Making a big classic car turn, need advice

[QUA-HOON!]

Hi all, I'm Alex!

What I'm needing help with is making this car take a turn. It's a 1957 Cadillac Coupe de Ville. It has leaf springs in the back. Currently we are dropping the frame to try and add some strength to it as it's an X-frame car. I'd love to get a custom frame and all, but I'm a military guy.. so that's kind of out of my league for now.

I'm thinking about 4 linking the back of this thing and running air ride or coil-overs.. still haven't decided.

I can't find anyone that would make new front control arms for this car to improve geometry to more modern spec. Maybe it's fine as is? I've thought about a front stub but as of right now don't have the time to do that. And I don't want to mess with getting the huge grill to line up correctly.

Any thoughts or recommendations from people that have done work on "land yachts" of cars before and gotten them to handle? I know this is a bit of a different build, but that's why I'm here.

I'm not looking for a harsh ride. I'd still like it to feel a bit like a luxury car, not a track car. But this cloud like handling with no road feel is something I want to get rid of.

Alex

[Payton King]

Love that car! Check with Ridetech, I think they make front control arms and an air ride system for that car.

[QUA-HOON!]

Hi Payton,

I know that they make Front shockwaves for it but haven't seen anything else.

Anyone have ideas for the rear? Or should I just go with a 4 link or maybe even keep it stock? Nothing is made for this car so I have to figure out most of it on my own. The joy of trying to update a 1950's car. :) But hey, it's fun.

Alex

[FETorino]

Just buy an RS chassis for it.:)

http://www.lateral-g.net/forums/showthread.php4?t=34043

[DBasher]

What a great looking car!

I'd say if you're looking for an all out sleeper call Art Morrison or the Roadster Shop and prepare to have the project snow ball....
If you want to keep it subtle and actually drive it look into adapting coil overs or better springs and good shocks.

I might still have a dual quad set up laying around if you're interested.

:thumbsup:

[QUA-HOON!]

Hi DBasher -


Ya, I'd like to keep it more of a driver. A custom frame is not in the budget. Right now I'm trying to figure out if I should go with a 4 link or a 3 link. Any experience on who makes the best system for a driver? I looked at Chassis works pro-touring version but I'm not sure if that's what I need.

Alex

[DBasher]

Check this out....

http://www.welderseries.com/blog/online-store/rear-four-link-kit-parallel-universal/

This is what I bought for my 57 paddy wagon, they also have a triangulated set up. Big beefy bars and the correct front mounts for what I needed. Art Morrison and RideTech also have the same set up.
I'd crawl under before you pull it off the frame and take a look at what kind of room you've got to work with. Actually, why do you need to pull it off the frame? That's a slippery slope!

:thumbsup:
Dan

[DBasher]

I went to look at what the frame may look like and found this....

http://www.ridetech.com/files_AR/techarticles/1957CADDYFRONT.pdf

I'm not a fan of air but it gives you an idea of what can be done in the front...better start saving for some brakes! Yikes!

Dan

[QUA-HOON!]

I went to look at what the frame may look like and found this....

http://www.ridetech.com/files_AR/techarticles/1957CADDYFRONT.pdf

I'm not a fan of air but it gives you an idea of what can be done in the front...better start saving for some brakes! Yikes!

Dan

Hi Dan -

Yup, I've been looking at that for a while from ride tech. I guess I need to decide if I want to run coil-overs or bags on this thing.

Funny thing about your previous link is right before I checked your replies, I just found that site I swear like 2 minutes before. I think i'll use them as it might be the most bang for the buck.

Why a frame off? Well it's a bit of a story.. my buddy and I were doing a frame off on my 1964 C10 and we were loosing motivation very fast.. At the end of one long weekend working on the truck I think we coined the saying, "If you don't do a frame off you ain't ****". lol We would have loved to have a tree fall on the truck by the time we said that. We were in over our heads and we knew it. (First frame off, first 100% self done almost show quality paint, first big block built by hand, first everything )

So I'm getting ready to do rust repair on this Cadillac and getting it ready for the new rebuilt 365 Cad. motor (built for turbos).. he says "Well you know we ain't **** if we don't do a frame off". So there you go. lol For now we're just doing it in stages, so now it's drivetrain, frame, suspension, and major rust repair. Then drive for a while and save for paint and chrome work.. Later will be the repaint and interior work, chrome work etc.

So that's the long answer.

I guess now I need to read up on air ride vs coil-overs. When I called Art Morrison about a custom frame a few months back, that I'm NOT getting, they said they like to have most of their stuff use coil-overs. They build this stuff for their living so I've been leaning that way for a little bit. If I could figure out a coil-over solution for the front using mostly stock stuff that would be cool.

Alex

[mfain]

My son built a chassis for a 4-door Lincoln with late Corvette front suspension and an LS motor. Not a project for the faint of heart - 200 feet of TIG welding in the frame rails!

Pappy

52930

52931

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[GregWeld]

Leave the car alone unless you have a butt load of money... Once you start down this path -- you're going to have to have 1000's of dollars to throw at a car like this.

If you think buying a chassis is out of your price range.... Or you don't want to do a front sub frame because of lining up the grill... I'm sorry to be the one that will tell you the HONEST response... LEAVE THE CAR ALONE. Put some decent shocks on it -- maybe add front and rear anti roll bars... Try to find some front coil springs that would stiffen the front but still give you a decent ride (that's all done with math!).

And forget getting into the rust repair! That's a road you don't want to travel unless you are going to be prepared for what you're really going to find when you open that can of worms. If you can SEE rust -- there's way more of it where you can't see.

Do yourself a huge favor and just live with the car for awhile and enjoy it for what it is.... and when you have 50 grand saved up then you can think about doing some minimum modding to it.

[QUA-HOON!]

Sweet lincoln. I'm starting to lean towards a mustang II front swap. Nothing is made for the front of my car so I'm thinking it'd at least be somewhat of an upgrade.

Alex

[dontlifttoshift]

I don't know what the right answer is but Mustang II is definitely the wrong answer.

I'm with Weld on this one.

[QUA-HOON!]

It isn't so much that I don't know how to get the grill to fit or that this all is expensive..(I've done a frame off before 100% in a home garage) it's that I have a timeline being in the military.. projects can't sit around for 5 years in pieces. I move, a lot , so I have to be able to have some sort of a realistic timeline. So I try to do stuff that makes the most sense for my time avaiable and money . The rust has to be fixed.. when water runs down the cowl and out the rear of the floor pan... that's a problem that needs to be addressed. I do understand what your saying on keeping it simple, I'm trying to mostly do that.

Ya mustang II might not be the best decision. I'm hoping to find a place that could build tubular control arms custom. I'd like to run coilovers I'm pretty sure and if I could get custom control arms built that'd let me do that. Maybe i could build my own? Looking at a parallel 4 link right now for the rear.

Alex