Roger Zimmermann

The video is coming from Germany, but the car is in Switzerland, according to the number plates!

Try to clean the contact points. Sometimes cars do not start because the points have a little bit oil on them.

No! the empty slot will get the LAST vane! Yes, the wheelcovers are ready! At the time you will read this, the holes for the tire valve are done. I intended to solder a valve from the back of the wheelcover but I will attach the valve after the plating is done. Most of my nails are either broken or sanded; the polishing of the last vanes was rather difficult... The next task? It will be the air cleaner. Just ONE piece, rather easy to do. I would prefer to begin the frame, but the Swiss man who has some Mark II is very busy; maybe I can go to his place in November to measure a frame.

The tail fin chrome is hard to find. Years ago, when I did mine, one was broken and I did not find another one. Therefore, I did a small serie of parts. Over the years, I sold all, except one wich is not yet assembled (don't ask why I let braze all parts except one, I don't know). If you don't find an original part, this may be a solution.

Well, you will be busy for some time! It des not look that bad, but pictures are hiding the truth. Lot of chrome parts are missing; some are reproduced, some not. You will have to hunt for the correct wheels too!

A completed wheelcover together with a wheel & tire. The wheels are still unpainted and of course the wheelcover will be chrome plated.

4 wheelcovers are now ready. Enough for the car, but I still have 2 empty "dishes" requesting their vanes. After the second wheelcover, to mill all those vanes is really boring. To polish the vanes, there is just one method: to pinch them between 2 nails and rub them on 3 different sanding papers: 400, 1200 and finally on a sanding paper I don't know the grade. I have almost no nails anymore...I'm glad it's over soon!

CLC is Cadillac LaSalle Club forum: Cadillac & LaSalle Club - Home Ibelieve I got my sun visors by Cliff Graubard. He post from time to time in CLC forum. Not sure if he still has some, I bought mines in 1991 or 92!

Hi Nick As you can see from my signature, I have also a '56 Biarritz. Mine was more or less in the same sorry shape as the one from Lou. The sunvisors were missing and I could buy repro ones. '56 Seville and Biarritz models had indeed transparent sunvisors, polarized like the ones of the Brougham. I have a '58 parts book to prove it.

As far as I know, silicone brake fluid is not compatible with ABS equiped vehicles. I cannot prove it, it just seems that the lubrication properties of the silicone fluid do not match those of the DOT 3 or 4 brake fluid. Silicone brake fluid can be very tricky regarding air. You have to be very careful how you pour the fluid into the master cylinder: it can trap millions of tiny air bubbles giving the brake pedal that spongy feel. Another bad habit of the silicone brake fluid: the flared ends of the lines must be very well formed to avoid leaks; if one or more flares is not 100%, a conventional brake fluid would not leak but silicone fluid would.

Welcome to this forum Ken! I'm here too, but for a subject I can honestly not put in the Cadillac LaSalle forum!

The second wheelcover is done. It's quality is a little bit better than the first one: the dimensions of the vanes are more constant. "Only" 4 to go!

Danny, I'm very sorry that you are getting mad about me! In fact, I have the impression that almost everybody, if not fitted with 2 left hands, can do what I'm doing. The huge difference, as you noted, is the patience and tenacity I have.

I may be late to answer...I have 2 Cadillacs with the Treadle Vac system and silicone brake fluid. No problem at all.

Thank you all! The wheelcover is weighting 5 gramms. The completed model will certainly not be a lightweight; however, like I did on the Avanti, I'm looking that it will not be more than 2 - 3 kg.

It was finished this late afternoon. Oh boy, what a task! Clearly, I underestimated the time needed for the construction. Each vane needs about 1 hour, from milling the ground shape to the soldering. The wheelcovers of the Toronado and the Avanti were indeed much simpler...

Now, I have to trim the ends. After that, each vane is fitted to the wheelcover; this last task showed me that I have to modify a little bit the position of the tab on the next vanes batch. After the trimming was done, each vane is sanded and polished. Not an easy task with such small parts, but it can be done. Then, the soldering of the vanes can begin!

Yesterday, I began with the mass fabrication of the vanes. It seems that the month October will be busy with milling! The first picture is showing the special tool I fabricated to keep the part to be milled at the proper angle. The second picture is showing the birth of the tang which will be inserted into the cover. The third picture is showing how I'm milling the sides of the tang. I cannot use the disc used in the picture nr. 2, because the machine is not precise enough and the milling tool is cutting on one side where it sould not. With a small diameter tool, the inconvenient disappears. Then I'm cutting the vane from the ground material and the last picture is showing the end result. The lower brass part is now scrap. The vanes are not yet ready: the ends have to be trimmed at angle.

Hi André! Nice to "see" you here! For two weeks, I was probably still in France; we came back on September 15. Next time you come in Switzerland, please let me know. Reconvillier is at 8 miles from the place my cars are stored! Is your Pontiac ready? Anyway, the frame is good looking!

Lou, you are near the end, on the good sense of the word! Did you attach the door trim panels with the nails? Roger

Now that the profile of the stock is done, it's time to cut the bars to the proper length. As you can see on the picture, the cutted part is held to avoid some vibrations and prevent its ejection from the cutting tool (and the associated search on the floor!).<O:p</O:p

2 weeks of vacation = 3 weeks of inactivity to the model. It's amazing how much paper is coming when you're away! Now that the most urgent matters are behind me, I could begin the mass production! It begins with the shaving of the stock (necessary due to the lack of precision of my tool) as shown on the first picture. The the stock is milled with a dentist tool, giving the section of the fins. The length is good for 8 fins. I cannot do more at once because of the limited length of the vice. I have 30 pieces to work at, giving 240 fins.

For what purpose are the numerous bits in the picture? No idea? It's the material needed to do the fins. Each part is good for 8 fins; they will be machined, cut, machined agin until they become a tiny fin. I will show you later all what's needed to do those fins. Now the fun will begin!

I do hope too!

It took about 3 hours to do...OK, it's the first one, I had to fabricate a jig and I must improve the milling process to have less manual work after the milling. I expected to have no more than 5 minutes to do one fin; I can forget this optimistic value. "Only" 239 to go! (there are 40 fins per wheelcover)