Johan ‘70 Cadillac ElDorado pro touring (low and aggressive)

[Steve H]

Hi all,

This project has been percolating in my brain for years. I finally got the kit about 3ish years ago, and I am now ready to tackle it. I spent a few hours last night going thru my stash and parts bins accumulating a bunch of goodies to mash up. The plan is to use a slightly toned down NASCAR chassis, I will keep the body somewhat stock, but shave some trim. I love the lines of this car! The interior will be a blend of lots of parts from various kits, and some scratch building. I will credit the late Juha Aurio (I hope I spelled that correct) for the inspiration of this. He built a beautiful blue custom that was in a contest cars magazine some years ago. My thought way back then was that I would do a simple curbside build, but with what I have learned since being on this forum, I feel my skills have improved, so I’m going all in. 

Before I go any further, my sincere apologies to purists, and those who disapprove of cutting up collectable or rare kits. I collect kits, but I collect them to build. I treat any kit the same, and I have almost no knowledge of “box stock”. 

So here we go!

Starting point…

The body is actually in very nice condition, so far the only flaw I see is a short shot on the driver side tail light area

passenger side..

driver side…

 

Shouldn’t be too hard to fix up.

Chassis before any tinkering…

The chassis needs to be narrowed and the front of the chassis (forward of the firewall) needs to be extended a scale 10”. 
 

Some of the inspiration I have found..

No, it will not be black!! No, it will not be a full roll cage NASCAR build. Man these look good dropped down tho!! It will be low, and will be very aggressive looking, but hopefully still classy at the same time. I already have a colour but not sharing that yet. I have several wheel tire choices, still need to narrow that down. I also plan on ordering some wheels this week, so my choices may actually expand.

The engine will be a big block with a modern intake, or maybe twin turbos, regardless, it will have more than enough power to move this beast along. Still need to play with options once the chassis is further along. If it works out, I will use the Cadillac valve covers in the kit. 

I have all the ideas sorted out in my head, just need to start slicing and dicing to make it a reality. LOTS of details to sort out still, especially with the interior. 
 This should be a fun one. As always, all comments welcome and thanks for having a look.

Cheers, Steve

[Ace-Garageguy]

These are such beautiful cars, should look great with some tasteful customization.

[Superbird McMonte]

My best friend had a 1969 Eldo after high school in the 90’s always thought those were the nicest looking Eldos!👍 I look forward to seeing your build!

[KWT]

Oh like where this is going already. Definitely following along.

[NOBLNG]

I like your plan Steve. I agree, these are very classy looking cars and I have full confidence that what you do with it will not detract from that. Big power sounds good to me.🙂 Take your time, I’ll pull up my comfy chair to watch this one.😎

[SpikeSchumacher]

Looking forward to what you do with this one Steve 😉

Cheers

[Ace-Garageguy]

Just a thought to keep it all Cadillac...there are aftermarket aluminum heads for the Caddy 472/500 that can make big power, especially supercharged. 

[Bainford]

Cool project. I like your vision. This will be a fun build.

[Can-Con]

7 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

Just a thought to keep it all Cadillac...there are aftermarket aluminum heads for the Caddy 472/500 that can make big power, especially supercharged. 

Too bad there never was one of that series Caddy engines done in scale  , but,, a 429 Ford could be fudged a bit to look pretty convincing. [I'll be using one in my Custom rwd Eldo when I build it, waiting for bumpers to return from LMKC]

Seems to me at one time adapters were available to use the Ford intakes on the Caddy engine.

[Can-Con]

Can't wait to see what you do with this, Steve. 

You South Island guys build some pretty wicked cars.

[Ace-Garageguy]

9 minutes ago, Can-Con said:

Too bad there never was one of that series Caddy engines done in scale...

The 472 was a revised design intro'd in 1968. What engine is represented in the Eldo kit?

[Can-Con]

22 minutes ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

The 472 was a revised design intro'd in 1968. What engine is represented in the Eldo kit?

Olds Toronado 425 with "CADILLAC" script added to the valve covers.

Edited January 5, 2023 by Can-Con

[Can-Con]

Actual Caddy 472 for reference.

https://public.fotki.com/SteveMilberry/refrence_pics/cadillac-472500/

[Steve H]

18 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

These are such beautiful cars, should look great with some tasteful customization.

