In 1980 we had a senior mechanic at Bland Cadillac in Houston who had a home machine shop. He would snatch up any 500 or 472 V8 he could find from totalled 68 - 76 Cadillacs and rebuild them if necessary to max out horsepower and sold them as fast as he could crank them out. Never told me who was buying them - like me he loved the older vehicles - we had many pleasurable hours of conversation reminiscing about the good old days. In remembrance Bob J.
Before diesel pickups the 500 Cadillac was a good towing motor. They are limited in rpm, but under 3,500 rpm is adequate. The 500 is relatively light weight
@@jamesweddle184 My father had a 1991/1992 Eldorado. Mind you, it was an amazing car and in comparison a much younger Mercedes Benz felt like a tin box to drive in (97 E-Class).
The ''68 Eldorado is my favorite because of the clean design with the concealed headlights and wipers. Also yfirst year of the 472 V8. "What's a little gas to drive in class"! Ah the good old days when Detroit was king and aids meant assistance. Makes me wonder what happened to Detroit?
Yes! And don't look anything at all like each other! Both beautiful. GM was at the top of their game then. They are a shadow of what they once were. Olds and Pontiac gone; Buick reduced to marketer of boring Chinese SUVs.
Nice to see two cars featured in this video that once belonged to me: The Lucerne Aqua Firemist/white top and bucket seat car (pics were taken in my driveway for the listing on Bring a Trailer, where I sold the car about three years ago). I believe it had 23K miles at the time. And, Adam’s Black/red slicktop ‘67 was also mine for a few years. I sold it about ten years ago and knew the interim owners until Adam bought it. Of course, I always have at least one of these. In my view, the most beautiful Cadillac ever made. My current ‘67 is an Atlantis Blue Firemist slick top with dark blue leather.
I have that car and you missed the fact that the rear suspension is an air ride auto leveling and IT RIDES GREAT and level with any load in the rear seats or massive trunk or full tank of gas. I have the triple black with bucket seats with the center console and that option is rare as hens teeth only for that year and I love it. There was another option was the electric moon roof that mine does not have and is also a very rare option but back then they leaked. True the steering wheel is a one off for that year and it works easier to find the horn positions on the three spokes over the previous 69 year and the wood grain looked better. I do have the 4 electric windows. The 501 engine for 1970 only had the high compression heads 10.75 to 1 motor and was reduced to 8 to 1 in 1971. The reason it was said to have 400hp was because of the insurance was doubled for engines over 400hp. I have seen this motor on a dyno produce 525hp. I also have the 1970 472 sedan de ville and it also has the high compression heads only for 1970. The 454 Corvette also had the high compression heads only for 1970 in the LS5 and were marked with 390 hp on the air breather but for the same insurance reason. I also own one with the Muncie 21 4 speed trans and a/c in red. My father owned a 1976 Eldo convertible Gold and it was down right slow although it was made famous as the Boss Hog car. No, the Buick regal tail lights didn't come close to the Eldo's. pff.
Thank you. I like the "Top 10" format and your usual formats. You are a "Rare" and perhaps "Classic" RUclips content creator: no "click bait," no hystrionics and political intrusion. Keep up the good work.
The 1968 was the BEST year of this four-year styling era. The 1968 model gave you the all-new 472cid engine with 375hp, Dual exhaust option, longer hood with hidden wipers, square classic Cadillac mirrors, hidden headlamps, new Cadillac logo, parking lamps in the front fenders, and the best version of the razor blade taillamps. You can keep the '67, '69, and '70 models. I won't even mention the '71 through '78 models. They were just another Cadillac model with nothing sporty or unique about their styling.
Not to mention the the dashboard designs used in the 1967 and the slightly different 1968 design. Much better looking than the cheap looking dash and no color keyed steering wheel offered in 1969-70
I worked in the parts department at one Cadillac in Phoenix in the mid 90s and the owner of our dealership was Bob Lund who was president of Cadillac motivation from 1962 until 1973. We were the world‘s largest exclusive Cadillac dealership and if you need it old Cadillac parts, you called me! Bob is a great guy.❤😊
I enjoy this format and it is great fun learning more interesting facts about these awesome cars. Hard to imagine the '70 and '71 are the same size - the '70 looks so sharp and elegant, while the '71 appears enormous and bloated in comparison.
