Hi everyone,

I have been meaning to post for some weeks, but have been so busy with fixing up my new Caddy. It is a 1978 Coupe Deville with 180,000 miles, but 25,000 miles on a rebuilt engine. I bought it for $900 through a craigslist add. It is Light Blue with a Light Blue interior. It needs a lot of work, but I like challenges. The person that I purchased the car from reupholstered the front seat and installed a new headliner. The interior needs a good cleaning and a new armrest and dash top cover. Other that that, it is in pretty good shape. The exterior is not in the best shape, but is not that bad. It will eventually need a rear bumper and possibly a front bumper if I ever came across it. The trunk lid has some rot in it, I am going to clean that up as best as I can until I find a replacement trunk lid. There is a little surface rust starting up on the bottom of the door and quarter panel, no rot, just surface rust. Same on the top portion of the hood, much of this is from a cheap paint job with poor preparation. I will clean off all the rust and touch up the car for now. Within the next 1-2 years, a paint job will be in order. It appears that the bottom portion of my motor is new and the heads were either overhauled or just bolted back on, it is hard to tell. The motor job was done 6 years ago, so things got kind of dirty. It had a pretty bad miss when I got the car and people were telling me that the motor had a bad valve or worn camshaft lobe. Well, after tracking down a bunch of different vaccum leaks, it is finally under control. The 425 is a nice running motor, once it is under control. I am slowly getting the car road worthy, I have done a full tune up, tuned the carbureator (Has been rebuilt once already), installed new belts (That really quieted the engine down), All new brake lines to the rear, I am in the process of overhauling all of the fuel lines and cleaning up the gas tank, this car must of been in a very wet area, there is a lot of surface rust on the frame and all lines running under the car. Thank goodness that the frame is still rock solid and the floors have no rust on them. The frame just needs a lot of cleaning up to keep them solid. The car also needs a couple of new tires and some front suspension work. Then it will be ready for the road.

Well I think I ranted enough, here are some pics.
Let me know what you think!

Mike

Nice color Coupe, Lots of potential. Good luck my fellow Jersian...I have poured over 12 large into my Fleetwood and it's still not perfect. The only advice I can give you is stay persistant and make sure your pockets run deep. I turned this...
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e201/wheelman322/78CadillacFleetwood5-03.jpg
Into this...
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e201/wheelman322/78CadillacFleetwood2006-11-114.jpg

Wheelman,

Thats a nice looking fleetwood that you have, it looks like we have the same color paint job on our cars. Your repaint looks just like what the factory color looks like on my car (inside the trunk). Right now I am in the process of installing new fuel lines and refurbishing the gas tank. Hopefully the car will be somewhat roadable by next week.

Thanks for the reply,
Mike

No prob,
Good luck and yes, your Coupe is the exact same color as my Fleetwood...That car will be sexy as hell when you're done with it. Be sure to keep us updated with pics. I'm always happy to see a Cadillac go to the hands of someone who will give it the care it deserves.:bouncy:

Great looking Coupe!

But the first thing I noticed: get rid of the rake. It appears that your front springs are worn out, and the rears have been replaced. So get a new set of front springs to make everything level again.

It looks solid, love the color. You said you need tires? A little advice; get the correct 1.3 inch whitewall! Most people just get 0.75" whites like you have now, but their not correct for the car. The right whitewalls really make a difference. With that blue, it will just pop.

Here's a link to what I'm talking about.

https://www.tiresavings.com/tireShop.php?action=findMan2&manufacturer=Yokohama&tirename=CLASSIC+CAR+WIDE+WHITEWALL&season=

You can get them from a number of places, I have them on my '79 Phaeton Coupe and love them. You'll want the 215-75 size.

Here's how they'll look on your car.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c40/Cadillac_guy/1979-cadillac-0021.jpg
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c40/Cadillac_guy/bf3.jpg

Now, I'll get out of here before I scare you off. :p

Benzilla,

Thanks for your comments, and I do agree about putting on the Dimemsion IV tires on the car. I already had plans of putting them on the car after seeing pictures of them on this board. In regards to what you said about the front hanging low, I think that may have been due to the front tires going flat. When I first got the car the front tires were not beading correctly and thus were not holding air, now they are holding air. Since I am tight on money, I am doing two new front tires and will place the old front tires on the back in the meantime. Later this summer, I will get two new back tires. Everything will get its chance on this car in due time.

