EmTee

A coupe! Looks very solid, but very dirty...

EZ Pass works fine in FL. Just use the Sun Pass lane!

The best way to do this is with a 350 equipped parts car. Given this Riviera is located somewhere in the EU, that's probably not possible. The best (and least expensive) option in this case is probably to pull the motor and do the rest of the rebuild (i.e., the bottom-end). It sounds like the heads were recently rebuilt already.

Or, maybe someone on the forum who uses Photoshop can edit a picture of one for you...

I've had good luck with a solution of dish detergent and warm water applied with a terrycloth washcloth or towel (not too wet). Vacuum dry with an upholstery wand or shop vac. Use a brush gently on stains or spots. I'll typically do this three times, noting the color of the water collected by the vacuum. Treat any remaining spots depending upon what caused the stain. If the stain is old, however, it most likely won't come completely out, but the fabric will still look better than before. Just go slowly and don't rub any harder than necessary to loosen the grime. Sometimes letting the solution set for a few minutes before rubbing helps.

I have used anti-seize and a torque wrench, but most times I use a few drops of motor oil and a torque wrench. So far, no wayward wheels.

I like these Eldorados, but agree that a black-on-black (no vinyl top) '68 would be the pinnacle for me. this one looks nice, but although the red/white combination looks great on my '56 Chevy, I don't think it is flattering on the Cadillac (pretty much any Cadillac, IMHO). I had a college fraternity brother with a '74 Grand Prix in red/white and I felt the same way about that car. (Although the fact that the paint looked like it had been applied with a sponge probably didn't help...)

Assuming that you decide to remove and rebuild the engine, I suggest that you also inspect the condition of the transmission. At least remove the pan and evaluate the amount of sludge accumulation (i.e., cast-off clutch material). At 68K miles, the transmission should be good for at least another 30K miles if it was not abused. I'm always hesitant to get into the "while I'm in there..." trap, but if transmission wear is questionable, this would be the time to address it.

OK, thanks for that important piece of information. The car certainly appears to deserve the effort required to get it running again. Given your location, perhaps a new crankshaft and rebuild of the original block makes the most sense; particularly given that the top-end has already been done.

I agree that these full size Fords ('55 & '56) look nice on the outside, however, the dashboard looks like it belongs in a truck. I think the '55 - '56 Chevy dash is much more handsome.

I like it!

As I also noted above. So, what kind of shape is the car in? How many miles? A couple of pictures would help...

Maybe consider a good used engine? Or, if the rest of the car is in nice shape I'd look into a remanufactured long block. https://www.jasperengines.com/

Glad to hear that you're back on the road. Thanks for the switch-pitch converter tip! https://www.floridatorqueconverters.com/

Oh, in that case you can still get another 2,500 miles out of it!

This is the subject wheel, correct?

The ~ $3 fee to swap your Historical registration over to your YOM plates is probably the last 'bargain' you'll receive from New York state!

Maybe find a pair of the finned aluminum ones...

I wear a watch!

99% of the wheels I dealt with were the standard OE steel wheels. There were a few (I forget which specific applications) where I would have to flip the rim over, probably something to do with the backspacing. Most of the factory chrome wheels were handled just like plain steel wheels once the center cap was removed (e.g., Buick and Pontiac 'mags'). One of my most vivid memories was a pop-up snow storm one day that had most of the regular (older) customers lined-up in the parking lot wanting their snow tires mounted. My buddy & I were working like the pit crew at Daytona. Some people didn't have their snows mounted on separate wheels so we had to dismount the summer tires and mount the snow tires. Lots of the snows with their own wheels still needed to be taken apart, however, because the salt and moisture would eat at the rim all summer and they'd leak like a sieve around the bead. Arrggggg -- time for the wire wheel and some bead sealer!

Ah, the 'good ol' days! I changed lots of tires using a 20-20 in the mid to late '70s!

Something about that breaker set appears to be bent or broken. I had the arm break in half on a VW beetle 40 years ago. Remove the points from the distributor and get them on the bench where you can inspect them. Also check the breaker plate and inside the distributor for anything that looks like it shouldn't be there.

Now the fun begins!

OK - now you have to repaint the air cleaner housing!