December 14, 2017

Sourcing a broken spring

Sounds like a simple task but it is very much the opposite.

Our 1967 Jaguar E-Type 2+2 door catch may look the part having been fully refurbished but upon closer inspection you’ll see the small spring is a broken. Typically, this spring is probably the most important aspect of the mechanism and is almost impossible to source on it’s own without buying a completely new unit.

Tommy has managed to reproduce the spring, strong enough to withstand the strains that is required. It is times like this where the talents of a classic car restorer really shine through. It may be simpler to buy a new one to fit but it’s much more cost effective to utilise the skills that you have available to you.

Our 1971 Cadillac Eldorado restoration project

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Source: Wikipedia

The Cadillac Eldorado is a personal luxury car that was manufactured and marketed by Cadillac from 1952 to 2002 over ten generations. Competitors and similar vehicles included the Lincoln Mark series, Buick Riviera, Oldsmobile Toronado and Chrysler’s Imperial Coupe.

The Eldorado was at or near the top of the Cadillac line during early model years. The original 1953 Eldorado convertible and the Eldorado Brougham models of 1957–1960 were the most expensive models that Cadillac offered those years, and the Eldorado was never less than second in price after the Cadillac Series 75 until 1966.

The Eldorado carried the Fleetwood designation from 1965 through 1972, and was a modern revival of the pre-war Cadillac V-12 and Cadillac V16 roadsters and convertibles.

Our Cadillac Eldorado is an early seventh generation model which was manufactured between 1971 and 1978.

The Eldorado was substantially redesigned for 1971, growing two inches in length, six in wheelbase and featuring standard fender skirts. Door glass remained frame less, and the hardtop rear quarter windows were deleted, replaced by a fixed “opera window” in the widened “C” pillar. A convertible model rejoined the line-up. This 126.3-inch (3,210 mm) wheelbase version Eldorado would run through 1978, receiving face lifts in 1973 and 1975. Sales in 1971 set a new record at 27,368.

In 1972 sales rose to 40,074.

Performance was not competitive with contemporary premium personal luxury cars.

In early 2018 we will begin the full restoration of our 1971 Cadillac Eldorado which has been tucked away in a workshop for over 8 years before we were introduced to her as a possible restoration project.

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