61 or 81 Limo

[george smith]

Morning
I Would like to buy either a 61 Caddy Limo because i have a 61 Biarritz, or a 81 Limo because i like the rear seating area, i owned an 81 Eldo in 1981 it was a lemon, was 81 just a bad year or was my 81 just a bad car, i'm not in a hurry, the guy that's buying my 57 Lincoln Premiere Coupe can not do it until this coming March, so i thought i"d do a little research first, can anyone help me with any information on the 61 and 81 Caddy limos
Thank You
George Smith * 20951

[TJ Hopland]

81 would have been the 368 engine.  I would assume it would be the DEFI 8-6-4 like the rest of the cars but i suppose it could have been a 4bbl.  Either way they are not much for power. Good thing is they were based on the 68-79 472/500/425 so the are a solid good old cast iron block so they dont tend to have the problems that the 4100's did. If you are not looking to keep it show quality stock (and maybe emissions testing issues) swapping in one of the older motors is fairly easy.   I like other things about the newer cars  like disc brakes.   I would guess overall there are going to be more parts around for the 81 because they shared more things with other GM lines by that time not to mention that that basic body style lasted till 93 in the Broughams. 

[David #19063]

Hello George,

Is this a car you are planning to keep for a long time or just a year or so?  Or will it be more of a cruise night / show car?

If you are going to buy either a '61 or an '81 in similar condition, I would get the '61 for the WOW factor and for the fact its value will increase much faster than the '81.  This may offset any repairs that may need to be done.

If you are looking to use the car as more of a daily driver, then the '81 might be a better buy just because it is newer.

David

[Rusty Shepherd CLC 6397]

81 would have been the 368 engine.  I would assume it would be the DEFI 8-6-4 like the rest of the cars but i suppose it could have been a 4bbl.  Either way they are not much for power. Good thing is they were based on the 68-79 472/500/425 so the are a solid good old cast iron block so they dont tend to have the problems that the 4100's did. If you are not looking to keep it show quality stock (and maybe emissions testing issues) swapping in one of the older motors is fairly easy.   I like other things about the newer cars  like disc brakes.   I would guess overall there are going to be more parts around for the 81 because they shared more things with other GM lines by that time not to mention that that basic body style lasted till 93 in the Broughams. 

The '81 commercial chassis came with the 4BBL 368 (the local funeral home had one as a hearse; I was helping with a funeral right after they got it and was surprised to discover that it wouldn't start cold without pumping the accelerator..I assumed it was fuel injected like the '81 V8-6-4 SDV they had). I think the '81 factory limousines had the V8-6-4.  The '82, '83, and '84 limousines had V8-6-4 Fuel Injection on the fenders, but I remember reading on this board that they left the factory with the cylinder deactivation system disabled (as were many '81's at the dealership level).

[george smith]

I would prefer the 61 because i like the lines better, but that rear compartment on the 81 is really great, in any event either car would be a show car or made inti one, thanks for the replies, if you'd like to see my 61 Biarritz check out my web site www.georgeandevesclassicmotorcars.com
George Smith # 20951

[John Morris #23947]

That's an easy one. All 81 American cars were crap. Every single one. Plain old ordinary normal average every day boring hum drum run of the mill junk when new. Mechanical problems popping up daily. Right in the middle of the worst 20 years in American motoring history. The 61 looks like an outer space re entry vehicle, 4 fins, 1000 times cooler than an 81. And simpler, better built. GO 61!

[TJ Hopland]

Gee John, tell us what you think and dont hold back.  Wonder how many people said that about the 61's and kept their 41's?

[John Fotakis #23436]

My first car was an 81- but a Ford. I thought I was pretty cool,  but no,  it really was crap. Any chance of swapping the Biarritz for my 61 SDV?

[Bigfins (Dan Morehouse CLC 16464)]

Hi,

I have a 61 Limo for sale in Oregon.  It needs a full restoration.  Engine turns over, but so far, has not started.  Possibly ignition problems.  It is fairly solid.  It has a good front windshield, which is very hard to find.   $2,000.  I do have the title.

I also have a 62 Limo parts car.

email dan @ bigfins.net  or 541**741**9892  West Coast time.

[John Morris #23947]

Gee John, tell us what you think and dont hold back.  Wonder how many people said that about the 61's and kept their 41's?


Well, I could sugarcoat my opinion, or tell it like it is. The 61 and 41 Caddy, when new, were both spectacular cars. Can you say that about an 81 Ford Fairmont? 81 anything? Compare a 68 Mustang fastback to an 81 Mustang? A 59 Imperial Lebaron to an 85 Lebaron? The post was asking pro's and con's 61 vs. 81. Sorry if I offended any 81 owners.

[35-709]

A slam-dunk, John!
 

[David #19063]

A pictures worth a thousand words.

And those two pictures really talk.

[John Morris #23947]

Here's a 69 Transam. No Tokyo lightshow on the hood.  No comparison. OK! Back to Caddys now.

[TJ Hopland]

Sadly there will come a day when someone will be very excited to have found that K car with the rare cassette option.

Us caddy people get spoiled even the 80's cads were more than what most people had to work with.  I have been working on a first gen mustang and those were built as non performance throw aways but look what they go for now.  Good thing they make all the parts.

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

Here's a 69 Transam. No Tokyo lightshow on the hood.  No comparison. OK! Back to Caddys now.

Gee, I wouldn't mind one of those '69 Transam's.

Bruce.

[Eric S. Maypother #15104]

Hi George,
Getting back to Cadillac's, deciding on a 61 or an 81, just made me think, how come it's "a 61" but "an 81"?

OK back to subject, it would also depend on what your using it for and how often will it be driving, distance, hire out, ect.
Somewhere I just saw a beautiful white 61 convert, the 61 Limo would be good to match that for your personal use or to accational hire out, if you just like the 81 because you had an 81 Eldo and liked the seat lay out in an 81 remember not all 81 Limos were factory and could have different seating arrangements, or you could find an 84 with same seating arrangement but then youd have the 4.1, I think 84 was the last year for the factory RWD limo, how about an 86 up stretch? That would have about the same look as an 81 with a better motor. So the 61 would be nice to match your 61 convert but as far as a newer 1 I think you can have a wider range to chose from than just 81, say 77-84 or 86-92 stretch. I have noticed though looking for a 1996 Fleetwood Brougham sedan, limo's come up in the same search weather I'm looking on eBay or autotrader.com that a comparable condition and mileage limo isn't more and sometimes less than a passenger sedan. You could get the limo and hire out a driver for the day.

[george smith]

Eric
Gee i wonder if that white 61 you saw could have been mine i have a 61 Biarritz triple white with factory bucket seats, i've heard if you type 61 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz Convertible on Google mine will come up, there's a lot of photos of her on my web site www.georgeandevesclassicmotorcars.com if you'd care to take a look

As far as your question the reason for a 61 is because i like the year 61 and it would look nice next to my 61 at a car show, as far as the 81, i saw one on ebay and i liked the rear seating area, plus i would not want to go past a 83 because of my classic car insurance, in New Jersey to put any year limo on your regular car insurance policy cost a fortune, because they consider it a commercial auto, i almost bought a 71 the owner claimed it was J Edgar Hoover's personal limo, but i was not satisfied with his documentation

For those that have been talking about the Trans Am of the 70's, i agree they were great cars, i think one went for $41,000 on Barret Jackson last night, i thank alll of you for your replies

George Smith # 20951

[Rusty Shepherd CLC 6397]

Hi George,
Getting back to Cadillac's, deciding on a 61 or an 81, just made me think, how come it's "a 61" but "an 81"?

OK back to subject, it would also depend on what your using it for and how often will it be driving, distance, hire out, ect.
Somewhere I just saw a beautiful white 61 convert, the 61 Limo would be good to match that for your personal use or to accational hire out, if you just like the 81 because you had an 81 Eldo and liked the seat lay out in an 81 remember not all 81 Limos were factory and could have different seating arrangements, or you could find an 84 with same seating arrangement but then youd have the 4.1, I think 84 was the last year for the factory RWD limo, how about an 86 up stretch? That would have about the same look as an 81 with a better motor. So the 61 would be nice to match your 61 convert but as far as a newer 1 I think you can have a wider range to chose from than just 81, say 77-84 or 86-92 stretch. I have noticed though looking for a 1996 Fleetwood Brougham sedan, limo's come up in the same search weather I'm looking on eBay or autotrader.com that a comparable condition and mileage limo isn't more and sometimes less than a passenger sedan. You could get the limo and hire out a driver for the day.

Eric,
Actually, all the '82-'84 limousines came with the cast-iron 6.0 L/368 (nominally V8-6-4 although it's generally believed that the cylinder deactivation system was left disconnected when they left the factory).  Cadillac realized that the HT4100 was barely adequate for the regular RWD Cadillacs (it was originally intended to only go into the downsized FWD cars) and would have been woefully underpowered in the much-heavier limousines.