C Carl Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 I am trying to drive this to the Cadillac & LaSalle Club Grand National next month. As some of you know , it is unrestored and original. The fenders and aprons have been repainted. The pinstriping has been replaced , having been almost totally buffed off in the long distance past. I had the wheels rebuilt from a set the previous owner included. This will preserve the VGC originals for the next owner , as I intend to drive this Cadillac. The only other deviation from original is the glasspacks (!!) someone put on it (maybe the aggressive buffer ?). This has a benefit , as everyone enjoys the roar of a V8 firing up. Also , it allows me to hear whether it is firing well under way. It is , but I am having a problem which has me temporarily stopped in Monterrey , Ca. I think I can improve it enough to continue on Tuesday. You can see continuing details on Cadillac LaSalle under General Motors below. Also under General on the Cad-LaSalle forums. Weather has been a delay. Supposed to be a good dry spell starting Monday afternoon. Here you see some of the dry accommodations enjoyed for an hour in the hanger , to 3 days in Port Orford , Or. The scheduled service was expertly done by Rod Dahlgren of Napa , Cal. The kindness and hospitality of Rod and Cyndy will be a treasured memory for the rest of my days. - CC 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dandy Dave Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 Looks like fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryB Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 Go Carl! Looks like a great adventure. Keep us posted on your progress!Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimy Posted March 12, 2016 Share Posted March 12, 2016 Way to go, Carl! You brought your Pacific Northwest weather to us in the process. Should improve Monday afternoon, as you know. Let us know if you need help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarFreak Posted March 12, 2016 Share Posted March 12, 2016 Awesome! Great looking car and love that you are driving it to Vegas. Hope your mechanical problems are corrected and we'll see you there next month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ovalrace25 Posted March 12, 2016 Share Posted March 12, 2016 Hang in there Carl! Cindy and I want to see you in Las Vegas so I can finish that video! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ovalrace25 Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 Carl, Let us know if the spark plug change has helped clear up the problem. Since the Johnson carb has been running RICH and the engine running COLD, this can eventualy foul the plugs. Changing the adjsutments on that carb while on the road in bad weather is NO FUN at all! Hope all is well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C Carl Posted March 14, 2016 Author Share Posted March 14, 2016 (edited) Thank all of you who have given me encouragement , and also everyone who has given me a view ! I have wanted to take such a leisurely cross country trip since I bought my '24 Cad 26 years ago. When I think of the work I have done on it over about 4000 miles , the routine becomes familiar. I should have had the opportunity to drive it quite a bit more , but life got In the way. I am very fortunate now to finally be on the road. The closed car is more suited for all day driving. As we old car lovers know , each individual car has its strengths and quirks. However , we all know that an unrestored relic will have issues that a perfectly restored car will not be so vulnerable to. But obviously cars which were simply dependent on frequent maintenance and adjustments by design of the era , must get that attention or suffer. So here we are , hood panels up , new plugs , hood down , and a 50 mile test drive. Much improved , now with engine temp quite low , however , I am grateful for modern multi-viscosity oil. Let's see what happens in the 80 degree heat we get to run in later this week.As I have posted elsewhere , it is wonderful to have this remarkable technology to share aspects of our lives together. The hardest part of old age outside of pain and ill health , is loosing ones friends. And here we have a group of people , feeling comfortable enough with one another to assume familiarity to offer not only support , but to put one another back on track when a bit off. Special thanks to Rusty who helped me understand mid teens to late '20s gasoline. This has given me a remedy to make my mid '20s Cads run better on modern gasoline. I am also indebted to Dwight who gave me an opportunity to get focused and "up and at 'em". Cort , you are always an inspiration with your strength and great attitude. I feel so lucky to still be able to drive these difficult cars. Several of you have suffered accidents or debilitating health issues which keep you out of the drivers seat. I hope I will be able to photographically take you with me if my car behaves itself as I am about to enter the most scenic part of the trip.I am posting farther down under General Motors , Cadillac & LaSalle. I will post similar but different pics there. Along with the Cadillac LaSalle Club forum under General , that will tell a bit more about recent difficulties. I have finally got past some problem I had registering on CLC. Almost bedtime , CC Edited March 14, 2016 by C Carl (see edit history) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C Carl Posted March 15, 2016 Author Share Posted March 15, 2016 Looks like everything is in order for today. The storms which shifted to California after giving Western Washington the wettest winter on record are gone. At last this old Cad and I will be able to drive very slowly. No more trying to stay ahead of the rain , or hurrying to get to pre-planned shelter. It will be a welcome change to stop and enjoy any scenic spot I feel like. No more of the same old parking lot pics. I now have a spare Optima , and spare new coil. This will allow me to continue to analyse the problem I have with deteriorating performance as the car runs longer and warmer. Can a coil really become weaker as it warms up , only to run fine the next day when everything is cold ? Or can a coil be deteriorating gradually , the weak condition simply becoming magnified as everything under the hood heats up ? When the car misbehaves next , I will put in the new coil and see if this is the problem. - CC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimy Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 (edited) Hi Carl, best wishes for a superb and successful adventure! This may help (or may not, but it's quick and