1976 Cadillac Eldorado

Convertible

8.2L 500Cu. In. V8 GAS OHV Naturally Aspirated

Automatic

Clear

GAS

Lots of information below, then many pictures after that. Most of the cars I have driven the last twenty years have been 15-35 years old. I go through them, make them reliable and safe, and then drive them everywhere. I bought this Eldorado from Florida with 68,000 miles on it. I put a little over 17,000 miles on it in 8 years, mostly on long trips and around town in nice weather. I have done a lot to make it safe and reliable. Sometimes I replace things when they break, but mostly I replace them before they fail. I’m selling it because I now live in an apartment, walk to work, and don’t have a good place to work on it anymore. It’s not a prize-winning show car. I bought it to drive, and it gets smiles, waves and compliments every time I take it out. The major thing it needs is a new convertible top/rear window. If you’re going to drive it on the highway, you should get new tires. There are minor cosmetic issues, and some interior cosmetics, if that matters to you. The main thing is that much of the mechanical restoration has been done. I have not hesitated to drive it hundreds of miles on a road trip. The chassis and drivetrain are basically the same as a ’66-78 Oldsmobile Toronado. I owned several of those Toronados in the last 20 years, drove them all over the country, and am a technical advisor for the Toronado Owners Association. So, although it’s an old car and I can’t make any guarantees, you can know that the car has been owned by someone who is competent and careful. I buy good parts and do the work by the book. Many new parts—new cooling system, new brake system, new suspension, new power steering system, new electrical/starting/ignition system, upgraded halogen headlights. Comes with GM factory service manuals and maintenance records for the last 8 years. I use high quality parts, like AC Delco and Moog. Regular oil changes with Delco filters and Mobil 1 15W/50 synthetic oil, air filter changes, antifreeze flush and refill, and tire alignment/balancing/rotation. Power windows, power locks, 6-way power seats with dual armrests, power top, power antenna. Four-wheel disk brakes, electronic ignition, tilt/telescoping steering wheel, automatic headlights, automatic climate control, auto leveling suspension, 500 cubic inch engine with 500 foot-pounds of torque. It has never had a trailer hitch on it, but all that engine torque, tough transmission, front-wheel drive, disk brakes and full-frame construction made Eldorados very popular tow vehicles back in the 1970s. It had a towing capacity of 6000 pounds, if I remember correctly. COOLING/HEATING/AC 2011, 82,000 miles: new heater core, new upper and lower radiator hoses, new heater valve, new red EPDM long life heater hoses. 2005, 68,000 miles: new radiator, new radiator cap, new thermostat, new upper and lower radiator hoses, new heater valve and new red EPDM long life hoses. The only part in the cooling system that hasn’t been replaced is the water pump. So far it doesn’t leak and doesn’t make any noises. AC—the air conditioning system needs recharging and probably new O-rings and a new receiver/dryer. Right now the electrical plug to the compressor is disconnected, but the system is complete and unmolested. The climate controls work like they should, with the temperature control/heat/defrost working fine. Valves open and close automatically to re-direct airflow. With the new heater core and the powerful fan, you can drive in cool weather and have toasty feet. Once the AC is repaired, you can have chilling AC.STEERING AND SUSPENSION 2011, 82,000 miles: new NAPA power steering gearbox, new Delco power steering pump 2009, 81,000 miles: All new power steering and Hydro-boost hoses (4 total), new swaybar endlinks, new flexible steering coupler between steering box and column. 2006, 73,000 miles: new steering damper Moog SSD55, new SKF front wheel bearings, new inner and outer front bearing seals, new Pitman arm, new idler arm, new upper and lower balljoints left and right, new drive axles left and right, new inner and outer tie rod ends (TRW and Moog). 2005, 68,500: new urethane swaybar frame bushings, new front shocks KYB KG4501 gas shocks, new rear air shocks with fill valve installed in trunk under top well, new metal tire valve stems. The compressor for the automatic level control needs to be rebuilt/replaced—right now the rear air shocks are filled through a valve in the trunk installed under the convertible top well. The original compressor comes with the car. All the usual front end parts have been replaced except for the front control arm bushings, which are original and probably could stand to be replaced. The rear control arm bushings come with the car ready to install. Tires have decent tread but should be replaced—the left rear seems to be out-of-round and vibrates on the highway. It also has a very slow leak, I think at the valve stem, and