Geralds Cadillac Page - The News

Cadillac BIG Meet DVD - now available!

Gerald Loidl — 2008-11-08T22:35:04+01:00

The DVD of the 2008 Cadillac BIG Meet is available now.
This is a short trailer for this DVD which contains the whole 25 minute film.
The DVD also contains around 1000 pictures and as a bonus the film in High Definition to view on your computer.
You can order the DVD using the contact form on the Cadillac BIG Meet website.
Cost is €20 + shipping.

The 67s interior is going to the detailer.

Gerald Loidl — 2008-10-25T11:21:42+02:00

Today my wife and I removed the front bench and the back seat from the 67. The leather still is in excellent original condition with no real cracks or tears but it is showing its age on some areas. I found a shop which is specialized in leather repairs and detailing which will do some work to bring the interior back to like new condition. I have seen some of their work and the results were absolutely spectacular. I will deliver the seats to them sometimes next week. It will take them about 2 weeks to do the detailing. Looking forward to it!

this is one of the areas that will be restored - its showing some surface age cracks.

my wife Afra helped me removing the seats

the removed seats

I had to drive the car back into the garage sitting on the floor...

Last cruising with the 58 for this season.

Gerald Loidl — 2008-10-05T17:41:39+02:00

With winter already around the corner - the first snow is already visible on the surrounding mountains-- today I took the 58 Eldorado Seville for its last spin before it will finally go into winter hibernation.
Today was a picture perfect fall day, so my wife and I drove around a little bit. I filled the gas tank up to the brim and overinflated the tires for the long storage period.

I will soon change the oil, give the exterior a fresh coat of wax, clean and treat the leather with a conditioner, remove the battery and then put the car on blocks over the long winter. I only drove the car 640 kilometers (397 miles) this season. Somehow I did not make it to many shows this year and it was a very humid summer and fall.

pretty fall colors

over-inflating the tires for storage

filling the gas tank

There is already snow in the background!

Oilers 69 - The coolest Diner of them all!

Gerald Loidl — 2008-08-31T20:23:35+02:00

When driving home from our holiday we found the best diner I ever saw before.
The owner took care of every little detail, like a working V8 at the bar, lots of old cars on the outside, a pickup truck as salad bar and much, much more.

I have added a gallery with some pictures - check it out!

Check it out if you are near Innsbruck in Tirol/Austria!

You can also find a link to its website in the Links category.

The “Oilers69” in Tirol - click to go to the gallery!

Going on holiday with the Roadmaster

Gerald Loidl — 2008-08-31T20:22:49+02:00

We took the Roadmaster to go on holiday this year. On our last attempt in May the transmission failed and it had to be towed home.
We drove it over some high alpine passes this time and suddenly the “Service Engine Soon” light came on once again. The car still drove nicely and eventually the light went off again.
After some more highway driving it came back on and went off again.
When we returned I had the error code read out which was “P0137” which indicates a faulty oxygen sensor. I will replace all four soon.

The RMW at the Arlberg Pass.

Cadillac BIG Meet 2008 - A great show!

Gerald Loidl — 2008-08-24T20:22:16+02:00

The Cadillac BIG Meet took place for the 5th time this year. I´m part of the organization team.
At this years event 115 Cadillacs from all over Europe attended. Everybody had a great time and it was a huge success once again.
Watch out for next years Cadillac BIG Meet which will be held on August, 30th 2009.

You can see hundreds of pictures of this years event by clicking on the picture below!

Mostkost Kustom Video online

Gerald Loidl — 2008-08-17T22:30:41+02:00

The new video of the last „Mostkost Kustom Meet“ which was held 2 weeks ago - is now online. You can watch the high quality Quicktime movie by clicking on the image below. I´ve also added some new images to the photo gallery.

ORF - Shooting a promotion for the Cadillac BIG Meet

Gerald Loidl — 2008-08-13T17:22:41+02:00

Today the national Austrian TV station ORF shot a short event promotion report for the upcoming Cadillac BIG Meet on August 24th. We had some nice cars on the venue like a 57 and 59 Biarritz, a 76 Bicentenial, a 81 Biarritz Custom, a 58 Sedan, and my 67 Deville. The report will be aired on August 21st on ORF2 at 7 PM. Below are some impressions of the shooting.

The ORF team at work

Willi´s 58 and Christians 57 Biarritz and 76 Bicentenial

my 67, Tayfuns 81 and Willi´s 58

the cameraman at work

The Roadmaster is back home with "new" transmission

Gerald Loidl — 2008-08-09T09:18:20+02:00

During our last holiday trip we had bad luck with the transmission of our Buick Roadmaster. (See entry below)

Finally, after 2 1/2 months in the shop we got the Buick back yesterday. The shop had problems locating all the parts for the rebuild. As I lost patience and they still could not find the parts, eventually I found the parts myself without a problem. Anyways, the car now is back home in the garage and drives beautifully again. The transmission was completely rebuilt, including all internal parts.

we could follow the repair on the webcam of the car dealer - this is a screenshot of the final day.

Mostkost Kustom #3

Gerald Loidl — 2008-08-03T20:57:06+02:00

Due to a lot of work going on in my job, I missed most of the car shows I wanted to attend during the last weeks and also did not find the time to drive my cars a lot.

Today my wife and I finally visited a nice small meeting which is held only 40 kilometers from our home. Its a small gathering of US-Car enthusiasts. One of the organizers is collecting and building great Ratrods which he is always showing there. Its a very nice and relaxed atmosphere with nice cars and great people. Looking forward to the next edition.
We took the 58 to the show. My wife shot lots of great images which are available in this gallery. Some black and white images will also be added soon - they first have to be scanned and prepared for the web.
I also did some filming which still needs to be edited, but should follow soon as well.

