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Post by Ghostbluesman (Ghostsoldier) on Feb 22, 2013 21:03:12 GMT -5
I love my Eldo....I'm even entertaining ideas of an engine swap, to a post-'02 Northstar, which I understand was re-engineered to correct that issue. No, that was, indeed, one of Cadillac's worst ideas; right up there with the diesel. You are correct, Lord....I was thinking of the Oldsmobile 350cid diesel, which was a converted gas engine. They even put into a few Caddy's back in the mid-80's...talk about a dumb idea. Rob
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Post by Sd.Kfz. 400 on Feb 23, 2013 12:33:55 GMT -5
The 350 diesel had it's own block, it was not a gas small block.
Obviously I haven't driven any fwd Caddys so I can't say anything about them. I just like rwd cars.
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Post by Ghostbluesman (Ghostsoldier) on Feb 23, 2013 15:29:05 GMT -5
I read on the web that it was a converted gas engine; I've only seen one, and that was back in the 80s.
Of course, the whole crux of my statement was, "I read it on the web", lol.
Rob
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Post by 58hemifury on Feb 23, 2013 15:43:59 GMT -5
I'm 99% sure it was a converted gas engine too. My friends parents had a diesel Olds and a diesel Chevy van in the 80's, what pigs they were.
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Post by Sd.Kfz. 400 on Feb 23, 2013 16:17:12 GMT -5
Ok, I googled it because I wasn't sure. It's a strenghtened version(stronger cast etc.) of the 350 gas engine, looks the same but only interchangeable parts were water pump & crank bearings. We still have those 350d or dx cars here in finland, here's few for sale: www.nettiauto.com/haku?id_fuel_type=2&show_search=1&engineFrom=5.6&engineTo=5.8As you can see, most are engine swaps. 5,7 diesel discussion in any finnish car forum means some sort of fight, no exceptions.
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Post by Lord Vadus on Mar 2, 2013 11:28:28 GMT -5
Actually coming from a Cadillac family my whole life, FWD Caddy's are the best. Late 60's-70's Eldorados, post 4100HT Devilles, Sevilles and Eldorados. The Northstar may have it's issues but is still one of the best designed (possibly over-engineered) efficient engines ever built, my '97 Eldo got 32 MPG on the Highway, 29+ with the A/C on and made more power than any engine I've ever driven of equivalent size. And living in the mountains of NY I can testify that FWD Caddys do better in the snow than my AWD Magnum. I'd still have a Caddy as my "secondary " daily driver except I bought the Magnum since I have a kid and the only Caddy station wagon out there is a hearse! I do agree that Escalades are not Caddys, they're Chevy LTZ trucks with Caddy emblems. When I was 16 my mother had a 500CI Eldorado FWD, I used to borrow it and go out drag racing with it. At the time (later 80's) IROCs, Trans Ams, late 70's Go-maros were all lunch for that car! I'd beat a Camaro by a quarter of the quarter mile. I'd let off and coast at roughly 3/4 of the way just to humiliate the Camaro owner even more, What a torquey SOB that car was. 100 FWD burn-outs, cost my father a ton of money in front CV joints ($600 a pop back then). That is a BEAUTIFUL motor. Do you remember the year? The reason I ask is because it was progressively de-tuned from 1970 through 1976, before being retired. This is what the 500 Cu. In. monster in my '72 looked like when I first got her; I've since removed the gaudy aftermarket air filter for the stock Cadillac one. It just wasn't classy enough for an Eldorado.
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Post by Ghostbluesman (Ghostsoldier) on Mar 2, 2013 11:47:01 GMT -5
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Post by 58hemifury on Mar 2, 2013 12:38:18 GMT -5
I just don't understand why more GM guys don't run 472s and 500s. My friend did a mild 500 Caddy for his friend's Monte Carlo and the friggin' thing runs in the 11.0s. The 500 weighs 25 pounds more than a 350 Chevy and is basically a bolt in to a Camaro, Chevelle, ect. You need the rear drive Caddy oil pan and a BOP TH400 trans. You would need to do sooooo much work to an SBC to make the torque a stock Caddy engine makes.
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Post by scatpack on May 31, 2013 22:16:06 GMT -5
My daily driver right now is a 95 Volvo semi with 1.6 million or so miles. In a few weeks I'll be back in my 97 Peterbilt.
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Post by Lord Vadus on Dec 13, 2013 17:41:31 GMT -5
With the snow and salt of a Wisconsin winter, I've temporarily moth-balled my Eldorado and picked up one of these: They were practically GIVING them away, too. It's a 2005 Ex-Minnesota Highway Patrol car with tan interior and had 139k on the clock when I picked it up. The ball joints were replaced at 64k and the rack and pinon at 85k. Other than that, there are only oil changes, tires, and fuel filter replacements in the service log. No traces of frame work or accident repair. The brakes had to be redone after the end of its service life, but that's nothing unexpected. After that picture was taken, I redid the paint on the wheels to completely remove the "beater" look. Normally, I buy a car just for the winter and sell it off in the summer, but I may keep this one for a few years longer. It's proving to be a really nice car.
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Post by 58hemifury on Dec 13, 2013 18:37:08 GMT -5
With the snow and salt of a Wisconsin winter, I've temporarily moth-balled my Eldorado and picked up one of these: It's proving to be a really nice car. They're great cars but kind of iffy in the snow and ice, does it have traction control? My first one did and the one I have now doesn't, it makes a difference with keeping the car straight. I love my CVPI and the one I had prior to it, best cars Ford ever built.
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Post by Lord Vadus on Dec 13, 2013 19:31:19 GMT -5
No traction control, as far as I can tell, but it MIGHT and I just don't know about it. I know that part of the options package for it included heated mirrors; something that I'd never seen on a CVPI before.
With them discontinuing this model in 2011, I'm going to hang on to one of these at some point as a car to take to shows some 20+ years down the road.
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Post by Steam McQueen on Dec 13, 2013 22:11:28 GMT -5
^ Nice P71, LV. Will you be entering local drifting contests with it?
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Post by 58hemifury on Dec 13, 2013 22:34:01 GMT -5
No traction control, as far as I can tell, but it MIGHT and I just don't know about it. There will be a "Traction Control Off" button in the glove box on the left (where your Eldo's trunk button is) if it has it.
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Post by Lord Vadus on Dec 13, 2013 23:04:20 GMT -5
I'm going to check for that tomorrow; thank you.
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