Mike

Good to hear. It might be the tires as you said. But just out of curiosity, why not measure the height at both ends of the side rocker trim and see if it's level? It won't affect performance or anything, I guess I'm just too anal about height. But for me it really changes the look of a car, 'ya know?

Either way, that's a beautiful car, a diamond in the rough if you will. I can't wait to see as you progress. Be sure to keep us posted!

Mike,

Congratulations on your new project. Looks like you have a reasonable place to start from. I think both the back and front seats have been redone, as the pattern is not correct for 1978. Looking forward to more pics as you progress. Happy motoring!

Craig

Here is some food for thought...Here is what I spent on my 78 to get it back in shape:
Rebuilt motor...all new pumps included...2500
Rebuilt Trans...adjusted for firmer shifts..900
New Radiator...200
New Starter....150
New Battery....100
New Master Cylinder+
All New Front and Rear Pads, Rotors, and lines...1000
New HD Rear Springs & Air Shocks...300
Chrome 9C1 Rear Sway Bar...From one of my old Caddys.
Body Stripped, Primed and Painted Factory Blue...2500
New Tuxedo Vinyl Roof...200
New Rear Body Fillers...250
New Carpet...200
New Floormats...100
Rain Gaurds...50
Pinstriped...NC
OEM Factory Wire Wheels and Wide Whitewalls...1200

And it's still not done!

In the next week i'm doing...
96 9C1 crossmember
True Dual Exhausts
79 WS6 Steerind Box
F Body Front Sway Bar

Here is some food for thought...Here is what I spent on my 78 to get it back in shape:
Rebuilt motor...all new pumps included...2500
Rebuilt Trans...adjusted for firmer shifts..900
New Radiator...200
New Starter....150
New Battery....100
New Master Cylinder+
All New Front and Rear Pads, Rotors, and lines...1000
New HD Rear Springs & Air Shocks...300
Chrome 9C1 Rear Sway Bar...From one of my old Caddys.
Body Stripped, Primed and Painted Factory Blue...2500
New Tuxedo Vinyl Roof...200
New Rear Body Fillers...250
New Carpet...200
New Floormats...100
Rain Gaurds...50
Pinstriped...NC
OEM Factory Wire Wheels and Wide Whitewalls...1200

And it's still not done!

In the next week i'm doing...
96 9C1 crossmember
True Dual Exhausts
79 WS6 Steerind Box
F Body Front Sway Bar

You and I are on the same road. I have a very similar list..

But I am curious about your engine rebuild. Why did you have it done, was it high miles? What kind of place did you have it done at? Are you satisfied with how it came out, and is there more power?

I had a Jasper engine put into my '84 Cutlass, and I can't count how many times I had to take it back.

You and I are on the same road. I have a very similar list..

But I am curious about your engine rebuild. Why did you have it done, was it high miles? What kind of place did you have it done at? Are you satisfied with how it came out, and is there more power?

I had a Jasper engine put into my '84 Cutlass, and I can't count how many times I had to take it back.

The engine came out great but I had a good friend do it. He's been rebuilding motors for a Mercedes dealer for years so I trusted him. I rebuilt it because it had a wrist pin tap and I figuered might as well go the whole 9...
+ i meant to add
rear diff flush
and just dropped the fuel tank and replaced the fuel lines.

BTW I've had the Rochester rebuilt twice and I would reccommend to anyone who does it...Make sure you get a diagram of how the vaccuum hoses are routed...This is the biggest achiles heel in these cars.

i actually have a 1978 deville almost identical except for i repainted it a darker blue and mine is a convertible. my deville has approx. 180000 miles in it also and i would like to see what you can do with yours. ive had trouble repairing the interior but the car looks incredible. ill have some pictures up soon.

Did you chop the roof off? Or is it a Aftermarket Convertible by Hess & Eindhardt?

