My "I want my Caddy to drive better." Build thread. And I need your help!

[MicroCADDY]

CADDY PAN came in

[Charcoal_Grey]

Recently I got in new control arms, new turns, and motor mount brackets to put the new mounts in to make the change a little easier for me when I get there.

tonight we put on the caddypan and with some elbow grease we got it to fit pretty good. the end plates near the plate will need to be cut off and put a piece that fits, but overall I am happy with the look

[Charcoal_Grey]

Here's a question for you guys. I know there isnt a switch power except for the one when the key is in, but I have another question.what if All the accesories i want (i.e temp guage, air compressor for shocks, ipod stereo system) could be hooked to one power switch. kind of like a distribution block for power on a switch. how would you guys go about doing that? or is there another way to go about it?

help is appreciated.

[Road Boss]

Looks good!

[-teknien-]

Here's a question for you guys. I know there isnt a switch power except for the one when the key is in, but I have another question.what if All the accesories i want (i.e temp guage, air compressor for shocks, ipod stereo system) could be hooked to one power switch. kind of like a distribution block for power on a switch. how would you guys go about doing that? or is there another way to go about it?

help is appreciated.

Painless makes a 7 circuit unit!

[Charcoal_Grey]

Painless makes a 7 circuit unit!

how would you go about using that? hook the power up to the ignition switch? or put a power button on the constant 12v power?

Interesting idea though. I like where this could go.

[ducatipaso]

FYI I put a pair of corrado red dot seats in my caddy this week what a huge difference in how it drives.

[Charcoal_Grey]

Update!

I have been so busy and I'm glad I got to work this weekend. I sprayed on the secondskin audio and wanted to get the carpet done as well, but there needs to be a few days in between the spraying of the stuff and then putting it on it.
This was the garage friday after I ripped out the carpet....what a PITA

The new carpet rolled out. I couldnt get to it this weekend, but it sure does look good.

another thing I didnt get to was installing the "sound system" I made. haha

heres the floorpan....gross.


I have a leak and it pools in the DS floorpan. I think my culprate is this. the little flaps of metal that come in. the middle one sometimes has a water line coming from it. how do i solve this? I dont want to put new carpet in if it's going to get ruined anyway.

Got some dry ice and went to work!


and now I'm waiting for it to completly dry!



I also bought this. its roofing insulation. I've heard of people using it before and it's really cheap, so I said what the hell and bought it. It will be going on the floorpans, headliner, and if i have enough, doors.


I still have a few things to do:
Nardi wheel came in, and I'm just waiting for the adapter plate. (it's beautiful)
got my front turns in and just need to be not lazy and take the front bumper off again.
I need new door card clips now....ugh


well that's all for now

[Charcoal_Grey]

I just woke up, and went to check on the truck. it's all dry right now and i started tapping the roof and doors and it sounded pretty good. then I shut the door....that is the beefiest thud I've ever heard from this thing. and that is without the insulation or the carpet with mass backing.....I can't wait to drive this and see how it is.

[Charcoal_Grey]

put on the insulation. Idk if its going to help but it won't hurt. I started the truck and wow....the difference is pretty big even with the rattling exhaust....This might turn out pretty good

I need to go back and buy another roll. I got half the roof done when I ran out. so I'll do the rest of that and the doors. should work pretty well. Its small strips of rubber, but it will help with the vibration which is most of your noise. I think it'll be worth the $7 a roll it costs.

[ilovesandiego]

looks good!

[Charcoal_Grey]

Drive to work this morning and pulled out my trusty decibel app. I idled at 67 db (-2) and wasn't impressed. That was until I went up to 50mph. It went from 96db to 80db. That is marked improvement

In the mail is:
Recaro seat repair knob
Nardi adapter
New hazard switch
Door clips for the door cards
New seat guides
New finger plates for the inside
Chrome door handles

[ducatipaso]

I'm very interested in what you're going to do with that nardi adaptor.
I have a late westmoreland wood dash insert and want to put a nice wood wheel in my rig.

[stewardc]

I have a late westmoreland wood dash insert and want to put a nice wood wheel in my rig.

I love wood wheels too. Here's a restored Jaguar wheel in my 1981 Caddy

[Charcoal_Grey]

I got it off eBay. It's a mono hub to nardi adapter. Once I get it I'll take some pictures


Small setback. Radiator had a small hole in it. So also in the mail is new radiator, new coolant hoses and bubble, mounts, new blower motor switch, and new temp sensor.

