So I spotted a Fleetwood....and now Sprocket has it

Olds Weighty Eight wrote:

If you re-calibrate the needle to read 'full' properly as opposed to over-full, then, in turn, it should read correctly when empty. You are just shifting the sweep of the gauge over its full range.

You can reverse the procedure if you like. Just run it out of gas again and while you're on the side of the road waiting for help, get your screwdriver out and adjust your gauge to read 'empty'.

All that fix consists of is a variable resistor. If you calibrate for full by decreasing the resistance (full is 88 ohms) than you end up with a false empty. Even when the float is well above the bottom of the tank , your gauge will sense 0 ohms in the line and the gauge will read empty before it really is. Back to the old GM days when you could drive for 100 miles on empty, or maybe not.

I repeat. More interested in accuracy at empty than what it says when its full. You know its full...you just filled it up.

Bill

To most folks,. a false empty might be more useful,..especially if there is 2-3 gallons left,.

Ford seems to get that right,. mommy's fancy ford warns you at 50 miles to empty,. then 25 and the light comes on,.I have driven that car gently a couple of times and fooled the computer and have stretched the 25 to empty to nearly 40,.

The great thing about it is, it bothers the missus, so she puts fuel in it long before it needs it,.

where as her 96 wanna be black caprice we had,. well,. i finally put a jug of fuel in the trunk for her

then she ran out again one time and the jug was empty, and it was snowing and blowing,.
and guess who had to rescue her,.

Her fancy minivan has the same setup as the fancy ford,. computers that remind hre and light that comes on,.

so far,.. so good,...


Nick

I agree. Right now when I fill up, the gauge reads 1 and 1/4 full. When it reads about 1/4 tank, there's 2-3 gallons left. If I add the pot and dial it down 1/4 tank, it should be just about right.

On the tiny mirror TBI cars, you know it's time when you hit a turn with a lil gusto and it fuel starves. You have a couple gals left at that point.

Well, I had some time to work on the exterior of the Fleetwood today (in between rain showers)

Good news = The paint came out just as I thought it would! Really nice paint on this car. And I was able to get the rear passenger fender skirt to line up with the quarter panel nicely. Some wood and scissor jack work....I am happy with the dent repair for now. She sure shines!!






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Bad news = The vinyl top is crap. The dirt hid a lot of cracks. Oh well. I guess I need to be on the hunt for a baretop rear window so I can do the vinyl top delete mod. OR save up for a new top (but I've heard those are pretty expensive...like 2K) Once I saw the cracks, I half heartily cleaned the rest of the top.

Time for a do it yourself vinyl top,..

nick

Caddy is looking pretty sharp and I really like your carport lighting and retainer straps.

Chris

A couple of years ago I bought a 1974 Chriysler New Yorker. The top made yours look like new. I bought some SEM vinyl top paint. You brush it on with a foam brush. It worked great. People would ask if it was a new vinyl top. Real easy to do.

Tom

Interesting Tom, wonder if that would "seal" up those cracks, at least temporarily.

Nice work on that quarter Chris, can't tell there was a dent there from the pic!

silverfox103 wrote:

Chris

A couple of years ago I bought a 1974 Chriysler New Yorker. The top made yours look like new. I bought some SEM vinyl top paint. You brush it on with a foam brush. It worked great. People would ask if it was a new vinyl top. Real easy to do.

Tom

Off topic... But you have a New Yorker? Awesome! Those are one of my favorite land barges.

Cadet57 wrote:

silverfox103 wrote:

Chris

A couple of years ago I bought a 1974 Chriysler New Yorker. The top made yours look like new. I bought some SEM vinyl top paint. You brush it on with a foam brush. It worked great. People would ask if it was a new vinyl top. Real easy to do.

Tom

Off topic... But you have a New Yorker? Awesome! Those are one of my favorite land barges.

Had a New Yorker. Bought it maybe 2 or 3 years ago, from 80 year old original owner. It only had 43K, beautiful shape, 440 CI. Never driven in the winter and it showed. But he never checked the antifreeze. Found a small crack in the block. It may have been fixable, but I didn't want to deal with it. Sold it for what I paid for it. Sorry to see it go, but bought the Caprice Wagon to replace it.

Tom

phantom 309 wrote:

To most folks,. a false empty might be more useful,..especially if there is 2-3 gallons left,.
Nick

This thread is all over the place! Anyhow, I just wanted to toss out there that I did the $3.00 Radio Shack adjustment today so I'll report how it goes as I run this tank down. It's nice not having the needle pointing off into space after a fill up.

Tom, you are the second person to tell me about the paint....so I think I'll give it a try! Can't hurt....

I had a little time tonight to reflash the PCM with a tune I had. Removed the speed limiter, lower cooling fan setting, EGR off and firmer shifts.



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Here is a gentle start...this old girl has a bit more pep

https://s418.photobucket.com/user/chrisandcarapowell/media/Fleetwood/IMG_3993_zps51f5f124.mp4.html

looks really nice.

Changed the oil (up to 130k now!), put new front pads on and repacked the bearings for good measure and installed new grease seals. Rotors were in great shape.

Keep the updates coming. Between you and Crovo I'm now looking at Fleetwoods and not just at Roadmasters on Craigslist. Ha!

-Mike

Oh! I will....my next (and most important) mod will happen very soon. DASHMAT!!

Have you ever driven one of these last Gen Fleetwood's Mike? I think you might fall in love if you do. Might be able to talk Tom out of his....

Chris

DASHMAT!!!! Still has to settle a little more...but the car automatically feels 110% better now. Hahaa

I still have to detail the inside so pardon the dirty driver's seat. Hoping to do that this weekend if I have time.