My dad has had it since 78 and im not sure exactly what he did with it. im pretty sure he bought it as a convertible though. im actually on vacation right now but when i get back ill put some pictures up.

OK it is an Aftermarket Convertible by Hess and Eisenhardt. It's officially a 1978 Cadillac Coupe Deville Le Cabriolet. How does that change the value of the car??

I would definitely say that it is worth more money. There were only a few hundred convertibles made aftermarket versus 100,??? thousand Coupe DeVilles made. Check out ebay for recent auctions.

The biggest issue it has right now is it occasionally doesn't start up after its been started a few times in a short amount of time. Also when its just sitting it often stalls out and has trouble starting again. However when its running and just driving it runs great. It has a few minor problems like the trunk button in the glove compartment doesn't work, the lights on the inside of the doors aren't working, one of the latches for the top broke and the air conditioning isn't great. The car has about 180,000 miles on it and i'm not trying to sell it but want to know how much its worth. The only thing im wondering about is there is a strange rattling underneath my left foot as i accelerate. I've had it checked at the gas station but im not sure what it is. Do any of have any idea??

How long have you had this car? I might have seen it like a year ago.....

My dad has had it since 78' and he just gave it to me for my 17th birthday so i just started driving it often this summer

casciomichael,
Your lucky in that your rear bumper isn't one of a kind and is the same bumper used up to, I think,1989. Your doing the same as I've had to do with all my '77s. Replace the brake and fuel lines.
I've never seen interior like yours before. Cadillac had a lot of choices for interior decour.
Good luck with your project. I hope to see your finished endeavor.

I thought that it would be a good time to post some updates since the last time I posted.

I put the Caddy on the road in July of 2007 after going through many things. One of the main problems was that all of the fuel lines were rotted. I had to drop the gas tank, clean it and seal it and bend and replace most of the gas lines. Also the rear brake lines were changed at the same time. I had the Carburetor rebuilt for good measure. The car received a full tune up and a lot of time was spent on plugging vacuum leaks that sprouted up everywhere.

The air conditioning was recharged and the Climate Control was troubleshot and repaired.

The belts were replaced, made a big difference.

The washer pump was rebuilt along with all new hoses installed. Also it received one new wiper arm.

Battery Cables were replaced due to starting issues. The original cables are copper clad aluminum, they give a lot of problems and are not reliable. Change them if you have a vehicle of this era.

Rebuilt the distributor to put it in good working condition. New vacuum advance, pick up coil, center shaft (The mechanical advance was very worn out and sloppy).

Changed differential fluid. Rear looked pretty good for the mileage on this car.

Rebuilt passenger side of front suspension. New ball joints, tie rod ends, bushings, and springs. The drivers side will be rebuilt in the spring. The sudden weather changes and house renovations did not allow it to be completed earlier. All of the suspension components were sand blasted and painted with POR-15. Eventually the whole frame needs to be painted with POR-15 to stop the rusting.

Installed rear sway bar off 79 fleetwood.

If you live in the New Jersey area, I highly recommend that you go to Harry's U Pull It in West Hazelton PA, they have like 15,000 cars in their lot and lots of Cadillacs. I have gotten some great parts from them at very reasonable prices.

Front Bumper, MINT $30
Rear Bumper, Very good, $30
Aluminum Hood w/ Hinges from 79 Fleetwood $40
Plus many other goodies for my car at great prices.

Restored original am/fm 8 track radio, and installed new Speakers all around. If you have the original OEM speakers and you think they sound good, you are missing out on alot. Get new aftermarket triaxial speakers 4by6 front, 6by9 rear, they make a HUGE difference with the sound on the OEM sound system. Plus if installed right, they look like they were never installed.

Removed all rust from body panels and either primed or POR-15d them.

I never like the fact that Cadillacs had no instrumentation with the exception of a gas gauge. I installed aftermarket gauges Tach, Oil Pressure, and Water Temp to help the situation. The Oil Pressure and Water Temp were installed by the Heater vents. By the way, if you plan on installing gauges in this spot, you need to make a bracket either out of wood or metal to bring the gauges lower and stick out more or you wont even be able to see them. The tachometer (Autometer Z series 0-5000rpm) matches very well with the original speedometer, and also has the perfect rpm range for this motor.