Of course, what passed for "bucket seats" in those days were not much different from the split bench seats that were always available, so half of it was semantics.
Indeed...! The '71 looks obviously fatter than the '70. I guess part of me still doesn't believe the author; I'd have to research the stats to confirm that.
@@aloysiusbelisarius9992 The 71 is more rounded and buxom than the 70. The 70s was more in the 60s angular mold, the 71 marked a return to the buxom look of the 50s, so it looks bigger than it really is. It was actually the smallest Cad in the 70s.
@@jamesbosworth4191 Well, if one factors in the whole decade, I'd say the Seville takes that status, but that's beside the point. One thing I'm curious about is how the Toronados from '71 thru '78 looked a lot like the Eldos of '67 thru '70. It makes me wonder whether Cadillac decided to donate the old Eldo shell design to Oldsmobile for refitting into the '70s Toros. I also have the same feeling about the first-gen Seville shell, being that the sedan variants of Cutlass from the early-'80s looked a lot like the Sevilles of the late-'70s. It's only a guess, but the similarities to those respective models look too coincidental to me.
GM actually began using Monoleaf rear suspension on the ChevyII / Nova in the early 1960's. On another note, I never understood the "partial frame" concept, not befitting a Cadillac of old. Cadillac engines were really great in this era.
I've always suspected the suspension would be designed to give a sportier ride for this model. Kind of a subtle "clapback" to the banker's hotrod.. We like this format and appreciate all that you do! Your channel is gold..
Back on the 90s I saw a program where these two guys bought a 8.2L sedan Deville. They tuned it out and took it to a drag strip. Ran it down the 1/4 mile, came back, cut off the rear doors and ran it again. Shaved an entire second of their E.T.. And after every run, they would cut something else off. It ended up being a rolling chasis and drive train with a seat and a steering wheel. I think they were running in the 13s when it was over. I guess it was a fun way to show how power to weight ratio works and just how heavy those Cadillacs were.
To me, this car has one of the most beautiful designs ever. But I bet it was thirsty with that 8.2 liter engine. I remember talking to a guy who was a parole officer about 1972. He spoke of a gang of kids who stole exclusively Eldorados. They knew how to bypass the security and they were so little they had to climb on top of each other to get in the car. Great initiative and ingenuity if only it could be properly channeled. I always appreciate your presentations.
Chevrolet used a torsion bar front suspension on their 1960-1962 pickups and medium duty trucks. I believe a mono-leaf rear suspension was used on base models of the Chevy II/Nova and possibly on base model early Camaros.
Back in the mid 80s I had the occasion to drive a '76 Cadillac Coupe DeVille. Amazing fuel economy, at 5.5 mpg! It did ride smoothly, however, and had gobs of torque to launch it off the line away from traffic lights. Felt like you were stopping a train to stop at an intersection, and did indeed tip the scales at 5050 pounds.
I love watching your video's because you are so detailed on the cars you cover. I remember seeing these big cars back in the day, thinking there is no way people are going to want to collect these cars. They will all go to the junkyard once people are done driving. LOL How wrong I was. I actually like these big yachts now, probably because I'm older (47). LOL
The 67-70 design is by far the best, but the next two generations were decent-looking. The downsized 86 model was a complete turd tho and killed the model imo
Of my 80+ vehicles only owned one '76 Eldorado a beautiful '76 Conv. / Canary Yellow With Camal Top & Interior! A Toronto Blue Jays pitcher bought it for his Dad, NICE KID!!
