Author Topic: 1976 Cadillac Fleetwood AA/BFCC  (Read 111903 times)

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Offline jimmy six

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Re: 1976 Cadillac Fleetwood AA/BFCC
« Reply #60 on: December 19, 2011, 09:59:53 PM »
When you get a chance have a "blanket" made to surround the heater on your oil tank. Without one you are wasting 90% of the heat generated by the heater. Good Luck
First GMC 6 powered Fuel roadster over 200, with 2 red hats. Pit crew for Patrick Tone's Super Stock #49 Camaro

Offline bucketlist

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Re: 1976 Cadillac Fleetwood AA/BFCC
« Reply #61 on: December 30, 2011, 02:15:41 AM »
Great absolutely fascinating project. I love the attitude. But now you've given away all your secrets, and everybody will be building one.
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.

Offline Seldom Seen Slim

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Re: 1976 Cadillac Fleetwood AA/BFCC
« Reply #62 on: December 30, 2011, 09:07:41 AM »
If everybody wants to build one -- well, I've got the donor car for you.  We have "inherited" a 1987 Cadillac Fleetwood.  Four door, kinda smashed right side.  Runs and drives, too.  the owner stored it with us - and has since abandoned it.  It's your (here) if you'll pay for the legal fees to get the abandoned title through the system and the courts.
Jon E. Wennerberg
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 (that's way up north)
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Offline DallasV

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Re: 1976 Cadillac Fleetwood AA/BFCC
« Reply #63 on: December 30, 2011, 12:27:29 PM »
I must admit when I first saw this build I thought here is another idiot that saw the worlds fastest indian and thinks they are going to build a racer out of some piece of junk they had lying around. I've seen it a bunch, usually get a few pics of the car pre-build and a bunch of ideas and then never here from that person again. You are not that person. Don't get me wrong, your crazy as a loon, but your mad professor crazy. Landracing kind of crazy. I was looking at your build and it reminded me of when I was a youngin and I was hanging out with the Burklands. Gene was talking about cars and said he wanted to build a CC out of a Gremlin. His reasoning was Gremlins were so ugly they are cute, and he was pretty sure he'd be breaking new ground with a 200 MPH Gremlin. Your build is reminding me of that kind of thinking. Huge compliment by the way.  :cheers:
Records or parts, I didn't come all this way not to break something.

Offline Milwaukee Midget

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Re: 1976 Cadillac Fleetwood AA/BFCC
« Reply #64 on: December 30, 2011, 07:58:14 PM »
Dallas, I thought the same thing.  But then the posts came fast and furious, and by the time I saw he was setting up the front end, I realized Stoble is serious.

Stoble, keep posting, even if the progress is slowing - it will help motivate you on those days when you don't even want to think about the garage, and it also provides incentive for the rest of us. 

The Flyin' Fleetwood has fans.
"Problems are almost always a sign of progress."  Harold Bettes
Well, I guess we're making a LOT of progress . . .  :roll:

Offline robfrey

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Re: 1976 Cadillac Fleetwood AA/BFCC
« Reply #65 on: January 01, 2012, 10:49:15 PM »
Yes! The Flying Fleetwood does have fans! I am one!
Please keep posting.
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Offline Moxnix

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Re: 1976 Cadillac Fleetwood AA/BFCC
« Reply #66 on: January 01, 2012, 11:07:49 PM »
He may have to pit next to Jeff Brock.
Seen it all, done it all, can't remember most of it.
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Offline bovey

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Re: 1976 Cadillac Fleetwood AA/BFCC
« Reply #67 on: January 02, 2012, 11:33:28 AM »
Blake. You are an inspiration.

Offline Billy @ AHG

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Re: 1976 Cadillac Fleetwood AA/BFCC
« Reply #68 on: January 07, 2012, 07:56:11 PM »
I have had the biggest sh-- eat'n grin on my face reading thru this build , my jaw muscles actually ache !    Reminds me of my first encounter  with the "Bonneville bombshell betty Buick"    Gotta love it baby !  Cant wait to see the body mods !
Salt Junkie

Offline stobl

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Re: 1976 Cadillac Fleetwood AA/BFCC
« Reply #69 on: January 09, 2012, 12:13:37 PM »
When you get a chance have a "blanket" made to surround the heater on your oil tank. Without one you are wasting 90% of the heat generated by the heater. Good Luck

Thanks for the idea.  I completely didn’t think about that.  When I was testing the heater, it took a good hour to get the oil up to 170*.  Seemed way too long.  I'll have to see if i can find some foil faced fiberglass and figure out how to make a jacket for the tank.

Unfortunately I’ve been a bit slacking the past few weeks.  The new aluminum mockup bushings for my new LCA bushings still haven’t come in (Ordered mid Dec).  And I realized those control arms need to go in first before I can finish a lot of other things (Coilover mounts, sway bar position, steering bars, motor limiters, etc.)  I definitely need to call the company up and see what the holdup is - it’s putting a big damper on work I get done.

Besides that, I actually made progress on the brake system (The only “major” thing I worked on) but I’ll post pictures of that after this weekend.  With a 4 day weekend coming up for me, I’m sure I’ll be able to make quite a bit of progress.

