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'68 Eldorado questions

Started by Brandon, November 03, 2007, 02:59:58 AM

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Brandon

Three questions about my '68 Eldorado:
(1) I have tried all kinds of front shocks but the car rides like a truck-I am aware that these FWD cars are much firmer but it bangs around over bumps and sure not like a Cadillac ride.
Should I be looking at renewing the torsion bars?
(2)The lock on the trunk has what appears to be a vacuum release mechanism but there is no tubing, or button or switch anywhere. Any ideas on how this was set up originally if ordered as an option? Obviously it would need a vacuum tank-can it be teed into the door lock system?
(3)I bought a used trunk pulldown system which was an option, but without butchering the inside of the existing lock housing, it seems I am unable to fit it. Any suggestions?

Any advice will be sincerely appreciated. Thanks.

TJ Hopland

For the ride issues I would check the ride height to see if someone has messed with the settings on the bars, I have heard of people raising or lowering the car by adjusting the bars and I would imagine that would change the ride quality.

I dont know aboout your remote release, mine 73 is electric and thats the oldest book I have.

Also about the pull down, if its the same as the 73 its a shock looking thing that rides on a cam on one of the hinges. There is a cable the runs to the latch mechanism.  To me it looks like that mechanism just bolts in place of the fixed latch but i could be wrong.  On the newer cars the latch is on the car and the lock is on the deck lid.   Is that the way the 68 is?
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

Brandon

Quote from: TJ H on November 03, 2007, 09:40:22 AM
For the ride issues I would check the ride height to see if someone has messed with the settings on the bars, I have heard of people raising or lowering the car by adjusting the bars and I would imagine that would change the ride quality.

I dont know aboout your remote release, mine 73 is electric and thats the oldest book I have.

Also about the pull down, if its the same as the 73 its a shock looking thing that rides on a cam on one of the hinges. There is a cable the runs to the latch mechanism.  To me it looks like that mechanism just bolts in place of the fixed latch but i could be wrong.  On the newer cars the latch is on the car and the lock is on the deck lid.   Is that the way the 68 is?

The latch existing mechanism on the car is inside a housing which is welded to the inside of the trunk. It looks as though this would have to be removed to fit the new setup.
Thanks for your info. Rgds.

Lars Kneller 8246

For the ride, you can loosen up the torsion bars a little and get the front end realigned.  My 68 rides and handles perfect.  I have a 77 Biarritz that is a little soft that I may tighten up someday.

You are correct, the trunk pull down unit is spot welded in.  I added one to my 72 Eldo when restoring it.

The vacuum trunk release has a vacuum tank under the hood and the switch in the glove box.   I added this to my 68 so I'm not exactly sure if how I did it is the authentic way, but most of it is hidden so it doesn't matter. 

Jeff Maltby 4194

My 69 eldo has the oem electric release mech that screws to the lid. Have digital picture if needed ?

Email me direct.

Jeffo 49er chapter calif
Jeffo 49er chapter

CLC 1985
Honda Gold Wing GL1500

Jim Skelly, CLC 315958

Quote from: Brandon on November 03, 2007, 02:59:58 AM
Three questions about my '68 Eldorado:
(1) I have tried all kinds of front shocks but the car rides like a truck-I am aware that these FWD cars are much firmer but it bangs around over bumps and sure not like a Cadillac ride.
Should I be looking at renewing the torsion bars?
(2)The lock on the trunk has what appears to be a vacuum release mechanism but there is no tubing, or button or switch anywhere. Any ideas on how this was set up originally if ordered as an option? Obviously it would need a vacuum tank-can it be teed into the door lock system?
(3)I bought a used trunk pulldown system which was an option, but without butchering the inside of the existing lock housing, it seems I am unable to fit it. Any suggestions?

Any advice will be sincerely appreciated. Thanks.
I don't believe the trunk pulldown was available until the '71 model.  My '71 Eldorado had it.  The '68 has a cable that runs under the trunk felt from the latch assembly on the trunk lid to the assembly on the right wheelhousing.  How is the assembly fastened to the right wheelhousing?  When I bought my '68, the assembly was not attached at the wheelhousing. 

Dyna

In regards to the trunk:

The buttom is in the glove box, on the edge of the top left hand side. The trunk pull down mech is not electical but "shock" driven. The body mount for it is very different from one that has normal truck lock mech. The truck pulldown and release is one combined option -- if your car had normal trunk latch (i.e. the part bolted to the body) it was ordered without trunk release/pulldown. If you want to fit it one you need the special body sheet metal and the mountings for the shock and all the rest that comes with it.. -- it's not a easy task unless you know what you need and how to mount it...