A great ,all original Hudson Hornet. More pictures can be found in the gallery!

Klassikwelt Bodensee - images online

Gerald Loidl — 2008-06-06T14:50:43+02:00

My wife and I visited the "Klassikwelt Bodensee" in may during our holiday. It was held in Friedrichshafen in Germany. The „Klassikwelt Bodensee“ is a very spectacular classic car exhibition with hundreds of high profile cars on display and for sale.
You can find a picture gallery by clicking on the image below.

Defective Transmission - Roadmaster

Gerald Loidl — 2008-05-22T10:30:53+02:00

My wife and I were on the way into our holidays. Of course we took our Roadmaster for the roadtrip. Suddenly the "Service Engine Soon" lamp came on while driving on the highway.
We stopped on the next rest area, but I could not find anything wrong with the car. So we continued our journey and stopped at the next specialized dealer to have the error code read out. Code "P1886" showed up - which is transmission related. The 2-3 upshift solenoid seemed to be defective. So we decided not to drive any farther, as it turned out that the car only ran on second and third gear. Finally the car was delivered to the next national automobile club service station of the "ÖAMTC" to be towed to the dealer I bought the car from. I still have 6 months guarantee left, so he has to repair the transmission at his costs. Worst thing was that we just could not continue to enjoy our trip with the Roadmaster and had to borrow a Suzuki Jeep from my wifes mom instead...

UPDATE: In the meantime a transmission specialist took over my car and is completely rebuilding the transmission now... At least I´ll have a like new transmission now!

suddenly this lamp showed up...

delivering the car at the national automobile club "ÖAMTC"

checking the Buick´s digital shop manual we had with us...

Car Show in Altmünster

Gerald Loidl — 2008-05-11T22:31:57+02:00

Today a small, but very nice car show for US-Cars and other classic cars and bikes was held in Altmünster at a museum. As this is located only 10 minutes from home, I drove both Cadillacs to the show.
I have added a picture gallery here: KLICK
Below is a little preview.

overview

the 58 at the show

the 67 in the background

Custom Cadillac project

First official cruise 2008

Gerald Loidl — 2008-04-27T22:22:45+02:00

I got my license plate for this season from the insurance company yesterday. First I fixed them onto the Roadmaster and we took it for a spin immediately. (See pictures)

Today weather was perfect and so it was time for the first cruise with the Cadillacs as well. First I took the 58 for a spin - it ran perfectly and it was a dream to drive it once again after almost 8 months in storage.
After the 58 it was time to move the 67 out. Unfortunately the 67s battery is dead after 12 years of reliable service, and the new one did not arrive yet. So I had to jump start it with jumper cables. This worked perfectly and so I headed off with the 67 as well. After a few miles it started to hesitate pretty badly. As I would not be able to restart the car with the dead battery along the road, I got pretty nervous in heavy traffic. Eventually I made it home safely and I immediately started investigating the issue. I was worried that something broke somewhere along the ignition or the fuel distribution. I found out that one ignition cable managed to slip off the spark plug. I have no idea how this could happen - but the problem was fixed easily and I took the car for another spin to the gas station....
Great to be able to drive all my cars again.

the 1958 Cadillac on the shores of the "Traunsee" in Traunkirchen

cruising with the 58 through the countryside

we took the Roadmaster for a spin...

my wife enjoying the "new" family car

New Video online - Season Opening 2008

Gerald Loidl — 2008-04-07T16:57:02+02:00

I did some filming when my buddy Tayfun was on visit on the first weekend of April 2008.
I edited it into this short clip which is now online. You can see some repairs going on, and Tayfuns first cruise 2008.
Quicktime 7 is required to watch the high quality file which you can find here.

You can also watch it as a flash movie by clicking on the image below!

The 2008 Season Begins!

Gerald Loidl — 2008-04-05T18:31:34+02:00

My buddy Tayfun once again came on a visit to start working on his Pimperado for the upcoming season.
First we both made a "To Do List" for each individual car and plans for repairs that we want to do this spring and summer.
Also on the agenda was to wake up the cars, which were stored for the last months.

Yesterday we replaced the fuel pump on the 58, which I already replaced last summer - it was brand new but did not work correctly. So yesterday we installed another one.
This work was done pretty quickly within a couple of minutes. It now seems to work flawlessly. I hope it will stay like this.

Tayfun also did a lot of work on his 1981 Pimperado - you can read everything about it on his website.

Today Tayfun and I moved all the cars out of the garage to clean the floor a little and to do some spring cleaning.
My buddy Richard also helped me last night doing doing some "Garage Pimpin´".
It was pretty funny - with lots of car talk till late in the night.

The 67´s battery seems to be on its last breaths, as it was no longer strong enough to start the car up - I have it since 1996 - so it lasted pretty long anyways, never needing any charge before. It looks like I will finally need a new one.
So I borrowed the battery from my Buick and then the 67, like all the other Cadillacs, fired right up.

Tayfun cleaning the garage

RIP - Max

Gerald Loidl — 2008-03-23T23:36:47+01:00

Our beloved cat "Max" passed away today at only 9 years of age. He suffered from an aggressive tumor.
He was the cutest and nicest cat one could have. We will miss him very, very much! :-(
Rest in Peace!

one of the last pictures we took of Max

My 58 in the newspaper

Gerald Loidl — 2008-04-03T15:29:18+02:00

A picture of my 58 made it into the daily newspaper "Kurier" 2 weeks ago. You can see a scan below, click on it for larger view! Its an article in the travel magazine - not sure why they selected the image of my car - its not explained in the text at all...

