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Anyone know anything about old caddys?

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Kaptain Krunch

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Might be trading my 89' gmc 2500 for a 64 coupe DeVille. I have about $1200 into my truck not including my time, but i doubt its worth much more than that. has a bad rear end, and 200k miles.

Anyways just looking for any info at all on this car. Its a project for sure, runs and drives. has the 429 motor with an aftermarket carb. I know nothing about old caddys, anything to be careful of? to look for? motors and trannys any good? the odometer reads 11k, so i assume 111k i doubt it would have 211k, can i expect to get a whole lot more out of the motor?

Heres the cl link, going to look at it tomorrow. prolly trade as long as its not a complete heap, and make a rat-rod out of it. http://burlington.craigslist.org/cto/3276543953.html
 

Kaptain Krunch

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When i say rat, i mean side pipes and a cheap paint job. Cant afford to restore it at the moment, wasn't planning on permanently modifying anything.
 

Bosanski

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My dad had a '65 deville and he babied that thing! Sure sometimes he would hot rod it on the highway but always took care of it. Everything was original and he always did the recommended maintenance, no major repairs until it was backed into a few years back. He got it from my grandpa and when it was hit it had 178xxx and ran like it had less than half. Now its in storage until I get the money to buy it from him. But as far as I know they're amazing cars and can last you longer than expected if taken care of property. And plus parts are easy to get a hold of, its easy to work on, and if its in bad condition you'd be surprised how easy they are to restore to factory beauty
 

Kaptain Krunch

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My dad had a '65 deville and he babied that thing! Sure sometimes he would hot rod it on the highway but always took care of it. Everything was original and he always did the recommended maintenance, no major repairs until it was backed into a few years back. He got it from my grandpa and when it was hit it had 178xxx and ran like it had less than half. Now its in storage until I get the money to buy it from him. But as far as I know they're amazing cars and can last you longer than expected if taken care of property. And plus parts are easy to get a hold of, its easy to work on, and if its in bad condition you'd be surprised how easy they are to restore to factory beauty

What motor did his have? and what kinda gas mileage did it get? Im expecting about 8 haha. Good to know parts are easy to find, this one is missing front seat and will need a few little patches in the floor.
 

Bosanski

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He also had a 429, I know it was standard. I think a 4 speed? But he managed about 11-13/17-19. Lucky they have a fairly large tank. He always used 93 and used octane booster if it felt boggy sometimes. He always had it in a garage and literally only took it out of there was sun
 

machinist@large

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I dunno, just please don't "rat" it. What a tragic waste that woud be.

:iagree: Turning a pile of unrelated parts (junk?) into a conversation piece is one thing; taking something even halfway decent and permanently trashing it for a "LOOK" just seems like a heinous crime. That, and the fact that when the "Rat Rod" look started, it was basically people cleaning out their garages; now it's turned into people intentionally buying really nice rides with the sole plan being to trash them, all for a "LOOK". It's basically a cultural race to the bottom.

I will be the first to defend your right to do as you please with your money; but PLEASE give the old girl a chance before you head for the point on no return........
 

Kaptain Krunch

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He also had a 429, I know it was standard. I think a 4 speed? But he managed about 11-13/17-19. Lucky they have a fairly large tank. He always used 93 and used octane booster if it felt boggy sometimes. He always had it in a garage and literally only took it out of there was sun

Wow, thats not bad, are you sure it was a standard? didnt think they even made standard caddys. i didnt even think to ask if this one is or not, assumed it wasnt.
 

Doc Sprocket

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When i say rat, i mean side pipes and a cheap paint job. Cant afford to restore it at the moment, wasn't planning on permanently modifying anything.

Okay, that's not so bad. Unfortunately, while I HAVE seen some truly creative "rat" builds, a lot of it is just total garbage, and probably rolling deathtraps. Sometimes it seems like the descriptor "rat" is synonymous with, "half-assed it, 'cuz I'm too broke/talentless/devoid of creativity/incapable of an original thought."

I think what you're probably shooting for is more in the true spirit of "hot rod". This is more along the lines of "run-what-you-brung". Not particularly fancy, with an emphasis on bringing the mechanicals up to snuff, and maybe even improving performance, often on the cheap. Old-time hot-rodders too real pride in their rides, even in simple, good looks. Not- "let's-bounce-the-scrap-guy-coming-around-the-corner-and-boogerweld-his-entire-load-all-over-the-car-till-it-looks-like-a-rusty-dumpster-vomited."
 

Kaptain Krunch

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Okay, that's not so bad. Unfortunately, while I HAVE seen some truly creative "rat" builds, a lot of it is just total garbage, and probably rolling deathtraps. Sometimes it seems like the descriptor "rat" is synonymous with, "half-assed it, 'cuz I'm too broke/talentless/devoid of creativity/incapable of an original thought."