loses maybe 5 pounds of pressure a week. The other three tires hold their pressure for months with no problem. It is important for a tire shop to know that the tires require reverse-mounting, otherwise the shop will bend the wheels (very simple but very important—they’ll know what that means). The tires are three and a half years old, so there is no dry-rotting, but for sustained highway travel they should be replaced because of the vibration problem. The original hubcaps have been replaced with Toronado hubcaps from the same era.BRAKES 2011, 82,000 miles: new Hydro-boost brake booster, new parking brake cables (both of them), new braided stainless steel brake hoses—front left, front right, rear center—brake pedal is very firm. 2009, 81,000 miles: rear brakes—new AC Delco rotors, new AC Delco Durastop pads, new A1 Cardone brake calipers, speed-bleeders installed both sides. 2006, 73,000 miles: front brakes—new Performance Friction Carbon Metallic front brake pads, new AC Delco front brake rotors, new brake calipers and hold-down kits, speed-bleeders installed both sides. ELECTRICAL 2011, 82,000 miles: new ignition module AC Delco D1906, all new dashboard tell-tale warning lightbulbs, wiper light bulb, gas gauge bulb, clock bulb, radio bulb, cleaned twilight sensor photocell in dash top 2010: new battery, new Hella halogen outer high/low headlights with Sylvania Xtravision bulbs H4 55/60 watt 2009, 81,000 miles: new NAPA headlight switch, new headlight harness connectors under dash, new 3-prong oil pressure sender switch, new taillight bulbs—all four, new starter motor (Advance Auto lifetime warranty), installed dual Bosch headlight relays on left wheelwell to give brighter headlights.2005, 72,000 miles: new 63 amp alternator, Advance Auto, lifetime warranty. 2005, 68,500: new speedometer light bulbs, new spark plugs, new plug wires, new distributor cap, new rotor button, new headlights, new battery, all new exterior lightbulbs—brakes, turn signals, back-up, cornering lights, etc. Cruise control—does not work but the system is complete and unmolested. Passenger seat cable for rear-forward movement underneath needs diagnosis. It probably is not attached (sometimes they come loose after years of use). The seat tilt and back recline work fine, but the passenger seat doesn’t move forward. The radio antenna and speakers need to be replaced. The radio works but the antenna cable going into the back of the radio is broken, so there isn’t reception now, only static. The antenna is frozen in the up position and the antenna relay (hidden up in the passenger footwell under the top of the carpet) has been disconnected to prevent electrical shorts.A couple of the headlight adjuster screws recently broke and need replacing. They always seem to have a limited lifespan but you can find them at car parts stores. Replacing them is about a 10 minute job. The brake light on the dash doesn’t light up like it should when car is first started. I don’t know if that’s the bulb or the sensor in the brake distribution block.One of the rear seat window switches does not work, but it can be controlled from the driver’s switches. All the windows go up and down. The passenger window and the rear ones are slow to go up since they weren’t used much (need to clean out the dried-out grease from the tracks and re-lube them). The windows are a little wobbly from worn rollers, but I am including new window rollers ready to install. If I remember right, the rear passenger window was already done. The power door lock buttons work but one of the doors appears to have a frozen lock solenoid. This can be replaced by removing the interior door panel.FUEL SYSTEM 2010, 82,000 miles: new Airtex fuel pump (lifetime warranty), new Fram G15 inline fuel filter leading into carburetor, new 3/8” R9 outlet hose at gas tank. 2006, 73,000 miles: carburetor rebuild, new carburetor float, new fuel inlet filter 2005, 68,000: new fuel pump, new R9 high pressure hoses to fuel pump, new Fram G15 inline fuel filter leading to carburetor. The carburetor has been rebuilt but there is air leakage around the primary butterfly shaft, which has become worn in the carb body. The car idles reasonably well but the idle, throttle response, and gas mileage would be helped by putting new shaft bushings into the carb. I think this also affects the cold idle, which is a little rough. When cold the engine starts quickly after one push on the gas pedal to set the choke. When warm the engine starts very quickly. The outlet hose on the fuel tank has been replaced. The two other pieces of hose back there, the return hose and the vapor hose, are original and should be replaced for peace of mind. MECHANICAL The 500 inch V-8 is original. The valve cover gaskets could be replaced (there are a couple of places where there’s grime). The engine uses maybe a quart of oil every 800 miles, which is normal for engines of that era. It doesn’t smoke when driving or accelerating, so the piston rings appear