This is a California car that just needs someone to love her or use as a prop car, media burn it. I'll let the car out for video and film projects. Here's the '69 Eldorado NADA report
http://www2.nadaguides.com/default.aspx?LI=1-22-1-5013-0-0-0&l=1&w=22&p=1&f=5014&c=12&m=1032&d=1778&y=1969&vi =64994&z=92603&da=-1
Running, registered, insured. The registration is current through May 2007 on the original black plates.
Make an offer. I have 27 photographs, exterior, interior, engine. All photos exceed attachment file size limit so email
moondoggie71@netzero.net if you're interested. Here's the verbal description and history...
Bittersweet chocolate Firemist color, rare and rich, looks black from a distance, Cadillac calls the color Cordovan, with matching "maximum leather" interior. Fully equipped with most available options including automatic climate control, power trunk, power door locks, right side rear view mirror (very rare), tilt and telescopic steering column, automatic Twilight Sentinel light switch, six way power Strato bench, tinted glass, floor mats, trunk mat plus custom features including 4 wheel disc brakes, Lecarra steering wheel, a full set of five of the rare later second generation FWD Eldorado dealer option aluminum rims with 235/75/15 Michelin radial tires, good tread. Sold new in Los Angeles by Lou Ehlers Cadillac and has remained in Southern California, straight body, good chrome, last year for the black California license plates, I will be signing over an old style pink slip title.
I am the third owner, first owner traded it back to Ehlers in '72 and Ehlers then sold it to an elderly couple who eventually brought the car to Laguna Woods in Orange County. By 1984 there were 88,000 miles on the clock and the old man had been talked into "a valve job" by a mechanic at a gas station. The real problem was blow by past the rings. When "the valve job" didn't clear up the symptoms he had enough and bought a new '85 FWD Sedan d'Ville and I bought the '69 as a gift to myself in late '84.
WHEELS
As noted above, the car has a set of five 1977-8 dealer option Eldorado aluminum rims; the fake knock off center spinners went to Las Vegas to dress up one of the Eldorados used in Scorsese's "Casino". I saw a set of nearly identical spinners on the shelf at Pep Boys recently. Yes, the chrome plating on the aluminum rims is flaking in spots here and there, they're not cosmetically perfect but they are straight and true.
I have an original Styrofoam "jack pack" which stores the bumper jack neatly and securely with the spare tire, this is an extremely difficult to find item. Available for $100 extra, not included. I have an original and unused or barely used, the casting nibs might still be there, 1969 model year bias belted spare tire on the stock Eldorado steel rim, this is available for $100, also. I have four near mint condition 69-70 Eldorado stock wheel covers available, $100 each additional. I have a loose set of four stock Eldorado wheels with wide white wall premium radials in the garage that are available to go with the wheel covers, these are negotiable. A 70 Toronado GT floor shifter console with the all important bracket and linkage, a pair of Strato bucket seats (driver side is full power, passenger side manual fore aft slide) from a late 60's/early 70's Riviera and an extra set of matching factory leather seat back covers for this Eldorado are available at an extra cost of $1,000.
BOOKS
Owner's manual comes with car. I have a 1969 Cadillac mechanical shop manual, a 1969 Fisher body shop manual and a 1969 dealer showroom color and interior portfolio available at extra cost.
1968 Eldorado in bumper back up lamps fitted with the smooth 1970 Eldorado bumper reflector lenses and wired as brake/turn signal/running lights in place of the passive 1969 reflectors. Lights on in one of the photos.
Blue 'Superboot' CV joint boots. Drive axle with damper replaced with solid axle.
Dual exhaust with twin resonators, nice and quiet.
Original front floor mat, rear floor mat and trunk mat in very good condition. The trunk mat is availabe at extra cost.
Custom made color correct carpeted front floor mat by Beverly Hills Motoring Accessories.
Dash cover, color correct.
Original air ride level control rear shocks replaced with coil over shocks.
Interior plastic (padded dash, kick panels, door panels, side panels), carpet and headliner in very good to excellent condition.
Genuine rosewood dash and door accent insert finishes in good condition, some crazing but no flaking or chipping.
Lecarra black leather three spoke aluminum steering wheel, the Lecarra steering wheel hub center horn button is spring loaded and sometimes pops loose, annoying but not life threatening.
A '76 Seville right hand power rear view mirror head is adapted to the original and very rare right hand rear view mirror stalk. This mirror head is identical to the 69-78 right hand mirror head used on the Eldorado.
ENGINE
1986: Freshly blue printed and balanced with other work including polished crank, resized rods, new main and cam bearings, rings, timing chain, solid steel cam gear, lifters, brass expansion plugs etc) 425 (7 liter) engine with HEI distributor from 1977 Eldorado installed in car. This engine is designed to run on regular unleaded with hardened valve seats and a lower 8.2:1 compression than the original 1969 472 CID 10.5:1 compression engine which had become a loose and smoky boat anchor (but with a fresh $800 valve job!). This '77 425 engine is fitted with the solid one piece 1970 Eldorado fan spacer in place of the stock 472 engine's viscous fan clutch. The '77 single plane intake manifold was replaced with a 1970 500 CID Eldorado dual plane intake and carb at time of rebuild. 90k on engine since rebuild now, still tight, burns a quart every 2,500 miles. Bottom line, the 425 is a more practical engine for this car in the 21st century than the original 472 but there goes the matching numbers froufrou.
1987: All trim removed , original padded "Halo" vinyl top removed, sail panel to roof seam smoothed and car painted. "Halo" top studs retained and trim replaced but the roof was left with painted finish, without the vinyl top.
BRAKES
1987: 4 wheel hydra-boost disc brake system from 1977 Eldorado correctly adapted with backing plates slightly modified with heat to fit the 67-70 rear drop axle, nothing is back wards or upside down. I did this conversion nearly 20 years ago and I forgot if I used the the '69 brake pedal or the '77 brake pedal, which ever one it was that I used I do remember having to do a bit of welding on the pedal to modify a bracket or something. E brake cable is frayed, needs attention. Hydra-boost power steering pump leaks very slowly, most likely you'll want to renew the resevoir/pump gasket .
CHROME
1988: Sometimes I just had nothing better to do so this car has chrome plated upper and lower control arms (new bushings and ball joints at that time, of course), front stabilizer bar, fan shroud sheet metal, fender braces, hinge springs, hinge to wheel well housing brackets, upper rad hose bracket, radiator hold down brackets and rocker arm covers (valve covers), the valve covers were found on a junk yard car, possibly Cadillac factory chrome, maybe from a '79 Eldo 368 mill? There is an extra windshield washer fluid resevoir bottle mounted to the back side of the left wheel well housing, this came from the '77 Biarritz donor.
1989: Another "nothing better to do project", the original front "Y" engine mount was replaced with mid 70's side mounts. Side engine mount frame flanges were carefully hacksawed from a donor, trimed and fitted to the in place engine for perfect alignment and then welded to frame.
RADIO
1991: Original AM-FM stereo radio removed, middle of the road post style Clarion AM-FM cassette installed with no dash modification. Original radio is long gone. New power antennae purchased from Cadillac USA in Manassas Virginia. Cadillac USA claimed their antennae was a reproduction of the original Cadillac unit and priced it accordingly. Antennae turned out to be a generic antennae available from Pep Boys or Kragen for about 75% less $ than Cadillac USA but I'm resourceful and managed to satisfactorily install the new antennae. The front in dash speakers and rear 6X9's upgraded.
1993: Dented left fender replaced and front bumper left end and upper center sections re chromed (thanks, Phyllis). Car painted by custom paint shop. Correct Tuxedo grain vinyl top installed but without any padding. Top installer misaligns holes drilled to mount 1967 sail panel wreath and cloisonné crest jewelry.
MOVIE STAR
1994: Car is featured in the closing credits of "My Girl II" starring Dan Aykroyd and Jamie Lee Curtis.
1996: Front wheel bearings replaced, tie rods replaced. Transmission rebuilt. After market trans cooler installed. As a point of information, the car has the 69 1/2 through 1978 Eldorado/Toronado steering knuckles.
1998: low speed bump in the rear by an S class Mercedes Benz, the rear bumper is tweaked, up very close the bumper justs looks poorly hung, the tweak is too subtle to show up in the photo, the real problem is that the jacking tabs on both sides of the bumper are splayed out just enough to cause interference between the bumper jack and part of the rear end semi unibody structure so the jack has to hook up to tab at an angle to bumper, that's not good. A straight replacement rear bumper center section is available for $200 or straighten the tweaked original bumper.
2000 Minimal parking lot dent in left rear quarter panel just behind wheel well. Thanks for not leaving a note, Mrs. Black BMW.
CLIMATE CONTROL: 2000: Leak somewhere in AC system, compressor clutch power disconnected to avoid burn out. Find the leak and repair or just replace high and low side hoses and seals and recharge or convert to R-134 at your discretion. Allow $250 to $600 for a professional shop to do this work. When fully charged the vent temp is 41 degrees at 90 degrees ambient temperature. Over the years the heater core and radiator have been replaced, I don't recall exactly when.
TRANSMISSION: 2000: Not too many miles on transmission rebuild but it's slipping, Time for another rebuild or replacement, could be torque converter, I have no idea, I don't speak automatic transmission. Car can be driven 20 miles and then trans needs to cool down, then another 20 miles, rinse and repeat. One very obscure item that this car comes with that rarely survives...there is a clear plastic disc about the size of a quarter that has a slot in the center which slips over the handle of the transmission dip stick, on the disc is the word "TRANSMISSION" in tiny yellow lettering.
2001 through 2006: Car is parked in North Hollywood at friend's place who has driveway space, started, run and washed occasionally.
2006: Friend adds to his own collection of cars, needs me to do something with this car that doesn't involve his driveway.Try eBay? I'll need to take some photographs. Oh, look, the vinyl top dried up and cracked, that doesn't look good... strip the top off, again, (didn't strip off the vinyl on the sail panels) very small areas of paint lifted, minor surface rust now developing and there is a patch of paint that just flaked at quarter panel to rear window lower fascia (the piece between the deck lid and the rear window) at the factory filled seam (looks like the factory used lead to smooth body seams). Right door lock persnickety (difficult to operate), something, I don't know what, needs attention. Driver door window motor slow. Oil and filter changed, 10 gallons regular unleaded added.
Front seat cover has a split at pleat seam on driver side which has become an eyesore. (see photo) A nice and soft replacement Cordovan leather seat cover from matching 1969 Eldorado (see replacement seat cover in photo of inside of trunk) that I had stripped off of a 60k mile car is included, a box of hog rings and hog ring pliers and the interior is finished. I'll replace the seat cover for $200. Or, instead of recovering the Strato bench seat the optional 70 Toronado GT shifter console and Riviera Strato buckets can be put to use. If done this will be the only known floor shift 69 Eldorado. The extremely rare bucket seat Eldorado option only had a glove box console with the shifter still located on the column.
Last items, just one that I can think of, the idler arm is beginning to loosen up, it's common wear point on the heavy front end 1st and 2nd generation FWD Eldorado/Toronado cars. Drive comfortably as is while you source a new idler arm (Kanters?) or have a shop install new bushings in the existing idler arm.
2007 ? Here are a couple of links to stimulate the imagination.
http://www.seriouswheels.com/1960-1969/1969-Cadillac-Eldorado-Two-Tone-Brown.htm http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2393457
