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Just Acquired a 1975 Cadillac Eldorado Convertable

Started by babywantsbling, April 23, 2017, 12:08:42 AM

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babywantsbling

Hi Everyone,
New here and new to vintage cars. A dear friend of mine's husband passed away 3 years ago and he was an avid car collector. They live in Canada where the rest of his collection remains until she decides what to do with it. Meanwhile he kept this 75 Caddy in Florida for when they would spend their winter months. It has sat for 3 years under cover. So she called me and wanted to gift my husband and I this car.

So here we are now, with this beautiful car. We had it checked out and it has a few problems but nothing major. Mostly from it sitting. He really did take care of his cars. To be honest, I'm a little intimidated by this car. Will it break down a lot? Should we be afraid to drive it far? I want to enjoy this car. She was so
generous to give this to us and I want to take the best care of it. Any advice for a newbie? Attached are a few pics. Thanks Melinda

LenInLA

Congratulations on the caddy!  I've owned an 1976 Eldorado for a year now. Hasn't been a day when I drive it and don't get at least one "great car" compliment.

Leonard Grayver

Carl Fielding

Hi Melinda !
These huge front wheel drive Cadillac convertibles are great cars. I have had many of them. Certainly they need more attention than a modern car. But they are a very rugged vehicle. You will be able to enjoy many miles of happy driving in it. I have driven these monsters all over the U.S. and Mexico at speeds and under conditions that the normal driver will never encounter. They are not fragile or delicate. You will want to join Cadillac & LaSalle club. Traveling with our directory will give you a network of helpful friendly fellow members far and wide. To help us help you , tell us how many miles are on the car. Do you have any service records ? Good pictures of the engine will give us a clue. Who is doing the preparation work ? There are extremely experienced experts on the CLC forum here who know all aspects of these cars. As you will see , they give generously of their time and expertise. And they know that sooner or later you may get a tire or oil lecture from me ! In the meantime , do not park in the sun anymore than you absolutely have to. When you have to , put the top up , put shades in all windows and make sure your steering wheel is well covered. More about all this later. Yes you will most likely be able to drive this car long distance. Maybe even one of those dream second honeymoons ! Welcome !  - Carl

TJ Hopland

The last year or so there have been several 'new' 71-76 Eldo owners here so there are several fairly recent threads full of good info on these cars and their experiences with them.    I believe they all had the year and Eldorado or at least Eldo in the title so they should be easy to search. 

In general a lot of the normal wear items are still available from regular parts stores at reasonable prices.  Body and interior very little is reproduced. 

The one slightly unusual thing about these is you leave the top latches in the released position when you put the top down.   If put them back to the lock position they get damaged and bind on the way down.   Second thing is make sure there is nothing very tall on the upper deck in the trunk.  The glass rear window has to settle down in the well area before the rest of the top comes down on it.  IF there is anything in the way the glass will break and officially can not be replaced separate from the top.
StPaul/Mpls, MN USA

73 Eldo convert w/FiTech EFI
80 Eldo Diesel
90 CDV
And other assorted stuff I keep buying for some reason

TJ Hopland

I forgot to add you can add 77-78 and to a degree 67-70 to your search for information.    77-78 was the same body style but no factory convertible and a slightly different engine.   67-70 was a different body style but more or less the same drive line.   67 was the odd one because it used a completely different engine.   
StPaul/Mpls, MN USA

73 Eldo convert w/FiTech EFI
80 Eldo Diesel
90 CDV
And other assorted stuff I keep buying for some reason

bcroe

First thing to check is, if it has the early fuel injection.  This would increase the
amount of repairs required to keep the car on the road.  There is a list of stuff
that any car that age needs taken care of for dependability; that list is about
the same for a Cad, Olds, or many others.  Brakes, tires, hoses, timing chain
are high on the list; an original trans needs the internal rubber seals refreshed
one day, before a failure can do serious damage.  good luck, Bruce Roe

Scot Minesinger

Melinda,

Great car no question.  It reads like you are not a wrench turner and that is fine.  It is suggested that you start another post/topic and list your location and request a known and trusted old car mechanic.  Unfortunately the problem with this hobby is service providers.  DO NOT HIRE ANYONE TO WORK ON YOUR CAR THAT IS NOT HIGHLY RECOMMENDED BY A TRUSTED AND KNOWELDEGABLE SOURCE.  Many posts we read are the result of a mechanic making the situation worse.

Bruce and I seem to be always in accord in that everything that is a potential failure should be replaced, such as any rubber component because rubber fails with age not just use (like an oiled metal part).  We could provide a list.  Much of what should normally be done to an older car may have already been repaired, so try to get all the receipts.

You really have one of the King Kong of Cadillacs; the largest front drive Cadillac convertible with the largest engine ever manufactured, and could have stopped after the words front drive.  Many of us could probably type a few pages for you, but stopping here.

Enjoy!
Fairfax Station, VA  22039 (Washington DC Sub)
1970 Cadillac DeVille Convertible
1970 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1970 four door Convertible w/Cadillac Warranty

30326

Dear Melinda
Congratulations on been given such a beauty of a car and sorry about your husbands friend. He most certainly was a Cadillac friend.

Become a member of CLC, join the local CLC chapter where you plan to use the car. https://cadillaclasalleclub.site-ym.com/page/regions_chapters. Talk to members in that club and ask questions. They won't laugh and will gladly help you and your husband on this new adventure. And it will be an adventure. A great one.

I recommend you to buy a 1975 Cadillac Shop Manual (most likely your husbands friend has one in his bookshelf) and also buy the 1971-1976 Cadillac Authenticity Manual.
https://cadillaclasalleclub.site-ym.com/store/ViewProduct.aspx?id=7782819

Good luck and if you decide that this is not what you want. The car could easily be sold. Its very much sought after.

Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621

#8
Melinda...Your questions are excellent however they're really too general to be answered on an internet forum.  I strongly suggest making contact with any local car club(s), and ideally, the local CLC Region in your your area. There are bound to be any number of mid '70s Eldorado owners whose experience, knowledge and assistance will be invaluable in getting you acquainted with all the ins and outs of owning a 1975 Eldorado Convertible.

Congratulations on your good fortune and welcome to the CLC forum. 

A Cadillac Motorcar is a Possession for which there is no Acceptable Substitute

76eldo

I own a 76 Eldorado with just under 100,000 miles on it.  It's been very well maintained all of it's life.
I would trust it to drive anywhere.

As long as the car gets checked out by an honest and competent mechanic and all fluids, belts and hoses are checked you should be good to go.

For 1-2 hours labor you might be able to get a local Cadillac dealer to eyeball the car for you and check the brakes and front end out.

If you join the CLC and a local region you could ask a club member with a similar car to look it over.  Where in FL do you live?
Maybe someone from the message board will take a look under the hood for you.

Brian
Brian Rachlin
Huntingdon Valley, Pa
I prefer email's not PM's rachlin@comcast.net

1960 62 Series Conv with Factory Tri Power
1970 DeVille Conv
1970 Eldo
1970 Caribu (?) "The Cadmino"
1973 Eldorado Conv Pace Car
1976 Eldorado Conv
1980 Eldorado H & E Conv
1993 Allante with Hardtop (X2)
2008 DTS
2012 CTS Coupe
2017 XT
1956 Thunderbird
1966 Olds Toronado

DouglasJRizzo

Gorgeous convertible. Just stunning!
Gossamer Blue Firemist. Great color for it too.
1975 Superior Crown Sovereign Landaulet 3-way Hearse
1976 Sayers & Scoville Centennial Edition Landau Hearse
1974 Superior Crown Sovereign Landaulet Hearse
1976 Ford Thunderbird
1997 Ford Thunderbird



-Douglas J. Rizzo

76 cadillac bob

welcome and what a great car. I love my 1976 not so well kept. I found half the fun of owning one is researching parts and ways to make it correct. Everyone talks to me about mine and they have a story to tell. It is a real conversation starter. It took three tries to find the right mechanic who can work on a classic, many like to think they can so be careful or they will ruin the car. I came close. Your color is fabulous and looks so fresh, drive it with pride
Cadillac Bob

babywantsbling

Thank you all for your posts and welcoming me aboard. I am taking in all your advice. The car is in a shop right now, it has been for a week.

There was no time to really find a great mechanic. the car was leaking gas. At first it was leaking in the front. Got that fixed, brought it home and noticed it was now leaking in the rear. The mechanic found 3 rotted hoses and is replacing them now.
The tires were also dry rotted terribly from sitting for 3 years so ordered some from Coker tires. He gave us a list that is not in front of me at the moment of other things that need to be fixed. I'm pretty certain the car is not fuel injection but will ask the mechanic. We are in the Pensacola area so not sure there is a club here or not but I will check. The odometer reads 48,000 miles. Have no way of knowing if they are original or not. My friend who gave me the car has no idea.

I am picking up the car tomorrow and will try to get some pictures of the engine if I can lift that incredibly heavy hood.  :)

The Tassie Devil(le)

Sounds like the car has been doing too much sitting around, and really needs a complete going over, especially in the brake department, now that you have done the tyres and fuel.

When it is all completed, you will have a wonderful car that will give you a lot of pleasure, and won't let you down.

Bruce. >:D
'72 Eldorado Convertible (LHD)
'70 Ranchero Squire (RHD)
'74 Chris Craft Gull Wing (SH)
'02 VX Series II Holden Commodore SS Sedan
(Past President Modified Chapter)

Past Cars of significance - to me
1935 Ford 3 Window Coupe
1936 Ford 5 Window Coupe
1937 Chevrolet Sports Coupe
1955 Chevrolet Convertible
1959 Ford Fairlane Ranch Wagon
1960 Cadillac CDV
1972 Cadillac Eldorado Coupe

babywantsbling

Thanks, I am really excited about this car. I just want to get it cleaned up and running right. We are trying to get the most dire problems out of the way first. Cosmetically the carpet needs to be replaced. Luckily the top was replaced just a few years ago so its like brand new although it does seem sluggish going up and down. Is that normal?

Carl Fielding

Oh yeah , these complicated tops can be real slugs. I'm sure you will get some good tips here. Be sure to read TJs first posting here about the top operation. But I wish I had already given you the the tire lecture. The company which makes the tires you have ordered are considered to to make SHOW tires. We have a member who has posted extensively on this on the  AACA forums. We have to be careful about negativity here. If you are interested in doing more than just showing your car , please feel free to call me ASAP , 24/7.  - Carl 408-621-8261

Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621

I'm not certain but it appears the Sun Coast Region might be applicable to your locale in Pensacola.

Here is the link:

https://www.cadillaclasalleclubflorida.com/

Get in touch with one of the Club officers - phone numbers are provided in the link to make arrangements to join the Region. You will first need to join the National CLC. Dues are $35.00 annually which is well worth it. You'll receive 11 issues of the Self Starter (monthly publication of the CLC) plus the Annual Membership Directory.

Link provided at the top right of this page for joining the National CLC.


A Cadillac Motorcar is a Possession for which there is no Acceptable Substitute

babywantsbling

The Suncoast region is 500 miles from us. We are closer to Mobile Al than any other part of Florida if there isn't one in the Panhandle.
So now I'm worried we bought the wrong tires? Show tires? Are they not good enough to drive around on? What should we have bought? We really wanted the ones that closely matched what was already on there.

cadillacmike68

I'm in the FL Suncoast region and yes it's quite the haul from Pensacola. Even when we have events up in Ocala / Gainsville, that's still some 300 miles for you isn't it? Much as I don't want to see a member in FL not join us, an AL or GA region might be closer to you. however, you can always write us and we'll be happy to help when we are able.

Regards, Mike.
Regards,
"Cadillac" Mike

Carl Fielding

I am very blunt and direct at times. I also treasure my lifetime CLC membership and respect our advertisers. If you want to really drive your car on great handling safe tires , if I were EVEN MORE blunt and direct than I ACTUALLY am , I would advise you to cancel your order and call me immediately. So as direct as I am in actuality , simply : CALL ME IMMEDIATELY !   408-621-8261 , backup number  206-790-6912 . I can also email our member who has vast experience with show tires and go tires , and copy you , as per proper CLC contact protocol. There. I think I have complied with tha spirit and letter of CLC guidelines.  - Carl