to be in great shape. Very rarely there is a puff of oil smoke when starting the car after it’s been sitting for a long time, which suggests that maybe there is a worn Viton (rubbery plastic) valve stem seal. Those are easily replaced by removing the valve covers, but it doesn’t happen very often so I haven’t bothered. The TH-425 transmission is original. It is basically a TH-400 transmission in halves with a drive chain. They are known for being extremely tough units. The trans filter and pan gasket have been changed. There are no known issues with the transmission—it shifts smoothly with no slipping or noises. BODY The plastic fender/quarter panel extensions have been replaced. The original ones on these cars always cracked over time. The car comes with door hinge pin bushing kits ready to install. It’s a two or three-person job—those long doors are extremely heavy. The passenger door hinges are fine, but the driver’s door has a very slight sag to it due to the worn bushings. The paint is still in decent shape, especially after a fresh waxing, but a re-paint would make the car gleam. The body is straight. There is a slight dent in the hood you can see from the driver’s seat in the right light. There are a couple of door dings. The trunk lid has some rust on the very lower edge. The wheelwells are not rotted. The bumpers are straight and the chrome looks good. There is some hazing on the rear bumper but no peeling or rot. The mirrors have some minor pitting The driver’s side front chrome at the end of the bumper needs replacing—someone hit it in a garage. Thankfully they missed hitting the fender, only the chrome. To replace it, there are two pieces involved which bolt onto the end of the bumper. I believe it’s called the bumper end cap. I have seen them for sale on Ebay before for $25-50. The rest of the bumper appears undamaged. The car needs a new top/rear window, plus repair of the top motor. The top is original and is in poor shape. The original rear window has been broken and is missing. To replace it you have to remove the top, so both should be done at the same time. Right now the top must be raised/lowered by hand (heavy, but I have been doing it with no problem). The system is intact but the drive cables for the top have been disconnected. The power top motor does not run. Typically the problem is either the motor or the top relay, both of which are located behind the rear seat cushion. The Eldorado uses exactly the same scissor-top mechanism as used on big mid-70s Chevy, Buick, Pontiac and Oldsmobile convertibles, so new tops, windows, and parts interchange and are readily available. When the top is replaced it would be good to replace the front window rubber weatherstrips on the windshield since they have deteriorated. Over rough pavement there’s a rattle somewhere up under the dash like maybe a brace or bracket isn’t tight. INTERIOR It was a Florida car and the interior is somewhat sun-weathered. All the armrests are cracking (can be recovered) and the leather upholstery is moderately cracking, with a larger crack in the rear seat bottom. The front seat bottoms were re-upholstered in matching vinyl before I bought the car. It’s presentable as a fun driver, but not as a show car. Everybody smiles and never notices the imperfections. There are suppliers which sell the complete upholstery kit to re-do the seats. The carpet is faded and worn, but easy to replace. There is some cracking on the dash panel, but replacement caps are available. Or, you can just replace that part of the dash—the vinyl dash top comes out easily, and this color was a popular one, so it shouldn’t be hard to find a replacement in a junkyard. The driver’s sun visor flops down and has lost some of its trim, so finding a replacement is probably the best option. On the passenger sun visor, one of the vanity light hinges is broken and the light does not work. There is some pitting of the metal ashtray covers in the armrests and the lighters are missing. I don’t think the receptacles would work, anyway. The dashboard ashtray lighter receptacle does work—I use it to charge my phone or run a little air compressor. The rolling digital clock does not work (they almost never do). The inside rearview mirror has some silvering on the inside of it but works fine. The remote outside mirrors work, but the driver’s side one is a little floppy. Truth is, the mirrors don’t do much anyway, especially with the top up—you really get in the habit of turning your head around to check. The interior lights turn on when you push the door button from the outside, but not when you open the door from the inside, so the switch in the doorframe probably is bad. OTHER The car has a new transmission filter/gasket, new transmission fluid, new muffler/tailpipe/resonator, new rear bumper shocks, and new door strikers. The catalytic converter and air injection pump were removed years before I bought the car. Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE