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80s Cadillacs... rust?

Started by Johnnya101, March 27, 2019, 04:15:41 PM

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Johnnya101

Hi folks,

I have always wanted a huge 80s Caddy. I live up north in NH where winters are harsh and there is usually road salt. Yeah... You can see where this is going...

I saw an old thread on here discussing older Cadillacs and winter driving, and they seem to handle fine. I wouldnt mind driving one year round, but rust. Rust rust rust. How are 80s Cadillacs and rust? Would ANY of the old 80s Cadillacs survive winter driving, only a few miles each day? I would wash it every week (And underneath). As well as get it undercoated and wax the paint. There doesnt seem to be too much info regarding rust, besides the fact that the early 70s ones rot badly.

So... are there any 80s ones, that are pretty common and cheaply found and reliable that can be driven in the winter with salt and not rot out? I already have another classic thats strictly summer only, and would love to have a daily driver but I hate seeing bad rust. Cant get an old Cadillac and keep my other classic as well as buy a beater (well, not now anyways).

Sorry if this is in the wrong section.

Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621

Whatever you start with, it's not going to remain that way very long if you start running it in the winter and while frequent washings may help in certain areas, it may actually make matters worse in others.

Also is the fact that it's nearly impossible to completely eliminate all corrosive materials from the undercarriage through casual washings. 

Short trips in cold weather aren't going to do any favors to the engine either, usually resulting in sludge build up, and rotted exhaust systems because of insufficient running time needed to burn off condensation formed due to the heat generated by the running of the car.

1980s Cadillac products run the gamut from FWD, RWD, full size, downsized, great engines to some of the worst engines ever. Specifically which year(s) & model(s) did you have in mind?
A Cadillac Motorcar is a Possession for which there is no Acceptable Substitute

35-709

Agree, with an '80s Cadillac, I would be more concerned about avoiding the HT4100 or diesel engines --- they all are going to rust.
1935 Cadillac Sedan resto-mod "Big Red"
1973 Cadillac Caribou - Sold - but still in the family
1950 Jaguar Mark V Saloon resto-mod - Sold
1942 Cadillac 6269 - Sold
1968 Pontiac Bonneville Convertible - Sold
1950 Packard 2dr. Club Sedan
1935 Glenn Pray - Auburn Boattail Speedster, Gen. 2

Johnnya101

I would love something like a 1989 Fleetwood. Classic Cadillac. But from what it sounds like I dont think it is going to end up working out right now.

Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621

Quote from: Johnnya101 on March 27, 2019, 04:52:31 PM
I would love something like a 1989 Fleetwood. Classic Cadillac. But from what it sounds like I dont think it is going to end up working out right now.

...or ever as far as I'm concerned.

But people do all kinds of things so who am I to say...
A Cadillac Motorcar is a Possession for which there is no Acceptable Substitute

James Landi

I ran two 80's Eldorados up here in Maine during six winters  (2006-2012).  They were AMAZING in snow.  Nothing stopped them... snow covered hilly road... sure footed with plenty of traction... similar to driving my old Ford Explorer with automatic four wheel drive.  I kept an electric heater on during the winter months inside of the cars to keep the interiors warm and dry.  As mentioned by others, rust is inevitable, but I had some work done by a frame repair shop (there are plenty of them up here in Maine), and the technician was thoroughly impressed by the age of my cars and the condition of the undersides.  Brake and gas lines get "get smoked" by the salt deposits, apparently because of galvanic activity.       James

Bill Young

One thought My Father had a 1987 Brougham and I have owned 3 1990 Brougham's with the 5.7 litre engine. NO comparison , the 1990 thru 1992 Brougham 5.7 litre cars are about the best over all Cadillac's I have ever owned and I have had over 30 from 1955 thru 1990's. I put 180,000 miles on one and over 200,000 on another. They get 19 around town and 21 on the road religiously. Also I never had one fail me , not once. Also the 1990 thru 1992 Broughams have the largest side guard door beams in the industry , I know one of them saved my life in 1993. In my opinion they were real Cadillac's in every sense of the word.






Mike Josephic CLC #3877

As far as rust, I live in the "rustbelt" near Pittsburgh,
PA.  My wife's car was an '81 Olds Toronado (same basic
body as the Eldorado).  As others have commented,
these FWD cars ran great in the snow.

However, this car had rust issues galore.  Even the frame
eventually had issues with crossmembers, body mounts
and other places.  She did keep the car almost 15 years
but we finally had to junk it at 75k miles due to the rust
issues.  That was in '95 when she switched to a Seville.

Mike
1955 Cadillac Eldorado
1973 Cadillac Eldorado
1995 Cadillac Seville
2004 Escalade
1997 GMC Suburban 4X4, 454 engine, 3/4 ton
custom built by Santa Fe in Evansville, IN
2011 Buick Lucerne CX
-------------------------------------
CLCMRC Museum Benefactor #38
Past: VP International Affiliates, Museum Board Director, President / Director Pittsburgh Region

76eldo

In my opinion today’s salt and brine treatments are much more corrosive than ever before. It would be a shame to buy a nice 80’s Cadillac and subject it to full time winter driving. Although the 80’s cars are less rust prone than the 70’s cars you will still see problems cropping up quickly driving one of these through a couple of winters.

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

TJ Hopland

You could just buy one that already has some rust on it.  They come cheaper and then you don't have to feel bad.  That is pretty much what I have been doing for the last 15 or so years.     

If you are considering a RWD, non ABS, non EFI car make sure you remember what those were like in snow and cold.  It was different back then when most had never experienced anything better.   

I think that late 80's or early 90's is a decent choice.   They can be had pretty cheap and are decent cars.  The later in the 80's you go the better chance of ABS.  All but the Brougham are FWD and EFI.

The 79-85 Eldos and 80-85 Seville do seem especially prone to frame and body mount issues.  The RWD cars were so so.  The FWD cars seemed to be a little better.  They still rusted like anything else did but by then it seemed like they were putting a lot more thought into the design and materials to slow down rust. 

My recent ish winter fleet:78 Deville, 75 Eldo, 80 Eldo diesel, 81 Riv diesel, 90 Deville.   

The 78 and the 75 were both cars I saw listed that started asking $1000's and I just kept watching the asking prices fall till they were so cheap I could not not buy them.  Both those had visible rust spots and other issues when I got them.  The 78 is where the statement about RWD EFI came from.  At the time my 'new' cars were RWD so it wasn't that I wasn't used to them.  On really cold days the 78 could be a little iffy on starting and looked like an idiot stuck on icy hills.  The 78 didn't have limited slip.  My Roadmaster did which helped a lot then the other car was a Dodge Magnum which had really great traction control.   Sold the 78 in favor of the 75 which at least got me the FWD.   Still have the 75 but guessing the mice and more rust may have got to it by now.

80 Eldo diesel was a car I bought just because everyone said the style was terrible, interior wasn't comfortable, and especially that engine was horrible.   That one had very little visible rust but did have the common for the era paint issues and some underside rust brewing.  Loved everything about that car.  A deer hit is what took it off the road.  I still have it but storage hasn't likely been kind to it.   Loved that car so much found a similar Riv which looked pretty decent inside and out but had a lot of underbody rust issues that finally caused me to stop driving it.  Ended up giving it to a guy that needed a replacement engine.

Got the 90 last year and its extra clean inside and out.  Wasn't running when I got it, had electrical issues.  Its been a good car so far. 

I put 20k-30k on each of those cars over the winter and most have gone at least 3 years so I feel I have easily got my money out of them.     

 
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

Jeff Rosansky CLC #28373

I agree with TJ. If you want the Cadillac Experience then buy one that is rusted and run the crap out of it. More than likely you will love it and not feel bad taking it out in the salt.
Jeff
Jeff Rosansky
CLC #28373
1970 Coupe DeVille (Big Red)
1955 Series 62 (Baby Blue)
Dad's new 1979 Coupe DeVille

Scot Minesinger

OK, I will throw my 2 cents in.  I drove a 1995 RWD Fleetwood from 1997 thru 2005 and accumulated joyful trouble free 254k miles here in VA.  We get a winter here with salt and all.  I grew up in Cleveland, OH where salt was major on the roads.  The car with traction control was fine in ice and snow if you know how to drive in ice and snow.  Drove home (30 miles) from work one day with 12 inches of snow on the ground not plowed - no problem.

This car never rusted.  Plus with the 5.7 liter LT1 engine it was super fast and delivered 18 mpg around town, 25 mpg highway (75 mph ac on).  Very comfortable, fun to drive, great looking, and reliable.

A cosmetically flawed one will be inexpensive.  A real nice one will go for between 10 and 15k I see on e-bay.

Enjoy,

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

Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621

#12
Well it seems the OP has decided to abandon the idea - wisely, IMO.

Being the average snowfall in NH is ~ 6x that in VA, there's a world of difference in the amount of rust that will develop in cars that are winter-driven between the two geographic locales over time.
A Cadillac Motorcar is a Possession for which there is no Acceptable Substitute

Scot Minesinger

There is a lot of salt on the roads here in Northern Virginia, a suburb of DC and loaded with government employees.  Reason is fear of bad weather, majority of population are poor winter drivers and liability.  Basically if it gets colder than 32'F you can count on a salting if it is needed or not.  From December thru March salt is on the roads 75% of the time.  Granted in NH they get more snow, but most people that live in NH know how to drive in snow, and they do not salt so much for precaution as Northern VA.  My sister lives in NH.

I agree, an 80's-90's Cadillac is not a great daily driver car through the winter of salt and snow.  Best is to devote one vehicle only to salted roads driving better designed for it (with strong factory warranty against rust), and for me that is my 4WD full size pick up truck.
Fairfax Station, VA  22039 (Washington DC Sub)
1970 Cadillac DeVille Convertible
1970 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1970 four door Convertible w/Cadillac Warranty