The best worst example of the '80s that I just inherited

My aunt called me sometime in September and asked me if I wanted my grandmother's cadillac, which she'd driven from California to Wisconsin in 2016 and just left to molder.  Much like the last (better but still objectively terrible) 1990 cadillac brougham that my grandmother offered me, I couldn't say no, so now I'm the proud(?) owner of a 1984 Cadillac Eldorado.  It's a white over red convertible with red interior, and features the amazingly terrible HT4100 V8.  This particular example has 42,000 miles on it, so it's well past mid-life.  Cadillac claimed that "HT" stood for "High Technology", but I have a suspicion that it meant "hook and tow" or "have two", given the powerplant's reputation.

I have some sentimental value wrapped up in it, because I used to travel from Albuquerque to San Diego for work in the early '00s, and I would sneak up to my grandmother's house and steal it to drive down to the beach.  For that purpose, it was glorious.

It's built on the Toronado platform, so it's got the weird TH325-4L front wheel drive transmission that looks like it's been broken in half, but does afford a vast expanse of red plush carpet in the front seat instead of a transmission tunnel for you to lose your cocaine in if you're not careful.

I'm Huggy Bear, and I approve this interior:

The good:

1) the HT4100 starts and runs well, even though the fuel smells like toe cheese wrapped in burlap and lightly moistened.
2) the oil is clean and full, and doesn't taste like coolant.
3) there are no active mouse occupants, despite the car being unregistered since 2007.

The not-so-good:

1) it's down a lot of coolant, I hope it went somewhere good.
2) the power steering pump is driven on a pulley that's connected to the idler for the AC compressor which is trashed (the compressor is seized, and the bearing for the pulley is shot, so it won't turn). Dumb design.
3) the trunk lid is heavily lacquer checked
4) the bumper fillers are all busted

So I've got a new AC compressor (and O-rings, orifice tube, drier, and R-134A fitting kit) from RockAuto, and once it has power steering again, I'll swap all the fluids and see how it goes down the highway.  And hey, if that turd of an engine gives up the ghost, it's just a toronado in a fancy dress, so I can put a 455 Olds in there.

Dang Skippy!

Wow, very cool. 

I worked for an attorney during my high school years, and he had the Toronado version. Black over red, I believe. 

It gets better: He’d toss me the keys and some cash and send me to the Italian bakery to fetch him some breakfast. 

Hey, J.A.'s Caddy has a friend now.

Love it. FWIW, the HT4100 in my '84 Fleetwood Brougham d'Elegance ran well at 138k miles when I sold it, and it wasn't exactly well-cared for throughout its life. I wouldn't worry too much about it.

It was the absolute slowest of the Broughams/Fleetwoods/Devilles that I've owned ('78, '84, '91, '01, '06).

Powar said:

Love it. FWIW, the HT4100 in my '84 Fleetwood Brougham d'Elegance ran well at 138k miles when I sold it, and it wasn't exactly well-cared for throughout its life. I wouldn't worry too much about it.

 

It was the absolute slowest of the Broughams/Fleetwoods/Devilles that I've owned ('78, '84, '91, '01, '06).

The first Brougham d'Elegance I owned was an '86 with the 5.0.  I bought it from my dad with a broken transmission, and we went down to the yard together to find a new 200-4R.  He was standing on the motor with a prybar between the engine and trans while I was underneath, and he told me to "catch it on your chest", not realizing that the car was about 18" higher than it would be normally, because it was stacked up on some welded steel wheels.  It fell the full distance, and I had a transmission pan-shaped bruise on my chest for 4 months.

The other Brougham I had was my grandmother's '90 which featured the L05 TBI 350, which spent its whole life in Wisconsin, and was more or less structural rust with a thin skin of paint over the top.  It was stolen from my driveway in 2018, and I still miss it.

that thing is begging for an LS4 powertrain swap.

The Old Italian Man in me is totally IN on watching this thread unfold. Always wanted something that looks like a Late 70's lawyer's office inside to loaf down the highway in. Good luck!

In reply to AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) :

It'd probably work, but I'm not sure I want to turn the engine sideways.  It's got a double wishbone suspension setup up front, so I'm not really sure where the engine mounts would land.

In reply to Jehannum :

Convertible!

Therefore, it is a aftermarket conversion.  Only the Riviera of this generation was offered from GM as a convertible (and that was a factory endorsed conversion done by an aftermarket company.)

The convertible makes it extra special to me.  You could easily be destined for a whole lot of homecoming parades in your future!

In reply to Jehannum :

If you go that route,  I'd just look at pulling the entire subframe from the donor. Makes a better demarcation line and nets more appropriate brakes for the engine. 

Nice Road Couch

Olds smallblock V8's were stock in that body/platform and I would imagine that the trans is a BOP-style bellhousing.  A mild Olds 350 might be a nice swap if swapping is in the cards.

John Welsh said:

In reply to Jehannum :

Convertible!

Therefore, it is a aftermarket conversion.  Only the Riviera of this generation was offered from GM as a convertible (and that was a factory endorsed conversion done by an aftermarket company.)

The convertible makes it extra special to me.  You could easily be destined for a whole lot of homecoming parades in your future!

 

It is a conversion done by ASC (American Sunroof Corporation), but it was an official RPO available through Cadillac as an option.  It was only offered in '84 and '85.

The trunk-lid RPO codes (which are still there) show C05, "Roof, convertible, folding".

Mr_Asa said:

In reply to Jehannum :

If you go that route,  I'd just look at pulling the entire subframe from the donor. Makes a better demarcation line and nets more appropriate brakes for the engine. 

Nice Road Couch

ha, thanks.

There isn't a subframe involved here, though.  I'd have to make the subframe from one of the other cars (Impala, I think?) fit, and then figure out how to get the MacPherson struts mounted, which would be a lot of trouble, since there's either 1) a big heavy frame or 2) a bunch of plastic wheel tub where they'd bolt up.

In reply to Jehannum :

I missed the convertible part at first, just makes it all the more phantastic!  Get it running well, do the cosmetics to get it to 10 footer status and enjoy the heck out of it.  Nice score and even more awesome that it was your grandmother's car.  Don't ruin the road sofa part, that's what these always did well.

David S. Wallens said:

Wow, very cool. 

I worked for an attorney during my high school years, and he had the Toronado version. Black over red, I believe. 

It gets better: He’d toss me the keys and some cash and send me to the Italian bakery to fetch him some breakfast. 

I worked for a guy who tossed me his keys and a $20 bill one Saturday morning and said, "Go get something that we can put in the coffee."

Careful working on those ASC conversions.

I had the displeasure of working on a Cavalier they had done. Under the trim, the metal looked like someone did the job with a can opener.

ShawnG said:

Careful working on those ASC conversions.

I had the displeasure of working on a Cavalier they had done. Under the trim, the metal looked like someone did the job with a can opener.

Being a Datsun owner, I've had 7 tetanus vaccinations in the last 12 years, so I'm set.

Jehannum said:

In reply to AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) :

It'd probably work, but I'm not sure I want to turn the engine sideways.  It's got a double wishbone suspension setup up front, so I'm not really sure where the engine mounts would land.

ah yes, i forgot the old GM FWD package was not transverse.

I traded my first sponser 3/4 of a pack of Marlboros for an 82 in black and tan that i drove home. I have refused to own another cadillac since, and still...

Theres some good, and bad memories there. Mine was a pile. But it got me through a dpot till it didn't. The brakes were a nightmare for younger me, and that thing was a bitch to work on on the side of the road in the snow smoking roll your owns. 

She's a beaut!

pres589 (djronnebaum) said:

Olds smallblock V8's were stock in that body/platform and I would imagine that the trans is a BOP-style bellhousing.  A mild Olds 350 might be a nice swap if swapping is in the cards.

The 368 was also available for these.  That means in theory a 472/500 is bolt in.

Stampie said:

pres589 (djronnebaum) said:

Olds smallblock V8's were stock in that body/platform and I would imagine that the trans is a BOP-style bellhousing.  A mild Olds 350 might be a nice swap if swapping is in the cards.

The 368 was also available for these.  That means in theory a 472/500 is bolt in.

In theory yes.  In practice, the TH325-4L ain't gonna hold up for very long behind > 250 lb-ft.

I'm planning to keep it as original as is feasible.  Obviously, if the 4100 E36 M3s the bed, it'll get something different, maybe an older drivetrain with a beefier transmission, as those are known to bolt into the same chassis, maybe I do something completely off the wall, but I'm not out to autocross or drag race this thing.  At best, I'll attend Radwood dressed as Hunter S. Thompson in the completely wrong era ;)

Buick Riviera T-Type 3.8L turbo?  

Don't forget the walnut shell tablets if you do a drain, flush, and fill on the coolant. Maybe even add one if you just top It off. 

Otherwise enjoy cruising the highways in something that has enough sidewall to absorb bumps that would have a Miata hitting the bump stops.