I think that was enough ranting for today, pictures will be in the next post.

Oh the fun, and there is still tons of things to do yet!!!

Mike

Pictures

Looking gooood! Is it just the pics, or did you replace the front springs? Might be the angle, but the front looks a little higher than before. Regardless, she looks great. I commend you. :thumbsup:

Hey I haven't checked it out yet but a coworker mentioned a site for the correct whitewalls for us. I was told to check out "Coker Tires."

Benzilla,

The passenger side has a new spring along with all other new components. The drivers side has not been done, but will be completed in the Spring. So there is one new spring and one old spring.

Dopestar,

One word regarding Coker Tire, EXPENSIVE!!!

But they do carry the American Classic Tires which are the only 1.3inch whitewall tires that you can purchase. Dimension IV and Broadway Classics no longer exist. We are left with only one manufacturer and they cost $100 a tire for 215/75/15.

Mike

Benzilla,

The passenger side has a new spring along with all other new components. The drivers side has not been done, but will be completed in the Spring. So there is one new spring and one old spring.

Dopestar,

One word regarding Coker Tire, EXPENSIVE!!!

But they do carry the American Classic Tires which are the only 1.3inch whitewall tires that you can purchase. Dimension IV and Broadway Classics no longer exist. We are left with only one manufacturer and they cost $100 a tire for 215/75/15.

Mike


Well crap. I'm determined to find a solution though. Working in the tire business, I have to come across something. I might have found a source for wire wheels though if you're interested. REAL Cadillac ones......

Something looks strange. It may be the pic, but the bumper ends look like they came off an 80's Cadillac. The '78 - '79 ends are narrower.

It's the picture. I see his car pretty often and everything's 77-79. I think he's got a new back bumper in his garage he's waiting to put on........

Benzilla,

The passenger side has a new spring along with all other new components. The drivers side has not been done, but will be completed in the Spring. So there is one new spring and one old spring.

Dopestar,

One word regarding Coker Tire, EXPENSIVE!!!

But they do carry the American Classic Tires which are the only 1.3inch whitewall tires that you can purchase. Dimension IV and Broadway Classics no longer exist. We are left with only one manufacturer and they cost $100 a tire for 215/75/15.

Mike


I'm sorry, I don't like 215's on these cars, too narrow. Prefer 225's. Coker's scale for replacement tires for the original tires comes out somewhere between 225 and 235.

I dont think they make the Demensions any more ben. I tried getting some and i was told they were discontinued. I cant let my 81 go 3/4 inch white wall, it wouldnt be right.....

Have you heard anything about em???

ima have to nabb me some of these cool lights!!!

http://www.cadillacforums.com/forums/attachments/rwd-19xx-1984-deville-fleetwood-1985/38815d1200288179-project-1978-coupe-deville-picture-087b.jpg

I dont think they make the Demensions any more ben. I tried getting some and i was told they were discontinued. I cant let my 81 go 3/4 inch white wall, it wouldnt be right.....

Have you heard anything about em???
Yes, they are discontinued.. I think Broadway Classics, or Americal classics still makes a 1.3, but they're like $115 a piece. Then there's another company, somebody made a thread about the a while back. Runway Enduro 75's. Cheap ass tires, you could get a set for under $300 easily. Basically, they haven't changed since the '80s and cabbies buy them for the price. They *almost* have a 1.3" whitewall, it's just a hair under, but they still look nice. I had a link, but my computer crashed and took everything with it, so go google them. A guy with a white '80s Brougham wearing the Enduro's posted a page or two back in the "post your RWD" thread, and we started talking about them, so you can see them on his car. I'm probably getting a set to wrap around the wires I'm getting.... ;)

ima have to nabb me some of these cool lights!!!

http://www.cadillacforums.com/forums/attachments/rwd-19xx-1984-deville-fleetwood-1985/38815d1200288179-project-1978-coupe-deville-picture-087b.jpg

Yeah I gotta get myself replacement map lights as well. Mine are clipped for some reason... :hmm:

Those map lights were used in '77 - '78. My '79 Brougham doesn't have them.