Cadillac V-8 '32 All Wheather Phaeton, third owner, All nrs matching car, 46000 mls,total restoration after the build sheet, to the last detail, incl color.( Black on black, tan top)

Bought the complete car in 2003,as a runner, turned out to be different, decided to do a total restoration, taking apart started in 2005,the restoration will be completed some time in 2008.I have worked about 3000 hrs on the car, till Today. Assembling the painted body will start in January, followed by the upholstery and top. I will take on another early '30's Cad, after this one is finished, Johan

Today's view of the painted body

Super. One of the finest cars ever designed. And super rare as a V8. Glad to hear that you haven't slid (slud?) a V16 or V12 under it.

As it is, I have bought this car, from a gentleman, who actually intended, to swap this AWP body, with a the body of a '32 V-16 7 pass sedan, he already had.
Also a numbers matching original car, I was able to convince him, it would be far better to leave both cars as they were intended and not to make up two "fake"ones. I'm glad I was succes full.

Perhaps it is working now

Fabulous car, keep us posted!

Dear Johan,SUPER car,THANKS for sharing.diz

Glad you like them, thank you for your kind words, please find some new picture from last month. Johan

great looking car!

What a car ! wow! Got any pics before restoration started??

These pictures are two from numerous, this was the stae the car was in when bought, Johan

new try

Certainly a fabulous job that you're doing. What are your plans for the car? I assume the show circuit?

James, thanks for asking, I like to restore this car to a condition, as close as possible to the buildsheet. The parts search,meeting a lot of very nice and interested helpfull people,taking the car apart, finding that special note on a card board side panel, the print of the steel company in the left front door plate, Cadillac Motor Car Company Detroit in yellow lettering on the torque tube,thge paint marks on the gears in the transmission,I can go on as you notice. All these efforts will lead when finished to a driver. Ii love to see the efforts that went it to show cars
but I am a driver. Johan

Dear Johan,So many times a RESTORATION means a complete paint or interior.......YOU sir did it the RIGHT way,EVERY nut and bolt.I gotta tell you after looking at the pics when you first brought her home i would have given her a bath and driven the wheels off her.Thanks for sharing.Keep up the GREAT work.Take care.diz

Dear Diz,glad you like the way this Cadillac is restored, thank you for your encouraging comment and thoughts.
That driving the wheels off, was, what I initially had intended,but the following defects and some more, were leading to this full restoration; a leaking tank, bend frame,different springs, all 4 of them,a to tight rebored engine, that went solid after 5 minutes warming up,a gone top,no exhaust, completely dangerous wiring,all rubber worn out or missing,
butchered headlights, a bend sychromesh drum, stuck clutch,
sagging doors, worn out window mechanism's and wiper system,
a completely glued sealed windshield, together with the wood and frame and body, kind of prevented this,taking the windshield out, saving the frame and wood moulding, took two weeks, every day, 6 hours a day, to give you an idea.
Still, I'm very happy with the restoration, certainly now the nice work has arrived,I'll be posting some pictures every few weeks, to tell about progress. Johan

Happy to show some progress,especially the dash light switch
on top of the instruments, took an awfull lot of time to get it working properly.
It had been bypassed with a newer switch, one day, but I had to have this one working. Johan

Hello All,

It has been a while, since my last update, some trouble along the route at the moment. Not much visible progress.

The newly made windshield base rubber, interfered with the wiper arms, so they had to made a new one that would fit,

Work on fitting the dash had to wait, because there is hardly any room to fit the wipers,when the dash is in place.

My leather supplier promised me to send 4 hides weeks ago,
only to tell me yesterday, after I gave him a call, he couldn’t find them and nothing was shipped at all.

There would be a new batch ordered, to take another 40 days or so.

Car is scheduled for the upholsterer next week, so much for that planning.

The new windshield base rubber arrived yesterday, I have cut a new one and now it fits, just, but it does.
During this time I tried to assemble the smaller parts, door locks, the locking mechanism, the taillights, the parking and head lights new short wiring and connections,
assembling the hood hold downs, with all rivets like oem, specially made these.
The horns adjusting and trying for a good match and lots of small stuff, all need doing,it is ready, when the time comes to fit.
You will have been there, but it’s frustrating when you plan all kind of things and then they do not happen, but that must be the fun of restoration perhaps.

Johan

Johan...Do you plan to enter this car in a concours; it would certainly be strong competition! Details, details, and you say I take the long way. I am amazed you can restore an American car so well when you are so far away from parts and information resources. Beautiful job!!!

Harry,owning and working on early '30's Cadillacs from 1973, I have been and still am fortunate, to get to know, several fine American people, this fact adds tremendously to achieve the goals I'm after, as you perhaps will have read in my earlier comments.
When finished, I will take it out and use the Cadillac as intended. Thank your for your nice comment, Johan

It has been a while since the last update on my project, it slowly started a few weeks back again. The issue with the defect wiper vacuum switches is much worse then I had ever thought possible. I had bought two switches last summer, boy was I happy, after cleaning and flattening the surfaces with fine valve paste and getting them air tight, I was pleased to put them on the car, after hand fitting the small pipes and nuts, the moment I pointed a small wrench towards them the first one broke in two, to be followed by the second one that broke a thread in half, I was ………… as you will understand, searching starts all over for them.
Small progress on the battery box and clamp, restored the fuel pump a second time, not painted the first time and not flattened (thought it was within the margin) turned out it wasn’t, I hated the non painted pump from the moment I put it on, so against Authenticity, I painted it lightly to get an even finish instead off all the colour on the casted material after so many years, It will have looked all right when new, but certainly not now.
Windshield, new bottom white rubber and first piece of wood (top) in place, windshield sealed (non visible) with cork rubber seal (visible) Trunk rack and lid completely fitted with all hardware to my satisfaction. Also completed, the restoration of the glove compartment.
Hope you enjoy the pictures.

Best Regards,

Johan

second set of 5

Great progress Johan!

A beautiful car which is in the right hands!
Hope to see you with it some day down here.
Keep on posting them pics!

Good luck with your work

Carine

Hello Carine,

Thank you for your encouragement, you will see the car in person one day I'm sure.
A few pics of before and after, Johan

Hello Johan,
You have a nice eye and hand for detail.....good for you and your Cadillac. What brand paint did you use and what is the code. I like the Black you chose real well. Keep up the good work.
Regards,
Alan