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1968 Eldorado on CL - 00 Paint Code

Started by BJM, November 25, 2017, 09:44:13 PM

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Ralph Messina CLC 4937

Bryan,

Attached are two possible colors. First is the standard 1962 Laurel Metallic #4302;  the second is the optional '62 Eldorado Heather Metallic #4304.

For the record I've also attached the optional 1960 Eldorado Heather Metallic (yes the same name but different color) #4044. I initially thought the '60 color was a match but it is a grayish lavender.

As noted above it could be any color even the owners wife's favorite drapes. But I suspect a Cadillac owner would prefer a Cadillac color
1966 Fleetwood Brougham-with a new caretaker http://bit.ly/1GCn8I4
1966 Eldorado-with a new caretaker  http://bit.ly/1OrxLoY
2018 GMC Yukon

Bob Hoffmann CLC#96

Ralph,
Maybe a Cadillac women ordered that car...
Bob
1968 Eldorado slick top ,white/red interior
2015 Holden Ute HSV Maloo red/black interior.
             
Too much fun is more than you can have.

Ralph Messina CLC 4937

Bob,

In that case it may have been it was her husband's favorite golf slacks.......
1966 Fleetwood Brougham-with a new caretaker http://bit.ly/1GCn8I4
1966 Eldorado-with a new caretaker  http://bit.ly/1OrxLoY
2018 GMC Yukon

BJM

Ralph and all - Thanks for all the help.  I did put one of my Reattas on craigs list. I just don't need 4 cars, 3 of them projects.  I will reach out to the seller today. 

Ralph you did a great job with that database information I found.  I also did not know 1968 Eldorados were still selling like hot cakes. 


Matt CLC#18621

Wisteria Metallic was definitely offered on the 1969 and 1970 Fleetwood Eldorado.

Members with older vintage Cadillac's can confirm the first year Wisteria was offered on Cadillac models.

The original owner of this Fleetwood Eldorado probably had a peak into the future on what colors were going to be available in the next model year.

I love the "Special Order" cars and the history behind them.

Good Luck!

Matt CLC#18621


Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621

#25
Quote from: Matt CLC#18621 on November 27, 2017, 11:58:23 AM
The original owner of this Fleetwood Eldorado probably had a peak into the future on what colors were going to be available in the next model year.

That was my thought as well, ie: car ordered by GM bigwig insider.

In that vein, another possibility is Chateau Mauve Firemist (Code 98) of 1969 and 1970.

Original Michigan ownership/delivery outlet code might corroborate this but unfortunately 1968 build data sheets have been lost as Dave says. 
A Cadillac Motorcar is a Possession for which there is no Acceptable Substitute

Dan LeBlanc

Quote from: BJM on November 26, 2017, 11:35:21 AM
I was not interested in the 1970's because of the 500 cid engine.  472 is more than enough.

That's got to be the first time I've heard someone shy away from the car because the engine was too big.  It seems almost akin to not dating a girl because her "dagmars" were too large.

Not that there's anything wrong with that, it just gave me a bit of a chuckle when I read it. 
Dan LeBlanc
1977 Lincoln Continental Town Car

BJM

Dan
I know tomato - to mat o, but 472 is too big as well.  I am not sure why in the world Cadillac went to 500 cid.  I have owned several Toronados, Eldorados and Rivieras from this styling period.   I want to be very aware not to disrespect any 1970 Eldorado owner but I have studied these 4 years across these 3 models and I believe 1970 was the worst styling year of the 4 year run. In the case of Toronado and Riviera - 5 year run. 

These were the years when updates HAD to be made every year.  I suppose.  For Cadillac - since I have owned 2 1967 Eldorados, I can say that the parking lights not in the fender bothered me. Just putting something there and painting it body color was not an improvement.  Also, the wipers going hidden in 1968 was a big + for me. 

Mechanically this Wisteria 1968 has power disc brakes, which neither of my 67 Eldorados had.  My 66 and 67 Toronados were both neat designs with plenty of power from the 425's.  My 1968 Riviera had a 430, again plenty of power and modern. 

No other manufacturer got over 462 I don't think?  Didn't Lincoln have the 460?   Therefore, going to 472 made a bit of marketing sense but no power sense.  Cadillac could have gotten plenty of horsepower and torque out of the 472.  When they went to 500 cid for a V8 I rolled my eyes and have vowed to try and not own one.  I am a big "70's" fan so always wanted a Coupe deVille from about 1972 to 1976.  Begrudgingly, if I have to, I could live with the 500 cid. 