Spring is around the corner

Gerald Loidl — 2008-02-24T17:58:21+01:00

As we had springlike temperatures today in the middle of winter, I decided to wake my cars from hibernation and drive them around the block. I put the batteries in only to find out that the one from the 67 was quite empty and the car would not start. I wanted to charge it with a battery charger but it also quit working... So I had to use jumper cables and eventually I could start the 67. The 58 also had problems starting up as the fuel pump needs to be replaced. I already have a new one lying around which I will install soon. After some cranking the 58 came back to life and ran beautifully. I took all the cars for a quick spin around the block and after they were fully warmed up they went back into storage for about 6-8 more weeks. Can´t wait for spring to come!
I also installed a new hood emblem on our 96 Roadmaster as a wrong one was on the car when we bought it.
It was great to work on the cars again.

the cars in front of the garage

the Buick´s brand new hood ornament

the Buick´s new hood ornament

Cruising 2007 Video online

Gerald Loidl — 2008-02-02T11:10:13+01:00

I´ve just finished a new video and uploaded it to the video section of this website.

Although I did not film very much during the last 2 years, from the little material I have, I edited a short video. I also used some footage that was shot on real old fashioned Super-8 film.
It features both of my Cadillacs and the cars of my friends like Alex´s new 1963 Buick Riviera, Tayfuns 1981 Pimperado, Richards 1965 Impala and some local cars from Gmunden like Shorty´s Cougar, a great Torino, 2 Camaros and more. There is also some restoration work featured that was done in Richards´s private workshop. You can also watch some burnout action going on on a park deck of a shopping center...
The video is 15 minutes long and 100mb large - so a broadband connection is recommended. Quicktime 7 required to watch it.

Click on any screenshot below to go to the video.

Super-8 Material

1981 Pimperado cruising

Burnout action - Shorty´s Cougar!

Happy New Year! - Roadmaster detailing

Gerald Loidl — 2008-01-01T13:04:28+01:00

As my buddy Tayfun was in town for a new years party, we decided to start detailing our new Buick Roadmaster. The temperatures were way below freezing outside and only slightly warmer inside my old garage, so we really had to work hard to feel comfortably.
The paint on this 1996 Buick Roadmaster was pretty much neglected and a lot of cleaning, buffing, polishing and waxing was necessary to bring it up to like new condition.
It took us 2 days to just do the paint properly. We worked more than 20 hours in reviving the paint job and the exterior chrome.
We´ll do some more detailing work on the car later - it is now in winter storage anyways.
The car looks spectacular now - the white paintjob is now very bright. I have the impression that the shade actually changed...
Next up: Interior, engine and engine bay, rims and everything else...

My buddy Tayfun with the buffing machine...

more polishing....

and more...

Our new family car!

Gerald Loidl — 2007-12-12T19:24:06+01:00

Today my wife and I bought a new daily driver car for the spring, summer and fall months. As we have very strict laws here in Austria and could no longer import the desired car from the USA we had to find one locally.
Here it is:
Its a 1996 Buick Roadmaster Wagon!
We finally bought it from a dealer in Vienna and brought it home today. The car is in nice condition and drives like a dream. So far we are very satisfied with it.
Attached are the first pictures.

at the dealer lot

first tank of gas...

Cadillac BIG Meet DVD available now!

Gerald Loidl — 2007-11-26T16:34:20+01:00

My wife and I produced another DVD of the Cadillac BIG Meet 2007. It´s available now. You can watch the trailer for it on the website of the Cadillac BIG Meet.
If you want to order your copy, please contact me directly. If you click on the image below you will be directed to the website of the Cadillac BIG Meet where you can watch that trailer.
The trailer is also available on my site by clicking here:

The 81 Pimperado is in winter storage

Gerald Loidl — 2007-11-28T10:12:52+01:00

Today I put my buddies Tayfun 1981Pimperado into winter storage into my garage. It started immediately although it was put into storage in my old garage 3 months ago and did not run since then.
It fits in pretty well into my new garage and now has a good and dry home over the winter months. The garage is dehumidified so I´m sure the Pimperado will like it ;-)
The cars put on their pajamas and are now waiting for spring to arrive.
Below you can find some images of the now crowded garage. You can click on the image for a larger view.

they fit in pretty well - image is a little distorted because its made of 4 images stitched together

disconnecting the batteries

covered - good night!

New picture gallery - the best pictures

Gerald Loidl — 2007-11-28T11:53:26+01:00

I have added a brand new image gallery to this site featuring the very best images my wife and I shot over the years.
Its a selection of my favorite images. Whenever a new favorite image is shot it will be added here.
Enjoy! You can go directly to this gallery by clicking on the image below.

The 67 is back with a "New" Front Suspension!

Gerald Loidl — 2007-11-08T11:40:40+01:00

Today I picked up my 1967 Cadillac DeVille from American Special Parts - the shop where all my repairs and restoration work is done when I can´t do them for myself.
The car got a complete new front suspension including all bushings, ball joints and paint. Some of the old bushings already fell apart. As everything was apart we also did the complete front brakes.
Also the radiator was fixed and the car got a new ignition lock which I removed from a 67 limousine at a junkyard in California last year. Also the turn signal switch was finally fixed after it was broken 3 years ago...
The car is in spectacular condition now and with the new suspension it drives like a brand new car - I could not imagine that the difference would be that big.

