1960 Cadillac S&S Victoria Hearse
"Eva"
I had wanted a 1960 Cadillac hearse for a while before I saw this one on Ebay. Although I knew she was rough, I didn't realize how bad she was until she arrived from South Carolina and couldn't even drive off the transport. The frame had been hacked away to accomodate a later 500 cid Cadillac motor and the exterior sheetmetal was alarmingly rusty and roughly patched. She needed a much more extensive (and expensive) restoration that I was expecting.
Working literally outside in a field and unable to take the car fully apart I had to plan carefully. I started by removing the hood and the front clip. This was more time consuming than expected, but went well. I began cleaning the grill and repainting the inner fenderwells. More importantly the engine showed poor compression and leaked so we decided to pull it out. With the motor out we fixed and patched the holes in the frame and repainted it all.
We pulled another 500 cid motor out of a low miles '75 Cadillac parts car. The motor runs well and just got a new coat of paint. Unfortunately the original swap was not expertly done, and I wanted to do a more "tidy" job. After much research, I bought an aftermarket oil pump to help clearence issues, though I still had to cut a hole in the frame. Motor mounts were fabricated from a mix of '60 Cadillac, '75 Cadillac and 60s Dodge truck motor mounts, but the motor fits very well.
Working literally outside in a field and unable to take the car fully apart I had to plan carefully. I started by removing the hood and the front clip. This was more time consuming than expected, but went well. I began cleaning the grill and repainting the inner fenderwells. More importantly the engine showed poor compression and leaked so we decided to pull it out. With the motor out we fixed and patched the holes in the frame and repainted it all.
We pulled another 500 cid motor out of a low miles '75 Cadillac parts car. The motor runs well and just got a new coat of paint. Unfortunately the original swap was not expertly done, and I wanted to do a more "tidy" job. After much research, I bought an aftermarket oil pump to help clearence issues, though I still had to cut a hole in the frame. Motor mounts were fabricated from a mix of '60 Cadillac, '75 Cadillac and 60s Dodge truck motor mounts, but the motor fits very well.
The wiring harness needed help, so I removed some aftermarket wires and spliced in fresh wire to get the starter hooked up. I'm still working through routing and plugging the proper vacuum lines now the smog pump is removed and the accessories require different vacuum sources.
There is a light at the end of the tunnel, as far as getting her running, but there's still a lot to do. We has a lot of trouble trying to fabricate a drivers side '75 exhaust manifold to clear the '60 steering box. I had the stock '60 radiator re-cored and modified to allow a mechanical fan and line up with the inlet/outlets on the motor. Also the heater core and connections need to be figured out. After that though, she just might start...fingers crossed!
Meanwhile I started reassembling the front sheetmetal, not gapping and fitting everything yet, but at least she started looking more and more like a real car. I'm pretty handy with fixing or swapping out broken parts, but fabricating parts and improvising has really been pushing my abilties and patience more than I thought. I'm totally stumped on making a shift linkage that moves properly and am having trouble with the '75 transmission cooler lines being skinnier than the '60 transmission cooler. It's not easy, but one piece at a time...
There is a light at the end of the tunnel, as far as getting her running, but there's still a lot to do. We has a lot of trouble trying to fabricate a drivers side '75 exhaust manifold to clear the '60 steering box. I had the stock '60 radiator re-cored and modified to allow a mechanical fan and line up with the inlet/outlets on the motor. Also the heater core and connections need to be figured out. After that though, she just might start...fingers crossed!
Meanwhile I started reassembling the front sheetmetal, not gapping and fitting everything yet, but at least she started looking more and more like a real car. I'm pretty handy with fixing or swapping out broken parts, but fabricating parts and improvising has really been pushing my abilties and patience more than I thought. I'm totally stumped on making a shift linkage that moves properly and am having trouble with the '75 transmission cooler lines being skinnier than the '60 transmission cooler. It's not easy, but one piece at a time...
Mid May 2014 I brought the hearse down to my friend Bill who not only does great body work, but is also an expert on 1960s Cadillacs. He got the car running, but found an issue with the driveshaft yoke. I ordered a new one from a '68 GTO, which apparently will fix the problem, and in the meantime Bill started cutting out the quarters and taking a look at the rust issues. With other projects however, progress was slow. By September though, the driveshaft yoke and carrier bearing had been swapped and the driveline complete. Next up, I ordered a radiator fan, got hold of a shift linkage to modify for the '60 column to '75 trans, and we sent the brake booster and master cylinder out for a rebuild. It was a big push to get her going in time for Halloween.
10/8/14 - Mounted the hood, hung the front bumper, and brought over a brand new gas tank to install. Oddly enough, the '60 Cadillac hearse uses a '58 Cadillac fuel tank, which is twice the price!
12/31/14 - The front end is put back together and fitted, and the motor/trans are working. Right now the brakes are being finished up (the rear brakes have been modified and proving difficult) and the replacement rear quarter installed. The exhaust system will also take some attention, but things are looking good.
8/19/15 - Had to replace the modified '60 radiator with a '75 Eldorado radiator to keep her cool. The exhaust was also hooked up, the wheel cylinders rebuilt so she stops, and now she is back home and ready for some *cautious* test driving!
9/29/15 - After really looking at everything the hearse still needed, my abilities, and how much money I had already invested, I decided to end my restoration. Even though she could drive, she still needed work everywhere I looked. I sold the hearse on Craigslist at an enormous financial loss. I am still proud of the work that my friends and I did towards restoring her, and wish the new owner success. ...and September 2017, the new owner has her listed back on Craigslist.
10/8/14 - Mounted the hood, hung the front bumper, and brought over a brand new gas tank to install. Oddly enough, the '60 Cadillac hearse uses a '58 Cadillac fuel tank, which is twice the price!
12/31/14 - The front end is put back together and fitted, and the motor/trans are working. Right now the brakes are being finished up (the rear brakes have been modified and proving difficult) and the replacement rear quarter installed. The exhaust system will also take some attention, but things are looking good.
8/19/15 - Had to replace the modified '60 radiator with a '75 Eldorado radiator to keep her cool. The exhaust was also hooked up, the wheel cylinders rebuilt so she stops, and now she is back home and ready for some *cautious* test driving!
9/29/15 - After really looking at everything the hearse still needed, my abilities, and how much money I had already invested, I decided to end my restoration. Even though she could drive, she still needed work everywhere I looked. I sold the hearse on Craigslist at an enormous financial loss. I am still proud of the work that my friends and I did towards restoring her, and wish the new owner success. ...and September 2017, the new owner has her listed back on Craigslist.