Musings on the Cadillac Eldorado

I saw a late 90s Eldo on the road the other day, a forgettable car from my teen years with lackluster FWD proportions.  But seeing it against the backdrop of SUVs and fussily styled Camrys made me appreciate it in a way I never have before.  It's actually a very thoughtfully styled car, almost minimalist by modern standards.  I have visions of a dark green one with a slight drop riding on newer STS 18s and some mild tint that make me pretty excited.  Alas, they actually seem to have held their value pretty well.

In reply to steronz :

I'm drawn to the first of the downsized ones. Late eighties or so they had a couple years that where they were short then they lengthened them after that. Something about how those are styled just works for me.

The later (2001+) ETCs are really nice cruisers.

1975 Eldo.  Go Big or Go Home.

Yeah bro. Cannot relate. I really wish the STS didn't have a northstar though.

Edit: I remembered I do really like Buicks from the same period. So maybe I can relate.

They are nice, but they have a high failure rate on many of the driveline parts.  The 4T80E will fail, and it is listed as something like a 13 hour R&R.  The easiest way to do it is to disconnect darn near everything, set the front subframe on some blocks, unbolt it, and lift the car out of the way.  Trying to just get the trans out you will likely not be able to get it around the ABS unit without damaging it.

We had a few in the shop as well with a cracked block.  They sometimes get a hairline crack near the base of the #2 cylinder which doesn't show until you've either overheated from low coolant, or toasted bearings from a crankcase milkshake.

But I agree.... lovely cars.  Smooth, quiet, comfy.  They had the feel of a much higher quality vehicle.

I’m a sucker for the last of the Malaise Eldorado. I had an ‘84 that my uncle gave me. Triple Black. The HT4100 was a junk motor, but my uncle had worked as a Mechanic at a Cadillac dealer, so he kept mine running and it had 250k on it when I sold it. Horrible fuel mileage too. I averaged 13 mpg on a good day. 

I miss that car though. It had such a wonderful boaty ride and was one of the best cars to drive in the winter. It was a real cruiser. 

I was debating a couple weeks ago if I could find one and do a 4.8L LS swap. That would be such a good engine for this car and should bolt up to the original trans. 

I truly love malaise-era cars.  They're cheap, and usually a few go-fast goodies away from muscle car status.

SyntheticBlinkerFluid said:

I’m a sucker for the last of the Malaise Eldorado. I had an ‘84 that my uncle gave me. Triple Black. The HT4100 was a junk motor, but my uncle had worked as a Mechanic at a Cadillac dealer, so he kept mine running and it had 250k on it when I sold it. Horrible fuel mileage too. I averaged 13 mpg on a good day. 

I miss that car though. It had such a wonderful boaty ride and was one of the best cars to drive in the winter. It was a real cruiser. 

I was debating a couple weeks ago if I could find one and do a 4.8L LS swap. That would be such a good engine for this car and should bolt up to the original trans. 

Is it weird that I kinda want to see something like this done up all Time Attack style now?

It's going to have to be 70s era for me. 500cid, FWD, FTW. 

The horn in this makes more power than some cars. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syXWeQzOHeM

z31maniac said:

Is it weird that I kinda want to see something like this done up all Time Attack style now?

Yes.

Time Attack Dodge Mirada perhaps?

pres589 (djronnebaum) said:

z31maniac said:

Is it weird that I kinda want to see something like this done up all Time Attack style now?

Yes.

Time Attack Dodge Mirada perhaps?

No no no the Carlos Montalban especial with the rich corithianleaaather   

The ‘67 (first year) has always been considered the pinnacle of Eldorado design.  I have to tell you though, that generation like the one you posted (‘84?) is a slick looking ride.  Maybe, and this is just my opinion, the best looking Eldo of the bunch.

z31maniac said:

SyntheticBlinkerFluid said:

I’m a sucker for the last of the Malaise Eldorado. I had an ‘84 that my uncle gave me. Triple Black. The HT4100 was a junk motor, but my uncle had worked as a Mechanic at a Cadillac dealer, so he kept mine running and it had 250k on it when I sold it. Horrible fuel mileage too. I averaged 13 mpg on a good day. 

I miss that car though. It had such a wonderful boaty ride and was one of the best cars to drive in the winter. It was a real cruiser. 

I was debating a couple weeks ago if I could find one and do a 4.8L LS swap. That would be such a good engine for this car and should bolt up to the original trans. 