On the left you can see a picture of the rebuilt front suspension. Its still a little dirty as I had to drive the car home through rain - it will be cleaned soon though.

1967 Cadillac turn signal switch arrived

Gerald Loidl — 2007-10-23T14:52:13+02:00

Today another 1967 Cadillac turn signal switch arrived for my 67 which is in the shop at the moment with a broken switch. I found a nice NOS switch on ebay and finally its the correct one. All the ones I bought in the past were the wrong ones as 4 different ones were available in the 67 models! Non of them is still in production or reproduced and they are very hard to come by. Originally they were built by Delco and Boyne and they are very different as I learned later... I already spent quite a sum for wrong NOS switches. I guess I will try to sell them again as they are really expensive. Used ones are usually sold for $250.- to $300.- at the big Cadillac parts specialists... So if you need a NOS Delco switch for your 1967 Cadillac without tilt- and telescope column let me know ;-)
Here is a picture of the new one manufactured by Boyne.

Dornbirn 2007 Video online

Gerald Loidl — 2007-10-23T10:40:27+02:00

The US-CAR-MEETING in Dornbirn/Vorarlberg/Austria is probably the best show held in Austria. Its taking place every second year in may and hundreds of cars are attending.
This is the "homevideo" our friends and we shot there. It also shows the preparation of our cars as we almost could not finish them for the show.
My buddy Tayfun had serious electronic problems with his 81 Pimperado and my 58 Eldo developed a driveshaft vibration only 3 days before we wanted to leave for the show.
Everything was finished at the very last second and we finally had a safe trip to the show.

The video is in Quicktime 7 format. Its 15 minutes long and requires a fast internet connection to watch. Enjoy!

Click on the image below to go to the video!

Cadillac BIG Meet 2007 - a TV report by TS1

Gerald Loidl — 2007-09-25T19:17:10+02:00

TS1 - a local TV station filmed a report about the cruising tour of the Cadillac BIG Meet which lead us to the shores of the "Traunsee" a scenic lake in Upper Austria. As I am part of the organization team I had to do a short interview for this report.
The report was done by Lorenz Zwicklhuber and Konrad Forstinger who did a great job. The video is now online in the video section of my website. You can click on the image below to go there.

© Courtesy of www.ts1.at 2007.

Cleaning the 67´s front suspension

Gerald Loidl — 2007-09-22T21:05:10+02:00

Today I disassembled the rest of the front suspension and cleaned all the parts before they will be sandblasted. Tomorrow I will finish them and give them to my buddy Richard for sandblasting.

the brakes before I disassembled them - I hope I can clean the small metal parts with an ultrasonic cleaner

all these parts will be sandblasted and painted afterwards

The 67´s front suspension

Gerald Loidl — 2007-09-20T19:15:42+02:00

The restoration of my 67s front-suspension is in full progress. Today I visited American Special Parts to pick up all the suspension and front brake parts they disassembled. I will clean them and have them sandblasted before they will get a new coat of paint. Most bushings and ball joints will have to be replaced with new stuff and I already ordered all the necessary parts from the USA. This will result in a hefty bill... :-(
After this the suspension will be in new condition - one of the last things that have to be done on the 67 before it is really in like new condition. The only other thing that needs attention in the future will be the top which is still the original 40 year old one.

the completely stripped front suspension

the 67 at ASP

New tool storage cart

Gerald Loidl — 2007-09-18T19:10:12+02:00

Today I picked up a Craftsman Tool storage cart for my garage. Its a used cart I bought from one of Austria´s fastest Drag Racers Mr "Coolchevy" Heinz Schenk.
Now I need some more tools to completely fill it...

New pictures from the Cadillac BIG Meet 2007

Gerald Loidl — 2007-09-14T01:41:20+02:00

You can find hundreds of pictures from this years Cadillac BIG Meet on the website of the Cadillac BIG Meet directly.
My wife Afra shot 2 rolls of slide film with her medium format camera. She has now scanned the slides and I´ve put them on my website.
You can check them out if you click on the image below.

New video of my 1958 Eldorado Seville online

Gerald Loidl — 2007-09-15T22:03:57+02:00

I´ve updated my website with a brand-new video of my 1958 Eldorado Seville today.
My wife Afra (a professional cinematographer) shot it as she had to test a new camera for work. As it turned out we wont buy the camera - but she edited the test shots into a nice short 2 minutes clip.
Enjoy!
Click here for the high quality version in Quicktime (30mb) or watch the crappy quality Youtube version below.

Below you can find the low quality Youtube version...

The last cruising and photo session this year

Gerald Loidl — 2007-09-13T22:42:22+02:00

Today was the last evening before I´ll put the 58 into winter storage and return the license plate until next May. As it was a picture perfect evening with a great sunset I wanted to shoot some nice pictures. Unfortunately my wives Hasselblad camera quit working during the shooting and so I could only shoot some digital images.
More of them can be found here.

The 67 is in the shop...

Gerald Loidl — 2007-09-10T18:28:31+02:00

Today I visited American Special Parts with the 58 for the obligatory annual technical inspection. Of course it passed with flying colors without a problem.
Later I also dropped off the 67 there as some smaller things have to be repaired as I do not have the necessary tools nor skills to do them myself.

