I made an inquiry about an older (early 80s, I think 82) series 75 that I know about. It is available and when I have some cash I may just jump on it. Fortunately free of title issues this time. :)
But there are some questions I have about these cars: mostly; what is different; will I have trouble finding parts for it? It's got a big piece of furniture in the back (There is no other word for it) that holds a television set (which is gone -natch. I can get vintage TVs easily), has a bar, and storage space, but most of the Series 75s I've seen have had little jump seats. Are these available? Are they worth having? It appears to already seat six; the ability to take 8 though is useful (once took a bunch of friends and all our luggage to NYC in a Suburban, more often took people to dinner, etc.); can all 8 seats be occupied at once? Will the passengers in the jump seats want to murder the other riders after more than 10 miles? :crowded: Were these regular line-production cars or did Cadillac send them to a coachbuilder?
And the top is ruined. I mean RUINED. Given my druthers I'd pull it off and paint it (car will need paint, looks sandblasted); is this feasable?

Edit & P.S. Hope this is in the right place; I THINK Series 75s are Fleetwood Broughams, are they not?

They're pretty much just like a normal one except they're a bit longer. I think you could get a awll in them to block off the front from the back like limos have. The back has controls for the heater but I don't htink they had anything else I don't think theres room back there for a TV. I think it would be fun to have one of those.

the car is actually a fleetwood 75. its own specific model. they made them as sedans and limos and were built in house by cadillac. That car should have a 368 v8 which is a decent motor. Most cars came with the jump seats. I imagine your s has been modified with the TV and stuff. the good thing is that most of the parts on it will interchange with other cars from that era. there are some model specific parts, but as long as the car is complete your probably fine. most of the specialty parts are things that "should" never have to be replaced.

Yes, they are factory built.

IIRC, the Series 75 is a std 4 door Fleetwood Brougham with a Coupe back end installed. This is a factory job, factory stopped making them in 1982 I think. Look at later limo's. Those are coachbulder built ones. The later coachbuilder cars are just stretched 4 door cars and do not look near as good as Fleetwood 75's IMHO.

Do some searching for Limo here, there is or was some limo owners here that had pictures of them with lots of details. Katshot might still lurk, he has been very quiet for a while is our resident expert, as he service managed the world's largest all Cadillac limo fleet at one time. He has seen many generations of Cadillac limos and had direct Cadillac Engineering support.

How about that... when I look at it, I see it now! it IS just the ass end off a coupe put on a regular sedan. Does look good. I'll try to get this car!

There is a legit looking 86 FB S75 on ebay right now
item # 200025205222
Don't know if it's coachbuilt or what. Looks like the real deal.

Anyone have any luck ripping off a landau roof? Is the resulting surface suitable to paint? Does the car look any good afterwards?

That is a real one. They made ones like that. And they stopped making the big ones in 1984 not 1982.

Wow This is great I'm learning a lot here.
I had always heard that the largest line-production cars were the 1973 Imperial LeBarons (which clock in at 19'9" thanks to "park bench" bumpers), but apparently the 1975 Series 75 was a whopping Twenty-One feet Long!

I also got the crazy idea to actually take the Opera Coupe I passed up (due to no title, etc) and graft its nose onto the Series 75. Except even I would be loathe to park such a leviathan. Who knows. I don't think either are going anywhere; we'll see what happens a few months on. I really hope I can get this car. The miles are low and I mean LOW.

I have seen them with wet-bars in them done up complete with Cadillac logo liquer bottles, but I'm pretty sure that was contracted out. the jump seats are pretty small, but I've never ridden in them (I was usually the driver - funeral business). The rear A/C is in the trunk, and from what I understand they are problematic. Speaking of problematic; that 368 is addressed here:

http://www.cadillacforums.com/forums/500-472-425-368/88850-368-8-6-4-woes.html

I can say that it is almost certain you will have problems with the 368, and my $.02 worth of free advice is at the top of page 2. HTH, PRG04

I have no clue what motor is in it. I don't recall seeing 4-6-8 badging on it anywhere and it's got only 32,000 miles on it -If I get it and it has 4-6-8 I may just leave it alone if it works. But that is something to deal with when I do pick it up (belive me I'm gonna try)

Jump seats versus bar/TV set is a hard decision... more friends :crowded::crowded: or happier friends :cheers: .....
Who knows how hard it is to track down those seats though...

Salvage/scrap-metal yards get these things all day long. If I had known you a couple of months ago, I could have gotten you a set of jump-seats that now live in a cubed 75. You might want to buy a set, and (depending on how much is involved) you might can switch them out when you need to haul a crowd.

I'm sure I can just post here when I get the car and someone will cough up a set. :) I'm not doing anything until I have the keys in hand, though. Believe me, there will be much fanfare here when that day comes. That's a good idea, though. I can't imagine the bar is any harder to take out than a seatbelt set... Those can be a pain though, GM has a habit of using weird star torx heads the size of Manhattan island, the tools for which tend not to be able to withstand the torque required to undo the fasteners...

Wow This is great I'm learning a lot here.
I had always heard that the largest line-production cars were the 1973 Imperial LeBarons (which clock in at 19'9" thanks to "park bench" bumpers), but apparently the 1975 Series 75 was a whopping Twenty-One feet Long!

You're right... the '73 Imperial, at 235.3" (19.6 feet), just edged out the '74-'76 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham (233.7";19.475 feet). However, the '74-'76 Cadillac Fleetwood Seventy-Fives were the longest production cars made (252.2"; 21 feet).