Squeezed in some time for new front shocks and a 'Vette Starter.   Obviously the front shocks were toast (lol).   The starter was acting up and I have a trip next week.  

 Still have to install the new rear 9C1 coil springs (hopefully next weekend) 

     Chris

Also a couple of pics when we were out and about....

That's a really pretty car!   Glad it found a good home!

-Mike

Thanks Mike!  The vinyl top is the sore spot really...those cracks.  I need to try and seal them and paint it like Tom suggested.

Just don't let Crovo have it.   That car does not need tiny wheels and flat black trim...it looks fine as-is!   
 
-Mike

Tiny wheels???

toomanytoyz wrote:

Tiny wheels???

Is that gonna be yoh new forum name???  

I thought you liked BIG wheels,..

Oh no....



          



- (I will keep my white walls though Mike!)

I want one of those big wheels, Nick!

And Mike, I'm really curious as to what you meant? I've never gone smaller than a 15" wheel on any B or D I've owned...? 

Chris, the AWD caddy looks great, btw!

It true then....size does matter. Wait,we are still talking about tires,right?

Taking the Caddy on it's first real trip tomorrow. Gotta play a whirlwind gig up in Greensboro, NC Thurs. We will see how the old Caddy does on the trip! 

  Chris

Should be smooth as glass. I don't imagine you'll feel a single imperfection in the road with all that suspension travel.

toomanytoyz wrote:

Tiny wheels???

Your steel wheel fetish with the tiny dish caps look smaller than the Caddy factory mag wheels...at least to me. I know they're 15's, they just look small on such huge cars.

So I watched a video on YouTube that talked about a fuel door "lock" that you flipped on in the trunk? Did they really have this feature? My first Fleetwood didnt have it..and this one does not (or am I missing something?)

Yeah, I didn't like those baby moons without the trim rings, either.

And Chris, lock your doors and try to drop the plate. Betcha you can't. That is, as long as the plate frame has the lock pintle thing on it.

Well, did a little work on the Fleetwood! I had a list of things to do before our vacation trip. We were supposed to be driving it to TX but the wife's seminar speaker had to reschedule. Staycation.

Who needs a carport, right? Trying to keep the sun off as much as I can. Should get a real carport next year.



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Installed a set of Gary's Battery Cables (InnovativeWiring.com) Here is the ground wire comparison! I always put a set of these on any wagon I buy.



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I had a SS rear swaybar in the shed...so I replaced the stock one. I bought a front SS bar (just need to get it here from FL) Also bought new mounting bolts. YIKES! All 4 looked like that. Surprised they didn't break when I took them out.




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Installed a new set of rear 9C1 springs. These fix the sagging butt syndrome Fleetwoods get. Those stock springs were very soft. Sits as it should now (for someone who likes stock height!)




Took Cara to IKEA and I almost brought the wagon....didn't need it though. Lol.

You guys have got me looking for a fleetwood now.I just missed a one owner 96 with 68000 miles in that wonderful DCM color with no vinyl roof.Sold for 7 grand and worth every penny to somebody else.

Sweet, dude!

(You put the wrong springs in it, though! )

I thought everyone hated stock ride height . But it looks sweet .

In all honesty...I love to drop my cars like Crovo, but the roads here (my 600ft gravel driveway) and my sanity would not be able to handle it! Haha

Nothing new...but a couple of pics from our little getaway to Savannah (5th Wedding Anniversary)

Shot in Bonaventure Cemetery





And a shot with Cara outside Old Fort Jackson

I see how it is.... you come within 20 miles, and don't call........





 

Hope you enjoyed your stay here!!

Lol..I had to promise "no car stuff" since this was strictly a romantic getaway. Haha. Believe me, I thought about it....I wanna ride in the G8.

We will be back!! We loved it!

hi wife wouldn't let him give us a ride in the G8,..

That is not a completely true statement.  

If I remember right.. time was an issue and your headlights won the priority tossup.  

That's my story and I'm sticking to it....

Thought I'd toss up a couple of pics that I took lately...I forgot to put my new passenger manifold repair on here!  I need my records!     I replaced all the bolts on the passenger side manifold as well (and the two rear ones on the drivers side).  

Also did the EGR and AIR pump delete/tube delete, new belt and trans fluid change / filter.  






A couple of LT1 powered cars....*cough*




Still love filling up the tank through the plate door....

Love the Caddy!

Wagoninabox wrote:

I have only come accross 1 93-96 fleetwood in a yard (a 95) and was uber impressed by the beast.  The leg and headroom was awesome but it was just so massive (which I kind of like).  I was shocked to learn that the 93-96 Fleetwoods are the largest sedan ever offered at a whopping 225" long car; thats longer than our wagons!

Enjoy.  I think if I were to get a sedan, I'd go for the fleetwood of a Roady for sure.

FALSE! Pretty much Every caddy sedan pre-80's is longer that 225". My '55 Deville is 227"!!!!
there's a few in the 60's that are a bit shorter, but majority are 226"+. I bet a lot of GM cars in the 70's are longer too.

nice LDM Caddy btw. First 93-96 I bought was LDM.

Damn Wikipidea.....

my old 1975 deville was 230.7" long with a wheel base of 130" vs the wheel base of only 121.5 and over all length of 225 of the 93-96 fleetwood.

the widest cadillacs were the 59-60's at 80.2" wide my 75 was just 80" wide, the 93-96 that were 78 wide, a bit wider than the 77-92 fleetwoods at 75.3"

Light Driftwood metallic, My grandparents' 93 Fleetwood was the same color, slicktop though, they replaced it with a 95 Fleetwood Brougham in triple black, followed by a 96 Jadestone? with a black mock top.

Hmm I like this car