The front-suspension needs a rebuild and I do not have the presses to push some of the bushings in and out.
The switch for the directional switch in the steering column has to be replaced
Need a new ignition lock
The transmission has some leaks I could not find

The guys from American Special Parts who helped me in the restoration of my cars will take over. Besides myself, Rudi Kerschbaumer and his team are the only mechanics I would ever allow to work on my cars.
In a couple of weeks I should have the car back. It will go directly into winter storage then. Today also was the last day to drive the 58. I will return the plates over winter.

The 67 at American Special Parts

Cadillac BIG Meet - A huge success

Gerald Loidl — 2007-08-27T17:56:44+02:00

Last sunday the Cadillac BIG Meet was held in Kremsmünster/Austria for the 4th time. Cadillacs from 7 nations attended. I´m a member of the organization team.
Over the last years it became a still growing meeting. This year really was the best of them all.
Weather was perfect and the show had the theme "The Cadillac Eldorado" and more than 35 Eldorados showed up - among them Eldorados from 1954 to 2002.
We had one 54, 3 56 Biarritz, one 56 Seville, a 57 Biarritz, a 57 Eldorado Brougham (another one unfortunately broke down on the way to the show), 2 1958 Eldorado Sevilles (one coming all the way from Sweden!! - the other being mine), 2 59 Biarritz, 1 59 Seville, (a 59 Brougham was also planned, but restoration was not finished on time), a 63 and 64 Eldo, 2 67s (one of them with only 30k miles), 1 68 (with 20k miles), a 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76 + a low mileage 76 Bicentenial, 79, 80, 81, 86, and lots of other Eldorados I forgot, but which you can see on the pictures.
Altogether 113 Cadillacs showed up in the park of the Kremsegg castle during the show - and about 10 more after the show was already finished... The oldest one was from 1921.
The mood was excellent and everybody loved it very much.

The last weekend probably the best Cadillac related weekend I ever had, and you should not miss next years edition of the Cadillac BIG Meet.

Check out the pictures here:
http://www.cadillac-meeting.com/pics2007 (in German with some english...)

a dream came true - my 67 Deville on the side of a 67 Eldorado in my favorite color combo

the star of the meeting - a 57 Eldorado Brougham

my 58 together with Stellans Seville from Sweden

two super low mileage Eldorados from 1967 and 1968

another view of the 2 Sevilles

The Kremsegg Castle

Preparations for the Cadillac BIG Meet

Gerald Loidl — 2007-08-23T09:57:45+02:00

I´m on vacation this week and I´m using my time to prepare my Cadillac for the Cadillac BIG Meet which is coming up this weekend. I´ve repaired the AC on my 67 and cleaned and detailed both cars for the show. My friend Tayfun is also in town and we´ll do the same with his 81 Pimperado as well. We´ve spent around 14 hours in the garage each day so far.

working on the AC

installing the new backup lenses - which had to be custom fitted...

"Mostkost Kustom Meet" Video online

Gerald Loidl — 2007-07-30T22:00:29+02:00

The "Mostkost Kustom Meet" is a small meeting of US-Car enthusiast in Atzbach in Austria. It was held for the first time in July 2007. I shot it for the local TV station "BTV" as a cameraman and this is what they made out of my material. Editor: Hubert Huemer. Camera. Gerald Loidl. All rights reserved ©www.btv.cc 2007
I´ve also updated all my video pages. Click here for the video:

AC Problem

Gerald Loidl — 2007-07-29T20:42:07+02:00

The blower motor on my 67 wont come one when I switch on any heating or cooling position. It sometimes comes on in the "ICE" position but not always. After lots of searching I found out that the vacuum master switch does not get enough vacuum to be switched on. When I push the backside of it - everything works as it should. Of course that´s no real solution. Looks like my system needs a good overhaul.
Three parts could cause this problem:

The dash switch with its rotary valve from where I can hear a slight hissing noise,
the power servo on the firewall
or the master switch itself - what I doubt.

As I hate when something does not work on my cars I ordered all the parts. I found a good source which sells all these parts rebuilt. Hopefully they will arrive soon as I would like to have this issue resolved before the Cadillac Big Meet. It should not be too much of a hassle to install them when they are here.

the power servo

the power servo and master switch

Cadillac Big Meet is coming up!

Gerald Loidl — 2007-07-26T19:19:15+02:00

Its only 4 more weeks until the Cadillac Big Meet - Europes biggest Cadillac meeting. You can watch a video of last years event below. More info, pictures and videos on http://www.cadillac-bigmeet.com
This year will feature an "Eldorado Special" and we are looking for everybody with an Eldorado to participate. Of course all other Cadillacs are welcome as well.

New Gallery added

Gerald Loidl — 2007-07-23T13:05:46+02:00

I´ve added a new gallery to my website with the best pictures we shot at our many cruising nights this summer. It will be constantly updated with new images as they come in. Take a look here!

Mostkost Kustom Meeting

Gerald Loidl — 2007-07-22T23:42:25+02:00

Today I had to shoot a car meet for a local TV station I´m working for as a cameraman. I took the 58 there. My friends Tayfun and Alex also drove to the show. It was a very nice and fun meeting with 30 cars attending. Here is a picture gallery of some images Betty shot there.

Sepp with his hotrod

the 58 on location

at work with my colleague Hubert from BTV

Interior cleaning and Cruisenight

Gerald Loidl — 2007-07-21T23:24:35+02:00

Today it was time to do some interior cleaning on both of my cars. My friend Tayfun was in town once again and brought one of these wet cleaners with him to do all of our cars. It really worked wonders and the cars turned out great. I could not believe how much dirt I could extract from the carpets and floor mats.

cleaning the trunk of the 58

Cruising night!

