Saga of the White Witch - '66 DeVille

[Sam_Fear]

Just finally went through all my old laptops, USB sticks, and memory card and found the old pics.

So here's the story: About 5 years ago I spun a bearing in my old S10 driver so I needed a winter beater. Found on Craigslist a White 1966 Cadillac DeVille 4dr Sedan 40 miles away. Bare bones car, greasy 429 motor, rust holes in every panel painted over, bad fuel line, no dents, all the chrome is there. Started great, burns oil, drove it 20 feet forward and back...SOLD $1,500.

Went and got my neighbors beat up trailer behind my wife's fairly new F150 and went to pick it up. Seller was gone so it's just me. It's funny how a 3 ton car will want to push around a F150. After some thinking and borrowing some logs from the guys woodpile, etc. I got the car started onto the trailer. At least that beat up trailer had a good hitch. Second issue - thee trailer had rails that gave me about 1/2" of room on either side - it "got close" a couple times, but whatever, it's a beater. Had to climb out the window to get out. After that, no probs.

This is it pretty much fresh off the trailer.

Ground the whitewalls into wide whites. I don't think I lowered it yet in this pic. I replaced the springs with '85 Cutlass springs I had left over from the '48 Old. Worked perfect for about a 4-5" drop. Notice the rust holes starting to come through the paint job.

 

[Sam_Fear]

So I drove it mostly in the winter for a few years and it took on a couple mysterious parking lot dents. How you can not notice this car next to you in a parking space I don't know, but the front left and rear right got dented. Just a little sheet metal damage... oh well.

FYI, if you need to change a tail light in a '66 Caddy, you have to pull the entire 100+ Lbs of bumper off to get them. Thanks Cadillac engineers!

Anyhow, one day at work it got tagged again. A lady was in her husbands truck and turned too early. Put the front corner into the passenger door. Real damage this time:

Yeah... those bezels run about $150. I cobbled it back together. No pics, but it looked a little meaner.

Sometime after that I put some bellflowers on it. The rust is really obvious now. Some of that's what was hiding behind the paint, but the winter salts eating it too. Better this than my F100.

 

[Sam_Fear]

Honestly I didn't think the motor would last this long since it burns/blows oils so much, but here it is still going. FYI - the Caddy 429 has the oil pump in the front case and once it goes the motor is basically unrebuildable.

So now to this winter - long story short - COUNTY SNOW PLOW. Short story long - A farmer was using a tractor snow blower and caused a white out on a highway curve. Plow slowed more than I did. Fortunately I bounced off the road because the trucks behind me barely missed me by inches. No injuries besides the Caddy.

Not even mad, just annoyed by the inconvenience. Called my neighbor and we pulled it home.

My wife posted this pic on her Facebook. Someone said that it looked totaled. She replied "He's got a welder." LOL

I also had 4 days before I had to be to work.

It got the top of the radiator and pushed it into the fan a bit, but the headlights took it the hardest - no buffing that out.

 

[Sam_Fear]

Well, I had 4 days and zero dollars I wanted to spend.

First up: radiator. Bent the supports and fan back easy enough. Radiator was shot though. Solution: S10 radiator. Good enough for the rest of the winter.

And while I was cobbling that back together I hatched a plan for the headlights. Since the original stacked lights were toast, I decided to put the heads were the turns were. S10 square headlights. So then the turns had to go somewhere else.

And to style it up a little. how about some U exhaust chunks cut and welded into arches?

Pile on some ugly tack welds...

 

[Sam_Fear]

I also took the hood off, flipped it, and torched/sledge hammered it out. ...And it's back on the road more beautiful than ever!

Since then I also straightened the grill and hood valance and put the front caps on.

 

[kenny c]

Looks beautiful![cl[[ Run it till it quits or it gets hit again.

 

[lowbudget50]

Looks beautiful![cl[[ Run it till it quits or it gets hit again.

Then repeat the process and do it all over again that thing is awesome! Ever since my brother-in-law got his Cadillac I'm seriously contemplating finding one. Like I need another car or project but super cool none-the-less thanks for sharing

 

[dutch]

I love it!! [cl best and most honest looking 66 I`ve ever seen [cl

 

[Burgerman]

I love it!! [cl best and most honest looking 66 I`ve ever seen [cl

2X for sure! Enjoyed the "He's got a welder". So much good stuff gets thrown away these days. Not this Caddy. Kinda looks like a 70 model now.

 

[Skip]

Where's the like button? [ddd[cl

 

[Torchie]

[cl
Caddy's are beast's.
When I was working in the Cadillac dealershipI knew a guy that had a 71 Eldorado with studded front tires and a snowplow on it. What can I say, It's northern Michigan. Anyway....
He used to bring it in for service and the dealership owner always wanted us to make sure that the other customers never saw it.
Torchie

 

[soltz]

Not just Cadillac

Custom Cadillac !!!! [cl
Love it [ at its best

 

[BillM]

Awesome story! Thanks for sharing that one.

 

[Old Iron]

That front end looks like something that should have came out of a 60's Chrysler plant [ddd[cl

 

[CORPO]

Good work Sam! more unique and more character each time..!

 

[I-R-POPS]

Can I borrow that?[dr

 

[Sam_Fear]

That front end looks like something that should have came out of a 60's Chrysler plant [ddd[cl

At least you didn't say AMC plant.

 

[Old Iron]

That front end looks like something that should have came out of a 60's Chrysler plant [ddd[cl

And not in a bad way

 

[sgtpontiac]

Cool Story and the Caddy looks cool as well... surprising what you can come up with in a pinch... drive the wheels off the old beast... lol