As always, Adam, a superior job. Always look forward to your work. 1) The retractable rear windows were also on the 1967 thru 1971 Thunderbird, when such cars were not equipped with the factory Landau roof. 2) Buckets and Console are exceedingly RARE on 67 thru 70 Eldorado, and also, there are 4 known examples with an Oldsmobile style full length operating console with floor shift. Cadillac dealers did their level best to discourage ordering stuff like this, as they felt it was "hot rod kids stuff" and not proper for a mature, wealthy clientele. Most likely, they didn't want cars coming back after being driven hard. 3) The 1969 Cadillac steering wheel was a "Rim-Blow" design, where you honked the horn by squeezing the steering wheel rim. There was a flood of complaints from (mostly) upper middle class housewives that they would be in an emergency situation and slamming their fist into the steering wheel, with no results. Hence, the hasty 1970 redesign, which looks like it was done very quickly (because it was) to alleviate this customer complaint. The 1969 wheel was initially supposed to be used thru 1970 as well. Many 1969 wheels were modified for more conventional horn actuation. 4) The 1970 was supposed to have dual exhaust all the way back, but, as you can see, it's dual to the muffler with a single outlet. Again, referring to #2 above, that was "hot rod kids stuff." 5) The 8.2 was capable of churning out 600 horsepower with a full, quiet exhaust and hydraulic lifters. GM was terrified of the bad press from the safety nerds and discouraged Cadillac from extracting this much. Even in later, Clean Air Act years, with low compression and unleaded fuels, the 8.2 could've blasted out way more than it did, as you've seen on your cars. Driveway tweaks unleash at least 50 to 75 horsepower. One Cadillac engine builder has a 472 ( the 472, 500, 425 and 368 were the same "engine family") with around 800 horsepower running unleaded pump gas, cats, and full exhaust. 6) Finally, the 500 was in advance response to rumors that Ford was working on (and did have ready but never released) a 514 cubic inch variant of the Lincoln 460 with about 400 horsepower. That engine wound up in slightly detuned form in Super Duty trucks and the 460 would soldier on in its regular form thru the 1978 model year.
Thanks, Adam! I really appreciate these auto-education pieces. My neighbor growing up ordered a new Eldorado every year. As kids we always gathered around to see what her new color would be. I remember thinking, as she drove up in the 1971, that the design had gone retro. It almost had some 1973 design incorporated. I was only 14 at the time, but I still thinks that today.
GM passenger cars and trucks circa 1966-1977 invariably shared a jewel-like faceted aesthetic on the front clip. This is very noticeable on the hood edge and corners. Sometimes it is subtle over the quad headlights, as seen on the 1970 Impala/Caprice and 1973 Caprice. If you look from above at the nose and tail of GM cars from this era, you'll notice the silhouette shape of a castle battlement as seen from the perspective of one corner at ground level and looking up. These designers were artists.
Had a 60,000 mile ‘70 Eldorado in the mid 1980s, fun car to drive with the ability to annihilate the front tires at will. Pretty impressive top end speed as well although the 120 mph speedometer was a bit of a letdown.
Dad had a 1972 Eldorado. I remember him telling the story that some kid with a hopped-up V8 tried to race him from a stoplight. Dad said he just pushed the pedal down and left the kid in his dust.
Many first-generation Nova/Chevy IIs had mono leaf rear suspension, but that was a much smaller vehicle, and certainly not luxury. Always enjoy your channel.
re. '67 eldorado, i had one in '69/'71 when i got a new '71 eldorado.. also had a '66 toronado, nice enough car but mine had AWFUL drum front brakes.. '67/'70 was the best looking prettiest cadillac.. i have a perfect '70 eldorado now that will fly (and a '59 & '60 cadillac convertible).. father had a '55 packard, i would climb on the rear bumper to "ride" tha car up and jump off for the car to lower itself back down.. i guess i am blessed with longish, so far, life and the ability to own and drive these super neat cars.. the '59 convertible ALWAYS gets salutes from other drivers.. want pix, just ask though i'm not sure just how one could ask that of me on youtube..
Most people were slow to gravitate to disks, as we all did our own maintenance and repairs, and we wanted what we were familiar with, not stuff we had to entrust to a shop.
I too am amazed that the '71 was the same length as a 70. In '74 I bought a beautiful light Mediterranean blue with white top and interior '71 (like the '71 convertible shown) . The front wheel drive was amazing. I got stuck going down a steep loose gravel drive which was almost perpendicular and had to back up to get out. The car just backed up without skipping a stone.!!! I ended up selling it cause I was going to college and it didnt want to park such a beautiful car with the terrible parking. Although it handled great, the ride was not nearly as soft as my then father in laws '72 Thunderbird which too was a large coupe.
Those 72 - 75 "Thunderbirds" were actually Lincoln Continental Mark IV with less standard equipment and a slightly lower price. Nice cars, but they were hardly the sporty cars that 'Birds of the past had been.
Thanks, Adam, for the great video. I love your idea of top 10 interesting facts. For me, the 67-70 Eldorados are the pinnacle of American automotive design and I think my fave is the 1970. I prefer the exposed headlights and just love the rear taillight design of this car. It’s sad that GM became so focused on cutting costs. They cheapened what was, at that time, a world class vehicle. Awesome channel!!