I think what you're probably shooting for is more in the true spirit of "hot rod". This is more along the lines of run-what-you-brung. Not particularly fancy, with an emphasis on bringing the mechanicals up to snuff, and maybe even improving performance, often on the cheap. Old-time hot-rodders too real pride in their rides, even in simple, good looks. Not- "let's-bounce-the-scrap-guy-coming-around-the-corner-and-boogerweld-his-entire-load-all-over-the-car-till-it-looks-like-a-rusty-dumpster-vomited.

yeah, thats about what im shooting for. Definitely not half assed. I appreciate old vehicles, and have acquired a slight case of OCD over the course of the last year while restoring a 57' land rover for my boss, so im not out to butcher a piece of art. However i love the sound of a big v8, and wouldnt mind leaving some rubber every once in a while haha. However, im still broke so everything would be on a budget. It might be primer gray for a year or two but by the time it got paint it would be mechanically beautiful.

Supposedly these 429s were making 480ft/lbs of torque
 

Bosanski

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I know it was a standard because that's what I learned to drive stick on. My dad wasn't a fan of expensive parts but he tweaked it a lot! That torque sounds about right, ill ask my dad what his hp/tq was and I know he even tracked it a few times, ill try to see if I can find his time sheets. But if you need any help finding parts or advice just messege me. My dad and I turned his inside out so many times and I already have a list of everything I wana do when I get it off his hands
 

newrider3

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Yep, the old Cad motors are known for being torque monsters and very reliable. Trans will either be a Hydramatic or a TH400, both well proven. You can probably just plan on the basic 'new old car' stuff, gaskets, carb kit, mechanical fuel pump, rebuild the master cylinder/wheel cylinders, fluids, belts, hoses, etc. That thing will look great with some matching wheels and tires, and Cad hubcaps (I'm partial to '56 and earlier caps but most any stock Cad wheelcover is pretty classy).
 

Kaptain Krunch

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I know it was a standard because that's what I learned to drive stick on. My dad wasn't a fan of expensive parts but he tweaked it a lot! That torque sounds about right, ill ask my dad what his hp/tq was and I know he even tracked it a few times, ill try to see if I can find his time sheets. But if you need any help finding parts or advice just messege me. My dad and I turned his inside out so many times and I already have a list of everything I wana do when I get it off his hands

I'd love to learn more about what tranny it has, because according to the internet (which is not a very accurate source of info), these old caddys only had autos. I'll let you guys know if i pick it up tomorrow or not.
 

Bosanski

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Alright, and ill ask my dad if the tranny was ever swapped, its possible it was but everything bolted up perfectly and seemed like it had no better place so I always figured it was original
 

Bosanski

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He said it was swapped out since he preferred manual. He said its from that time era (give or take) and will get the information as to what vehicle he swapped it from. He said it took him 2-3 days with the help of me and his friend and it bolts in perfectly
 

jamyers

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They're great cars! My brother-in-law had a '64 4-door for years, sold it to his sister-in-law, and is thinking about buying it back.

Pros:

Classic Cadillac engineering = just about everything on the car will be well-thought-out and over-engineered.

The 429 Caddy engine is POWERFUL, Bill's 4-door accellerates like it weighs half of what it does and can spin tires easily. It's a basically-square engine, with 4.13" bore and 4.00" stroke, rated at 340 hp / 480 lbf·ft. The 429 was used from '64 to '67, and is basically a stroked '63 390, which shared the same layout but was an improvement on the earlier very good '49-'62 Caddy V8's. IIRC, the carb is a Carter, easily repaired or replaced with a modern Edelbrock clone.

Transmission (pertains to the original automatic) '64 was the first year of the Turbo-Hydramatic series, and many Caddy's came not only with the THM400, but the 2-speed "Switch-Pitch" torque converter, which gave you not only a bulletproof transmission but also the best of both worlds in torque converters - high stall speed for accelerarion, low stall speed for efficiency. (I'm pretty sure Bill's has the SP converter / tranny) To ID a SP THM 400, look on the side of the tranny for the electrical "plug" for the downshift switch. The SP has two electrical connections, where the non-switch pitch has only one. A running SP tranny is a find!

Mechanical parts are readily available, and it looks like there's a good internet support presence.

The Ride and The Room = Nice and HUGE. :cheers2:

Fins: '64 was the last year for fins. Be careful you don't stab yourself in the ribs like I've done. :D

Cons:

In warmer climates like West Texas, they're prone to vapor-lock when hot-starting. Bill put a little electric fuel pump back by the tank as an assist, and it stopped being an issue.

The front bumpers are prone to catch mud in front of the tires and rot.

Vacuum-operated power windows can be a pain to fix. AFAIK, Bill never had to work on his, it's just what I've gathered.

Body parts may be hard(er) to find, I don't know.

Mileage won't be great, but probably comparable to an '89 GMC 2500... a lot will depend on how/where you drive.
 

Kaptain Krunch

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So, i think im gonna have to say no on this trade. The car seemed to run ok, had a new edelbrock on it, but wasnt tuned and the choke didnt work. The body was in great shape, but what turned me off were all the little things.

-Needs 4 floor pans
-needs the front seats, which were power from the factory and will most likely be expensive to find
-needs a lot of little interior stuff that is going to be really hard to find
-some of the chrome is missing, and i didnt see the mirrors anywhere

If it was a little more complete, i would probably take it, but it just needs a little too much unfortunately. Still considering it though, the body is just so perfect.
 

ML-TOYS

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Depending on where it has been sitting you have a good hance of seeing frame rot.
If none there then its a great project car. Dump the front seat and toss in nice buckets with a conole and floor shifter.
I would love to have a 64 2 door
 
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