There’s always something you can improve when it comes to classic cars. It doesn’t matter if you have a concours-grade car or a project that has yet to be started. The only difference is the length of that list and the degree of difficulty in checking off those boxes.
When we got my mo…
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I've had 25 years of pleasure from my '99 Mustang Cobra. A terrific local paintless dent removal specialist took three parking lot dings out of the car at modest cost several years ago. A couple of years ago the mice in our garage discovered that the pressure relief air vents in the trunk had a grid behind their flaps with rectangular openings exactly the cross-sectional area of a nickel, just mouse sized. They set up shop and the car smelled like it. Fixed the source by adding 1/2" hardware cloth behind the plastic grid, halving that cross sectional area and "closing the mouse doors". The odor remained.
Other than that, the only "drivability" issue was the original seats, with wear on the driver seat leather and not enough comfort for my spouse to enjoy a drive. Thorough cleaning and liberal use of Febreeze eliminated the odor after we removed all the old carpeting. Yesterday we finished installing new carpet on top of carefully fitted Dynamat sound absorbing material throughout the interior and trunk, and reinstalling the recently purchased primo Recaro seats with heat, ventilation fans, etc. She loves the Recaros, so that was a good investment. Not long ago put 4.10 gears in it so that 6800 rpm 4-valve engine could stretch its legs without sending me to jail. Yesterday's test drive was a joy.
Now that last "list" item: those 25-year-old chassis bushings. Already have nice, just slightly firm Bilsteins, but the bushings rattle a bit and jolt a bit too. After much agonizing about durability, control and ride comfort values, settled on the street-level Maximum Motorsports selection of urethane bushings as the most comfortable (lowest durometer numbers) option other than replacing factory rubber bushings that will dry out and fail again someday. Now have to get those installed, and hoping the driver's low back and his spouse's sensitive tush will still enjoy the toy. That's my list, hoping to end it with high satisfaction soon
The Maximum Motorsports street-oriented bushing options including the toe links for rear spindle conrol (much stiffer than the 1/2" dia stock links that flex and contribute to wheel hop) have been installed. Long, long job for the shop that did it, labor was $$$$. Much better, though ride is jiggly on rough surfaces. I have Bilstein B6 shocks on it, just slightly stiffer than stock shocks were. They are fine, unless there is an alternative better for these bushings. Wonder whether there is a better shock choice to pair with the MM urethane bushings to manage the high-frequency jiggle on slightly rough streets better.
Need to do more for wheel hop on 1st and 2nd gear hard starts, can't seem to get a smooth transition to mild wheel spin when wanted (despite decades of practice :-). Planning to add Billetflow IRS subframe (not the main rear chassis subframe) support brackets with their steel backing plates for best load spread on sheet metal next to the rear IRS subframe mounting point, and maybe MM's full-length welded subframe connectors, next. Without destroying the ride comfort, choices for wheel hop control are limited on this car. Converting to a solid rear axle is not on my menu. Haven't yet found an online comment reflecting a solution to this set of needs. Not a drag race car, and not a dedicated track car either, needs to be a GT car that is pleasant for cruising as well as fast and fun to launch from a stoplight. That's what I'm "really trying to achieve."
I've never heard of a steel wheel bending while sitting on a flat tire. I think it's improbable even in a much heavier vehicle thay the Caddy. I have had two tire blowouts at highway speed on flawed tires (same trip, I learned after the second one). The wheels didn't bend and only suffered some scuff marks where the wheels contacted the road surface while I was getting the car stopped.
Now, I'm quite aware of the date codes on tires, and won't leave town on a trip with old tires that look so new that they still have full tread and the factory "whiskers".
Replacement Caddy wheels should be available, or your wheel(s) could be straightened. In the meantime, a new wheel that fits your bolt pattern will keep you rolling.
Cheers, David