A number of these aspects were also on the 66-70 Toronado as you noted. On my 68 I bought and installed the 2 small quad horizontal shocks for the rear suspension setup which was similar & had the leaf springs. The horizontal units were still available in the late 70s at the dealer. The rear power windows on my Toronado also went into the pillar but only slightly so, & then tilted forward while sliding down below. As you know the Toronado also offered its transmission set up to the Eldorado thus they both had basically flat floors front and rear. The Toronado also had the torsion bars up front. My 68 Tornado had the single horizontally mounted muffler that was on both the dual and the single exhaust versions so it was pretty easy to add dual exhaust by replacing the rear muffler with the dual unit. The ride of the Toronado was still, by even the standards of the late 70s, (I drove a 1972 Cadillac Deville as well) quite comfy, & it was relatively at least, pretty smooth & did not seem particularly rough to me. of course in 68 the ride was softened up a bit since customers were complaining about it being stiffer than a luxury machine should be. As you know in 1970 the Toronado had the W34 option available (and also for the previous years in 69 & 68) which put the hp at 400 instead of 375 with better breathing and a hotter cam.
Yup, it was still possible to get a performance Toronado, but Olds advertising was different - for the 67 and 68, the theme was the Youngmobiles, kind of an extension of the youth oriented advertising for the Rocket 88 and Super 88 of the 50s and 60s, but for 1969, they shifted to the luxury oriented theme of the 98 series and attracted a different clientele, who didn't care about handling.
Thank you Adam. I loved hearing the Toronado and Oldsmobile facts mentioned in the video. I swear you can see the 1971-1978 Toronado in the 1967-1970 Eldorado. It is clear Eldorado influence Oldsmobile Toronado. The engineers and designers at Cadillac had imagination and forward thinking world class luxury with V-12's and other things.
The 67 Firebird had two mono leafs out back . I was big into the second gen T/A's. A coworker had an originally 67 400 convertible . Really cool first year bird .
Hello, Great Video Thanks. My 1970 Eldorado Had a Tilt and Telescoping Steering Wheel And it also had the Large Moon Roof . To this day I have never seen like the one I had in 1975.😂
I remember seeing the new 1967 Eldorados at the local Cadillac/Oldsmobile dealer, Jacobs Motor Co. It created quite a sensation at the time. I thought it was too small and not the traditional Cadillac. I do think the '67''-'70 are some of the most beautiful cars ever built.
The 70 Eldorado is my favorite year, I had a 70 Eldorado and a 70 Fleetwood Brougham both in cinnamon firemist. I don't recall the heated seat option in the 70 but if I remember correctly it was available in 69, a very rare option like the sunroof.
I used to see Novas and Camaros crabbing down the street when they got old, nothing too serious, but the clamps that held the rear axle to the springs seemed to loosen up. I though at least some Novas had multiple layers of leaf spring, though they might have used single leafs on the base model. When that suspension was re-used for the '76 Seville, they put liners, Mylar or Teflon or something, between the leafs to keep them from squeaking.
@@pcno2832 I remember Novas with single leafs, and with multiple leafs. I got a ‘78 Nova for my stepson, and it had multi-leaf springs. My sister had a ‘76 or possibly ‘75 dark blue Nova, bought brand new, and I liked it. She was killed in that car by a couple of dickhead drunks, and I don’t remember for sure, but think it was multi-leaf rear axle. She didn’t have that car all that long….she was killed in October of ‘76.
Imagine if the EPA never existed and these engines were able to be improved over time. Imagine the 8.2 liter with direct injection, variable timing, variable intake, a cold-air intake tube, and made out of aluminum!!!!! Holy crap they would literally shred the tires off!!
Most everything the EPA forced to help hydrocarbon emissions was for the good and we probably never would have seen manufacturing costs drop low enough for producing and machining aluminum to gain performance, efficient fuel injection systems (even GDI), or VVT/VVL systems so they could make it to light vehicles. That said, every single thing pushed by the EPA to reduce nitrogens of oxides emissions killed power and fuel mileage so they can keep their EGR systems and low compression engines with retarded ignition timing.
