doing it for the 1st time.
If anyone really wants a great car to do the same with I have another '79 CDV ,it could be sold outright or built to suit.
Bruce,
Ron... crossmember from '72 Impala - not sure year ranges and GM interchanges match up.
Have been thinking on lowering front, sounds like atleast a coil will have to go, if one cuts less than a coil or more than a coil should you cut 1/2 the total from each end to keep everything lined up for the spring pockets?
Right now the only way I would sell would be a good offer and a desire to build another '78/79 CDV using what I learned from this build to do it better and a little cheaper. I've got $ 20,000+ in this car, it would have been less whatnot for some of the mistakes made, wrong paths taken, changes made, parts bought and not used, things I wanted to do to get it out of my system ie- porting heads, painting car, figure all these things cost $ 4000 + -.
I would go with the aluminum heads from the start and maybe more cam, but everything else about the same, just be able to do it quicker and waste less money screwing around from lack of doing it for the 1st time.
If anyone really wants a great car to do the same with I have another '79 CDV ,it could be sold outright or built to suit.
Bruce,
Doc Zinger
Member
pila78
Well-Known Member
Super job on that!! 
73eldoconvert
Active Member
Are those the genuine caddy wire wheels? Some cars really look good with those.
Doc Zinger
Member
The wheels came with the car from the factory as far as I know, but I think some where in the '70s Cadillac had them made by an outside source. :scratchchin:
Bruce,
Bruce,
73eldoconvert
Active Member
I had some on one of mine that were dealer installed but when I went to get a replacement center cap found out they were not genuine or licensed caddy parts. I never looked that close at the emblem before but after they pointed it out it was obvious it was not the actual caddy crest. It was the right basic shape but it didnt have the small boxes or the ducks. They were still good looking wheels though, I think I did track down the vendor but they were out of business so no new caps for me.
Hi Bruce, love that car! About lowering the front. On my 85 which I lowered a couple of times(really easy to do) the coils have a tapered flat end on the bottom which you would not want to cut. So take it all off the top. And where the coil ends or is cut in relation to where it ended originally doesn't matter AFAIK. I would not determine how much you want to cut off by counting coils. But would just measure down from the top of the spring the amount you want it lowered and cut there. This may not be an exact measurement because once you cut a spring it affects it's rate. But it should be really close, it was on mine. You could also contact Detroit Eaton springs and they can make you a set . Kinda pricey though. I would just cut the front,but if you want to lower the back you might have to find some. Because they usually have a small coil on the top and bottom which needs to stay. Either way that car is awesome. Hope this helps. I could send you some pics of mine if you want.
Jimmy
Jimmy
Doc Zinger
Member
Deleted
cacsmret
New Member
Bruce, that's a pretty clean '79. If you need any parts, I picked up a '78 Sedan Deville a while back, same color with wire wheels for $100 from a guy in Post Falls ID. I was going to pull the 425/400 and junk the body. The car is pretty straight and complete. The wire wheels are pretty rusty from what I can remember, the car's been in storage for a couple of years. I'm located in eastern WA state.
Kevin
Kevin
Justin
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Hey Bruce,
Awesome build thread. Heads up to anyone looking to put dual exhaust on a 77-79 fleetwood or sedan deville. The 72 impala crossmember hits on the floor pan when trying to put it in on the drivers side. It looks like there is a difference between the coupe and sedan floor pans as far as clearance between the crossmember on the driver's side. if anyone is looking for a 72 impala crossmember for their coupe let me know. I'm going to end up notching mine. - Justin
Awesome build thread. Heads up to anyone looking to put dual exhaust on a 77-79 fleetwood or sedan deville. The 72 impala crossmember hits on the floor pan when trying to put it in on the drivers side. It looks like there is a difference between the coupe and sedan floor pans as far as clearance between the crossmember on the driver's side. if anyone is looking for a 72 impala crossmember for their coupe let me know. I'm going to end up notching mine. - Justin
Doc Zinger
Member
Went outside this morning and almost had a heart attack, :yikes: Found this POS 
uke: up on blocks in place of my beloved CDV.
Didn't hear any noise or car stating must have been some real pros to pull this off, hope the cops come up with something on what happened quick.
Bruce,
uke: up on blocks in place of my beloved CDV. Didn't hear any noise or car stating must have been some real pros to pull this off, hope the cops come up with something on what happened quick.