Cheers

greg surfas 15634

Brandon,
Regarding the ride of your eldorado, I would suggest that your description of the symptoms would indicate something is loose and or broken in the suspension, steering and/or final drive of your car.
There is an awful lot going on in the front wheel drive system and it does not take much for a defect to show up as either a noise, rattle, or harsh ride.
What exactly is the car doing and when?  Starting, stopping, turning or going over pumps and or around corners?
Greg

John Morris #23947

Trunk pulldown has been available on all Caddys since the mid 50s, when they had an electric motor right on the pulldown assembly.
71 Olds 98 LS, 66 Fairlane 500 XL Convertible, 55 Packard Clipper Super, 58 Edsel Ranger, 72 Cheyenne Super, many 49-60 parts cars, abandoned "House Of Doom" full of 49-60 parts. Huge piles of engine parts, brackets, tin, Hydramatic & Jetaway parts,  thousands of stainless moldings, dozens of perfect sedan doors.

brannick

Sincere thanks to you all for your helpful advice; I think I have the trunk release and pulldown issue sorted out now.
As for the ride, Greg, I have replaced/overhauled every component and nothing is loose or rattles,
the car turns and stops as it should. The only other parts which need replacement are the disc rotors which I have been unable to get, but they are obviously not a suspension issue. 
I will try what Lars suggested and loosen up the torsion bars and have it realigned.
Do the torsion bars/bushings ever need replacing?-maybe that is the answer.

TJ Hopland

Is 68 still the multi piston older brake parts?  The 70's stuff is still around but I have heard that the early brake and wheel bearings are hard to come by and if you do find them they are expensive.   I remember people talking about many vendors listing them but when the compared part numbers to the newer cars they were the same which is not the case if they are the multi piston ones.  The later ones look just like any other GM brake caliper. 
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

Brandon

You are correct. The '67 and '68's are different to '69 onwards.
They have very large (and expensive) front wheel bearings-I replaced mine last year at $400 the pair, and the rotors are different too-and seemingly unavailable new.

Rusty Shepherd CLC 6397

Shock absorbers can make a huge difference in the way a car rides.  "Heavy-duty" shocks (which were usually sold after-market by Gabriel, Monroe, and Sears) were much stiffer than the shocks that came installed on cars from the factory.  My mother had a '73 Olds Ninety-Eight and when the shocks seemed to need replacing, my dad had heavy-duty Monroe-Matics put on it and my mother described the ride just as you do yours: "like a truck".  She complained about it so much (and my dad thought it rode too stiffly, too) that he had the Olds dealer order factory-spec Delco shocks and once they were installed, the big Olds again had the smooth ride expected of those cars.  Although the early Eldos had a somewhat firmer ride than the contemporary standard Cadillac line, from what you have said I'd be willing to bet it has some stiff shock absorbers on it.

TJ Hopland

Brandon, either you got a good deal on those bearings or I got ripped off when I did mine 10 years ago.  I think I paid $250 each for my 73 and those are supposed to be the 'common' ones.
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

Brandon

Maybe; but if you want another set as spares, there are a NOS, GM  pair to fit '69 onwards on E-bay right now, with bidding at $25-4 days to go. Item # 160179507363.

Brandon

Anyhow-getting back to the original problem which was the hard ride quality, I have loosened off the bolts on the torsion bars and the ride has improved somewhat without lowering the front end, so I will continue to loosen them off until I get the ride I want, check the ride height and if all is ok, have the alignment re-done.
Thanks again for all your advice-much appreciated!

Chris Short CLC 18814

Hey Brandon,
     Good to hear your getting this straightened out...  But I went through this same thing with the ride on my 76 Eldo convert..  I rebuilt the front end on it and when I got done that damn thing rode so hard..  It was like a Mack truck..  I felt every crack in the road..  The dash and everything was shakin everywhere..  In the end it was the CarQuest shocks I put on it..  They were so stiff that it just was awefull!  The shocks were stiff in both directions..  And from what I understand was that the original shocks compressed easily, and then expanded hard..  So when you went through the bumps the car would settle down through the bumps and then return slowly back up to normal ride hieght..  Giveing you that cadillac "float".  :)  I've never had good luck ever with carquest shocks..  I put a set of monroe shocks on it and it rides wonderfull now..  But its still stiffer than my 68 DeVille convert..  That thing is just amazing how it handles bumps in the road..

Chris Short
CLC 18814

Lars Kneller 8246

The torsion bars don't have bushings that I am aware of- I haven't taken my 68 apart, but have taken my 72 apart and it didn't have any.  I know new rotors are available as my mechanic got some when redoing my brakes a year or so ago.  However he found by turning my original rotors there was still more metal left than the new ones had to start with, so he sent them back. There was a vendor at Hershey this year selling wheel bearings, and I recall he was asking $225-250 for them.  I had thought about getting a spare set until I heard the price!  I replaced them last year on my wife's 69 Thunderbird, and they cost $6 per pair!