Is it weird that I kinda want to see something like this done up all Time Attack style now?

closest you'll ever get...

I got pretty good at dropping the 4l80s out of those, not because they would fail but because a speed sensor would fail that would require removing the side cover on the trans to access, so out it comes. It would be a real bitch without a lift and a real trans jack. 

I feel like i accept and understand this sudden affection for late 90s eldos, but me personally, i developed a certain fondness for the ~93-95 Deville with the old 4.9.  I don't recommend that anyone else develop this fondness, though. 

Yes, but... I am more of a sucker for the Riviera - convertible please. Sure it is a wet noodle, who cares. 

I learned the e-bodies were offered with the Olds diesel 350. I want to drive one for some reason. I definitely don't want to own it but I want to drive it once.

Daylan C said:

I learned the e-bodies were offered with the Olds diesel 350. I want to drive one for some reason. I definitely don't want to own it but I want to drive it once.

Not trying to derail, but I was part of a forum for a while that focused strictly on the Olds 350 diesel.  They get a bad rap because of the head gasket failures and people assuming they were a gas engine converted to diesel (which is actually not the case aside from similar architecture).

Once you solve the head bolt/gasket issues, they are pretty stout engines.  One of the guys had an Olds 350 diesel in an S10 with twin turbos making something like 600hp/850tq to the wheels.

I did drive an LF9 (350 Olds diesel) in a Suburban once.  105 hp, 205 tq.... in a Suburban.  It was comically slow.  It would have lost a drag race to a Briggs and Stratton in a pit bike.

Toyman01 said:

It's going to have to be 70s era for me. 500cid, FWD, FTW. 

The horn in this makes more power than some cars. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syXWeQzOHeM

Gotta love the Cadillac horn,no other horn sounds that good or spectacular. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3e5BCE9zFI

I don't know there ever was a "good" Eldorado.  However, simply for nostalgia, I have fond memories of the mid-80s cars.  I also had a high school friend who's father had a '71 or '72 with the 500ci V8.  What a torque monster that thing was.

Curtis said:

Daylan C said:

I learned the e-bodies were offered with the Olds diesel 350. I want to drive one for some reason. I definitely don't want to own it but I want to drive it once.

Not trying to derail, but I was part of a forum for a while that focused strictly on the Olds 350 diesel.  They get a bad rap because of the head gasket failures and people assuming they were a gas engine converted to diesel (which is actually not the case aside from similar architecture).

Once you solve the head bolt/gasket issues, they are pretty stout engines.  One of the guys had an Olds 350 diesel in an S10 with twin turbos making something like 600hp/850tq to the wheels.

I did drive an LF9 (350 Olds diesel) in a Suburban once.  105 hp, 205 tq.... in a Suburban.  It was comically slow.  It would have lost a drag race to a Briggs and Stratton in a pit bike.

It's also funny that they converted the Olds from a gas to a diesel and people hated it. But then the hardcore Olds guys seek out the diesel blocks, convert them back to gasoline and make make effort Olds race motors out of them because the blocks are a bit beefier, especially in the main saddle area (which Lord knows, Oldsmobiles need all the strength they can get there)

NickD said:

Curtis said:

Daylan C said:

I learned the e-bodies were offered with the Olds diesel 350. I want to drive one for some reason. I definitely don't want to own it but I want to drive it once.

Not trying to derail, but I was part of a forum for a while that focused strictly on the Olds 350 diesel.  They get a bad rap because of the head gasket failures and people assuming they were a gas engine converted to diesel (which is actually not the case aside from similar architecture).

Once you solve the head bolt/gasket issues, they are pretty stout engines.  One of the guys had an Olds 350 diesel in an S10 with twin turbos making something like 600hp/850tq to the wheels.

I did drive an LF9 (350 Olds diesel) in a Suburban once.  105 hp, 205 tq.... in a Suburban.  It was comically slow.  It would have lost a drag race to a Briggs and Stratton in a pit bike.

It's also funny that they converted the Olds from a gas to a diesel and people hated it. But then the hardcore Olds guys seek out the diesel blocks, convert them back to gasoline and make make effort Olds race motors out of them because the blocks are a bit beefier, especially in the main saddle area (which Lord knows, Oldsmobiles need all the strength they can get there)

They also have thicker side walls then the gas 350 so they can bore them out more reliably the the gas 350.

I'm partial to the REAL first year Eldo's, 1953 as shown below: