Saturday was a bad day.

The wife and I was returning home from a local cruise when ol Blue started reving up going down the interstate. Yep, something gave out on the old tranny. The underside of the car is soaked with tranny fluid along with the rear of the car. It lost it fast, by the time I got to the exit, there was no movement. Pulled the dipstick, empty.

I thought maybe one of the rubber hoses in the cooling lines gave out but I can't see anything wrong with them.  Of…

Well, the wife and I…

Well, we woke up to a beautiful, warm day for this time of year here in NE Ks. yesterday. The wife said it would be " a good day to test the Caddie".

This is  in prep for a little adventure we're planning to take the end of March first part of April. We're going to drive the Ks, Ok. and maybe Texas stretch of Route 66. What better way of doing it than in a '63 Sedan DeVille.

 I said what the h..., temp in the 40's-50's, sunshine, threw a few tools in the trunk and headed…

Well, the wife say we gotta have'em so I'm on the hunt for seat belts for the back seat of my SDV 4 window.

My question is, are the rears the same length as the front?. Near as I can tell, fronts are about 70+ inches or so.

I've been looking at after market, chrome latch belts that are pretty reasonable. Seat Belt Planet and Andoauto are a couple. Although not exact match to the fronts that are installed, they'll be fine for my driver. 

Haven't looked around at it yet to…

Just finished dropping the tank on the 63 SDV due to the common problem of  gas smell when I filled it up. It was either due to a bad gasket on sender or cracked hose on vent tube.  Project cost me 40.00. Ingredients were as follows:

3ft. 1/4 fuel line for return line

3ft 5/16 fuel line for fuel line

7 Inches of 2 inch filler hose

2 inches of 5/8 vent tube…

Hey guys, I'm getting ready to drop the tank on the '63. I've read up on all the blogs about tank leaks, seaps, vent hose, etc. Like others, I get a gas smell when over half full but no wet spots on floor or evidence of and leaks around all the hoses. So, rather than mess around, I'm just going to replace all the rubber and sender sock. 

Want to gather all the parts and have a question on which size openning on the sender filter/sock. I see two listed 3/8 or 5/16?. My SDV does have…

Well I finally made the jump and had some work done on my interior. Thought I would share a pic of the cover my upholsterer punt on my dash. It was cracked in several places with the ugly foam showing. Seemed like every time I touched it, I put a new crack in it. I think it turned out well for a driver. Anyway- no more ugly cracks. They did have to put a seam on the…

A while back my odometer quit working just as it was turning over 40000 mi. I took some time and pulled the speedo out expecting to see a stripped gear somewhere. What I found was a chunk broke out of the odometer dial. Its locked up tight.

I replaced the dial with a working one but would like to set the numbers to around 42000 instead of showing 004876.

My…

Hi all,

Kind of an unimportant thing but one that drives me nuts. How do you stop the passenger ash tray from rattling? Its also very hard to open. I see the latch mechanism but don't see any adjustment on it. Has anyone else ran into this?

Tired of trying to drown it out with the radio.

Thanks for any advice.

Tom B

64 Hey all, I'm in the process of having a guy fix the choke tube as I could hear a ticking under load like and exhaust/intake leak. Well my worst fear was realized and the intake is cracked.

So, I'm on the hunt for a good one. Anyone out there have one?? 

63 SDV w/air

I know the 62 and prior won't fit, don't figure a 64 429 would either.

Tom B

Hi all. Been gone a while and suffered through a computer melt-down. What a pain in the posterior!

Well, I found another "old school" auto tech that was very familiar with the AC system on the old girl. It turns out I had a major leak at the STV(suction Throttling valve). We ordered an update kit for it off epay for $75.  This thing isn't easy to get to as its stuck between the fender and hood hinges. I guess there's an access panel on the fender well that can be removed once you take…

Thought I would report back on my latest investment in my "rolling bank account". I finally found someone with  knowledge of these old rigs that actually cares about whether things are right when they leave his shop

The original radiator  had some green spots in it and some of the fins were starting to separate. It wasn't leaking yet, but figured it was just a matter of time. After considering re-coring the original or replacing, I opted to replace. Since I'm not "restoring" the car,…

Has anyone out there replaced their OEM radiator with an aftermarket aluminum radiator??? If so, from who and how did it fit?? I'm a little worried that modifications will have to be done to make an aftermarket fit.

A recore job will cost about $450. Alum. radiators are selling for about $200. Restoration is not my goal but functionality is.

Mine isn't leaking yet, but is showing some green areas on the corners, so there are some weak spots.

I'm getting the AC fixed and…

Well, I'm still slowly going through a lot of trials and tribulations, trying to get this 63 SDV back in shape.

I remember now why I went from cars to antique tractors as therapy. Tractors are simple and cheap. I'm beginning to liken this to the game of golf, which I can't stand and never took up. But, then I go for a drive, look at the lines of these ol rigs, and start in again.

It took me two shops to get the rear spherical ball joint replaced.  1st on couldn't keep rear…

I was coming home from the alignment shop the other day and the odometer was turning over to 40000 and stopped mid stream. Trip meter still works.

Anyone have ideas on why she quit?? I imagine it's major project trying to trouble shoot the speedo/odometer!

Tom B

Well I just had my front end aligned yesterday. Had the tires rotated and balanced also.

l'll give the youngster doing the alignment credit for the effort he put into it. He spent most of the day, off and on, on it. But just wanted to check with you all on the results. 

First, I will say it no longer pulls to one side like it did so thats a plus. But, the steering wheel is about 1/8th turn off from center which I believe will drive me nuts after a while.

In talking to…

Hey Guys, my 63 SDV with tilt steering, turn signals are intermittent. The Right turn signal works every time its engaged but the ratchet does not turn it off after making the turn.

The Left turn signal doesn't always work. Its like the lever never engages the switch or something. Sometimes it works perfectly. I haven't figured out the scenario that makes it work. All turn signal lights and turning lights work as they should.

Is there an adjustment on the switch or something…

Anyone out there ever replaced the rear ball joint on their Caddy?? With the gas tank vent tube so close my mechanic is a  little afraid to use a torch or grinder to cut the heads off the rivets. My mechanic had it on the lift and was going to remove the upper control yoke assembly to torch the rivets but the rear axle kept wanting to twist forward and down. He did use a jack stand under the drive line.

Anyone had any experience with this or have suggestions.

I've got…

I was rolling around town today saw an upholstery shop so thought I'd stop and talk about my 63 sdv front seat.

He said about $100/yd. @3 yards + $250 labor. 

Sound about right using the old leather?

This is a ways down the road, but just  getting ideas on cost. Also, anyone ever put cruise on one of these things(aftermarket)?

Thanks for any insight

Tom B

Well, it looks like my seat motor decided to give up. Armature turns free, brushes are fine but no go.

Anyone out there have one. Thanks tbbahner@embarqmail.com

Tom B