I found some statistics in Ward's Automotive about the production numbers for the 1968 Eldorado.
98.8% of them had the automatic climate control. 78.9% had the tilt telescope steering wheel. 96.5% had either the 4 way or 6 way power seat. Vinyl top, 86.6%. White walls, 99.1%. Tinted glass, 99.2%. Cruise control, 29.1%. And paint color white, 10.8%.
My car is now black, which was 5.5% of production and if I install the bucket seats only 3.2% had them from the factory.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Headlamp Switch and Doors
The '68 Eldorado is unique in many ways. Only the '67 and '68 had hidden headlamps. The doors are vacuum actuated and rotate DOWN when the lights are turned on. The '67 does not illuminate the parking lights when the headlights are turned on. This is what the doors on a '67 look like in action.
The '68 leaves the parking lights on with the headlights. This means the '68 headlight switch is not common with any other year, make or model car. Damn.
Here is a picture of the headlight switch. The knob is removed but mounts on the left side. You can see the vacuum ports on top. One of them is a vacuum feed from the engine. When the switch is pushed in and off, vacuum is fed to one of the other two ports, pulling the headlamp doors up and closed. When the switch is pulled out and on, vacuum is fed to the third port, pulling the doors down and open.
My headlight switch hisses when the switch is pulled out. Hopefully the switch is not bad. I'm praying for a cracked or loose vacuum line. The doors still open and close, but a little slowly. Also, there should be enough vacuum stored to cycle the doors two or three times after shutting off the engine. Mine does not.
Also, my driver's side door is slightly misaligned. It really bugs me. Not sure what I'm going to do about that.
The '68 leaves the parking lights on with the headlights. This means the '68 headlight switch is not common with any other year, make or model car. Damn.
Here is a picture of the headlight switch. The knob is removed but mounts on the left side. You can see the vacuum ports on top. One of them is a vacuum feed from the engine. When the switch is pushed in and off, vacuum is fed to one of the other two ports, pulling the headlamp doors up and closed. When the switch is pulled out and on, vacuum is fed to the third port, pulling the doors down and open.
My headlight switch hisses when the switch is pulled out. Hopefully the switch is not bad. I'm praying for a cracked or loose vacuum line. The doors still open and close, but a little slowly. Also, there should be enough vacuum stored to cycle the doors two or three times after shutting off the engine. Mine does not.
Also, my driver's side door is slightly misaligned. It really bugs me. Not sure what I'm going to do about that.
If I successfully install the Twilight Sentinel option, the headlamp switch is no longer used to port the vacuum to open and close the doors. The switch stays in the off position and a photo sensor decides if it is dark enough to warrant the lights. An amplifier takes the photo sensor signal and through a relay turns on the lights. There is also an electropneumatic valve that takes a signal from the switch and ports the vacuum to the actuators to open or close the doors.
Power Windows
I'm very lucky in that all four power windows work. Each switch works and the windows move reasonably quickly. Now you don't want to try to raise more than one at a time. And it sure helps if the engine is running. There is a driver's door mounted lock out switch to prevent passengers from operating their windows. This is common on many cars. However, on this car, there is a third position on the lock out switch as well. You slide the switch to Emergency, hold it there, and you can operate all four windows from the driver's door without having the ignition on.
This trim panel that houses the mirror control, the window lock out switch and the window switches will have to be replaced with one that has an opening on the bottom for the power door lock switch if and when I install the vacuum door locks. This also means I'll be running vacuum feed lines to both doors and vacuum open/close lines to each actuator. At that time, I'll replace both of those wire/hose conduits that connect the doors to the body.
Also on the Eldorado, the rear windows slide back into the C pillar instead of down like most cars. I think this is really cool. But I'm a huge nerd. Check it out:
This trim panel that houses the mirror control, the window lock out switch and the window switches will have to be replaced with one that has an opening on the bottom for the power door lock switch if and when I install the vacuum door locks. This also means I'll be running vacuum feed lines to both doors and vacuum open/close lines to each actuator. At that time, I'll replace both of those wire/hose conduits that connect the doors to the body.
Also on the Eldorado, the rear windows slide back into the C pillar instead of down like most cars. I think this is really cool. But I'm a huge nerd. Check it out:
The Letter "O"
Remember my front right fender was missing an "o"? Well, all I could find was a complete set of "Eldorado" letters. Even though I only needed one letter, I thought it prudent to buy the set. Each letter has two pins and is attached invidually. A very easy repair.
Brakes
Last week I dropped the Eldo at Pepboys for a brake inspection. New for 1968, the Eldorado has power front discs with drums in the rear. My symptoms are a very low squishy pedal and gurgling noises. I suspect a leak and air in the lines. The car stops reasonable well so maybe I won't need pads, rotors, shoes and/or drums.
Update on this issue. The Eldo only needed rear shoes. Drums and rotors in good shape. Individual cylinders are good with no signs of leakage. Master cylinder needs to be replaced or rebuilt. Pedal is still low and squishy. Didn't bleed the brakes since the master still needs work. The master of course is unique to the 1968 Eldorado and very difficult to find. A rebuild kit is easier to find. Need to do something about this soon.
