In reply to Nick Comstock :
Yeah, I knew it wasn't exactly what you were looking for. But it made me think of you.
It's been a heck of a long time since I saw one sitting on a car dealer's lot.
In reply to Nick Comstock :
Yeah, I knew it wasn't exactly what you were looking for. But it made me think of you.
It's been a heck of a long time since I saw one sitting on a car dealer's lot.
Ya know... I used to own a 62 SDV... until I lost it in a bet in Vegas.
In reply to SVreX :
My father had one of those Eldos when we were kids. It was silver with red leather and a white top. Even with the top down there was room for a week’s worth of luggage and the three of us kids had plenty of room in the rear seat. As for fuel mileage he says it was somewhere abysmal and awful.
In reply to Curtis :
Sounds like a story that should go in your autobiography. I would buy that book.
Nick Comstock said:In reply to SVreX :
I do like the Eldorados but being FWD severely limits what is possible. Although I hear they do drive really nice.
I test drove one of those once from a shady dealership. By this point it was only maybe 25 years old and I was expecting GREAT THINGS from the nearly 500 cubes. Once I got away from the lot I MASHED the gas. And got nothing. Hahaha man that was so disappointing. This was back in the day before C'list and all that, when you had to work to find a used car you wanted.
In reply to Curtis :
Story time!!
Dr. Hess said:In reply to Datsun310Guy :
That's a '73. See the smaller backup lights?
Big front bumper, small rear bumper = 1973.
If that doesn't look like a big rear bumper, you haven't seen a '74...
Nick Comstock said:In reply to SVreX :
I do like the Eldorados but being FWD severely limits what is possible. Although I hear they do drive really nice.
But they all had 500s!
Can't have one without the license plate DN38416, though.
Are you familiar with Hooves garage and the Car Wizard? He is building a 69 Caddy and is engine swapping to a 5.7 gm diesel. It's on the Tube but I'm no good with the links.
In reply to Pattyo :
I'll check that out. I haven't been keeping up with what he's been up to recently.
This video made me super happy. It's also super relevant here!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGoV_dWHpsk
Knurled. said:Nick Comstock said:In reply to SVreX :
I do like the Eldorados but being FWD severely limits what is possible. Although I hear they do drive really nice.
But they all had 500s!
Can't have one without the license plate DN38416, though.
The 67-69s had the 472 ,the 77-78 have the 425
Vigo said:This video made me super happy. It's also super relevant here!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGoV_dWHpsk
While the milage sounds great those old diesels have got to be pretty dirty. I don't know a whole lot about diesels but I wonder if you could retrofit a particulate filter?
At a vintage/consignment shop today with the Mrs, et al., I came across this 1978 Cadillac lineup brochure. Stupendous.
Nick Comstock said:I'm not concerned about the cost of fuel. It's the idea. 9-11 average mpgs is what I'm seeing with 13-14 highway cruise.
FWIW, that's about what my 400-cubic-inch 1975 Catalina Safari got. I kept it all stock. Also, big difference in highway mpg at 55 vs. 70.
I remember picking up a 67 Cadillac vert in Ohio when I was young and dumb. Stopped in Charleston on the way back to FL to see my mom. Everytime I hit the gas hard she'd say "There goes another gallon!" I'd respond "Yep isn't it great?"
I’m guessing this got a canoe revival but it sure was an interesting read. Did Nick ever end up getting one?
Since we are here.......if you put a modern FI system on these old Caddies would it get the mileage up to 15mpg ?
or is the cam and all the other smog stuff what makes it such a gas pig ?
I got 12 mpg uphill downhill winter summer driving hard driving easy. I got 12mpg. That said I never cared to get better nor tried.
californiamilleghia said:Since we are here.......if you put a modern FI system on these old Caddies would it get the mileage up to 15mpg ?
or is the cam and all the other smog stuff what makes it such a gas pig ?
This is what we love about the GRM forum. It's that we can ramble on for eight pages on a topic which does not even exist. I mean "70's Cadillacs and Fuel Efficiency?" The answer is "No." There is no efficiency. Now "consumption?" We could discuss that.
1988RedT2 said:This is what we love about the GRM forum. It's that we can ramble on for eight pages on a topic which does not even exist. I mean "70's Cadillacs and Fuel Efficiency?" The answer is "No." There is no efficiency. Now "consumption?" We could discuss that.
Exactly. Plus, I hate to say, is the dismal economy just part of the experience? Know how I managed fuel in the wagon? I drove smoothly and didn't go 75 mph.
In reply to David S. Wallens :
I think everyone is forgetting the reality of cars of that era. Setting points, cleaning and gapping spark plugs, rebuilding carburetors. Drum brakes that need shoes arched to the new radius of the turned drum. 1500 mile oil changes, Bias ply tires. Frequent wax jobs.
My dad figured 18 payments a year if he included maintenance. He liked that I worked at the corner gas station knowing that I treated him fairly and wouldn't over charge him or tell him he needed work done that wasn't actually required.
In reply to mad_machine :
They put that light on the mirros now. Problem is, yu can't see it.
Some improvement can be done by going through the factory tune. They are just thrown together including the carburetors Go through the carb to factory specs, especially the choke and fast idle, is the choke opening all the way ? Found timing set 8 degrees late, new car 4 more helps. Is the distributor working right and is the dwell correct ?
Change to radial tires, make sure the toe is correct.
change to synthetic lubes, engine, trans, diff. don't laugh, it can give a couple mpg. My test.
Then you could have the heads milled . Todays gas will handle an increase.
Do some aero work on the front, You can block off a lot.
get rid of that big fan, go electric.
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