Fleet
'69 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham (228.5"; 19.04 feet)
'76 Cadillac Fleetwood 75 Limo (252.2"; 21 feet)
'95 Lincoln Town Car Signature (218.9"; 18.24 feet)

i thought that the 1975 cadillac series 75 was the longest cadillac ever at 253"
however, i read in some places that the 1974-76 series were all the same length at 252.2". does anybody know which is true?

they are all the same

Right... the '74-'76 Series 75s are 252.2".

OK then people; I was where the car is today and I got another look at it -There is NO V-4-6-8 badging on it anywhere. Is this indicative of anything? Was such badging never put on Series 75 cars?

Right... the '74-'76 Series 75s are 252.2".

I think the '75 Series 75 is the longest... check the links

http://www.mindspring.com/~dburden/wheelbase.html

http://www.100megsfree4.com/cadillac/cad1970/cad75f.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_automotive_superlatives

FYI:

1981 was the only year that the 368 engine was "8-6-4." It was abandoned in regular cars after that, but the engine (w/o cylinder-shift) remained in limos, etc. So that engine should be just like a 1980 6.0L. If it's an '82, then you're in good shape - you've got the decent 368 engine w/o the hassles of the 8-6-4. Problems only come with the 1981's. Not the others. So don't pay attention to the criticism to the 8-6-4 engine.

OK. I was actually hoping that the 8-6-4 was intact and operable given the low mileage of the car in question; I certainly wouldn't mind the fuel savings. But still, a 6.0L is very nice otherwise... But given the problems with the 8-6-4 it's probably better it's a plain six litre.

Hi,

The 368 used the V8-6-4 variable cylinder feature on the Fleetwood rear drive limousines through 1984.

Dave

the specs look like this im POSITIVE

1974 Cadillac Fleetwood Series 75 Sedan...252.0"

1975 Cadillac Fleetwood Series 75 Sedan...253.0"

1976 Cadillac Fleetwood Series 75 Sedan...252.2"

Hi,

The 368 used the V8-6-4 variable cylinder feature on the Fleetwood rear drive limousines through 1984.

Dave

Hi, Just wanted to clarify: Fleetwood rear-drive factory "75" Limousines used 368 carb in 1980, 368 FI V8-6-4 from 1981 through 1984.

Nope, sorry all of them ('74-'76 fleetwood) are 252.2" long.

Right... the '74-'76 Series 75s are 252.2".

I think the '75 Series 75 is the longest... check the links

http://www.mindspring.com/~dburden/wheelbase.html

http://www.100megsfree4.com/cadillac/cad1970/cad75f.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_automotive_superlatives

I have seen the 253" figure a few times on the Internet. It doesn't match the figures in Cadillac brochures and/or owner's manuals.
Here they are (from memory):

'71------- 247.3"
'72------- 248.9"
'73------- 250.0"
'74------- 252.2"
'75------- 252.2"
'76------- 252.2"

Yo fleet, your '76 limo is freshhh....i just bought the '75 9 passenger sedan(black on black)...you have any advice on anything about it? Did you ever restore anyting on yours?

Yo fleet, your '76 limo is freshhh....i just bought the '75 9 passenger sedan(black on black)...you have any advice on anything about it? Did you ever restore anyting on yours?
All right... another black on black limo!

A few things to watch out for because they differ from the other Cadillac models...
1. Keep an eye on the rear heater core. My started leaking (a slight amount of water was in the trunk and even dripping on the ground). I just blocked off the connection under the hood so the water stopped circulating the rear unti.

2. The Seventy-Fives have a two-piece driveshaft. Make sure the u-joints at each end are in good condition. Mine was worn and I had it replaced before something happened (breaking, for instance).

Other than that, the limos are quite similar to the other models.

allright thanks a lot. i appreciate it

Speaking of Black on Black limousines--If I did this right, you should see a couple of pictures of the '79 Fleetwood Limousine I brought home today. I have been reading this thread--and some others--up 'til now and have learned a lot from you guys.Supposedly, it has 42K miles. It drives beautifully and is tight like a lo-mile car, but who knows? Even if the miles are accurate, it has quite few needs that I will be searching the posts on here to figure out. Mark
27425

27426

27427

mdmsp1, That is one nice limo! I'm saving up for one like that. Where did you find it? If you don't mind me being nosey, what kind of deal did you get? Post more pictures...

It looks a little better in the pictures than it is in real life. Body is very solid with no rot, but the paint is original and needs to be redone. Thank goodness, the roof is in amazing shape. There is none of the rust around the mouldings that these things normally have. The upholstery is good, but the carpet isn't. It has some mechanical issues: HVAC is not functioning properly--fan only comes on in DEF mode.Blows hot air only. AC compressor is disconnected, so I assume it is bad. Engine runs great on the road, but has a slight miss at idle. I found it about 50 miles from where I live in SC, and paid $3K for it. That is probably too much considering the things that are wrong with it, but I felt like a rust free body, perfect roof and nearly perfect upholstery made it worth the $ for me. Those are expensive things to make right--more than the car will ever be worth in my lifetime. I can pick away at the mechanical stuff, and paint it when I save a few more pennies. Like you Hillbilly, I have wanted one of these things for a while (I have absolutely NO idea why:bonkers: ), but most of the ones I saw were too far gone. Mark

Mark, the reason we want them is because they're so cool. LOL! I guess you have to expect some things to be wrong with a car this old. I hope I'm able to find one that close when I'm ready to buy. Keep us updated with your new baby. Best of luck!

Be careful with (under) the vinyl roofs for the 80-92 model Fleecewood Brougham body style. Frequent heavy rust. You can sometimes see the vinyl bubble up.