easy): About ten years ago on a long weekend tour, my 1925 Pierce had the same issue, and I followed this suggestion from a friend. If you are still running an original condenser (and a modern condenser won't fit into the plate without machining the plate), the problem may be the breakdown of the wax paper insulation in the original condenser. So, at his suggestion, I added a modern condenser wired to the distributor side of the low tension side of the (modern) coil. The condenser body must be grounded, so I used a heater hose clamp around the body of the condenser and the radiator steady rod. Any other good ground would work. I did NOT disconnect the original condenser in the body of the distributor; I just left it in place. The condenser value for the 1925 P-A was 0.026-0.030 uf, which is the same as for a 1962 Ford full-size 6-cylinder, so that is what I bought. This was intended to be a temporary fix, but ten years and about 8,000 miles later it's still in place on this driver. It completely solved the problem! And I've monitored point condition, and because the modern condenser is approximately the same value as the original condenser, there has been no cratering of the points. Looking forward to your continued travelogue! And if you return thru the Bay Area, please let me know. I'll be glad to offer you a bunk and garage space. Edited March 15, 2016 by Grimy (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ovalrace25 Posted March 17, 2016 Share Posted March 17, 2016 Carl, I agree with Grimy, maybe grab a condenser along the way just in case you have a chance. It is easy enough to connect it to the distributor lead and mount the thing to a good ground- Heck, even an alligator clipped test wire would work if you clamp it to a good ground and it will grab hold of the condenser body. BUT ALSO, I sure would like to get a voltmeter on your battery to see what it is getting from the generator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C Carl Posted March 17, 2016 Author Share Posted March 17, 2016 Dog bone dead beat tired in Santa Barbara. Cad seems to be running better than ever. Good story , but no time to tell it now. 4 hrs of sleep last night. Not much more night before. A bit late for social engagement. Can't get pics to load. Much more with explanation. Can't find my glasses to proofread , so I'll just post now. Apologies , CC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted March 18, 2016 Share Posted March 18, 2016 Hard core.......best of luck........drive on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ovalrace25 Posted March 18, 2016 Share Posted March 18, 2016 Carl, You are on the home stretch now. BUT YOU NEED to REST UP... Are you going to be able to just take a break where you are now? All the sorting out of the car problems seem to have taken a toll on your body... I know that shoulder of yours does not like that 1927 Arm Strong Steering system! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C Carl Posted March 18, 2016 Author Share Posted March 18, 2016 Hi , all , I must indeed rest up here with Roy and Danny helping us two oldsters. Roy continues in great health , and I think he still has memories from before my Cad rolled off the assembly line !! I wanted to see if I could finally attach some pics , so without the laborious selection process I inflict on myself , here is a "grab bag". I got down the coast to Jockos. I have never seen as healthy looking restaurant patrons as here. An anorexics worst nightmare. I went surf with halibut , as red meat is no longer advisable. 1 1/2 hour wait was fun. Lots of interested folks , of course. Poor coil connection shorting to ground led to smoke , and a quick pulling of the pin on the Halotron fire extinguisher. Flashlight failed , so AAA to the rescue. Felt foolish when I realized by daylight , that a good dose of light could have allowed me to fix it PDQ. O.K. I have located a VGC made in USA Delco coil. No more sad substitutes for a while. I want to take it easy , catch up on sleep and correspondence. Thanks for your much appreciated support. More soon , CC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C Carl Posted March 19, 2016 Author Share Posted March 19, 2016 Well , well , well. Hmmmmm.........something new to learn. What fun ! I kinda wonder where the pics disappeared to and how to get them back. What about posting more ? I can't understand the cryptic symbols around here , and sadly don't have time to learn in general. Even less now. I guess I am a bit of an old idiot. Just when I figure out how to use something acceptably well , the system or software or format or something changes. I really liked the ease of what I learned to use before. I wonder if the P.M. I sent will go through ? O.K. , first I better see if this posts................. CC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimy Posted March 19, 2016 Share Posted March 19, 2016 Hi Carl, The updates to the system, necessary to prevent Korean and other spam, also unleashed a user-unfriendly format. We're all trying to be patient until pre-changeover photos become available again. The previous format was intuitive and easy to learn, unlike this one. Very many of us are following your adventures and are eager to hear the latest. George aka Grimy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C Carl Posted March 19, 2016 Author Share Posted March 19, 2016 IT WORKED ! MY BEAUTIFUL 1927 UNRESTORED ORIGINAL CADILLAC IS NOW RUNNING SPECTACULARLY WELL ! I HAVE BEEN DRIVING IT FOR 2000 MILES WITH THE COIL WIRED BACKWARDS ! I GUESS THE LESSON IS DONT TAKE TOO MUCH FOR GRANTED. I NOW HAVE THE CONFIDENCE TO DRIVE THROUGH THE DESERT BACKROADS TO 'VEGAS AND RETURN SOLO. MY 1924 CADILLAC HAS ALSO SUFFERED THE SAME AFFLICTION , ALTHOUGH TO A LESSER DEGREE. YOU KNOW THE FIRST THING I WILL CHECK WHEN I GET BACK TO SEATTLE ! IF I HAD THE TIME & ETC. , I THINK THE CAR IS STRONG ENOUGH TO RETURN THROUGH A MUCH LONGER ROUTE. MAYBE THROUGH ALL THE CONTIGUOUS 48 STATES. WHAT AN INCREDIBLE IDEA FOR A RETIREMENT PROJECT ! BUT WHETHER THE CAD CAN MAKE IT , THE OLD MAN CERTAINLY CAN NOT. MAYBE THE NEXT OWNER. I WILL TAKE IT ON A GOOD RUN IN THE MOUNTAINS OF SANTA BARBARA BEFORE ROLLING ON. MY MIND IS AT PRESENT FREE TO MARVEL AT HOW FAR CARS HAD COME IN THE GENERATION THEY HAD EXISTED. MAYBE THE ORIGINAL OWNER WAS ALSO IN HIS OR HER 70s OR 80s. MUST HAVE ALMOST SEEMED LIKE GOING TO THE MOON FOR SOMONE BORN BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR !!!!! I HOPE YOU ALL CAN GET (BACK) ON THE ROAD SOON THIS SPRING ! - CC 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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