@greggc8088 it has come at n enormous cost. Todays DI engines are in the tens of thousands. Turbos add to the problem. With safety regs, costs are unaffordable. Have you looked at the sticker on a new car lately? Even used clapped out pieces of trash cost 5k or more. Ill take leaded gas over this
I have always thought fender skirts make for a fatter, heavier look overall. They also tend to make the car look longer and lower. Never a big fan, they can make a car look classier or more expensive. This is a good format, Adam. I like history with specs and figures, manufacturer as well as model.
My dad's 66 New Yorker had bucket seats similar to that with a semi-console in between them. I think that was a relatively rare option on the 66 New Yorker.
Always appreciate the informal yet professional style of your delivery. I can’t stand the other channels where the guys come on like smarmy game show hosts or out of control nuts.
The '69-70 Cadillacs all had black steering wheels with a deep binnacle lined in black plastic to reduce glare. A severe reaction to the chrome-filled early 60s models, but it stank of cost-cutting. The extra tumblehome of the '71-78 Eldos really made them look bloated--the earlier gen. wore its similar size much better.
Love your videos! I'd love to see one on the 79 (I'm not sure of the year model but the 79 looks closest) Olds Delta 88. My grandma had one for pretty much my entire childhood, bench seats front and back, four door. My sister called it the "Lead Sled" because it was silver. Those were very reliable cars and their size made them safe for grandma's. Keep up the great work!
The 70 was more angular and chiseled in the theme started by the 57 Ford, the 71 harked back to the buxom look of the early and mid 50s, so it looked bigger than it was, the 70 looked smaller than it was.
Thanks again for your always incisive descriptions of cars so many of us fondly remember and still admire and collect. You explained a puzzlement I always had as a child. My dad’s best friend had a beautiful triple dark blue ‘70 Eldorado, and it had a remarkably rough and noisy ride on less than perfect streets. We had a beautiful ‘72 Thunderbird-Ginger Glow with white alligator grain top and hopsack ginger bucket seat interior. I knew our Ford wasn’t as expensive a car as the Cadillac, but I was always amazed at how much quieter and smoother riding the Thunderbird was.
The 72 - 75 Thunderbirds were actually slightly cheaper Lincoln Continental Mark IV, and that car was about total luxury, whereas the 67 - 70 El Dorado was more about sporty luxury.
I like the hidden headlights, but like the bigger engine in the 70. My grandmother had the 70 brand new. It was a copper blown color. She called it the Cinnamon Streak.
@@biglongcadillac my family had both back in the 70s that's how I know the eldorado didn't ride as good as a mark 111 or a mark v I remember the mark 111 rode the best
I recall some of those early Eldo's had a "suck-box" that would drop the power to the a/c compressor clutch after the intake manifold vacuum fell below a certain value for a period of time. It had a calibrated orifice to bleed off the vacuum slowly and the diaphragm failed occasionally causing a total loss of cooling. Though terribly vague in the steering, these were fun and powerful to drive. The first, early 500s would carbon-up fairly easily and develop a "rod-knock" if not taken out and driven hard (flogged, we used to say) once in a while. My then--boss bought a 3, or 4 yr old car that "needed an engine" for pennies on the dollar and a couple of quarts of water poured down the part-throttle Quadra-jet later, he had a great car for some years to come.
If I had one, I would replace that Quadrajet with a square bore carb. Maybe city gas mileage would be even worse, but part-throttle performance would be peppier - less need to dip into the secondaries.
In 1980 we had a senior mechanic at Bland Cadillac in Houston who had a home machine shop. He would snatch up any 500 or 472 V8 he could find from totalled 68 - 76 Cadillacs and rebuild them if necessary to max out horsepower and sold them as fast as he could crank them out. Never told me who was buying them - like me he loved the older vehicles - we had many pleasurable hours of conversation reminiscing about the good old days. In remembrance Bob J.
Before diesel pickups the 500 Cadillac was a good towing motor. They are limited in rpm, but under 3,500 rpm is adequate. The 500 is relatively light weight
They work great in a GMC Motorhome
@@timothykeith1367They use them on the big airboats. Ride in one in the Everglades
Those motors were grunt muscle with boatloads of torque. They were great for heavy hauling & towing.
Smart guy , he knew exactly why he did so !
The 1967 Eldorado would have to be one of my favorite cars of all time - absolutely beautiful.