I hope so Bill, thanks for checking in.

10 hours ago, Superbird McMonte said:

My best friend had a 1969 Eldo after high school in the 90’s always thought those were the nicest looking Eldos!👍 I look forward to seeing your build!

I Agree Dominik, I think these are one of the best looking Caddy’s. Hopefully I can do it justice.
 

 

9 hours ago, KWT said:

Oh like where this is going already. Definitely following along.

Thank you Jeremy, this will have a similar “flavour” as the Dutch Boys Camaro.

9 hours ago, NOBLNG said:

I like your plan Steve. I agree, these are very classy looking cars and I have full confidence that what you do with it will not detract from that. Big power sounds good to me.🙂 Take your time, I’ll pull up my comfy chair to watch this one.😎

Excellent! Good to have you on board Greg, I always appreciate your comments. I’ll try not to put you to sleep 😴 

7 hours ago, SpikeSchumacher said:

Looking forward to what you do with this one Steve 😉

Cheers

Somewhere between classy and nasty is where I’m heading. Thanks for joining in the fun.

7 hours ago, Bainford said:

Cool project. I like your vision. This will be a fun build.

Thanks Trevor, I will try not to disappoint sir.

26 minutes ago, Can-Con said:

Too bad there never was one of that series Caddy engines done in scale  , but,, a 429 Ford could be fudged a bit to look pretty convincing. [I'll be using one in my Custom rwd Eldo when I build it, waiting for bumpers to return from LMKC]

Seems to me at one time adapters were available to use the Ford intakes on the Caddy engine.

Hi Steve, you are always a wealth of knowledge. Oh good, another rwd version, the whole fwd thing was a non starter for me. I will definitely keep an eye out for your build. 

23 minutes ago, Can-Con said:

Can't wait to see what you do with this, Steve. 

You South Island guys build some pretty wicked cars.

Thanks for the vote of confidence! It won’t be anything near the level of Martin’s builds, but I’m always learning, and usually improving… Oh ya, keep that snowy weather where it belongs!! Don’t be sending any more of that s… our way. Sheesh 

7 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

Just a thought to keep it all Cadillac...there are aftermarket aluminum heads for the Caddy 472/500 that can make big power, especially supercharged. 

Hi Bill, wen you say that, is there aftermarket SCALE heads or are you referring only to 1:1 ? If in scale could you point me to the source please and thanks. 
The box says 472 but I wouldn’t know if it is accurate in the kit…

16 minutes ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

The 472 was a revised design intro'd in 1968. What engine is represented in the Eldo kit?

[Steve H]

11 minutes ago, Can-Con said:

Actual Caddy 472 for reference.

https://public.fotki.com/SteveMilberry/refrence_pics/cadillac-472500/

Ah ha!! You are a smart one Steve! 

[Ace-Garageguy]

2 hours ago, Steve H said:

Hi Bill, wen you say that, is there aftermarket SCALE heads or are you referring only to 1:1 ? If in scale could you point me to the source please and thanks. 
The box says 472 but I wouldn’t know if it is accurate in the kit…

Two things...

Far as the heads go, I was referring to 1:1, but all you'd need to do to represent 'em on a model is paint them whatever you use to represent aluminum. They're designed to bolt in place of the cast-iron originals and accept all the factory stuff like manifolds, alternator, PS, AC, etc.

Thanks to CanCon, we know it's not a righteous 472 in the Johan kit. I wasn't sure whether the Olds from the Toronado was dressed up to look like a Caddy, or if it was the other way around.

As he said, it looks like the Ford (non-Boss) 429 could be reworked to make a reasonably convincing Caddy 472/500 without too much difficulty.

Edited January 6, 2023 by Ace-Garageguy
TYPO

[Can-Con]

I actually did up a set of correct valve covers for the engine years ago for Ken Kitchen of Kitchen Table Resins and made some suggestions to him on some mods to make on a Ford 429 to make a passible Caddy engine. He did send me back a couple sets of valve covers and one of the engine kits he sold but aside from my valve covers, it was just a copy of the MPC Ford engine.  