After cleaning we had a nice cruising trip around the lake with friends and our ladies.

Tayfun

on a hill

the ladies

Alex

Tayfun

Richard

I took the 67

58 gets a new fuel pump - Video shoot

Gerald Loidl — 2007-07-15T23:56:07+02:00

Today the 58 got a brand new fuel pump. It was a really quick and easy exchange and it now works flawlessly. It was the first time I had to do a repair like this. Luckily the pump is very easy accessible on the 58.
Later we also did some more repairs on my friend Tayfuns 81 Eldorado. After that we had a nice cruising evening with some friends where we did some professional filming for our next video.

Cruising night with friends

Gerald Loidl — 2007-07-14T23:56:05+02:00

Tonight 3 friends and I had a nice cruising night as it was a really warm and perfect night. It also was the first cruise for my friend Tayfun who's 1981 Eldorado was finally finished and now is fully driveable. The other cars were Alex with his 63 Buick Riviera and Richard with his 65 Impala. I took the 67 for a spin.

67 gets new fuel filter

Gerald Loidl — 2007-07-11T18:12:52+02:00

I have to admit that the 67 was a little neglected in the last time as I spent most of my spare time working on the 58 and on my friend Tayfuns Eldorado. So it was time to do some necessary maintenance work. Today I replaced the fuel filter in the glass bowl. It turned out to be a really big job because the fuel bowl would not want to come off. I had a big problem opening the screw which holds the glass in position, as access is very limited.
Eventually I made it and when everything was back together, the bowl leaked. So I had to reopen everything. I readjusted the gasket and now everything is tight. The old filter was very dirty, because at the last big service I forgot to replace it...

I think it´s the fuel pump

Gerald Loidl — 2007-07-09T17:18:42+02:00

Looks like the problem my 58 has is fuel pump related. Yesterday I thought it might only be a clogged fuel line (see entry below) - but today I had the same problem as yesterday again. The fuel bowl did only fill up to about half. (see pic below). I blew all the lines through, but it did not change anything... The car runs, but on slow idle it tends to hesitate.
I ordered a new fuel pump today - they are relatively cheap - hope to have it here in about 2 weeks...

58 wont start!

Gerald Loidl — 2007-07-08T22:57:49+02:00

Today suddenly my 58 Eldo stalled and would not want to start again. After checking everything, eventually I found out that no fuel was coming to the fuel glas bowl.
My friend Richard towed me to his garage where he has an air compressor and all the tools and we blew air through the fuel line to check if it would be clogged. We were not clever enough to open the gas tank cap before we did that though.
When we removed the compressor from the line of course lot of now pressurized gas sprayed out of the line and into my face...
Well, at least it works again - looks like it really was only a clogged line. I already suspected that the fuel pump was on its way out, but luckily it wasn´t.
Will check everything again tomorrow and install a new fuel filter as well. I hope that I wont need a new fuel pump.

A great Ebayer - Power Vent Window Switch

Gerald Loidl — 2007-07-06T17:39:16+02:00

Today I received a 50% refund for the non working Power Vent Window Switch I won on Ebay. (see entry below) The Canadian gentlemen I bought it from was so kind to refund some money as he did not feel good about the deal as well. He did not do anything wrong at the initial deal as his description was accurate and correct - so this came as a nice surprise. There are still honorable people out there!
Thank you Michael!!

"New" vent window switch arrived + new Battery

Gerald Loidl — 2007-07-05T17:48:22+02:00

Today the power vent window switch I won on Ebay arrived from Canada. It came from a 58 Sixty Special that was equipped with power vent windows as well.
When I opened the box I immediately had the feeling that it would not work. The buttons felt sluggish and two prongs were missing on the backing plate. So somebody must have had it open at some point in its history.

So down I went into the garage to check it.

As suspected it did not work... Only one button worked in one direction. I cant even blame the seller, as he stated in his ad description that he does not know if it works or not.
As I spent quite an amount of money for it and could not find another switch anywhere, I did not want to give up yet and so I disassembled it. Of course the 2 rusty prongs broke apart when I bent them open... A really good start! Eventually I made a good working switch from most of my old switches parts and the help of the plastic backing plate of the new switch. So I could also reuse the perfect chrome bezel of my old switch. :-)
Now everything works again - it´s not a concourse winning repair, but a solid one I can be proud of, and nobody can notice until he takes the car apart... ;-)
Now the clock is the only non working gadget on my 58 - my next project.

The new Battery

I also had to install a new battery today as my old one died after only 3 years in service. I bought an Exide Maxxima 900 - hope it will do a better job - I´ve heard lots of good things about it.

The new Exide battery - the green knob is a battery shut off switch

Website Update

Gerald Loidl — 2007-07-02T14:47:46+02:00

Today I did a major update to my website. It now uses a different color theme. Hope you like it.

Tayfuns new Website

Gerald Loidl — 2007-06-30T14:41:42+02:00

While my friend Tayfun was on visit - we also worked on his new website.
The old one was way outdated - so we did a new one.
Check it out:

Tayfun´s Cadillac works again

Gerald Loidl — 2007-06-28T14:36:21+02:00

My friend Tayfun was on visit once again for a couple of days which we spent in the garage.
We finally managed to fix the problem with the ECM and sorted out most other issues. Another big point was the total rebuild of his rear brakes which worked out fine as well.
Over the last 6 month we could fix 35 points on the repair checklist.
Now there are only 11 points left which need some attention - but no more severe repairs - only a couple of details.
Tayfun is happy that after owning the car for over 11 years he finally fixed the electronic issues.
His Eldorado will be like new soon!