Bruce,
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Love that AC box zip/clip makeover.
I have tried to do 2 or 3 of them in my lifetime, and i never finish lol. Always get to the sanding stage and give up.
I have tried to do 2 or 3 of them in my lifetime, and i never finish lol. Always get to the sanding stage and give up.
dave brode
Well-Known Member
Not my cup of tea, but I could drive it.
It needs some blingy "rims".
Whatfer engine?
Dave
It needs some blingy "rims".
Whatfer engine?
Dave
Doc Zinger
Member
Guess I have to knock off the BS- the cops said the car in the driveway is registered to me and say my Caddy is parked along side my house. I said "no way how could a Cadillac guy end up with a Mercedes in his driveway?" :jack:
OMG!!! it's coming back to me, something about an E Bay bid, not really wanting it, but hating to see it go so low, are you kidding me I won, WTH did I do! Good thing I'm not married it could be some serious shit. :relieved:
I still have the '79, just hope it doesn't go Christine on me, seems ok so far, radio hasn't come on on its own.
Hope I don't pollute up the site with this car, it's a 1990 560SEC a real nice ride. But the idea of superior German engineering is BS to me after little time with this car. Maybe after working on it for a few weeks I've gained more appreciation for what one could call a different way of looking at design/engineering maybe they just like do the opposite of KISS maybe KICK (keep it complex knucklehead.)
The question now is how the hell can you hot rod it, not a lot of speed parts out there kinda like Caddys I guess got to work with what you can dream up, make, or get ahold of.
Will post more info if anyone wants it Been thinking on what wheels would help it but not a lot of choices that look good and don't cost like hell. BBS/RS maybe.
Bruce,
OMG!!! it's coming back to me, something about an E Bay bid, not really wanting it, but hating to see it go so low, are you kidding me I won, WTH did I do! Good thing I'm not married it could be some serious shit. :relieved:
I still have the '79, just hope it doesn't go Christine on me, seems ok so far, radio hasn't come on on its own.
Hope I don't pollute up the site with this car, it's a 1990 560SEC a real nice ride. But the idea of superior German engineering is BS to me after little time with this car. Maybe after working on it for a few weeks I've gained more appreciation for what one could call a different way of looking at design/engineering maybe they just like do the opposite of KISS maybe KICK (keep it complex knucklehead.)
The question now is how the hell can you hot rod it, not a lot of speed parts out there kinda like Caddys I guess got to work with what you can dream up, make, or get ahold of.
Will post more info if anyone wants it Been thinking on what wheels would help it but not a lot of choices that look good and don't cost like hell. BBS/RS maybe.
Bruce,
CrashTestDummy
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I smell LeMons race car!!
Doc Zinger
Member
Been doing some work on the '79 the past few days, working on the Caddy after a few months on the MB seems like when I came back from Vietnam in '70, we use to call returning "Going back to the World." Guess working on the CDV after the 560SEC is like going back to the world, ok.
After a few years 2-3 of driving and setting around the Cad needs some minor work. Started with the headliner, the cloth has come loose in a few places and the padding and subpanel is damaged. After looking at it I decided to just pull it all down and start over.
Took everything out to the metal and ribs, got some 1/4" and 3/8" hi dense foam and installed in layers to flush out to rib depth. I found some bubble w/2side alu skin insulation about 5/16" thick that should span everything and leave and leave a flat surface to glue new cloth to. I'm going to get some of the same cloth I used to make the bench seats in to bucket seats if I can get some, if not I still have the old headliner cloth in good shape. The seat cloth is a lot thicker and better quality.
Will take some pics of what has been done and post soon.
Bruce,
After a few years 2-3 of driving and setting around the Cad needs some minor work. Started with the headliner, the cloth has come loose in a few places and the padding and subpanel is damaged. After looking at it I decided to just pull it all down and start over.
Took everything out to the metal and ribs, got some 1/4" and 3/8" hi dense foam and installed in layers to flush out to rib depth. I found some bubble w/2side alu skin insulation about 5/16" thick that should span everything and leave and leave a flat surface to glue new cloth to. I'm going to get some of the same cloth I used to make the bench seats in to bucket seats if I can get some, if not I still have the old headliner cloth in good shape. The seat cloth is a lot thicker and better quality.
Will take some pics of what has been done and post soon.
Bruce,