[buggydubbin]

for the switched power block thing, what i did (although that kit looks pretty much the same to me) was take the switched 12V that goes to the radio, ran it to a small relay i got at some autoparts store for a couple of bucks and then ran it to a small fuse box that i also got at the autozone or whatever it was. I have 8-9 fused circuits now. (only use 4-5)

if YA know what i mean

[Charcoal_Grey]

wow it's been a while. well i found out the hole was in the bottom of the hose, and what i felt was a defect in the plastic. live and learn. now i have a pin mount radiator for sale. haha put new hoses, new tank and cap, and i needed a new diesel cap for the injector. the low sulfur is killing these things. I ordered like 5 so i should be good now.

I also got it off the switch for the fan. everything works as it should there now. so now i have to fish out all the wires and such for that.

question:
My temp guage has a light on it. can i run that through my headlight switch? can i run it through the dimmer?? I'd like to do that since it's not necessary to have the light on all the time.

the door cards are getting reupholstered as we speak. cant wait to see how they turn out!
looks cleaner to me!

[Charcoal_Grey]

new questions!

so any website i go to, i can't choose a 1980 1.6L diesel. i have to choose 1981. why is this? it just makes buying parts a little scary and hoping it will fit.


and what is the absolute quietest exhaust i can get? I really am over the whole extremly loud diesel thing. haha I know it will won't be super quiet, but my exhaust is just a little too over the top right now.

thanks for the help!

[ilovesandiego]

I say shop locally. Vee parts in National City can set you up. I know your up in No. County but it's only a 40 min drive, plus no shipping required and you can make sure they are exactly what you're looking for.

Did you ever get your Giles pump ?

[Charcoal_Grey]

no I didn't. family matters took over and that money went away. so a normal pump is on the list instead. I wish I still had the money, but hey, that's life.

good point. I'll have to check around the local ehxaust shops. hopefully they speak english and are trusting. I've had a lot of problems with both around here.

[Charcoal_Grey]

Again, A long time.

Since my last update I have:
put the Nardi wheel on. It looks good. doesnt really match, but screw it, i like it.
got my door cards reupholstered. they look great, and it was worth it. haha
while i was at the shop that redid my door cards, the plastic to the upper rad hose cracked. needless to say, i got a new radiator (still have the pin mount for sale)
I installed the door cards, and with that i put on chrome door handles, and black door surrounds and plates. I need new surrounds since one broke.
also I got my "radio" installed. Its awesome. i enjoy listening to music when I drive again I hooked it up to an on/off switch on the DS so i can reach it.
and rewelded my exhaust so it doesnt rattle. I can hear now! yes!


my superdelux strut caps come soon and i can put all of the parts that are chilling in my closet into my car!



anyone know where i can find a 1.6L TD for cheap in CA? I kinda want to rebuild it and throw it in.


Ill add pictures tomorrow. its dark

[stewardc]

What do the strut caps look like ? I have a billet set, but one vibrated off at highway speed and really took a beating, so I'm looking for nice replacements.
As for the Giles pump, it's about the same price as a rebuild of a stock pump. Wait till you get a turbo 1.6 though. You will be amazed at the diference. You'll also need a bigger exhaust with the turbo engine (they require better breathing, so plan ahead.

[fastinradford]

why $1500 seats and coat hanger exhaust hangers?

[Charcoal_Grey]

Seats weren't 1500.....and the exhaust is fixed.

[fastinradford]

well, they look like $1500 seats

and my bad.

[ilovesandiego]

This guy imports German built motors to CA. The place is about an hour or so from you.

http://www.qualitygermanautoparts.com/

I'm thinking about dropping a 1.9 AAZ into mine in..

[Charcoal_Grey]

well, they look like $1500 seats

and my bad.

No problem


Ad I have talked to him, but I'd rather not pay 2200 for an engine. Id like to get a junkyard one and pay 700 to rebuild it. But worst case he's only an hour away.

[Charcoal_Grey]

Also got window cranks, heater switch, and a new handle surround for the ps that was cracked.

I like the way this is turning out.

[EuroSwoop]

any updates?

[Charcoal_Grey]

Actually I broke my collarbone this past weekend. :/ I'll be out for a little.