In The Shop: 1903 Cadillac
by Willy Vinton
Recently we decided it was time for the 1903 Cadillac to get out and get some exercise. It started up just like it should: gas on, oiler on, ignition on, spark retarded, carb tickled, throttle at idle, strength mustered, crank in hand, and then with a half flip of the crank it was running. This is a great little car that is fun to drive and is very dependable. Tim even got a chance to take it for a spin with his father, Carl, who is here for a visit. With Tim and Carl in the front, and Barb and me in the back (boy are those seats narrow), off we went for a tour of Wedgewood Resort. The first complaint I heard was from Tim, questioning the effectiveness of the brakes. They may not be the best, but they are at least a suggestion to slow you down.
After a few trips, we discovered that the water pump was not doing its job as it should. You can see it was a little rusty...
So, we removed it and cleaned it up, flushed the cooling system and radiator, and got the little Caddy back on line. If only the rain would allow us to get out and enjoy it again.....
At right is Mike, working at rust control, cleaning the water pump housing out so that it can be put back to use. Mike is one the volunteers that come in to help with our Tuesday work session, he was joined by Ron Allen as well, so we had a small crew this week but got a lot done.
Recently we decided it was time for the 1903 Cadillac to get out and get some exercise. It started up just like it should: gas on, oiler on, ignition on, spark retarded, carb tickled, throttle at idle, strength mustered, crank in hand, and then with a half flip of the crank it was running. This is a great little car that is fun to drive and is very dependable. Tim even got a chance to take it for a spin with his father, Carl, who is here for a visit. With Tim and Carl in the front, and Barb and me in the back (boy are those seats narrow), off we went for a tour of Wedgewood Resort. The first complaint I heard was from Tim, questioning the effectiveness of the brakes. They may not be the best, but they are at least a suggestion to slow you down.After a few trips, we discovered that the water pump was not doing its job as it should. You can see it was a little rusty...
So, we removed it and cleaned it up, flushed the cooling system and radiator, and got the little Caddy back on line. If only the rain would allow us to get out and enjoy it again.....
At right is Mike, working at rust control, cleaning the water pump housing out so that it can be put back to use. Mike is one the volunteers that come in to help with our Tuesday work session, he was joined by Ron Allen as well, so we had a small crew this week but got a lot done.