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1983 Fleetwood Brougham d'Elegance project

203K views 776 replies 73 participants last post by  Maximln 
#1 ·
Hi,
first of all i want to introduce myself. I am Felix from germany and i just bought an '83 FB d'Elegance Sedan, loaded and in beautiful "woodland haze" paint.
I want to say sorry to you if i make mistakes writing english. It is not perfect, but i will try as good as possible. :)

4 Years ago (when i was 18) i bought my first car: a rusty and worse custom '74 Continental Mark IV. You can see my Lincoln restoration here: Link
I restored it and now it is like new but as a daily driver (it was still my only car) it is too expensive on gas. (In germany it is something about 8$/gal)

I always loved 70s and 80s american cars. 80s Fleetwood Brougham always was one of my favourites.
So i looked for one. I had exact criteria:

- Year 80-83 (in germany there is a huge financial advantage for cars older then 30 Years, called historical license plate)
- Sedan (it is hard with these small parking spots and those huuuuge doors. I always have problems with the doors of my Lincoln.)
- Fleetwood Brougham, no Deville
- d'Elegance package with cloth seats (very important, i love these seats)
- paint shouldn't be silver or black (i don't like common colors.... today every car is silver or black)

It is hard to find a car that fits. I searched a lot worldwide but found almost nothing (and if, way too expensive)
In germany those cars are between 1.500 and 10.000€ Compared to the US-prices, they are expensive. Shipping from the US to germany is something about 2.000$.

One day i drove through a city 70 mls away and saw a '80s FB at the street side.
- Sedan :thumbsup:
- Fleetwood Brougham :thumbsup:
- d'Elegance :thumbsup:
- cloth seats :thumbsup:
- 80-83: yes, '83 :thumbsup:
- color :thumbsup:

Holy! A car like out of my dream.
Ok, it is needs TLC, but no problem.
I contact the owner, yes the car is for sale. It was inserted a while ago for 4.300€
I negotiate "a bit" and at the end i bought the car for 800€ (about 1.000$), which is a very good price here in germany for such a car.

And this is it:
(Cadillac next to my Mark IV)


rear:










Ok, and that is the condition:
- front bumper is bent, but chrome is ok
- rear bumper is straight, but chrome is worn
- broken bumper filler
- worn vinyl top
- worn tires
- missing emblems
- engine (HT4100) runs perfect
- transmission needs rebuilt. no movement in reverse
- brakes, suspension like new
- seats like new
- headliner hangs down locally
- some electrical things aren't working
- almost no rust (only surface. undercarriage is like new)
- car is 100% original (exept for stupid german conversions to the turn signals, parking lights, cornering lights, sidemarkers....)

I have a Carfax report and it seems that 30.000 Miles are original.

So far... in february i took the car with me. It drives like a cloud. Awesome!
It only is difficult to remember the missing reverse.... sometimes i had to push the car back on road.

Cadillac at arriving.




Ok. I only can put 15 images in one post so i will distribute the progress to the next posts.

Regards
Felix
 
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#184 ·
Nice to see another young European guy (I'm 27 from Norway) bitten by the 80s Fleetwood Brougham bug! I have an 82 that I bought in California and drove 7000 miles with in the states before shipping it home. It is now my daily driver. No problems with the 4100 so far, but I should probably check up those oil returns! Awesome work Felix, keep it up! its inspiring to follow your thread!
 
#185 ·
Great to hear.
My plan is to use it as a daily driver too.


Today the last parts arrived and I put everything together.
There is no leak anymore, everything is dry, even when the engine is hot and there is full pressure on the cooling system.

I am just in the progress of registering the car in Germany.

I am so excited about that... can't wait anymore...











Best Regards
Felix
 
#188 ·
That's divine ;)
BTW, I was about to say (saying actually lol ) you to paint the bumper fillers so as to match your lovely car's body color scheme but honestly, you can leave it as is given that your top is black
 
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#189 ·
Thanks a lot guys!

A little comparison. The engine as I bought the car and as it looks today. I think with a refreshed air cleaner housing and a lot more detail work (there is still a lot to do) it will look way better.





@ Cadillacboy
haha. yes, black fillers are better than none or broken ones. I will do the other filler soon. Btw my roof is painted dark brown. Original it is the same color like the body (Woodland Haze).

What I forgot to say...
The "Brake" light is off and the brake works perfekt again due to the new vacuum pump and all the repaired vacuum leaks.
"Service soon" and "Service now" are off too. Everything works! Only exception is the ISC but I will do that later. It works the way it is right now, I set the ISC plunger the sme way it was before. (fully extended but screwed completely in).

Next steps after registration:
- bumper filler
- exhaust
- rear shocks (level ride)

Regards
Felix
 
#190 ·
Felix,

For the air cleaner, I suggest using pinstripe tape and liquid mask (available at a hobby/ model car shop.) I did this with a "350 F.I. by GM for cadillac" air cleaner lid I had.
I wet sanded it with 400 grit, washed it, hit it with alcohol to remove residue, then laid a pinstripe tape (thin) against the edge of the decal, and brushed the liquid mask on over the decal. While it will keep paint from staying on the decal if you do it thin, I recommend applying it thick to make it easy to peel off after the paint cures.
I think the hardest part would be matching the black paint GM used, as it seems to be somewhere inbetween a "matte" and a "gloss" black. That being said, I did my lid in gloss black, and you cannot really tell that it is non matching.
 
#191 ·
Thanks.
Planned to renew the decal because it is damaged a bit. So I think I will paint the whole part and put on the new decal afterwards.


Today I wanted do for german TÜV. (Association for Technical Inspection) So I got a pair of temporary plates and started to go. Half the way the engine shot down and wasn't able to start again. I stranded on the main road and that was not a good place to park....
Trouble code said #20... "Open fuel pump circuit"
I looked for the 10A fuse and it was blown...
Put a new one in and started the engine again... it ran 3 seconds, I heard a "click" in the foot room and the engine shut off again... fuse was blown again.
So we towed it back home.

Looked for the service manual:



next one:



ok... have to check circuit 120. This is it:



oil pressure switch is on that fuse too.... so this was my first look because this cable is prone for damages due to the near to the exhaust manifolds.

Looked for the oil pressure switch cable and...



Well.. repaired that, put a new fuse in and it works again!

Yeha!

This is a perfect example of the pro's and con's of this DFI system...
con: if something minor is defect, this car is dead! every carbed engine is able to run with almost every defect. it only needs very simple basics like a can of fuel and some spark
pro: it is very easy to find causes of problems because of that trouble code system. This is great!

Drove that car the entire evening. It feels so great.

Best Regards
Felix
 
#193 ·
As much as I am sorry to hear that glitch on the road I am very elated to hear you fixed it and hopefully for good :highfive:
You are a handy person as well
 
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#194 ·
TÜV passed... Yeeeeha!! :woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::banana::banana::banana::b anana:

Everything is fine. Brakes are like new, drivetrain same... the undercarriage looks like it almost came right from the factory. Even no surface rust.
This definately proves the original 31.000 miles.
The inspector was thrilled because of the overall shape of the car. From the outside it looks way more worse than it actually is.
OK... it ran very rich so I have to look for the o2 sensors.

A little video of me trying to climb the bridge to Germany's biggest Island "Rügen". Quite interesting with the brutal power of the HT4100 power system... :D:D:D



Very happy regards
Felix
 
#196 ·
Your Fleetwood Brougham must be quite a sight on the roads of Germany Felix! I am very interested in your opinion of the handling difference between your Cadillac and Lincoln. I've never driven one of those Marks but do remember being disappointed with the steering feel on my Dad's Mercury Cougar, a supposedly sportier car than the Mark.

When i got my '86 Brougham I expected to like the ride and comfort (and of course the styling) but the biggest surprise was how well the car handled. Feels like the engine is down low and far back in the chassis, which I know it is. My car has the cast iron Olds small block V8 and a factory rear stabilizer bar. Your car with the lighter HT4100 should feel even better in the turns.

So how would you describe the difference in handling, and steering feel, between the Cadillac and Lincoln? How about the ride, and anything else?

Congrats on passing your inspection!
 
#198 ·
Thank you so much.

@ jamespowers
well it was 32°F outside. Weather forecast says on friday it will start to snow the first time this winter.

@ seville fan
the handling difference between the Lincoln and Cadillac is huge. The Cadillac has a very direct steering, tight but soft suspension, perfect brakes...
It handles better than a modern car (I am serious). You can feel that it is a low mile car.
It feels better than the Lincoln although I have done everything new to the Lincoln.
The Caddy has a great suspension. It takes rough roads way better than the Lincoln (or even modern cars, because they are way too hard)
It is exactly how a good car should be. The only thing is the engine+transmission. That is definately the weak point on that car.

Regards
Felix
 
#199 ·
Thank you so much.

@ jamespowers
well it was 32°F outside. Weather forecast says on friday it will start to snow the first time this winter.
Yes, it is the same temperature here today. It will not snow and likely will get up to 54 though. :p
This morning the Escalade was set on 90, heat seats on, heated steering wheel on and defrosters on max. :p
 
#200 ·
Thanks for the video Felix , good to hear you passed TUV , I knew your Cadillac would make it ;)
I reckon, you may not win any race between lights in 4100 either , but it still sounds lovely , V8 rules he he
 
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#202 ·
Thank you so much.

Yesterday we got the first snow this winter and just when I was buying groceries.

But the car handled well in the snow with it's new tires.
Unfortunately rear window defroster and outside mirror heater aren't working. The relay is ok so it should be a problem with the wiring. I will check that later... now it's cold outside.
Cruise control isn't working too...

Well.. there is still something to do but I am sure that I will find solutions for those little problems. Most important parts are the engine running and getting a registration. I am waiting for the insurance to register it.

Best Regards from cold and very windy Germany (we had a huge storm the last days)
Felix







 
#204 ·
Unfortunately they do!
I hate that but I have no other choice. My Lincoln is standing every winter so I needed another car to drive in winter. That's why I bought the Cadillac. I don't wanted a car in perfect shape because it would be a shame to use it during the winter.

Meanwhile I think it is to good for winter driving too but I only have the Lincoln and the Cadillac. No other cars... (and I don't want to own moden cars)

I will drive as less as possible when there is salt on the roads and wash it frequently.

Regards
Felix
 
#205 ·
In that case, I would look at cleaning the underside in the spring (after all your mechanical work is done) and then brushing some flat black paint (Tremclad is good) on the bare steel (suspension and drive line parts). Then take the car to a Ziebart shop and have the entire underside, inner panels and door bottoms shot with Ziebart rust proofing. That should give you lots of years of winter driving before the body rusts out. Another bad area for rusting is the w/s posts and the sail panels. The key of course will be to not let the salt and dirt build up anywhere. The back sides of the bumpers are particularly prone to rust and will likely need the back sides media blasted before coating.

Cheers..............R.
 
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