I'm thinking of buying an 80's cadillac. Like a four door fleetwood brougham or something similar. I'm not sure if I'll get one late 80s with TBI, or early 80s with a q-jet. I don't care either way, I'm really happy with both systems. Anyways. The plan of this car is to drop it real low, put some black or white paint on it, and generally have it look legit. Engine doesn't matter, it'll probably be changed eventually anyways. I've never owned a cadillac before, only ever owned G-bodys and 80's pickups. Anything I should be aware of when shopping for a caddy? Any reason why not to buy? Comments? Opinions?
thinking of buying an 80s cadillac - opinions wanted! :D
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A few things to keep in mind. The 1980-81 Full sized Devilles/Fleetwoods used Cadillacs 368 V8 tied to the THM 400 transmission which is nearly bulletproof. The problem with the 81 setup was the 8-6-4 variable displacement system that Caddy used. This can be bypassed so that the engine runs like the 80 setup. This combo offeres the lowest MPG of the 80's setups. 1982 saw the 4100 V8 tied to the THM 200R-4 overdrive automatic which ran until 1985. This combo offers the least performance with 125-135 HP but the best mileage but was hamstrung with numerous problems like porous aluminum blocks, intake failure, weak bottom ends etc. 1986 saw elimination of the 4100 V8 and instead used Olds's 307 4BBL V8 tied to the 200R-4 and std 2.73:1 rear gears. The 307 lasted until 1990 and from 1988-1990 used a 2.93:1 rear gear ratio as std. The 1986-1990 seem to be the most common and simplest of the 80's Caddys. By 1985 the Deville name was used on the new FWD downsized C-body cars so the large RWD car was called Brougham until 1996 when this line was retired. In 1990 the Brougham was heavily revised with new exterior vinyl roof, two tone paint and pillar moldings and the front and rear look were revised. ABS was made std too and finally a 5.7 liter TBI V8 was introduced as an option on trailer tow or Livery packages. This engine had a gas guzzler tax in it's first year but was retuned in 1991 for better MPG and 5 more HP and the tax was removed. This setup is going to be your best bet if you don't want to remove the engine with a low mileage fully tuned 307 a pretty good alternative. Many of the early 80's cars suffered from electronic glitches such as climate control bugs, crapped out digitally tuned radios and numerous electrical accessories that fail over time. ALso depending on where you live you are going to want to pay real close attention to the frame, rear bumper supports and the bottoms of the inner doors as these were typical rust areas on these cars. Also be aware that a 5.7 liter Olds 350 diesel was offered up until 1985 and Buicks underpowered 4.1 liter 4BBL V6 was found in many 1980-1982 examples. These are best avoided unless you totally intend on swapping out the motor.
I had a 82 4 door Fleetwood "d elegance" which my kids referred to as the limo. It had the 4100 v8 with 2004r and as stated by ponchoman49 it was SLOOOOWW but had good gas mileage. I drove it around for about a year till one day i was doing changing the oil and it came out looking like milkshake. Weird thing was that it ran fine and didn't smoke or anything. Other then that the car was a light blue and in great shape with allot of options. I actually miss it but now i'm on the lookout for a 2door now to build a nice lowrider. My buddy has a really clean 84 Eldorado that i might pick up but has the same issues that my Fleetwood had. :? But he said if i help him fix his Honda CRX i can have it. Wish i had room to store it... My daily driver is a 2000 Seville SLS so i guess i like Caddy's just like my GP 
Good luck finding one!
Good luck finding one!
1977-79 had the big block 425 w/ a qjet. 1980 brought the 368 carbed,1981 went to dfi on the 368. Later years brought the buick v6, cadillacs ht4100 motor and the olds 307. I'm also looking for a caddy like that specifically a 1977-1985 coupe,doesnt matter what engine is in it because i have a 429 big block caddy sitting in the garage for it.
Minion1186 said:
Were these the last cars that came from the factory with big blocks? I've been trying to think today of what the last car (not truck) in America that came with a big block was. And if it was a ford, what was the last GM car to get a big block.
Had an 84 coupe with a 4100 in it.
Car was awesome and never let me down.
Great on gas and was pretty dam fast for what it was.
But on another note most 4100's are known for bad cams and are usually shot.
Neighbor had the 8-6-4 engine and had a problem with it from day one
Car was awesome and never let me down.
Great on gas and was pretty dam fast for what it was.
But on another note most 4100's are known for bad cams and are usually shot.
Neighbor had the 8-6-4 engine and had a problem with it from day one
Buddy of mine just picked up an 84' with the 4100 for only $1500 and it is super clean, well maintained and intact. It was going for $2500 but wasn't moving. He says it's slow but doesn't care, he got to go to work in. Best ever Caddy I saw an 85' with a Poncho 400 in it. FAST!
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