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1979 Paris "truck"

Started by "Cadillac Kid" Greg Surfas 15364, July 11, 2012, 09:59:02 AM

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"Cadillac Kid" Greg Surfas 15364

1979 Paris "truck".
I just "inherited a 1979 Paris/truck.  In it's past it has had the seats and I presume the console taken out and junk seats installed in their place.  First of all, if anyone out there has any pictures of a 1979 Coupe deVille with bucket seats and a console it might give me an idea of what goes back there.  Also if anyone has any pictures of an actual "Paris" (not  a  Mirage or any of the other conversions please) I would appreciate it.
Thanks in advance.
Greg Surfas
Cadillac Kid-Greg Surfas
Director Modified Chapter CLC
CLC #15364
66 Coupe deVille (now gone to the UK)
72 Eldo Cpe  (now cruising the sands in Quatar)
73 Coupe deVille
75 Coupe deElegance
76 Coupe deVille
79 Coupe de ville with "Paris" (pick up) option and 472 motor
514 inch motor now in '73-

Bill Hedge CLC 14424

Greg:

You may want to contact this person or post a query on this site:   http://www.flickr.com/photos/that_chrysler_guy/3099359480/?q=cadillac paris trucks

I hope that this helps.

Bill Hedge

"Cadillac Kid" Greg Surfas 15364

thanks Bill, but most of the several sites that show these vehicles have long grown cold.  They only make 200 of them and the coach works, although still in business (abieit as some other form of service) doesn't respond to voice mails.  Since the column doesn't have a gear shift, I have to assume the Coupe deVille it started out as had bucket seats and a counsole with a floor shift.  I am looking for ionformation regarding this type of interior in a '79.
Thanks
Greg
Cadillac Kid-Greg Surfas
Director Modified Chapter CLC
CLC #15364
66 Coupe deVille (now gone to the UK)
72 Eldo Cpe  (now cruising the sands in Quatar)
73 Coupe deVille
75 Coupe deElegance
76 Coupe deVille
79 Coupe de ville with "Paris" (pick up) option and 472 motor
514 inch motor now in '73-

Aaron Hudacky

Greg,

I am not aware of a console and floor shift option available in 79 rwd Cadillacs, deVille or Fleetwood.  I have a dealer data book for 78 and several 79 brochures, and no console option for deVilles is listed.  I am not familiar with the Paris, but if floor shift and console were a part of that conversion, I would expect the parts to be either made by the company or retrofitted from another GM TH350/400 car such as a Riviera or Grand Prix.  If you can post photos, I am interested in what a Coupe deVille interior looks like with the console/floor shift configuration.  The only factory variant I'm familiar with from that era with a console is the Seville Elegante and later Eldorado Touring Coupes (pre-86), and even they had column shifters.  Sorry this isn't much help, but it sounds like you have a pretty interesting car.
1970 Eldorado
1978 Coupe deVille
1979 Coupe deVille
2008 Subaru STI

"Cadillac Kid" Greg Surfas 15364

Aaron,
The car HAD bucket seats and a floor shift/console.  The seats and console have been removed and replaced with something that looks like it came out of a Yugo (seats) on the individual 6 way adjusters.  The console has been removed, there is no shift lever on the column and there is a Hurst junk floor shifter.  I am trying to see what the original seats were like, regardless of what and where they came from when they were installed in 1979.
Thanks
Greg
Cadillac Kid-Greg Surfas
Director Modified Chapter CLC
CLC #15364
66 Coupe deVille (now gone to the UK)
72 Eldo Cpe  (now cruising the sands in Quatar)
73 Coupe deVille
75 Coupe deElegance
76 Coupe deVille
79 Coupe de ville with "Paris" (pick up) option and 472 motor
514 inch motor now in '73-

Davidinhartford

Sorry guys.  I only have exterior photos of the Paris trucks.    But if I did see one with buckets and a floor shifter I would certainly have gotten some pics of the front seat.     But I don't recall ever seeing such a set up like that.   




The Tassie Devil(le)

I am curious, but why call it a Paris Truck?   It is a Pickup, or down here, it is a Utility, or a Ute for short.

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

"Cadillac Kid" Greg Surfas 15364

G'
Day Bruce,
In the picture above you will see a coach light on the side of the cab, and below that light is a piece of chrome script that says "Paris". On the front fender, just below the chrome strip you can just make out a little rectangular plate.  The plaque is from the coach works that did about 200 of these conversions in 1979, very much like the 75 and 76 Mirages, being distributed through the Cadillac dealers.  The coach works was (and still has an operating telephone number) "American Custom Coach works Ltd." of Beverly Hills CA.  They gave it the name "Paris", which is strange, since they also used the name (Paris) for their Convertible conversions which, I believe were more popular.
Anyway, the one I have is complete and will definitely make a good "Ute".
Greg
Cadillac Kid-Greg Surfas
Director Modified Chapter CLC
CLC #15364
66 Coupe deVille (now gone to the UK)
72 Eldo Cpe  (now cruising the sands in Quatar)
73 Coupe deVille
75 Coupe deElegance
76 Coupe deVille
79 Coupe de ville with "Paris" (pick up) option and 472 motor
514 inch motor now in '73-

Cadcliff

That one looks like the one I used to own and at that time I lived in Perris, California :)

I have seen a few others over the years and as I recall, they all had a split front bench seat in them. I will see if I can go through some of my pictures and find some of that car. Being that it has California plates, I suspect that was indeed one of the ones I had.

I recall selling it to a dealer(s) from ??? Wisconsin or something ???
Cliff Graubard
CLC #1430

1955 Cadillac Broadmoor Wagon x3
1956 Cadillac Broadmoor Wagon- One of two
1955 Eldorado- bronze
1961 Cadillac Biarritz-bucket seats
1964 CDV- Silver/Red Every option
1960 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz
1940 and 1941 60S
1961 Cadillac Convertible
1965 Cadillac Convertible

76eldo

I have seen the Mirage style pickups and they were based on 70's Devilles and Eldos.
I never saw one in that style, but it looks great.
You said there is no column shifter but is there a nub where the shift lever would go?
Is the shift indicator working?  Those worked from a string attached to a collar on the column.
If it had a floor shift, it was probably put together with other GM parts from a different model.
I have never seen any 70's or 80's cars in that series with consoles and floor shift.

Nice looking truck!

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

"Cadillac Kid" Greg Surfas 15364

What I think happened is that before my car "went into a 15 year hibernation" they took out the radio, the seats, the console, and the steering wheel (Telescopic).  They left the two individual 6 way seat adjusters, and replaced the shifter with a Hurst aftermarket.  The carpet on the drive shaft tunnel (the original carpet) goes all the way to the area behind the seat and in front of the new bulkhead, so there must have been individual (bucket) seats.
Regarding the column, there is no evidence of any kind that there ever was a column shift lever, and there is no indicator under the speedo that would show gear selection.
I am working my way through 15 years of North Texas dust and making progress.  Should be running within a week or two, and I'll see what else is needed.
Thanks
Greg
Cadillac Kid-Greg Surfas
Director Modified Chapter CLC
CLC #15364
66 Coupe deVille (now gone to the UK)
72 Eldo Cpe  (now cruising the sands in Quatar)
73 Coupe deVille
75 Coupe deElegance
76 Coupe deVille
79 Coupe de ville with "Paris" (pick up) option and 472 motor
514 inch motor now in '73-

Chris Conklin

Pictures, man, pictures!  :D
Chris Conklin