1975 Cadillac Sedan Deville (mandarin Orange Poly Slicktop) on 2040-cars
Austin, Texas, United States
1975 Cadillac Sedan DeVille SlicktopI love a good estate car and that's exactly what this is. I purchased the car from the owner's grandson who pulled the car from her garage after 15 years of laying dormant. With a little work (outlined below), the car came back to life and drives just as a 79,000 original mile car should. The idle is a little rougher than it should be and I've outlined what I've done to troubleshoot that in the mechanical section. I'm not going to call this car rare, but it is a strange one due to the slicktop and sparse options (no passenger side mirror, no tilt, no cruise, no twilight sentinel, no rear defog, etc.). I have maintenance records going back to 1977, the original warranty information card, and original owner's manual. I've tried to shoot every angle of this car and I've also outlined her condition more specifically in separate sections below. Videos of the car running and driving can be found at the bottom of the page. If you have any questions or need more pictures, feel free to reach out: Clay: (512) 653-0773 ExteriorAs you can see, this is a very aesthetically beautiful car (as long as you don't mind the Mandarin Orange Poly paint). The body paint is completely original (and very nice) with no accidents or repaints. The trim on the passenger side has been rubbed and there is one noticeable thin spot in the paint on the passenger side of the hood (both issues are pictured in the blemishes section at the bottom of the page). The back fillers were replaced long ago and they are what I would call a very cheap set of fiberglass reproductions (and there is a crack in the passenger side rear tail light filler). I do have the chrome strips from the original fillers (those come with the car). All glass is nice and uncracked and all weatherstripping is in excellent shape. The only rust on the car exists on the driver's side rear door (surface rust on the inside of the door skin -- pictured in the blemishes section below) and a quarter sized area on the passenger side of the rear window (surface rust also pictured in the blemishes section below). InteriorThe interior is also all original and only shows minor wear. The original seat belt warnings are present on both front seat belts and all six seat belts function fine (no sticking tensioners, etc.) The headliner is perfect and the dashboard is without cracks. The only tear in the interior is in the center of the bottom leather in the rear (see pictures -- it's about the size of a pea). Carpet is original and untorn with only minor blemishes. Door panels are in decent shape with two cracks in the vinyl section above the door handle on the driver's side front and a hole in the armrest (size of a dime) in the driver's side rear armrest. 8-track radio combo powers on, power antenna works well, but you can only barely hear the radio at full volume (not sure what's wrong -- haven't looked). Steering wheel is uncracked, but the wood insert strip deteriorated beyond repair and was removed. I still have the insert strip and it comes with the car (it's only translucent plastic now -- the wood grain has all fallen off). Power seat and power locks work flawlessly. MechanicalThis car runs, drives, and stops well. Car does not leak any fluids and the transmission is smooth without any slipping. Brakes are firm, easy, and stop straight. No driveline vibrations at high speeds and the steering tracks straight and tight. As mentioned in the videos, the car idles a bit rougher than it should and stumbles just off idle. I have not rebuilt the carburetor, but I suspect the accelerator pump needs to be replaced. As far as the rough idle is concerned, I did the usual maintenance items (listed below), but it still just idles rougher than it should (see the videos). Power is great and she is smooth as can be at speed (it's just idle and right off idle). Climate control works correctly, but the A/C is the original R12 system and is not charged. Compressor does engage, but I've disconnected the clutch pigtail to avoid running it without a charge (since that will eventually destroy the compressor). Maintenance Performed:
BlemishesBelow you'll find detailed pictures of the car's most major blemishes. Videos |
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Cadillac's Butler announces surprise departure
Mon, 05 Aug 2013The Detroit Free Press is reporting that Cadillac's vice president of global strategic development, Don Butler, has resigned. Butler has held the position since April, after a term as vice president of US marketing for General Motor's luxury brand.
As the report explains, the timing here is pretty unfortunate for Cadillac. Butler is the third high-profile member of Cadillac's brass to depart in recent months, following the firing of US sales boss Chase Hawkins and the pending departure of Susan Docherty. Cadillac spokesman David Caldwell told the Detroit paper, "Bob [Ferguson]," global boss for Cadillac, "and other leaders asked him to stay on. Don's here in the office today - and told our team that his decision is purely on a personal level. After three years of putting everything into Cadillac, he is stepping away for some personal time, and to consider new avenues in his life."
Butler says his decision is part of a decision to "recalibrate, reassess my priorities." Whatever the reason, it's an unpleasant surprise for Cadillac, which has been on a surge in 2013, with 30-percent jump in sales on the heels of the hot-selling ATS.
Mark Reuss: GM can't afford product 'misses,' has 'thought about' CT6 V-Series
Thu, Apr 9 2015Mark Reuss is a busy man. He oversees General Motors' global product portfolio, an all-encompassing task for a company that sold more than 9.9 million cars and trucks last year. When GM launches a well-received product, like the road-going rocket ship that is the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 – he gets credit. When the company stumbles with the slow-selling Chevy Malibu or grapples with fallout from the decade-old Saturn Ion and its flawed ignition switch, he gets blamed. GM owners, the press and sometimes the federal government, demand answers. Bob Lutz famously held the job before Reuss. So did Mary Barra, who's now GM's chief executive. There's a New GM, but the lineage is connected to a long history. When he's not thinking product, Reuss, an executive vice president, also runs the purchasing and supply chain for the company, which is still one of the largest industrial empires in the world. We caught up with Reuss on the floor of the New York Auto Show, where GM had just rolled out two crucial new products: the 2016 Cadillac CT6 and the 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. Speaking with a small group of reporters, Reuss delved into a variety of subjects, including the new Malibu, Cadillac's future (he thinks the ATS-V is going to "flame the M3 and M4"), and other topics. On fixing the Malibu: "We can't miss. We can't have those kinds of misses [like the previous generation] on our cars and crossovers and trucks. We can't do that. If we do that, we give a reason for someone to go buy something else. It's that simple. "On a car like the Malibu we have a chance to really fix all of that, which we have, and then lead. Then you've got a real opportunity there. So that's what we've really been focused on here – to fix those things." He later added: "We need that car here to transform Chevrolet desperately because it's the heart of the market. And when you think of Chevrolet, people will come back and think about what we did with the [new] Malibu and the Cruze... It's hugely important to us." On Cadillac: "If we go out and try and out-German the Germans, it's probably not going to work. We've got an opportunity here generationally where there's a lot of people younger than me that have parents that drove BMWs and Mercedes, and I think there's an opportunity there for those people to drive something different than what their parents did, and I think that's always been an opportunity in the auto industry if you look at the history of it.
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We've posted on this topic in the past - on a video showing the Camaro ZL1 being brutalized, for instance - but this article gives a more in-depth look at what actually happens behind the scenes... including what that poor ZL1 went through. Though the test isn't for 24 hours straight, the cars are pushed as hard as possible by some of GM's best drivers with only the brakes and tires replaced frequently.
We don't want to ruin the fun for you, but it is an interesting article that tells just some of what GM does to develop its sports cars. Check out the full article over at Car and Driver for the rest of the story.