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 president de Nysschen says electrification coming 'across the spectrum'
Thu, Jan 22 2015We like to pick on new Cadillac president Johan de Nysschen for his insistence, many years ago, when he was president of Audi of America, that plug-in vehicles are for idiots. Listening to him give the keynote address at the Washington Auto Show today, you wouldn't know he ever said anything negative about an electric vehicle. Instead, he sounds something like a EV-angelist. De Nysschen said that Cadillac will be able to benefit from GM's considerable expertise in plug-in technology, which he said would be "applied across the spectrum of our portfolio." GM's electric committment will help in "making electrification commonplace." With the plug-in ELR already on the road, de Nysschen said that the company's next step in advancing powertrains will be the introduction of stop/start technology – which de Nysschen called an "important system to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions" – into a Cadillac for the first time later this year. Without giving any specific details, de Nysschen said that Cadillac will introduce eight new models (not necessarily plug-ins) by the end of this decade, including five that "will take Cadillac into market segments where the brand is not even present today." These new vehicles will likely be much lighter than today's vehicles, de Nysschen said, because "weight reduction today is critical to automotive design, it helps to improve fuel efficiency and contributes to desireable vehicle dynamics." The key is to reduce weight without compromising safety or comfort and to use the right material – steel, aluminum, carbon fiber – in the right place at the right time. It was a not-so-subtle jab at Ford and its new aluminum F-150. "In the pursuit of weight reduction, some manufacturers have also opted for abandoning steel and have gone for an all-aluminum approach," he said. "At Cadillac, we believe that different materials each present particular advantages in specific applications. There is no single material that represents the optimum balance of the conflicting objectives of every single application." Related video:
GM announces 6 recalls covering nearly 720k cars
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The largest element of this latest campaign covers 414,333 units, including the Chevrolet Camaro and Equinox, GMC Terrain, Cadillac SRX and the Buick Regal and LaCrosse.
Nine cars we wish were convertibles
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