BJM

Eh, never mind my stupid comment about 1970 Eldorado styling. I just popped down and looked at Brian Rachlin's black and white interior Eldorado. Fabulous!  In fact I prefer the frenched/incorporated taillamps in the fenders on the 1970's over the blades on the 68. 

That interior is phenomenal as well, lots of great detail.  But, I stand by my 500 cid comment. Not sure why they went to 500 cid when Chrysler / Imperial were OK with 440 and others with 455. 

Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621

#29
I don't understand the rationale behind why someone would have a specific engine size cutoff in mind when shopping for a vintage automobile.

No Cadillac of this era is going to be a gas miser and the 472 and 500 are essentially identical powerplants.

Why 500? Possible bragging rights to having the largest engine displacement in a regular production car. Cadillac had traditionally maintained its "best" status in one way or another, whether most expensive production car (57/58 Eldorado), biggest tailfins (1959) and by 1970 Eldorado, the mighty 500 with 400 hp and any of number of ways.

Other manufactures chose smaller engines - that's their business. Cadillac using something larger...that's theirs.

Finding the "right" vintage automobile - in the right condition, in the right colors, at the right price is difficult enough as it is. Why would anyone impose upon oneself criteria so unimportant so as to make such a search that much more difficult makes no sense to me whatsoever.

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

BJM

Eric:
I understand. My viewpoint is based on liking good engineering and logical reasoning of a car being made.  The 500 was overkill, not necessary and abundantly inefficient.  It was produced for all the wrong reasons. Summarized by saying "Just Because".  Meanwhile, Chrysler engineers understood that their 440 was more modern and efficient than the 472-500. 

Cadillac was seen as a bigger dinosaur in 1976 when fuel embargos and rationing became the new reality. They failed to lead.  The 67 Eldorado and 66 Toronado with their radical departure to FWD was leading. I guess if a Cadillac historian came into this discussion - they would probably point out that they thought cars were going to become even bigger and heavier so they needed more displacement?  I'm just guess that is why Cadillac continued to go big on cid.

The answer though lies in engineering.  Creating more efficient flow characteristics in the 472 to increase power and economy. Better camshaft, lower restriction valvetrain and exhaust improvements. 

But Cadillac took the cheap route by boring the 472 to 500 cid.  A reworked 472 would have added cost to the vehicle - but this was a time period when whatever Detroit built that was "personal luxury" it sold in spades. Ask Lee Iacocca and the Mark III Lincoln which outsold Eldorado about 2 to 1 for a period of time and was nothing more than a rebadged T-Bird. 

It's just an opinion.  Yours and mine.  I have always favored efficient good engineering over largess and size.  Hence I own mostly smaller cars and some sports cars.  The Eldorado in fact - was much smaller and tauter than a standard deVille.

Dan LeBlanc

Quote from: BJM on November 27, 2017, 02:22:35 PM
Dan
I know tomato - to mat o, but 472 is too big as well.  I am not sure why in the world Cadillac went to 500 cid.  I have owned several Toronados, Eldorados and Rivieras from this styling period.   I want to be very aware not to disrespect any 1970 Eldorado owner but I have studied these 4 years across these 3 models and I believe 1970 was the worst styling year of the 4 year run. In the case of Toronado and Riviera - 5 year run. 

These were the years when updates HAD to be made every year.  I suppose.  For Cadillac - since I have owned 2 1967 Eldorados, I can say that the parking lights not in the fender bothered me. Just putting something there and painting it body color was not an improvement.  Also, the wipers going hidden in 1968 was a big + for me. 

Mechanically this Wisteria 1968 has power disc brakes, which neither of my 67 Eldorados had.  My 66 and 67 Toronados were both neat designs with plenty of power from the 425's.  My 1968 Riviera had a 430, again plenty of power and modern. 

No other manufacturer got over 462 I don't think?  Didn't Lincoln have the 460?   Therefore, going to 472 made a bit of marketing sense but no power sense.  Cadillac could have gotten plenty of horsepower and torque out of the 472.  When they went to 500 cid for a V8 I rolled my eyes and have vowed to try and not own one.  I am a big "70's" fan so always wanted a Coupe deVille from about 1972 to 1976.  Begrudgingly, if I have to, I could live with the 500 cid.

Yes, Lincoln had the 460.  I've got a 77 Continental Town Car with the 460.  It was the optional engine in all states except California where only the 400 was available.  By 1979, the only engine choice was the 400.  When the downsized Town Cars hit in 1980, then you were down to either a 351 or 302.
Dan LeBlanc
1977 Lincoln Continental Town Car

67_Eldo

Quote from: BJM on November 27, 2017, 03:22:03 PM
> The 500 was overkill, not necessary and abundantly inefficient.  It was produced for all the wrong reasons.

