1971-1974 Eldorado Fender Skirt Modification Kit and Instructions

The 1971-1974 Eldorado is a classic Cadillac that is fast becoming a collectable and appreciating automobile. Sadly, even though Cadillac was a trend-setter in introducing wire wheels for their cars, the current Eldorado owner has few choices when it comes to dressing their car up with wire wheels that add to the elegance of the car. Roadster introduced a line of wire wheels that will work on these cars, however, due to the very limited room in the rear wheel wells and close proximity of the fender skirt fastening hardware, the wire wheels require that there be a few changes made to accomodate the wheels. It is our opinion that these changes should be performed by a qualified bodyshop or fabricator so that there is no risk of harming your car. The purpose of these instructions are to demonstrate what modifications will be involved. None of these modifications will spoil or detract from the original appearance of your car. The modifications required are all to areas that cannot be viewed from the outside.

Step One (May not be necessary on all cars) Please install your mounted wheels on the car. If you discover that there is little or no clearance between the wheel and tire and the body of your car, then step number one will be necessary. Examine the proximity of the body to your wheels and tires. There should be sufficient room for the wheel and tire to rotate without making contact with the body. We recommend that there be at least one half to one inch of clearance. In the event that the edge of your body as shown is too close to your wheel and tire, carefully trim the protruding edge using a Sawzall or grinder. You only need to trim away enough to provide room for the outside diameter of the tire. Do not take off more than is required. Carefully smooth the edge of the trimmed area so that there are no protruding sharp edges or metal that could injure you or the tire.

Step Two: Installing the locking pins Your parts kit has two, long drill bits and a special drill guide to use in drilling the location holes for the locking pins. The pins have a push button at the base that operates the locking function of your pins. You push the button when you install the pin and push it again to remove it, permitting the fender skirt to open. To make certain that there is a good, tight fit, you should remove your wheel and tire and elevate your car on a lift. If you do not have a lift and prefer to use a floor jack, be sure to place jack stands under your car as a safety measure.
Place your fender skirt back on the car and raise it to the closed position fully. Secure your locking arm, making certain that the fender skirt is fully closed. Using the provided drill guide, place the guide in the lip area of the fender skirt at a point 10 inches away from the center of the fenderskirt (at the point that the factory locking arm engages the body). Once you have the drill guide in place and the fender skirt in the closed position, slowly and carefully drill through both the fender skirt and the body edge. The goal is to have these holes perfectly aligned. If you drill them separately, they may not properly align, which could lead to a bad fit and rattles. Note in the photos how the closing device interferes with the drill bit. You should pull the locking arm out of the way and use a block or spacer to keep the arm elevated while you are drilling the holes for the locking pins.

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