I don't think he's selling them any more though, that was over 10 years ago.

Here's a shot of the resin valve cover,,

[Phildaupho]

Lots of people are getting excited about your project including me. You have a recipe for a great looking model.

[Slotto]

I like the way you think. This is gonna be killer

[bobthehobbyguy]

Really cool project. Neat concept.

[Steve H]

18 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

Two things...

Far as the heads go, I was referring to 1:1, but all you'd need to do to represent 'em on a model is paint them whatever you use to represent aluminum. They're designed to bolt in place of the cast-iron originals and accept all the factory stuff like manifolds, alternator, PS, AC, etc.

Thanks to CanCon, we know it's not a righteous 472 in the Johan kit. I wasn't sure whether the Olds from the Toronado was dressed up to look like a Caddy, or if it was the other way around.

As he said, it looks like the Ford (non-Boss) 429 could be reworked to make a reasonably convincing Caddy 472/500 without too much difficulty.

Thanks for clarifying Bill. I figured that was what you meant. You had me curious about there maybe being some trick looking racing Caddy heads and valve covers. Once I get deeper into the build I’ll start playing with engine options, I do hope to use the kit valve covers tho.

 

17 hours ago, Can-Con said:

I actually did up a set of correct valve covers for the engine years ago for Ken Kitchen of Kitchen Table Resins and made some suggestions to him on some mods to make on a Ford 429 to make a passible Caddy engine. He did send me back a couple sets of valve covers and one of the engine kits he sold but aside from my valve covers, it was just a copy of the MPC Ford engine.  

I don't think he's selling them any more though, that was over 10 years ago.

Here's a shot of the resin valve cover,,

Thanks for sharing this Steve. 

15 hours ago, Phildaupho said:

Lots of people are getting excited about your project including me. You have a recipe for a great looking model.

Thanks for the vote of confidence Phil. Hopefully I can do something decent with it. Seems like there will be lots of help, so that’s promising.

15 hours ago, Slotto said:

I like the way you think. This is gonna be killer

Thank you Steve, if I can get the styrene to what I have in my head, it will be killer!

14 hours ago, bobthehobbyguy said:

Really cool project. Neat concept.

Thanks Bob. 
 

I should have the basic chassis dimensions sorted out over the weekend. (Length, width, height) Once that is done I can start finalizing ride height, and engine placement. The biggest challenge is going to be the interior. 
 

Thanks for having a look.

Cheers, Steve

 

[PowerPlant]

Nice to see one of these being built. Shame the hood is so ill-fitting on this kit, so I'm curious to see how you tackle this issue. 

[Steve H]

1 hour ago, PowerPlant said:

Nice to see one of these being built. Shame the hood is so ill-fitting on this kit, so I'm curious to see how you tackle this issue. 

Hello Matija, I did notice that it was not a great fit, but I will address that when I get there. Thanks for the input.

Cheers, Steve

[Mattilacken]

Sweet project! Perfect with a nascar chassi! They are easy to narrow for wider tires as well as you have seen in my Impala thread. I have made brackets that you can print for the rear end if you want to get rid of the truck arms. I could probably help with a set of valvecovers if needed. If you know what “foot print” in mm you need I can modify a set that I have made, Gm performance cast aluminum valve covers, and make them as you like with the caddy text. 
do you have some one that can help you print stuff? 

[Steve H]

5 hours ago, Mattilacken said:

Sweet project! Perfect with a nascar chassi! They are easy to narrow for wider tires as well as you have seen in my Impala thread. I have made brackets that you can print for the rear end if you want to get rid of the truck arms. I could probably help with a set of valvecovers if needed. If you know what “foot print” in mm you need I can modify a set that I have made, Gm performance cast aluminum valve covers, and make them as you like with the caddy text. 
do you have some one that can help you print stuff? 

Hello Anton. Wow! I thank you very much for the offer. I’m going to see if I can use the kit covers first. I think I can use the parts I have… I still need to play around with the kit suspension, but I believe it will work. Having said all that, I feel like I should be jumping on the 3d bandwagon, it is definitely the direction of our hobby. As far as the nascar chassis, I credit you for that my friend. 
Thanks for checking in, I think you will approve of this build!