CAR This is not a milk thread. I have owned my '74 Eldorado convertible for 2 years now but it's time for a build thread

[jelloslug]

With the cluster of the old fender out of the way, I started doing what I wanted to do from the start. I stripped the fender, gave it a quick guide coat and skimmed the entire panel with filler.








I gave it another skim coat and finally a coat of filler primer.








I also put a coat of POR-15 on the back of the fender making sure to get as much behind the braces as possible.






I then sanded the primer and gave it a sealer primer coat.





And finally a quick spray of single stage urethane. Again, this is not the final paint job. It's just something to make it all roughly the same color until I can paint the whole car all at once with a base coat/clear coat.

 

[jelloslug]

I also painted all the fillers (that I have) and other parts that bolt to the fender.










I then put it all back together.

 

[jelloslug]

Once I had all the metal back on, I turned my attention to the wheel well splash guards. They are made out of masticated rubber. That is just ground up rubber with cords in it that is rolled into sheets. The advantage of it is that it does not stretch or shrink very much, even in hot or cold environments. The old ones were intact but they were covered in that gold undercoating and they were just worn from age. I bought a small roll and found that it cuts easily with heavy scissors.






I just used the old pieces as templates and cut them out.








They installed with the factory metal clips with no problems.

 

[nox]

Sorry if you answered this already in the thread but what kind of engineer are you? I'm guessing mechanical just based on the all the hands on work youre doing here. Are you in the auto industry too or is this just a hobby interest?

 

[jelloslug]

Sorry if you answered this already in the thread but what kind of engineer are you? I'm guessing mechanical just based on the all the hands on work youre doing here. Are you in the auto industry too or is this just a hobby interest?

Yes on mechanical. I'm not directly in the automotive industry but it's a big part of what I do. I have been in many of the car plants across the country as well as many of the tier one plants.

 

[Astringent]

You have successfully wasted a whole ton of my time with a thread about a car I do not give a damn about.

What you are accomplishing with this car is nothing short of incredible. I'm not a car guy at all beyond maintenance and very very minor quick fixes, and I can't help but be mesmerized by the sheer amount of dedication, diligence, and technical competence that you are displaying. The level of detail that you are sharing is jaw-dropping.

I've learned more about the old-ass Eldorado convertible in particular, and about vehicle restoration in general, than I ever thought I'd care about. Thank you for sharing your project with us.

 

[CommanderFish]

Need to do a walkaround video

 

[jelloslug]

Need to do a walkaround video

It's far from finished. All you will see is a few shiny places and blue seats in a cranberry and white interior.

 

[Thunderbear]

It's far from finished. All you will see is a few shiny places and blue seats in a cranberry and white interior.

'Murica af.


Land yacht, big ass V8 and it's literally red white and blue right now.


I, too, have absolutely zero interest in anything GM ever touched in the 70s, and the red and white interior is making me scream internally every time, but am fucking astounded at the attention to detail, and commitment to repair the right way. Can't stop reading. Rolling your own stepped bolts to replace rivets? Fuck me, that's dedication.

I'm curious with the electric conversion plans, have you thought about dropping in LEDs in any of the fifty-eleven bulbs this thing has?

 

[TheProwler]

It's far from finished. All you will see is a few shiny places and blue seats in a cranberry and white interior.

pics of your workspace and tools? what kind of paint sprayer do you need for this? how much does automotive paint cost?

 

[jelloslug]

'Murica af.


Land yacht, big ass V8 and it's literally red white and blue right now.


I, too, have absolutely zero interest in anything GM ever touched in the 70s, and the red and white interior is making me scream internally every time, but am fucking astounded at the attention to detail, and commitment to repair the right way. Can't stop reading. Rolling your own stepped bolts to replace rivets? Fuck me, that's dedication.

I'm curious with the electric conversion plans, have you thought about dropping in LEDs in any of the fifty-eleven bulbs this thing has?

LEDs don't dim properly with old electrical systems so it will take some "tuning" to get them to illuminate evenly. I will probably update them at some time though.

 

[jelloslug]

pics of your workspace and tools? what kind of paint sprayer do you need for this? how much does automotive paint cost?

2_car_garage.jpg

The sprayer I use is just a cheapo Husky HVLP from Home Depot. I do really need to get something better but it's OK for now. The cheap single state acrylic urethane I'm using right now is about $60 a quart for the paint. You also need reducer and activator for that paint. For the real paint job later, I'll use a base coat/clear coat. I expect the paint materials to cost about $700 for everything. There are other things like gun wash solvent, body filler, sand paper, respirator cartridges, and other supplies.

 

[DrewDown]

@jelloslug Here is the one I saw the other day. Looks pretty clean.

 

[CommanderFish]

@jelloslug Here is the one I saw the other day. Looks pretty clean.

Jesus does that dude bump his wall to park

 

[TheProwler]

Jesus does that dude bump his wall to park

see the bricks? he just bumps those. passenger rear wheel.

 

[jelloslug]

@jelloslug Here is the one I saw the other day. Looks pretty clean.

That looks like a '69 Coupe deVille

 

[DrewDown]

That looks like a '69 Coupe deVille

So not even close other than it’s a Cadillac :rofl;

 

[jelloslug]

This thread is awesome. I know the exterior isnt hte final color or final paint job but I love that color, looks very similar to ruby red.

Also ive been spoiled by youtube, I just wanna smash that subscribe button and skip to the final video of the restoration

It would be a mess. I presented it like I worked though things in a somewhat orderly manner but in reality, I just jump around.

 

[jelloslug]

So not even close other than it’s a Cadillac :rofl;

In '71 all the Cadillac models had a refresh. The convertibles switched from the RWD "C" body platform to the FWD "E" body platform. All full sized GM convertibles shared the same greenhouse from '71 on until GM quit making convertibles in '76.

 

[jgon842]

Awesome job... now I know the expectations for when I begin the restoration of my 69 California Special.

 

[cowboyrps13]

Awesome job... now I know the expectations for when I begin the restoration of my 69 California Special.

I agree when I start on my c20.

Except I don't do paint, body work or upholstery

 

[SR_71]

updates?

 

[jelloslug]

updates?

I'll post more tomorrow.

 

[kwhitelaw]

I'll post more tomorrow.

It's tomorrow
We're waiting

 

[jelloslug]

With the drivers side suspension cleaned up and painted, I took the passenger side apart and did the same. This time though I just jumped in and took everything apart right from the start. Here is what I started with:










I pulled the fender, the inner fender, the wheel well liners, and any parts that bolt to the fender.






These eccentrics that adjust the upper control arm when you are setting the alignment were completely seized up.







I blew apart the front suspension and started cleaning. You can see my fine collection of hammers in this shot.