So, if you read Parts I and II of my Ettleson Cadillac car show posts, you’ll know I was in Chicagoland about a month ago. I always take Interstate 80, and if they are still open when I pass by on the way home, I always stop by the Peru Antique Mall, clearly visible from 80 itself, in Peru, IL. When I attended the Shirey Cadillac show on Memorial Day weekend, I discovered and bought a 1971 Cadillac Fleetwood Eldorado dealer promo there.
At that time, there was also a gold 1969 Fleetwood Eldorado promo sitting right next to it in the showcase.
Sharp, but no taillights. Dagnabit!
But I picked the ’71 as it was missing only its stand-up hood ornament, while the ’69 had both taillights absent.
But on my visit in June, I decided to get the other Eldorado. It would just look great sitting next to the ’71, and heck, I got a 10% discount, so why not?
This Chalice Gold Firemist promo, while perhaps not quite as nice as the ’71 in Duchess Gold Firemist, cleaned up well with a coat of wax. And I figured I could find some appropriate facsimilie to substitute the absent taillight lenses.
My first stop was Dollar Tree, believe it or not. I figured there was a chance I’d find some cheap container or household item in a clear red color. But I was mistaken; there was no joy in Dollarville.
But lo! I had several old model car kits in my closet in my home office, so I began opening them up to see if something would work. And in my 1966 Mustang kit, there was a full-width panel for the custom version. This might work.
And it did. I cut down the left and right ends of the panel. Glued them in. And voila! Sure, it’s not 100% accurate, but it’s close enough for government work, as my Grandpa Bob used to say. And it looks a lot better than the empty sockets. I really like the gold too. This is REALLY gold, not the washed out, almost apologetic golds you see on modern cars. Beige beigemist, as my friend Carmine often says!
And now the Eldoraro sits proudly next to my pea soup green 1968 Coupe de Ville, “Creme Brulee Luxury Group” ’67 Coupe de Ville, and of course, the gold ’71 Eldorado. Well, always like to keep busy! Now what? Maybe I should do another model kit. I built a ’65 Continental convertible kit, my first in 20 years, last summer, and Major Art & Hobby downtown has a ’71 Thunderbird kit in stock. Hmm…