dmfconsult

Was able to get the Electra out for a 50 mile trip today through some backroads before putting it away for the winter. Took my father along and toured some backroads along the Fraser River and out to the point the river enters the Pacific Ocean (Georgia straight). A beautiful, blustery fall day and the car ran great. Time has been my enemy lately, but it sure is a pleasure to drive with that miss/stumble dealt with.

Things have been stormy around here for a few weeks, so no real opportunity to get the car out… until today. Most of the fall colors have been blown away, but grabbed my father and went for a drive. A bit blustery but otherwise a beautiful fall day!

The only filter on my 67 Electra originally (other than the sock on the fuel sender in the tank) was in the fuel inlet in the carburetor itself. When I had my sputtering at idle issue that was the first thing I checked and it was clean, but I changed it anyway. By the way, I run the original points set up and I also changed those and the condensor out, along with the cap and spark plugs and that made no difference. I do agree though, if you run an electronic replacement for your points, to go back to points and see if that helps.

Also, how old is the fuel? I know you just got the car, but is it still running on fuel that was put in by the previous owner? I wonder if it's older ethanol blended fuel that is causing your issues.

I would check the pressure you are getting out of the fuel pump, as it's not unheard of that the newer ones fail out of the box. I would also examine that extra fuel filter, as there was not one there originally. It may be restricting fuel enough to cause some vapor lock symptoms. I had a similar problem develop on my 67 Electra. One solution was to install an electric fuel pump and filter along the frame rail to "assist" the manual pump, and that helped, but I was still getting some symptoms similar to yours. We finally dug into what was a recently rebuilt carburetor and found that the gasket used under the air horn was missing a tiny piece which caused an air leak under certain conditions. With the right gasket in there the problem was solved. I technically didn't need the electric fuel pump but I've left it on for now.

While the modern look While this statement is definitely true for your 55 Caddy, I don't think it's true for the 67 Wildcat. Radials look perfectly correct (and they are correct) for these cars, and I would say the bias ply's would look more out of place.

You could have radials as an option on a 67. Wildcat and Electra used the same size I believe. My Electra has had radials since I’ve owned it and it rides very nice, so I don’t think you’ll be disappointed with radials and there are other options for white walls. I’m running multi mile matrix on the Electra and I’ve been happy.

Thanks, I looked for pics on their site but couldn’t find them 🤔

Thanks very much for coming on here and posting Mark, let me pass along my sincere condolences to you and your family for the passing of your father. While, like many on here, I had never met your father, his posts seemed to document many of the same struggles we all have when working on our cars, organizing our storage spaces, and fitting in our love of old cars with our regular working and family lives. Your father always approached these things with a positive "get on with it" attitude which I think helped motivate many of us to tackle similar issues in our own lives. He will definitely be missed around here, and I'm very glad you will be keeping the flame burning!

That's a great car and the same color as my 67 Electra, definitely Sapphire Blue. The white interior looks great too. I can't answer your question on the battery, but I went with a Diehard Gold battery for the Electra and it has never let me down. Does the Wildcat have A/C? I ask as with A/C you received the "HD cooling option" that included a fan shroud. I know of other 67 Wildcat's without the HD cooling that have had overheating problems, so you may want to pay attention to the condition of the radiator and perhaps budget to recore the original, and maybe find a fan shroud and top plate to replace the original finger protection. My Electra has the shroud and I did recore the radiator several years ago and I've never had an overheating issue.

Shocking…. He was such a family centered guy, his family must be shattered. Rest In Peace Doug

Thank goodness! Now I can stop figuring out how I could get that home... Congrats Adam!

Sorry to hear of your recent issues Doug. Hopefully, with time, the news will brighten up for you and your family.

Thanks... that's something I don't think I would have tried. I've always heard of using a sponge to wipe the paint clean while it was wet, but I've smudged that every time and I was never happy.

Looks great Adam! What do you use to clean off the black paint off the raised sections after?

Can they be disassembled to get below the ribs? I sent my wheel covers to @Smartin and he did a fantastic job polishing and repainting the black portions... although mine would be far simpler to polish then yours appear to be.

The Estate Wagon was pressed into duty this weekend again as the efforts to clean out my wife’s fathers home continues. The wagon was filled up the headliner twice for trips to the donation center without complaints and it was sure nice to have working AC! of course had to first quickly polish up the car and clean the white walls! last weekend I used the Electra for a wedding, which was a surprise for the bride, but she thankfully was very impressed. No pics yet (I was too busy to take any) but the groom has promised me a couple when he gets them. last but not least, I was also able to place the new floor mats for the wagon. They are a very good fit and color match

Went for about a 35 mile cruise tonight with the destination of a micro brewery to see a friend. I’m really liking the stance of the Electra with the new Springs as it raised about 5/8” in the rear. Not significant but noticeable. Suspension is a lot quieter too. These guys joined in a bit later. Very nice VW’s!

I'm glad to hear everyone is OK and not seriously hurt, although I'm sure you are a bit sore a few days on! It is really heartbreaking to see the damage the car has sustained, but it did it's job and protected your family. All the best!

I also saw this picture of the fan from a 66 GS that is currently for sale on BAT. Clearance looks similar to above.

Hey JD, I asked a 67 Wildcat owner (badgerman) to measure the distance on his non AC Wildcat. Here’s a couple of photos of his clearance. He has only a fan guard, no shroud. pic on drivers side to leading edge of fan pic on passenger side to leading edge of fan. pic of clearance to base of fan.

I can't find a reference to that gap in any of my books here John. I would guess that any big block car (Wildcat, Electra, GS) without HD cooling (ie. without A/C) will be a similar dimension. Someone probably just has to measure theirs for you.

Was able to take the Electra out for an evening drive, the first real drive since having the springs and a few suspension pieces replaced. Hard to find back roads in the City, but there are still a few! North arm of the Fraser river, prime storage for log booms. was also asked by a long time friend to provide the Electra as a get away car after his wedding in August so there will need to be some detailing done!

That looks way to nice to part out!

You might have a better pulse of the market, but with the overall condition and my general lack of storage, at just over $10,000 CAN it was more than I was willing to spend. The guy that bought seemed to have to have it and he will be bringing it down to the US.