The plan for this weekend:

Brake system – Master cylinders, run most of the hard lines
Firewall - Finish the air filter inlet channel/ weld up the remaining holes, build dashboard frame
Transmission – Mount, build crossmember, install new dipstick tube (came up with an easy-access idea), run cooler lines
Differential – start work on welding on new control arm brackets

Of course my “to do this weekend” lists are always much longer than I can ever get done.  But it’ll give me the ability to jump around when I get stumped.


I'll do another update after the weekend so i don't have a bunch of unfinished projects to show.

-Blake
« Last Edit: January 09, 2012, 12:15:44 PM by stobl »
-Blake S

Offline basher13

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Re: 1976 Cadillac Fleetwood AA/BFCC
« Reply #70 on: January 09, 2012, 10:57:37 PM »
Hey Blake, love the build! Nice to see outta the box thinking and some younger blood. Check out your local HVAC supply store or a Grainger for the oil tank wrap. Look at the insulated compressor blankets/ sound insulators, cheap and easy.
Looking forward to seeing this one run.
Later
Dan
 :cheers:
118.780mph in a stock(ish) Studebaker

Offline robfrey

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Re: 1976 Cadillac Fleetwood AA/BFCC
« Reply #71 on: January 13, 2012, 11:48:35 PM »
I do the same thing by adding too
much to my to do list but I still get more done than if I make no list or goals. I usually work off a white board so that if friends are helping, they can look at it and get straight to it. Feels like your doing something when you cross stuff off.
Funny thing here is that the list will keep growing, but the tasks will get simpler and more specific.
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Offline robfrey

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Re: 1976 Cadillac Fleetwood AA/BFCC
« Reply #72 on: January 27, 2012, 11:49:45 PM »
Any news on this project lately?
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Offline stobl

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Re: 1976 Cadillac Fleetwood AA/BFCC
« Reply #73 on: January 31, 2012, 10:28:24 AM »
Oops, forgot to update.  Had some family come stay with us for a a couple weeks so it slipped my mind/ forgot to take a few pictures.


Worked on the brakes- went through two versions pretty quick. The first one was way too long and would have required me to sit in the back seat.  new version is just right.

Used assembly I had lying around


mounted to hydroboost

was almost 2 feet long


Version 2- reverse mount ontop of the unit
The plan after a saturday morning of searching the internet for ideas


Use some spare angle, drill some holes


Shock mount as a pivot point


Drill some holes in a plate and make a new master cylinder mount



Make a pivot arm to contain the bias adjuster


View inside the bottom of the arm- i welded some 1/2" tube as heim spacers which will attach to the hydroboost pushrod.  i still need to cut the side off the arm for clearance



And after welding it all together:






Then I built the oil breather catch can.  some 4" spare intake tubing with a 2" tube on the inside/ ebay special air filter on top


One side of the inside pipe has a bunch of 1/4" holes drilled in it from the bottom to about 3/4 the way up.  The inlet bung is at the top on the opposite side (no-hole side)

bung and tube welded in place

add two stainless steel pot scrubbers


weld on the bottom and make a drain hole

And drain welded on


I need to figure out a mount for it somewhere near the power steering reservoir (probably need to rotate the oil tank lid too)


While I was at it, i tore apart the old torque converter and checked it out/ cleaned off the rust and painted it (probably use it for the ecta mile at first)


Some silver hammered finish rustoleum I had lying around.  I like it


I built the other side of the front LCA jig.  The bushing shell wouldn't pop out of the passenger side, so i improvised.  1.25" tube with a 1" square inside fit a 5/8" bolt perfectly.


welded a new balljoint cup support.  I just need to label the jig so i remember what side is which


While I was at it, i took apart the trans since I wanted to mount it.  I changed the filter, added a temp sensor to the pan, replaced the oil pump seal/gasket, added pan studs (I need to threadcert a couple of the holes that were stripped), tapped the breather hole for a 1/4" quick connect hose fitting, installed the JW bell, and mounted the trans.  Everything looked good.
(sorry for blurry pic)  Trans is a rossler 210

Drain bolt is on far side - i drilled a hole here, welded a bung and threw in the sensor


Then gave it a quick coat of paint and used my poor man's curing room


Bell housing mounted up


Oh, sorry another blurry picture.  I had a couple of upper control arms made while i was at it.  Need to measure and have the bottoms made when I figure out the diff position (heightwise since im going to lower the car quite a bit)  Adjustable ends are 1-1/8" thread.  Should hold up.


I'll take pictures of the trans mounted- We took a rough measurement and it's pushing 80" from trans end to diff.  I'm thinking i'm going to have to run a 2 piece drive shaft.   The oem trans is a long tail, this is a short.  We'll see when i get the diff mounted.

Umm....  I got half of the firewall sealed up this past weekend, but need to build the driver's side now.  I started working on the car after work this past week in an attempt to start getting a bit done each day .  I'd REALLY like to get this able to putz around the neighborhood by march so I can start working on the tune a bit (no turbos at first).  If i can get off my butt and get the booster welded in, front control arms built, and mount the diff, i can get a few friends to help with all the other bits and pieces (Brakes, wiring, mount the hood) to make it all get together much faster.


-Blake

-Blake S

Offline Freud

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Re: 1976 Cadillac Fleetwood AA/BFCC
« Reply #74 on: January 31, 2012, 12:04:41 PM »
Stobl......since I have a little experience feeding a build site I can only say, " H e l l of a site."

You have also mastered the path around the posting conditions of 4 images max and 500kb total.

Marvelously satisfying to see your ingenuity and progress.

FREUD
Since '63