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  #931  
Old 06-10-2018, 01:29 PM
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Jack 1957 Jack 1957 is offline
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I made a template and cut the lower right side panel from some sheet. Next, I ran it through the E wheel using a PU upper wheel to put a bend in along the upper 3 inches so the panel rolls inward to meet with the upper panel.

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Then I used the shrinker to bring the curve in so it follows the edge of the top panel, then planished with the E wheel using the steel upper wheel.


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After some fitting and trimming, I tacked the panel in and checked suspension clearance under the car. All is good so I welded it up.

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  #932  
Old 06-11-2018, 11:48 PM
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Making progress.I need to drop the rear suspension out AGAIN so I can bump some of the original sheet metal out to meet the new stuff across the top.

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  #933  
Old 06-12-2018, 05:59 AM
Oldnek Oldnek is offline
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Looking good Jack.
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  #934  
Old 06-12-2018, 07:55 AM
Kevinb71 Kevinb71 is offline
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Amazing work Jack! You have to be getting anxious to test drive it by this point.
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  #935  
Old 06-13-2018, 07:39 PM
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I cleaned up the sheet metal on the bottom and got some seam sealer and primer on it. I reinstalled the vapor canister and parking brake actuator(I didn't have to relocate the actuator. Everything fit.). Then I put the rear suspension back in, hopefully for the last time. I still need to install the shocks and bags.

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  #936  
Old 06-14-2018, 09:22 PM
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I got the inside of the trunk finished. Seam sealer and painted top and bottom. No frills, it will be upholstered eventually. Not much trunk space left after swapping the rear suspension. I'll be lucky to fit a beer cooler in here. Before, I could fit a whole refrigerator in.


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Last edited by Jack 1957; 06-14-2018 at 09:27 PM.
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  #937  
Old 06-14-2018, 10:03 PM
Marc Bourget Marc Bourget is offline
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Like Tom Sawyer getting all the kids to paint the fence, you'll have gawkers plying you with beer in exchange for answering their questions.


(Hint, keep them back lest they drool on the paint! )
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  #938  
Old 06-18-2018, 09:11 PM
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I removed the exhaust and drive shaft and started stripping the wiring and plumbing to the engine and transmission today. I need to set the engine and trans down so I can get the firewall and trans tunnel out of the CTS. I tagged the connectors on this one. Normally I wouldn't need to. The harnesses on these new cars are laid out so precisely that you can just drape it over the area where it goes and the connectors will fall within a couple inches of where they plug in. The difference with this job is that there will be some relocation of body mounted components such as the ABS module which will be about 12 inches further forward than its original location. Other components like the overflow tank, fuse box, air cleaner box, etc will end up where ever they will fit cleanly.
I will just be setting the assy on the ground until I can get the firewall transferred to the 49. It's going to get pretty crowded around here for a while.


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  #939  
Old 06-25-2018, 09:14 AM
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I've been pretty busy around the house but got some time in on the Cadillac here and there. My wheels are due here this week some time so I needed to get my front fenders finished. I'm scratching to gain every fraction of an inch in tire clearance up front. One way to gain another inch per side is to modify the wheel openings. The original design is flush along the outer surface and the sheet metal rolls inward almost a full inch to form a lip facing inward. You can see it in the picture of the left fender below.


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If I cut that lip off and roll the sheet metal outward to form the lip I gain two inches of clearance total. When I cut the old lip off and started to flare the sheet metal outward I could only go about half as far as I wanted to because it was starting to distort the fender so I stopped.I formed a lip from 5/8" round tube and welded it to the opening then smoothed it out with some duraglass. I only did one so far. I didn't want to do them both at the same time in case I didn't like the look. Once I had it done, I decided to keep it so I got it primered up. The only problem is, The flat surface doesn't really fit in with the rest of the rounded body lines. I will probably round off the outer edge of the flare to soften it up a little.


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Last edited by Jack 1957; 06-25-2018 at 09:17 AM.
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  #940  
Old 07-09-2018, 08:33 PM
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I've been putting it off as long as I could, but it's time. I need to get the CTS firewall swapped into the 49.
I dropped the engine and trans then cut away as much of the front unibody as I could for now. I have a lot of time into finding the best way to do this. I decided that I will take the CTS firewall out along with the trans tunnel. That will ensure that the dash and console will mate up during the transplant surgery.
Next on the list of things to consider was whether to use the CTS floor pans in the 49. I decided not to, the floor and floor braces in the 49 are in good shape and strategically placed to align with the body mounts. I don't want to lose that. Another reason is that the floors on the CTS dip down from the door sill about 2 inches. On the 49 they are straight across and there is only about one inch gap between the frame and floors.
There's a lot more measuring and head scratching to be done before cutting but at least I have a plan now.
The only thing that concerns me is the cabin air filter plenum. It is the composite box that you see in the pictures on the passenger side. I will be keeping most of the original 49 front body mount and there will probably be some tricky work involved in clearing that box. I will probably have to fabricate one out of steel. It's a pretty basic piece, it takes air from the cowl area above and allows any water to run out of an opening in the bottom. The filtered intake air to the cabin is in the middle.
I'll figure it out once I get the dash out. That's next, stay tuned.

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