My girlfriend's dad gave her an 87 Allante he bought in non-running condition. He's currently working on the car so it runs (ignition system/distributor issue) and as soon as it does we're taking possession of it. I don't have any pictures of it yet, but I do have the owner's manual and full service manual in my posession. This won't be a daily driver for her, it'll be a weekend fun car, or something for cruise nights or events in the Cadillac Club I belong to. I have a few questions about this car since it's out of my Cadillac expertise....
1. My 89 brochure shows the Allante having optional analog gauges, but the owner's manual for our 87 shows only the bar graph digital version. Was this the only kind offered in 87?
2. Were there any common problems to keep an eye out for? I know this car has the HT4100 engine which is dreaded in the large RWD cars, but how does it fare in the small Italian Pininfarina body? Any tips on how to keep it happy?
3. I know the car needs a new grille (broken tooth) and perhaps a new front bumper (small crack where someone must've hit a parking brick) so my question is how easy or impossible are parts to get for this car?
4. How do you guys rate this car? I know there were better versions (4.5L, 4.9L, N*) but still, is it an all around good car?
I'm looking forward to getting to work on the car to make it look and perform as great as it did back when it was new. It's a pretty exciting part of Cadillac history to own if you ask me so I'm eager to get going on it.....
1. My 89 brochure shows the Allante having optional analog gauges, but the owner's manual for our 87 shows only the bar graph digital version. Was this the only kind offered in 87?
2. Were there any common problems to keep an eye out for? I know this car has the HT4100 engine which is dreaded in the large RWD cars, but how does it fare in the small Italian Pininfarina body? Any tips on how to keep it happy?
3. I know the car needs a new grille (broken tooth) and perhaps a new front bumper (small crack where someone must've hit a parking brick) so my question is how easy or impossible are parts to get for this car?
4. How do you guys rate this car? I know there were better versions (4.5L, 4.9L, N*) but still, is it an all around good car?
I'm looking forward to getting to work on the car to make it look and perform as great as it did back when it was new. It's a pretty exciting part of Cadillac history to own if you ask me so I'm eager to get going on it.....