Haven’t done one of these in a while, but here is an original brochure from the 1953 Cadillac Eldorado, the first year of production…
What they didn’t say was that all the hydraulics for the windows and top used a corrosive type of hydraulic fluid… And the Hydra-matic was actually a four speed automatic!
I helped rebuild one of these years ago, and it was a royal PITA, basically had to get an entirely new floorpan and fit that AFTER cleaning the frame rails, then re-assembling the car, then rebuilding the whole trunk area and replumbing the entire hydraulic system, not to mention trying to get the metering valves to work correctly to ‘gently’ raise the top and windows and not launch them into the next county! Still a neat car when it was all said and done!
I’ll bet parallel parking that bad boy must have been fun !
Where do you buy a new floor plan for a 60 year old car?
Floor pan, not plan.
Not bad for a band new luxury car for around $7,500 as compared to an normal Caddy at $5,500. It would cost that much now to try and restore one, I would imagine.
Saw one when I was nine years old outside the Stagestop in Rollinsville, CO. Most of the thirty or so residents were standing around it gawking.
j.r.- That’s why they had curb feelers… 🙂
Ed- There are specialty folks that build them, the one we got came out of LA.
CP- The one we restored in 1977 cost $35,000 to restore and sold for $75,000. Having Dayton redo the wire wheels was $2000 by itself. A new custom windshield was $3000.
WSF- Hell, I STILL gawk at one if I see it! 🙂
I used to gawk, at 5 & 6 years old, at my doctor’s car. He always drove the latest Lincoln Continental, and those were huge, too. Some of those old luxo-boats are better retained in memory, though.
You haven’t lived until you’ve agreed to help your cousin repair the transmission from an old Buick. When I said “take it off the car and tear it down and we’ll start on the repair when I get off work,” I did NOT mean “tear it down into each of its individual parts.” So. Many. Needle. Bearings. Just. Dumped. In. A. Box.
Rev- Mine always drove Buicks, for two years and parked them…
RM- Oh crap!!! I won’t touch a slush box!
Beautiful cars!
Back in the day, I had occasion to ride in one of these El Dorados. Big boats! And so luxurious.
That Caddie had its gas tank filler cap behind one of the tail lights (the left one, if I remember right). You pushed the red reflector just under the light to open it.
Few know this history-
They don’t build ’em like that anymore.
http://www.briggscunningham.com/home/le-mans-era/lemans50-html/
AOW- Must have been nice!
Scottie- Yep, that was a ‘trick’ set up!
GB- Good point, I should have included that in the post! Still amazing… 🙂
A family friend had one of the Caddies it was a sweet ride