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It's March and my time line to begin the woodwork and construct a new body for the Cadillac. Under the hood I had plywood for patterns, it's a start, The Early Cadillac Group, on the internet, published a set of plans and that is where I went. The plans gave me the basic sizes and I had to adapt the new wood to fit my situation, thanks Jeff Lee. In the first photo you can see what I had to work with, then with the hood and rad installed, under the hood and finally, yes, my wood primer is pink. Also on the hood of the Cadillac you can see my efforts to match the dark green paint, called Brewster Green. Further, I thought the metal hood was rivetted together, but no, it uses threaded rivets which are still available at Restoration Supply Co in California. Regards, Gary

Found Anderson Machine Shop in Ridgetown, On to fit the rear axle with modern bearings. Classic Coachworks, in Blenheim, a shop I frequent, suggested Anderson, they also do work for RM Restorations. Being as I live in farm country all the machine shops are busy with ag equipment, however, now we are between the fall and spring farm rush and late into the winter work. The shop hoped it fit it in during the next few weeks. My Bearing Supply house found the thrust bearing D 13 is still current. When in Ridgetown we stopped at our favourite Dutch Bakery for coffee and picked up this beauty for dessert. All four wheels are stripped, next step is sanding and adding new yellow paint. One wheel had these unusual holes drilled into the felloe beside each mortice and tenon joint, cannot imagine what they are for? My local Senior's Center has a wood working shop. Friday, I used their thickness planer to take the lumber I am using for the under hood floor and front floor to 5/8th". The Tulip wood is beautiful, no knots, anywhere, even in a 12" wide plank 12' long. Shame to cover the wood with green paint, but that's the way. I've decided to keep and refinish the original battery box. While cleaning it the yellow paint fell off and revealed what I believe is the green colour applied by Cadillac? We had a brief but fierce snow storm Friday evening.

My 1915 McLaughlin is the first car newest enough for side curtains. It came with these as photographed when I acquired the project. The car today, in blue, I have material for the curtains, just have to get at it sometime. Regards, Gary

Cleaned the axle yesterday and ready to bring it in to the shop. The photo shows the worst of the damage, seems the Hyatt bearing reacted with the axle. Leaving the Cadillac like this in the museum did not solve the problem. The thrust bearing, on the left in the photo, is an Andrews D13, wonder if my bearing shop can interchange Andrews? For Jeff, not to worry the bolts with the square nuts are anchored in the clincher rim. There are even two extra bolts set at ninety degrees around the circumference. The current plan is to refinish these wheels, even though they are modified and eventually, in a few years, send them to Witmer Coach in Pa. for new spokes and felloes. The modification was performed during the sixties are well done and seems still solid. Though the spacers add much unsprung weight. Regards, Gary

Moving along, started to refinish the wheels by chemically stripping the paint from the spokes. Jeff; RM Restorations has a modern facility with around 35 technicians employed, their machine shop is equipped to do my repair, the shop's cars have won Best of Show at Pebble Beach seven times, they support the AACA, sponsor the London to Brighton Run and is ten minutes from my house. Regards, Gary

I remembered a company in Cambridge, On ( about 2 hours drive) named True Gear and Spline. They made me a timing gear set for my 1913 Buick's engine many years ago and they are still working perfectly. I called them on the phone and they could help me rebuild the Cadillac axles. Preliminary, I must send them photos and a description of the job as a beginning stage. George, at True Gear, suggested I use a closer shop to grind the axles to size or he could fabricate whatever I wanted. Everybody is busy. Regards, Gary

Thanks, Jeff. Beautiful work on your car, I agree with you. I will have to find a shop who understands and can engineer and assemble the job. RM Restoration. On the other hand, if I could replace the Hyatt rollers then the slop fit would work as intended? Regards, Gary

Baby, the rain must fall or is the problem found which forced the Cadillac onto a trailer in 1967? My Cadillac project was purchased from a local old car friend, his dad drove the car sparingly over the last fourty years. The original rear axle bearings are very worn. I bought the car to drive the wheels off it during one and two cylinder tours, however, not literally. The inner Hyatt Bearing are rough and rusty, the axle races are tapered and the axle tubes are out of round. My solution seems to be to send the parts to a machine shop, luckily for me since we have RM Restorations in my town, there are many who can do the job. The axles have to be ground down about half a millimeter over almost the entire length, the axle tubes need sleeves for both the inner and outer bearings, then modern bearings will be fit and then the Cadillac would be safe and sound for my Mrs. In the first picture is a newspaper picture of the Cadillac on tour as part of the Antique Car Tour, Coast to Coast, for Canada's Centennial in 1967. The needed repair should not hold up the restoration of OC, Bev's name for the car, lots to do. Regards, Gary