Two new pictures of my 67 added

Gerald Loidl — 2007-06-24T23:38:41+02:00

Last evening I shot some more images in my garage.
I´ve added 2 images of the 67 in the new garage to the 67´s image gallery.

Another Photoshooting with the 58

Gerald Loidl — 2007-06-24T23:34:45+02:00

As weather was really fine I took the 58 out for a little photoshoot yesterday evening.
You can find all the pictures in the 58´s image gallery.
Here is only a little preview:

Power Vent Window Switch wanted!

Gerald Loidl — 2007-06-06T22:21:56+02:00

Thanks found it!

I´m looking for the Power Vent Window Switch with the two buttons on the driver side. It controls the small power operated ventilation windows on the front doors. If you have one for sale - please let me know. Thats how it looks like:

Pinstriping removed

Gerald Loidl — 2007-06-01T23:52:30+02:00

To keep my 58 Eldo all original I decided that it would be a better idea to remove the pinstriping my friend Marcus did.
It wasn´t an easy decision as I really like his artwork but it just wasn´t the right car for it... So I used some acetone cleaner and it wiped of easily without damaging the original paint underneath. I then used some Meguiars polish and buffed it back to shine followed by a thick coat of wax.
If I ever do have the appropriate car I will ask Marcus again.
Thanks Marcus!

as you can see - no damage occurred!

looking nice and shiny!

58 featured in magazine

Gerald Loidl — 2007-06-01T18:46:09+02:00

When I opened the newspaper this morning there was a full page report of the US-CAR-SHOW in Dornbirn. Guess what - they only had 4 images and my 58 was featured with a half page image!! You can click on the image below for a larger version!

A photosession with the 58 - Tires balanced

Gerald Loidl — 2007-05-30T18:44:44+02:00

As we spent a couple more days in Vorarlberg at my in-laws after the show in Dornbirn we had a nice photoshooting at the shores of the Rhein River today.

You can find the gallery of the first digital images here - the ones we shot on medium format slides will follow sometime next week.

This morning I drove the car to a tireshop to have the front tires balanced. As it turned out they needed a couple of weights...

The 58 was pinstriped

Gerald Loidl — 2007-05-28T18:43:59+02:00

Marcus Pfeil is one of the best custom painters in the world. He is featured in about every custom motorcycle- and car publication around the globe. I know him for a long time as we did some BMX-Freestyle back in the days in the late 80s to early 90s. As he was at the US-CAR-SHOW in Dornbirn as well - I had the opportunity to get a pinstripe from him. I was very honored that he was willing to do one on my car - not thinking that an all original 1958 Cadillac Eldorado Seville with original paint might not be the appropriate car to do such a custom artwork...
Marcus did a spectacular job though. His skills are awesome and he drew a perfect pinstripe on the trunk of my Eldo!

Marcus at work!

US-CAR-SHOW-Dornbirn!!!!

Gerald Loidl — 2007-05-24T18:43:10+02:00

The US-CAR-SHOW in Dornbirn/Austria is the very best and biggest car show in Austria. It´s held every second year and my wife and I visited it for the 3rd time. Together with my friend Tayfun and Betty we made the 6 hour drive there. Our cars were finished at the very last minute before we could leave - but we made it there safely and without any issues.
Our cars were exhibited indoors at the showroom together with some spectacular customs, lowriders and hotrods. My car was the only original one - but the spectators loved it very much.
The show was held on 3 days and we loved everything very much.
A big thank you to Robert Willinger, who is the organizer of this event.
A massive image gallery can be found here.

58 Vibrations...

Gerald Loidl — 2007-05-23T18:41:58+02:00

The 58 developed some vibrations that could be felt through the steering wheel during the last weeks. As I could not find anything suspicious I drove the car to American Special Parts and they found out that the U-Joint at the drive shaft was pretty worn. So they sent it in to have it replaced and the driveshaft also was balanced. Most of the vibration was gone afterwards, but at 50mph there was still a slight vibration. I will have the tires balanced soon as well.

Tayfuns 1981 Eldo finally repaired!

Gerald Loidl — 2007-05-23T18:41:13+02:00

My friend Tayfun visited me once again to try to have his 1981 Eldorado back in working order. He was trying to fix an electronic problem that plagued him for years and nobody could find a solution so far.
All ECM´s he installed went up in smoke. (See picture on the left)
Finally with the help of Martin - a guy who is the owner of a custom autosound store - we could find a defective solenoid which was causing all the trouble.
Finally his car is back in working order!

Martin at work

we worked till late in the night

Cruising with some Friends

Gerald Loidl — 2007-05-18T21:57:05+02:00

This evening I met some friends and we had a photo session on the parkdeck of the local shopping mall.
All the pictures can be found here.

The new Garage Floor is finished!

Gerald Loidl — 2007-05-19T21:56:09+02:00

Finally the new garage floor was finished and the cars moved back in. Looks fantastic! More pictures can be found here!

Trying to repair Tayfuns Pimperado

Gerald Loidl — 2007-05-17T21:55:30+02:00

My buddy Tayfun was on visit for a couple of days and we were trying to repair his 1981 Pimperado. The car has a problem with its ECM which is constantly burning through. As the new garage was not finished yet we had to work in the old garage. Unfortunately we did not find the cause for this issue yet, but the search will go on.

