How Much Does My 1937 LaSalle Coupe Weigh? And a 76' Eldorado?

[carlhungness]

   The headline says it all. I'm having a hard time locating the weight through my internet searches. I say it weighs almost as much as a '76 Eldorado so would like the weight of both considering I have a 76 Eldo engine in it now. Near as I recall, the flat head weighed just about the same as the Eldo engine.

[Big Fins]

Take both cars to the local truck stop with certified 'Cat" scales and weigh them. You'll get a print out of the whole vehicle and what weight is on each axle.

[Bobby B]

1937  Lasalle  =   3850 lbs.      Engine approx. = 900-1050 lbs.
1976 Eldorado =  5080 lbs.       Engine appox.  = 573 lbs.

Shaving 400-450 lbs. off your back would be a Racer's Wet Dream......
                                           
P.S. Have Fun.....
                             Bobby

       

[cadillac ken]

I have the same numbers as Bobby.  As you already know, Carl, I have a 500 (1970 Eldo motor) in my 37 Caddy coupe.  Doing the final tune in.  Will be on the road today. I'll let you know how it runs! 

But keep in mind I went with a low rear ratio.  About 2.80 to be able to do freeway speeds without it's tounge hanging out! 

Cheers, Ken

[TJ Hopland]

What size tires?   People often seem to forget to take that into account when thinking about gear ratios.   I know tires started out big but then got small for a while before growing again.  Just don't know where in that curve a 37 was or if its still got stock tires on it in this case.     

The 425 cuin engine era (77-79) they were often using a 2.2x  rear end and those cars were not that much lighter than the 71-76's. 

[Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621]

     The 425 cuin engine era (77-79) they were often using a 2.2x  rear end and those cars were not that much lighter than the 71-76's.

1977 models w/425 were ~ 20% lighter than 1976 versions.

[carlhungness]

   Thanks for all the replies, this is a great forum/club. Am glad to see Ken getting his car on the road, she's a real beauty and he's a good craftsman. My car should make steady progress now that I've just sold another sculpture, my Wheel of Life. Indy 500 winner Bobby Rahal bought it, so now I'm looking for a buyer for my second Strad violin copy and will then have enough money to fully finish my coupe.

[plutonos]

1977 models w/425 were ~ 20% lighter than 1976 versions.

WOW! I didn't know about this. I knew that cars in the past were very heavy, but in just one year, Cadillac was able to get a twenty percent lighter car is great progress. My father has an old Cadillac, and it is fully made out of hard metals. Every detail of the car is very heavy. W started to recondition the car, and before painting the parts, we weighed it with the weight scale we got from vont.com. We were shocked at how heavy the parts of this vehicle were compared to the modern analogs.

[scotth3886]

https://www.automobile-catalog.com/make/cadillac/eldorado_1971-1978/eldorado_1971-1978_convertible/1976.html

https://www.automobile-catalog.com/make/cadillac/eldorado_1971-1978/eldorado_1971-1978_hardtop/1977.html

[Cadillacdave]

The 77 Eldorado weighed about 130 lbs less, at 4950 lbs, than a 76 Eldorado at 5080 lbs. A 20% reduction would be approximately 1000 pounds less

[Roger Zimmermann]

Till 1978, Eldorado models were about the same, same weight or just a small reduction. The main difference between 1976 and 1977 standard models (de Ville, etc.) was due to the reduced dimensions and method of construction.

[bcroe]

   The headline says it all. I'm having a hard time locating the weight through my internet searches. I say it weighs almost as much as a '76 Eldorado so would like the weight of both considering I have a 76 Eldo engine in it now. Near as I recall, the flat head weighed just about the same as the Eldo engine.

That 37 just feels heavy, for lack of horses and no
torque converter in the trans.  Bruce Roe