There are many pleasant jobs restoring automobiles and the tire work is the worst. I am surprised the auto industry survived tires. Today I bite the bullet, bucked up and did it. My friend in Belding, Mich. makes these great tire irons and they removed a set of four tires which have been on the car since 1967 without deforming or causing me to bleed. The tires I removed were Goodyears, Made in Canada, 30X3 1/2" Oversize. In August we plan to attend the Vintage Tour in Maine, not with the Cadillac though, our 1915 MacLaughlin is the ideal car for this trip. Faster, has electric starter and larger brakes. Regards, Gary

Been busy. Painted the chassis, first photo; rear axle tubes taken to the car wash and used hot water, soap and pressure to clean inside, next step sandblast; front axle getting ready for the frame. In the first photo shows a piece of bar stock I had to procure to replace a missing item. When I removed the inner Hyatt bearings from the rear axle tubes both sides disintegrated, more investigation and restoration now. Not yet satisfied with the Brewster green colour for the body I am working with.

I talked with a fellow who works for RM Restorations in Blenheim, On and he told me since they won Best of Show at Pebble Beach (for the seventh time) last August the shop is busier than ever. In March they are having a job fair to recruit more techs and are especially hoping to get high school graduates they can sign up as apprentices and train. There is a whole world out there outside of yours. Respectfully submitted, Gary

Six years, thought it would be three. 1915 McLaughlin, bought it from the fellow on the left, he had it 45 years, we've had it eight.

Yesterday my paint shop added a mess of green pigment to the gallon can with a happy result. Regards, Gary

My mixologist came up with this match for Brewster Green. I tried it out in a variety of situations and Monday I will ask him if he could make it more green. It is green though I find the colour too much gray. Since the Cadillac is a local car I want to paint the car the way it is remembered. I must admit I asked him to go a tone or two lighter, the existing green is so dark. Brewster Green with Primrose running gear are the correct colours for Cadillac in 1905. Regards, Gary

Cadillac in the early years was what is known as an assembled car, meaning parts were bought from suppliers and Cadillac built and sold the cars. During restoring the springs there is a company stamp but I could not make it out, until the last one. Clearly the spring is stamped Sheldon Axle Co., Wilkes Barre, Pa. and the brand? is Dragon. Not important, just one of those crazy forensic facts. Regards, Gary

I have four of these unique fasteners which attach the fenders to the frame irons, problem is I need eight. The car had four hardware store fasteners, though they worked are not correct. Likely I will have to fabricate four new fasteners patterned from the ones I have. Also I have an appointment with RM Restorations to have my axles and front wheel spindles magnafluxed. With the wife riding in the car, it must be sound and not let her down quickly. Regards, Gary

Before and after, the front spring painted one time with an urethane enamel and the next dirty as found. Oddly, the Cadillac literature say the right and left rear springs are not interchangeable, though I cannot see why that would be. Snowing lightly today, first snow we have had since Christmas, miles to go but hurry spring. BTW, the white block you can see in the first photo is paraffin wax used to lubricate the leaves. Regards, Gary

What's the big deal with driving an old car year round. We have a friend in Michigan drives his Hudson Terraplane as a daily driver, in the 80's I drove a '56 Ford station wagon year round as my company car. Once another fellow, me as the passenger, drove his daily driver '40 Ford sedan to Calgary, in a snow storm. I see many cars on the road made in the 90's. My '39 Century is a daily driver, though really a second car. Wisdom says a prewar sedan is worthless, might as well use it as intended. Regards, Gary

Thanks again Jeff; Your pictures will be a great help, I am working this winter on refurbishing the chassis. In the spring is the time for the body wood work. In the photos are the front spring, cleaned, sandblasted and coated in epoxy primer. The two photos of my body show the inner plank you described and then one of the rear mounts connected to the plank. My timeline to finish the restoration is June, ready to hit the brass highway. Regards, Gary

I've been shopping for lumber to construct a body for the Cadillac project and I've settled on Tulip. It is light weight, medium density and strong. Tulip is a white wood with tight grain so it will take paint with a minimum of required filling and the planks I purchased are clear, meaning knot free. The wood is common in the east and I am told the Gray Carriage Co used miles of it when making bodies for early Ford of Canada, REO cars and their carriages. I found opinions of wood is right up there with the best oil to use. Sorry, no photo, it's just a wood pile. Regards, Gary

Friday, September 8th, OCF, meet you there. Gary

My sandblaster in the backyard and $10.00 for a sack of sand, thirty minutes and gone are fifty years of old paint and ready, set, go for the refinish. Regards, Gary

My local farm store carries an alkyd enamel made by Van Sickle, Lincoln, Nebraska. Comes in all the tractor colours, black and red oxide primer too, and I've been happy with the paint, Good luck with your project, Gary

Thanks Jeff; These photos are a great deal of aid to me in my restoration. Gary