Changing the exterior color of my 67 Eldorado - my dilemma

[Quentin Hall]

I've always loved the stylish 67 Eldos. I believe they were one of the most expensive Cadillacs to tool up for due to the crispness of the styling.
Ironically my first Cadillac was a white 57 , that I bought when I was 19, that was originally red, that I repainted dark metallic blue.
I've gotten older and learned to appreciate or rather honour the history a little more now.
I think white with a contrasting black interior is a sensational combo. I personally wouldn't change it during an expensive restoration. The colour it was ordered is part of the story and history of the car.
If it was a Ford or a Chevy I'd say do what you like.

[gkhashem]

My comment on losing 10K was in reference to a poor paint job. I was making the point if your going to paint it do it right or you are surely making a mistake.

The cost of a cheap paint job and the loss in resale value.

[Bobby B]

If it was a Ford or a Chevy I'd say do what you like.

    Bobby

[67_Eldo]

I'm waiting for a local body shop to fabricate a new sheet-metal roof for my 1967 Eldorado. Mine is Grecian White too (and *had* a black vinyl top over its completely rusted steel).

I'm going to repaint the whole car with the original Grecian White not only because I won't have to worry about the necessary touch up in the hard-to get spots. I think that the Eldorado in white most closely resembles the way it must have in GM's design studio when they first carved the prototype out of clay.

I simply think that white allows the design -- which I consider to be the most beautiful of any American car in the post-WW2 era -- to shine through in its purest form.

Good luck!

[76eldo]

I went on your website and took a look at the more detailed photos.

I really don't think you are going to devalue the car by painting it a different 1967 Eldorado color.  If it makes you happy that's the bottom line.  Dark blue with a black interior would have certainly been an available choice.

Brian

[www.eldorado-seville.com]

Thank you everybody who contributed to this discussion. I have to say that all your arguments are completely valid and I can't disagree with anything said here. Very interesting read indeed and great food for thought.

I wanted to add that the bodyshop doing the restoration is one of the very best. They deliver only world class concourse quality work and their goal is always to deliver perfect quality restorations. Cars going through their shop are some of the best out there. Of course this does not come cheap - but I wanted the very best.
The car is a very very nice original car with relatively low mileage at 28k. The interior is like new and the car has no mechanical problems whatsoever. I personally fixed everything in the past 9 years since I own it. The undercarriage is very clean and rust free. Besides the rear bumper, which will get re chromed, the original chrome looks fantastic. The car handles and drives like a new car. The shop will get into every notch any cranny and will leave nothing untouched on the cars body during the next approx 5-6 months  to guarantee perfect results. The car is in the disassembly stage and besides some rust around the rear window has no real rust.
Having this car repainted is a huge thing for me - especially financial wise  - and its is a once in a lifetime event for me. My goal is to have one of the very best 67 Eldorados ;-)

BTW - I think that the value of these cars will go up considerably in the future. There are always some to be found out there, but condition is not always the best... Here in Europe the very best cars can already sell north of 50k...

So thanks again to everybody who contributed to this discussion - its highly appreciated and a worthwhile read with great comments. Colors themselves are of course a very subjective matter and luckily everybody prefers some different colors over the other. It was great to pick your brain about the general thoughts of changing a cars color and therefore also a part of the cars history.
I once bought a car which color was changed by a previous owner and unfortunately it was not done as good as it should have been done, but that's another story and luckily no Cadillac was harmed but a L*ncoln Mark III...

[V63]

I think color is very subliminal part of a sale. I have a friend that’s into 60’s Lincoln convertibles. Seems the only way they bring any money is in all black.

I would change the color to what pleases you. You are investing a lot,please yourself...and many others whom would do same.  I am not a fan of white, usually I’ll prefer  any color but white.

With the trend of slamming and customizing with 20 inch rims...color change seems insignificant anymore.

[Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621]

My goal is to have one of the very best 67 Eldorados ;-)

All the more reason for a "sympathetic" refurbishment. 

[jdemerson]

Unfortunately the paint is too far gone to save it. The Eldorado is now at the bodyshop where it gets completely disassembled and stripped to bare metal. All the original paint will be coming off completely.

Originality has almost been the most important factor when I restored any of my cars in the past and until recently I would have never even considered a color change.
For me personally Grecian White is not exactly my favorite color and I think other colors fit the Eldorado better.
My Eldorado has a black interior so every exterior color was possible.
If I could go back to 1967 and order my brand new Eldorado, it would be one in "Atlantis Blue Firemist", like it was used in advertising.

All work is done by one of the best restoration shops with no costs spared.

This is an interesting post, interesting question, and lots of fascinating responses that differ from one another. So I'll weigh in too.

Some key issues about the context are these:

• You are completely stripping the paint after a full disassembly. "All the original paint will be coming off completely."
  Grecian White is not your favorite color on 1967 Eldorado, and Atlantis Blue Firemist is your favorite.

The originality of the paint is not an issue in this situation, and the color you choose has zero impact on judging. Given the complete stripping of all paint, the color you choose is not likely to have an impact on the subsequent sale price of the car. If it has been stripped and repainted, claims for originality of finish are lost. So given your context above, it makes most sense for you to paint the car in the color you really like. As long as it is an authentic Cadillac color for 1967 Eldorado (and it is!), i can't see an argument for making any other decision. Certainly not from the standpoint of a judge at a CLC Grand National...

