Ripped Apart

Recently I somehow managed to get two days off of work in a row. Because of this, I finally had the time to do the rest of what I needed to do to the engine of the 1971 Cadillac Coupe DeVille I bought a month or so ago. Before today, all I'd done was take the carburetor off and sent it out to be rebuilt, taken the valve covers and other such things off and painted them, and collected parts in preparation for just such a break in my work schedule. Both the front and rear seats, the trunk, and the floor have become filled with just about every part I think I need to get her running right, and now I finally have the time to put her all back together.

Here's the engine, broken down about as far as it needs to be. Just about everything that needs to be off is off and ready for replacing. The distributor cap and wires are only left intact to ensure their correct and easy replacement when the time to do so comes. In fact, the only other thing left to do at the time of this photograph is to temporarily remove the distributor to gain the access necessary to remove the bottom half of the currently broken ported vacuum switch and replace it with a new one. Let's hope that 35 years of sitting in the block hasn't affected its ability to come back out.

Got it! Now to put the new one back in and start putting the rest of the old girl back together. The next time you see this mighty Cadillac 472, it'll be all buttoned up and beautiful.