Lions Club Classic Car Meeting Traun 2007

Gerald Loidl — 2007-05-12T09:25:40+02:00

My wife and I took the 58 to the first car show this season. The Lions Club in Traun organized a Classic Car Meeting on a small lake in Traun/Austria. About 300 cars showed up - most of them were european brands. The 58 drew a lot of attention and we spent a nice afternoon there. We did not take many pictures which you can find here - the ones taken from the organizers can be found on their website.

58 Carburetor Rebuilding Project finished!

Gerald Loidl — 2007-05-11T09:20:36+02:00

Today I got a call from the restoration shop that the 58 was finished.
The 3 dual carburetors were rebuilt completely. The carbs were blasted, cleaned and rebuilt and work perfectly now. I did not think that it would make a difference that big. It´s a real pleasure to drive the car now.
And the best surprise was, that the rebuild cost much less than the initial cost estimate I got.
Thanks to American Special Parts!

during the rebuilding - click on any picture for larger view!

all carbs were blasted and cleaned

the rebuilt front carb

Garage Floor Project Day 5

Gerald Loidl — 2007-05-11T09:18:42+02:00

Today the red stripe was painted.
Next week they will give the floor a good polish and a sealing coat.

Garage Floor Project - Day 4

Gerald Loidl — 2007-05-04T17:47:53+02:00

Today the floor company started to mask off the areas which got a coat of black epoxy applied afterwards.
They will still have to paint the black areas a second time before they can take of the masking tape.
A red stripe which will surround the checker board area will also be added and the walls will be repainted in the same red as well.
Looking forward that it will be finished soon.

The floor with the masking tape in place

the first coat of black epoxy

seen from the outside with the masking tape still in place

The new Garage floor - Day 3

Gerald Loidl — 2007-04-26T21:57:56+02:00

Yesterday the floor got a base coat - a kind of primer.
Today the layer of epoxy in cream white was poored. Looks fantastic!
You can see all the pictures in larger resolution in my garage gallery!

The new Garage floor is coming

Gerald Loidl — 2007-04-24T11:01:19+02:00

Yesterday work on the new garage floor begun. It will be a professionally done epoxy coating with a black and white chessboard pattern surrounded by a red stripe.

First

the company which does the work removed the old epoxy coating to make sure that the new one can bond to the concrete really well.
Then they started to repair all the creases in the floor by cutting them open - then they inserted some metal support - and then filled them out with a special epoxy raisin.
It will take them at least one week to finish everything, as they are doing a very thorough job.

Spring has sprung!

Gerald Loidl — 2007-04-20T23:35:06+02:00

As weather was really fine today - I woke up both of my cars and took them for a spin after the long winter hibernation. Both cars started right up after 8 months of being in storage and ran beautifully. It was great to drive such land-yachts once again.

The cruising season can start

Gerald Loidl — 2007-04-18T13:03:34+02:00

Just picked up the plates from the insurance. I could now drive my Cadillacs again after the long winter break. Of course its raining...

Cadillac Big Meet is coming up!

Gerald Loidl — 2007-04-17T22:57:53+02:00

The Cadillac Big Meet is Europes largest and best Cadillac Meeting. You should not miss it! Cadillacs of all years get together at the Kremsegg Castle in the heart of Austria on August 26th. 2007 is the 4th edition of this meeting, and you should not miss it. I´m in the organization team and we are already working very hard to make this years edition the very best one we had so far. We will especially feature the 5 decades of the Eldorado and are trying to have at least on Eldorado of each year on the show field!
For more info go to the website of the Cadillac Big Meet!

Finally: A date for the tri-carb rebuild

Gerald Loidl — 2007-04-04T21:05:35+02:00

The restoration shop called and I finally got a date for my carburetor rebuild.
I will deliver the car to them on April 23rd. Looking forward to it.

Preparing the 67 for the 2007 season

Gerald Loidl — 2007-04-12T20:36:23+02:00

Today I started to clean up the 67 for the new summer season. The car is in storage since the end of August 2006 and is eagerly waiting to see some daylight soon.
I started to clean the car and gave it a new coat of wax. In about 2 weeks I will bring it back to live and hopefully drive it a little bit more than last year when I only did about 300 miles.

Pimp my Garage Pt.1

Gerald Loidl — 2007-04-12T20:27:31+02:00

I´ve started to decorate my garage a little more. I´ve hung 30 nice images all around the garage. A lot more will follow soon.
The garage floor will be done in 2 weeks.
Here you can see the new framed pictures I hung on the walls along with the old hubcaps. The walls look a little distorted on this pictures as it was not stitched very well.

Garage floor almost finished

Gerald Loidl — 2007-03-29T11:57:56+02:00

The floor in the Cadillac garage was finished by the construction company last week.
The final epoxy coating will be done starting on April 23rd after the concrete floor had 28 days of drying.
I`m really looking forward to it.

picture with the old epoxy coating - the new one will be a black and white checkered coating

The 58 is at the restoration shop.

Gerald Loidl — 2007-04-23T10:04:10+02:00

The 58 was delivered to the restoration shop to have its 3 dual carbs rebuilt.
It made the drive there without catching fire again ;-)
Rudi Kerschbaumer from American Special Parts will take care of the carbs now.
He has the experience to rebuild them.
One of the carbs caught fire last year at my own wedding and since then I could not drive the car.
Also the air cleaner will have to be repainted due to the burnt cover.
Hope everything will be fixed soon and I can finally drive my 58 Seville.

New Website online

Gerald Loidl — 2007-04-17T13:19:46+02:00

My old website has been online since 1998 and it was finally time to update it.
I replaced most of my old pictures with new ones and brought everything up to date.
Hope you´ll like it

.

thats how the old page looked like.