41 Cadillac project progress

We went to Coeur d' Alene Idaho to pick up the 41 Cadillac.  That is a long trip 2,400 mi. and 40 hours of driving for the round trip. The car was bought in February and put into a storage locker to keep it from taking any more weather damage than it all ready had after setting in a salvage yard for 30+ years.

 My daughter and I with the 41 loaded in the car trailer and back at Blackwell RV park where we met Michelle and her family and  stayed while in Coeur d' Alene.

 The RV park is located on Blackwell Island where the Spokane River runs into Lake Coeur d' Alene.

 We stayed for 4 days and had a good visit with the family.

 Nice open large spaces, right on the water with a beach and boat ramp, the Spokane river is in the background of the picture below.

 After a 1,200 mi. trip and 3 days on the road we got home with all the equipment and car in good shape.

 The car seemed to be in fair condition with all the parts and only minor damage to the body.

 The side glass had been broken during it's stay at the salvage yard and it had "No Parts" on it so it would not be parted out.

 Has Washington plates on it with 86 tags, that tells me how long it was in the yard.

 Interior is all there with the dash intact but all the upholstery is junk.

 Karen, Bobby (son in law) and Michelle (daughter). Bobby found and retrieved the car for me.

 The 346 CI. flat head V8 is complete and looks like I could get it running with a little work, has clean oil on the dip stick and a automatic 3 speed transmission and huge radiator with automatic shutters in front of it.

 Started to take the car apart to get the body off the frame then decide whether to put the body on the 2007 or to put the 2007 sub-frames on the 41 frame.

 Almost every bolt on the car was frozen in rust, even with soaking them with penetrating oil they either broke off or had to be cut off.

 As parts came off the rust damage showed up in the front floor pans and trunk pan being the worst. I could not get the doors apart as the internal parts were  frozen in rust so they were taken off whole.

 Rear seat and floor are not in bad shape as well as the A, B & C pillars at the floor.

 The windshield and rear window had to be cut out and I broke one of the windshields in the process.

 I  will not remove the dash at this time as I want to see how the 2007 dash, A\C and steering column will fit.

 The heater in the Cadillac used 2 heater round radiators under the front seat with fans that brought air in the top and blew it out front and back from under the seat, pretty cool stuff.

 I will try to get the rear fenders off next as it looks like there is rusted out spots between the body and fender.

 The 2007 has been taken apart and I have tried to start but the anti-theft program in the ECM  (engine control module) would not allow it to put it in start mode, I found this out after a lot of research on the computer. I found a company in Florida (on the internet) that said they could reprogram the ECM to make it work and sent it to them, 2 weeks later they said they could not do it and sent it back to me. I contacted another company in New York who said no problem in reprogramming and recommended I send both the ECM and TCM(transmission control module) so they could be matched. The TCM is located in the transmission so I took it apart removed the valve body in the bottom and the TCM and sent them to NY. When they got there I got a call that the ECM was the wrong one, it is for a Chevy Impala, so a new one must be bought and programmed, the Florida guy sent the wrong one back to me. The following week I received the control modules back installed them and will try to start the car.

 The dash and A\C ducts are modular and look like they will fit the 41 along with the steering column, front seats and floor pan with the shifter.

 The independent rear end came out with just 10 bolts and the shocks disconnected and looks like it will fit the 41.

 Rear end assembly dropped out of the car with a floor jack and put on dolly's. That's where I am with the project with a lot of work yet to do and a lot of engineering.