Update on this issue. The Eldo only needed rear shoes. Drums and rotors in good shape. Individual cylinders are good with no signs of leakage. Master cylinder needs to be replaced or rebuilt. Pedal is still low and squishy. Didn't bleed the brakes since the master still needs work. The master of course is unique to the 1968 Eldorado and very difficult to find. A rebuild kit is easier to find. Need to do something about this soon.
Stereo Dash
The used tan stereo dash arrived. It is in good condition with the exception of a small 1" long slice on the top just to the right of the steering wheel. Of course it is directly in the line of sight. So it had to be fixed.
I bought a vinyl repair kit that included all sorts of colors to match your vinyl as well as an adhesive that when cured can be textured. The kit has three different texture squares. You place the texture square on the patch and apply heat with a branding iron type tool.
Here you can see the tan dash with the repair. I didn't bother matching the color since I am going to dye the entire dash anyway.
The adhesive patch worked GREAT. The texture turned out ok. Not as perfect as I wanted, but I'm hoping good enough.
The dye on the other hand is amazing. You would never know the dash was not originally black.
The used dash did come with speakers but they were completely shot. Most '60s and '70s General Motors cars used 10 ohm speakers. An 8 ohm speaker will work fine. Most speakers available today are 4 ohm which will NOT work. I haven't solved this problem yet, but my choices are 8 ohm generic 3 1/2" speakers or refurbished 10 ohm speakers.
Before the dash goes in I want to address any other issues behind the instrument cluster. There may be a few lights out and the clock doesn't work, for starters. And I could take this opportunity to install the Twilight Sentinel amplifier and power door lock vacuum distribution block. I should also check the integrity of any other vacuum lines back there. They are easy and cheap to replace if cracked or brittle.
It would be so much easier to work from the top and bottom on these things, instead of just from the bottom at a future date. Although, remember this car is front wheel drive and the floor is COMPLETELY flat. Even the exhaust pipes are run down the side of the car next to the frame rails. So you can lie on your back on the floor in front of the seat and easily reach up under the dash.
I bought a vinyl repair kit that included all sorts of colors to match your vinyl as well as an adhesive that when cured can be textured. The kit has three different texture squares. You place the texture square on the patch and apply heat with a branding iron type tool.
Here you can see the tan dash with the repair. I didn't bother matching the color since I am going to dye the entire dash anyway.
The adhesive patch worked GREAT. The texture turned out ok. Not as perfect as I wanted, but I'm hoping good enough.
The dye on the other hand is amazing. You would never know the dash was not originally black.
The used dash did come with speakers but they were completely shot. Most '60s and '70s General Motors cars used 10 ohm speakers. An 8 ohm speaker will work fine. Most speakers available today are 4 ohm which will NOT work. I haven't solved this problem yet, but my choices are 8 ohm generic 3 1/2" speakers or refurbished 10 ohm speakers.
Before the dash goes in I want to address any other issues behind the instrument cluster. There may be a few lights out and the clock doesn't work, for starters. And I could take this opportunity to install the Twilight Sentinel amplifier and power door lock vacuum distribution block. I should also check the integrity of any other vacuum lines back there. They are easy and cheap to replace if cracked or brittle.
It would be so much easier to work from the top and bottom on these things, instead of just from the bottom at a future date. Although, remember this car is front wheel drive and the floor is COMPLETELY flat. Even the exhaust pipes are run down the side of the car next to the frame rails. So you can lie on your back on the floor in front of the seat and easily reach up under the dash.
Too Many Irons in the Fire
When I started this restoration I told myself I would prioritize projects and work on important things first, like the brakes and non-functioning equipment like the air conditioning and cruise control.
But I spend a lot of my free time browsing ebay for Eldo parts. This is how I found the bucket seats. They are so rare I had to get them now even though that project is near the bottom of my list.
Also on the long term list are installing items like the Twilight Sentinel, Guide-Matic, and Power Door Locks.
I've assembled a lot of the necessary items for these projects but its time to put them aside and get back on track.
When the Eldo gets back from Pepboys with new brakes I'm going to pack up the parts and store them in the trunk with the buckets.
Now its time to work on the stereo dash pad that should arrive anyday. There is a small cut in the top that will have to be repaired. Then the entire thing will be dyed black. Not sure if it will come with speakers. If not, they will have to be purchased and installed in the dash before I install the dash in the car.
But I spend a lot of my free time browsing ebay for Eldo parts. This is how I found the bucket seats. They are so rare I had to get them now even though that project is near the bottom of my list.
Also on the long term list are installing items like the Twilight Sentinel, Guide-Matic, and Power Door Locks.
I've assembled a lot of the necessary items for these projects but its time to put them aside and get back on track.
When the Eldo gets back from Pepboys with new brakes I'm going to pack up the parts and store them in the trunk with the buckets.
Now its time to work on the stereo dash pad that should arrive anyday. There is a small cut in the top that will have to be repaired. Then the entire thing will be dyed black. Not sure if it will come with speakers. If not, they will have to be purchased and installed in the dash before I install the dash in the car.
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