John Emerson
1952 Cadillac Sedan  6219X

[Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621]

Paint inside of decklid is presumably not going to be stripped; paint in door jambs/ inner door skins may not need to be either. The more left original, the more to bear witness of condition prior to the respray. 

[67_Eldo]

I'm sort of surprised that, in judging, nobody checks the tag against the configuration of the car. It's the car that's important, I suppose. Not the code.

I ran across this site describing a *complete* teardown and rebuild of a (blue) 67 Eldorado. The workmanship is amazing and the final repair bill must approach the GDP of Lichtenstein!

http://rpm-styling.com/de/autos/1967_cadillac_eldorado/restauration_1

[cadillac ken]

I wouldn't do it.  Too nice a car to strip apart let alone change the color.  And I have a bunch of "modified" Cadillacs.

Just because you can doesn't always mean you should.
This car being a preservation candidate will almost assure you that you already have one of the nicest '67 Eldos out there-- no repaint color change necessary. 

IMO it's simply not a candidate for a "restorartion, color change" given the condition and originality and would be a shame to do this.

[D.Smith]

Why is this still being debated?  The owner has already made his decision and it is already in the paint shop. 

[67_Eldo]

The discussion goes on because all of this information will help him the *next* time he decides to repaint the car. 

[35-709]

 

[WTL]

Why is this still being debated?  The owner has already made his decision and it is already in the paint shop.

And half of me is ripe with excitement over the new color...the other half is mired in a deepseated dread of the adulteration of the factory paint. 

At least we'll get pics!

[Andrew Wall CLC#10638]

Well, This has been beaten a little, but I have some perspective in that I owned a white 1967 Eldorado from 1991 to 1997, driven every day, and had the blue vinyl top removed to repair rust, and it became a "slick top" which I learned was not a great idea.  Navy leather interior.  I never liked the white exterior, so paint it what you prefer to paint it.  It's your money, and you should get exactly what you want.  IMHO, white is popular, but B-O-R-I-N-G.

Incidentally, You could order a Cadillac in 1967-8 with a custom color from any prior Cadillac year.  It's in the Sales Data Book.  That means you have a myriad of choices for "factory correct" for that year, not limited to that year.  I think the color code was "00". A local Cadillac dealer had all of his cars painted in the 1956 Arlington Green color through the 70's.  It's amazing this was possible in the land of 6 color choices today!! (Except for Fiat:-) )

[cadillacmike68]

It's your car, and you aren't fond of the white, so choose any color you want! I've never had a white car, and I agree that they are boring, except for the newer pearls, etc. I's choose a dark blue preferably with firemist.

[www.eldorado-seville.com]

I wouldn't do it.  Too nice a car to strip apart let alone change the color.  And I have a bunch of "modified" Cadillacs.

Just because you can doesn't always mean you should.
This car being a preservation candidate will almost assure you that you already have one of the nicest '67 Eldos out there-- no repaint color change necessary. 

IMO it's simply not a candidate for a "restoration, color change" given the condition and originality and would be a shame to do this.

Ken, very valid points. I really tried to live with the bad paint for the last few years and I considered leaving the car in the condition it is. I'm a huge fan of preservation - and these cars are the ultimate cars to own IMHO.
Luckily I own 3 Cadillacs which still have their factory applied paint - the oldest being my 58 Eldorado Seville.

Back to this 67 Eldorado. It looked great on pictures and from 10ft away, but there were a couple of serious problems unfortunately. The most severe problem was the rust around the rear window and the windshield. Also the car got a new right quarter panel sometimes in its past and a very small amount of filler was used to smooth the edges at the patch. This filler fell apart over the years and the paint was cracking in these areas.
I did not show this car very often and when I did I noticed that nobody appreciated the car being all original and everybody seemed to only point out the rust around the rear window.
On the roof the car developed some tiny rust bubbles underneath the paint as well.

I really tried to preserve the car - but it would have gotten worse over the years...

Surprisingly now that the original paint is already completely gone and the car totally stripped to bare metal and already in wash primer,  it is kind of a sad feeling knowing that the car is no longer original. It feels like with the striped paint it was also striped of its history and it became just another car. Suddenly I no longer see the point of painting it in its original white color all that clearly any more... Its really strange... Lot of things to think about...

[cadillac ken]

Gerald: with your above post describing more detail of the condition of the paint and body, I can see how you could have come to the conclusion to repaint the car.  The color change doesn't bother me as I know, and has been brought up by others, painting it an original Cadillac color offered there's no point deduction should you choose to show it (CLC / AACA).

And of course, as the overwhelming consensus here is, it's your car and your path to enjoyment to choose. I'm all for that. 

I love the '67 eldos.  I had a 1970. Just wonderfully designed and comfortable cars.  I wouldn't say you made a mistake here.  If the paint was just the issue ("checking" or "thin") then I would have just left it and enjoyed it. As all non-metallic colors generally can be kept nice looking with care.
But when the rust and former repairs begin to rear their ugly presence then it's probably time. 

Great color choice.  One of my favorites.  And to be sure it will be a beautiful car.  Kudos for having the patience and conscience to do it "right". 
Get excited and enjoy the journey!