The reason the '67 didn't have a 472 was because Cadillac hadn't finished its Million-Mile testing of the 472 before the production crunch hit. Therefore the 472 wasn't approved and a slightly updated 429 filled the engine bay instead.

Parking-light wise, it was the Federal side-visibility standards -- first in force in 1968 -- that filled the tips of the front fenders with lights. If you look at all of the 1967 E bodies, you'll see that their front edges all end with unlit metal, not parking lights.

Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621

#33
Quote from: BJM on November 27, 2017, 03:22:03 PM
Eric:
I understand. My viewpoint is based on liking good engineering and logical reasoning of a car being made.  The 500 was overkill, not necessary and abundantly inefficient.  It was produced for all the wrong reasons. Summarized by saying "Just Because".  Meanwhile, Chrysler engineers understood that their 440 was more modern and efficient than the 472-500. 

The answer though lies in engineering.  Creating more efficient flow characteristics in the 472 to increase power and economy. Better camshaft, lower restriction valvetrain and exhaust improvements. 

But Cadillac took the cheap route by boring the 472 to 500 cid. 

That is nonsense. The lowest fuel mileage Cadillac (postwar) was in model year 1974 which still had the 472. Draconian government regulations resulted in serious quality issues across the American car industry. Overall Cadillac did a remarkable job all things considered.

I don't think anyone here is in a position to question GM & Cadillac's engineering expertise during the period of the 1970s, which I might add ended in Chrysler's bankruptcy.   

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

BJM

OK Eric.  Like said, we each have our own opinions and I respect yours.  Thank you for your input! 

Caddyholic

This wouldn't be a Mary Kay car would it? I don't know when that started but think it was later.

 
I got myself a Cadillac but I can't afford the gasoline (AC/DC Down Payment Blues)

1961 Series 62 Convertible Coupe http://bit.ly/1RCYsVZ
1962 Coupe Deville

BJM

Quote from: Caddyholic on November 27, 2017, 05:37:17 PM
This wouldn't be a Mary Kay car would it? I don't know when that started but think it was later.



I would not think so.  We would see more of them and Mary Kay was not that rich.  To pass out new Eldorados.  Plus I don't think Mary Kay came along until later.  But she did give away Cadillacs. 

David King (kz78hy)

While having some discussion at a local CLC meeting and drinks afterword a few years ago, i gleaned some cool info on the '67 Eldorado design.  Wayne Kady was the  informant and a designer in the Cadillac studio.  I am not sure if he was the Chief yet, but very involved w/the design and the short story is this:

The '67 front fenders were not supposed to have the leading edge fillers.  That was a late process change as metal fab (stamping) could not make the panels without them splitting.  So that filler was the fix to get the panel and the car into production.  Me being a manufacturing guy completely understood what was going there, just surprised how late in the process its was allowed to go before crying uncle.

The original proportions of the hood design was to accommodate a V-16 engine.  One of the prototypes is on display at the Heritage Center.  The V-16 though proved to produce about the same horsepower and torque as the 429 so the added expense of the new engine was dropped in favor of the standard production 429.

Just a few tidbits of why some things that make no apparent sense are the way they are.

David
David King
CLC 22014  (life)
1958 Eldorado Brougham 615
1959 Eldorado Brougham 56- sold
1960 Eldorado Brougham 83- sold
1998 Deville d'Elegance
1955 Eldorado #277
1964 Studebaker Commander
2012 Volt
CLCMRC benefactor 197

Director and Founder, Eldorado Brougham Chapter
Past President, Motor City Region

Rare Parts brand suspension parts Retailer via Keep'em Running Automotive

D.Smith

#38
Quote from: Caddyholic on November 27, 2017, 05:37:17 PM
This wouldn't be a Mary Kay car would it? I don't know when that started but think it was later.


Mary Kay ordered her first car in 1968, but not in this color.  It was ordered in 1956s Mountain Laurel.  A light pastel pink.
Three other executives liked her car so much they also special ordered ones in that color. (See photo below)

The cars were so well known in the area that Mary Kay decided to give them out to top sellers in a Co-op lease.   Meaning they had to maintain a high enough sales level to keep the car for its 24 month lease.   After 24 months the person can buy the car or turn it in.   The first cars given out to the top five sellers as sales awards were late in 1969 and were 1970 Coupe deVilles.

cadillacmike68

Quote from: David King  (kz78hy) on November 26, 2017, 11:20:36 AM
Buy the build sheet for the car and most likely the paint info will be there.  Cool color on the car.

NOT POSSIBLE!!!

1968 build sheets were "lost" in the move out from Clark St. I'm no happier about it than you are if you own a 1968.
Regards,
"Cadillac" Mike