My Coach Doesn't Exist

[Uglybastard239]

That S&S hood ornament is SWEET. I had no idea they used to put their own logos on to coaches...other than Victoria and such. VERY cool. Did the molding come with your coach or did you add that yourself?

I've actually changed a cadillac hood ornament. My first caddy a 79 Eldorado was a rescue from a VERY unpleasant side of town, where it was NOT being treated well. My brother in law went to the dealership and bought the biggest ornament they made at the time. I don't have it handy to measure it, but it's easily 4 inches across. I don't remember if there was a problem with the base mounting on or not, that was back in 87.

I see the hood on yours seems to have the same center line as mine. I can't tell if the mount is shorter in the back than it is in the front. It looks like it might be, but it's hard to tell from that picture. Pity the ornament doesn't have the wreath...I'm not ruling it out, but let me see what else turns up this week. At this point ANY ornament is better than no ornament and 20 bucks (plus shipping) certainly appeals to the cheap bastard in me.

[hotroddwayne]

That S&S hood ornament is SWEET. I had no idea they used to put their own logos on to coaches...other than Victoria and such. VERY cool. Did the molding come with your coach or did you add that yourself?

I've actually changed a cadillac hood ornament. My first caddy a 79 Eldorado was a rescue from a VERY unpleasant side of town, where it was NOT being treated well. My brother in law went to the dealership and bought the biggest ornament they made at the time. I don't have it handy to measure it, but it's easily 4 inches across. I don't remember if there was a problem with the base mounting on or not, that was back in 87.

I see the hood on yours seems to have the same center line as mine. I can't tell if the mount is shorter in the back than it is in the front. It looks like it might be, but it's hard to tell from that picture. Pity the ornament doesn't have the wreath...I'm not ruling it out, but let me see what else turns up this week. At this point ANY ornament is better than no ornament and 20 bucks (plus shipping) certainly appeals to the cheap bastard in me.

VERY few of these S&S hood ornaments survived, they were big & brittle. This one was actually broken off at the base when I bought it. I made the bottom of the supporting stem on a lathe @ work & press-fit the S&S emblem into it.
The trim around the hood ornament is an option only S&S offered & is called the "date mark". It goes back to the beginnings of S&S and was intended to help disguise the year & make of the front clip. Over the years it became less & less popular & by the time mine was built it was a $600 option that few ordered.
Yes, that Cadillac hood ornament mount you see in the first pic is shorter at the back than the front. Let me know if you decide you want to try it out & i'll mail it to you. I scarfed a real "Eureka" hood ornament off Ebay a while back with the wreath around a Eureka logo, but that wouldn't be fitting to your S&S!

[Beladona_13]

I gave up looking for the "right" hood ornament for my '84. I used this instead:41HQVJ70XHL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
I used JB Weld to cement a 3/8" bolt into the hole and stuck it through the hole in my hood. I used a Nyloc nut to hold it in place, and PRESTO! Instant cheezy goodness! Best part was, I had everything on hand! Free is a nice price...

[theonlyjohnson]

I am having an slightly similar issue with my car. The title on my car says that it is a 1988 Buick LeSabre Estate Wagon. In 1986 they changed to front wheel drive where mine is still rear wheel. Also in '86 they stopped making the Estate Wagon. My hood ornament has the Buick symbol and it says Special Edition around it. I am thinking that maybe Buick made this model only for the purpose of having them converted. I am having a hard time finding any information on the car. And when I go to find a part and they ask for a make and model to put into their computers, they come back with "Weird, that model isn't in here. Are you sure that is what it is?" So I just show them a picture of the part that needs replacing, and the piece that it came out of.

[Beladona_13]

If your '86 was indeed a Special edition made only for commercial applications, I'd be willing to bet that they used all of the parts from the prior year... Try ordering them for an '85... also, what month was your car produced? The 'build date' should be on the drivers door jamb VIN tag....

[theonlyjohnson]

It's an '88. 1985 was the last year Buick made the car the title claims that my car is. I can't see any date for the cars production (bad after market paint job) it was altered by Superior in March '88.