Build Thread: 1937 LaSalle / Family Hot Rod

[joe brienza]

the 34 coupe has a 510 cui caddy ,turbo 400 trans pontiac rear ,ac ,power windows and more . the 35 convt has a 350 chevy , turbo 400 trans 41 cad rear both cars have genuine leather interior thats my profession,i built the entire cars chassis up ,was on the cover of hot rod magazine august 19 59 the car was called the eastern show stopper ,have many more pictures of cars i built in the past ,i was a member of this forum for some time but not active , my fault ,THANKS joe brienza

[37 Caddy]

Those are stunning LaSalles. I was going to ask about the interior, I really like the LaSalle crest embossed in the seats and I caught a glimpse of the rear speaker location. Stay tuned. It will be a long time until this car gets that far, but that is part of the fun.

[37 Caddy]

I haven't had much time in the garage lately but I have made some small progress.

First, I got the driveshaft shortened and got it installed. It turns out the problem was the result of human error and bad penmanship. The shop fixed it right away, no questions asked.

Second, I mounted a much stronger and better looking bracket for the steering rod support. In the picture you will see the newly installed bracket and the one I removed. The new bracket is recycled from the upper shock mounts I cut out of the frame earlier. I just didn't have much confidence in the tiny little piece of angle iron that was holding it all together before.

Next steps are to try to find some daylight hours to clean up the frame and wait for Santa to arrive. Hopefully, Mr. Kringle will be showing up with all the brake fittings, proportioning valve, and brake hoses. I will certainly be seeking some of your friendly advice as I move into the brakes.

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[joe brienza]

looks like your doing a good job, the steering bracket looks plenty strong and neat the one you took off did look mickey mouse you did the wright thing ,it hard to put in alot of time around the holidays dont rush it ,you know the old story measure 2 times 3 times and cut once,

[joe brienza]

looking at your master cylinder and booster it looks like the same setup i put on my lasalls

[falconvan]

Great looking job! Fits really nice around the headers.

[flh4speed]

looks great

[37 Caddy]

Joe - Speaking of the master cylinder. What did you do to mount a brake pedal arm? I bought this setup before I knew better about the frame and I am planning on fabricating and then bolting a bracket and brake arm pivot to the x-frame. I plan on cutting up and using parts from the setup I purchased. See pic

brake booster ebay.jpg

[37 Caddy]

It has been a month since the last post, but I don't have much to show in the way of progress. I am slowly cleaning and painting portions of the frame. I have started working on the brake lines because it allows me some sense of accomplishment. I am starting to bolt on parts Santa brought me including: power steering lines, brake lines, brake hoses, and I am really looking forward to putting the new Olds/Caddy style air cleaner I got.

Once I started mounting the power steering hoses I came to find I had an extra low pressure port on my pump. I forgot the Suburban had a hydroboost setup. So I swapped it out for a non-hydroboost pump. It was only $50 and well worth it so I wouldn't have to rig up some cap or whatzit to make it work.

Quick question: I got the brake lines back to the rear hose that splits out to the rear drums and found out the hoses are not 3/8-24. I am guessing they are AN-3. Can anyone confirm what size adapter I likely need to make the connection?

Thanks. It is good to be back.

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rear shocks.JPG

brakes rear.JPG

[37 Caddy]

I am running the lines for my front brakes, does it matter if the brake lines from the front tee to the front discs are different lengths?

Jay

[Dave Severson]

I am running the lines for my front brakes, does it matter if the brake lines from the front tee to the front discs are different lengths?

Jay

That's some great progress Jay!!!! The length of the lines from the tee to the calipers can be different, no problem. The fluid supply is constant and the pressure will be applied equally to each caliper.....

Sometimes progress can only be measured by the amount of gunk you sweep up off the floor at the end of the day!!!!!!

[37 Caddy]

Thanks for the quick response. I just spent about 20 minutes just walking around the "car" and staring. I am trying to figure out how to run the front brake lines. I have nothing to go on. I haven't been able to find pictures of the front brake line routing for the 71 Camaro and the brake hose tabs have long been removed. I think they mounted on the top of the frame perpendicular to the upper control arm. However, if you remember the earlier picture of the steering support you can see I don't have much room to work with once I get the brake hose to the frame.

Is there such thing as a 90 degree brake fitting with 3/8-24 on both ends?

[Dave Severson]

Thanks for the quick response. I just spent about 20 minutes just walking around the "car" and staring. I am trying to figure out how to run the front brake lines. I have nothing to go on. I haven't been able to find pictures of the front brake line routing for the 71 Camaro and the brake hose tabs have long been removed. I think they mounted on the top of the frame perpendicular to the upper control arm. However, if you remember the earlier picture of the steering support you can see I don't have much room to work with once I get the brake hose to the frame.

Is there such thing as a 90 degree brake fitting with 3/8-24 on both ends?

Shouldn't be hard to find...I would suggest a steel fitting though, and not a brass one.

As for the brake hose tabs, just put them where they will work the best... Make sure the do not get pinched by or rub against any of the suspension components, not just a ride height but check to make sure the brake hose is in a safe place throughout the entire range of travel.... The clip can be mounted either above or below the frame, whichever is best for routing....and if that doesn't work, there are a number of companies making brake hose connectors that go through the frame rail....

[joe brienza]

hi sending a picture of the brake setup i used both on my 34 lasalle and the 35 lasalle i used the original brake pedal and mounted the duel cylinder and the booster behind the original break pedal you can see the booster rod leading to the original pedal, joe

[37 Caddy]

When I bought this car I saw two major hurdles in front of me 1) making the steering work, and 2) mounting the brake pedal and master cylinder. The steering I feared because the previous owner had blocked the route for the steering with a bracket for the body panels. The brakes I feared because the car came with no original brake parts and the frames X-member made using off the shelf parts tricky.

Well, today I can say I have cleared both these hurdles and I am re-energized by the accomplishment. The steering I finished some time ago, but today I fabricated a brake pedal assembly and now having a working brake pedal. Although I will probably have to have a new pedal arm cut by waterjet once I put the body back on.

The first picture is the 37 Chevy brake assembly I bought on Ebay over a year ago assuming that it would bolt right in to my 37 Gm/ Cadillac. No such luck. The second pic is the frame before fabricating the pedal assembly. and the third pic is success. I plan on having a professional welder finish up the welding on this setup.
brake booster ebay.jpg
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brake pedal 1.JPG