The 1967 had the old 429 but the 1968 had new venerable 472 with similar styling but a not as nice of an interior. Tradeoffs.....
66 was better
@@Україна-ц7э The 66 was a different car - a more DeLuxe version of the "regular" Series 62 convertible.
That black beauty shown for the first thirty seconds is a work of art.
It IS gorgeous!
Cadillac definitely changed the Eldo from year to year, but they never improved it. The 67 will always be the definitive Eldo in my eyes.
The 1967 eldorado is the bomb diggity 🎉❤
@@jamesweddle184 My father had a 1991/1992 Eldorado. Mind you, it was an amazing car and in comparison a much younger Mercedes Benz felt like a tin box to drive in (97 E-Class).
The ''68 Eldorado is my favorite because of the clean design with the concealed headlights and wipers. Also yfirst year of the 472 V8. "What's a little gas to drive in class"! Ah the good old days when Detroit was king and aids meant assistance. Makes me wonder what happened to Detroit?
Beautiful Eldorado. My favorite of the 4-year run was the 1968. I think that was the pinnacle year of that body style.
Me too.
67 Eldo and 66 Toro are absolutely gorgeous!
Yes! And don't look anything at all like each other! Both beautiful. GM was at the top of their game then. They are a shadow of what they once were. Olds and Pontiac gone; Buick reduced to marketer of boring Chinese SUVs.
I was fortunate to own a 75 Eldorado. Not the quickest car but as you said when you punched it,the hood would rise and she’d peel out! Great car
Nice to see two cars featured in this video that once belonged to me: The Lucerne Aqua Firemist/white top and bucket seat car (pics were taken in my driveway for the listing on Bring a Trailer, where I sold the car about three years ago). I believe it had 23K miles at the time. And, Adam’s Black/red slicktop ‘67 was also mine for a few years. I sold it about ten years ago and knew the interim owners until Adam bought it. Of course, I always have at least one of these. In my view, the most beautiful Cadillac ever made. My current ‘67 is an Atlantis Blue Firemist slick top with dark blue leather.
I have that car and you missed the fact that the rear suspension is an air ride auto leveling and IT RIDES GREAT and level with any load in the rear seats or massive trunk or full tank of gas.
I have the triple black with bucket seats with the center console and that option is rare as hens teeth only for that year and I love it.
There was another option was the electric moon roof that mine does not have and is also a very rare option but back then they leaked.
True the steering wheel is a one off for that year and it works easier to find the horn positions on the three spokes over the previous 69 year and the wood grain looked better.
I do have the 4 electric windows.
The 501 engine for 1970 only had the high compression heads 10.75 to 1 motor and was reduced to 8 to 1 in 1971.
The reason it was said to have 400hp was because of the insurance was doubled for engines over 400hp.
I have seen this motor on a dyno produce 525hp.
I also have the 1970 472 sedan de ville and it also has the high compression heads only for 1970.
The 454 Corvette also had the high compression heads only for 1970 in the LS5 and were marked with 390 hp on the air breather but for the same insurance reason. I also own one with the Muncie 21 4 speed trans and a/c in red.
My father owned a 1976 Eldo convertible Gold and it was down right slow although it was made famous as the Boss Hog car.
No, the Buick regal tail lights didn't come close to the Eldo's. pff.
Great episode. This format is fun. The ‘67 Camaro also had monoleaf rear springs. One year only, it had multileaf for ‘68.
Thank you. I like the "Top 10" format and your usual formats. You are a "Rare" and perhaps "Classic" RUclips content creator: no "click bait," no hystrionics and political intrusion. Keep up the good work.
Thanks very much! Much appreciated!
The 1968 was the BEST year of this four-year styling era. The 1968 model gave you the all-new 472cid engine with 375hp, Dual exhaust option, longer hood with hidden wipers, square classic Cadillac mirrors, hidden headlamps, new Cadillac logo, parking lamps in the front fenders, and the best version of the razor blade taillamps. You can keep the '67, '69, and '70 models. I won't even mention the '71 through '78 models. They were just another Cadillac model with nothing sporty or unique about their styling.
Not to mention the the dashboard designs used in the 1967 and the slightly different 1968 design. Much better looking than the cheap looking dash and no color keyed steering wheel offered in 1969-70
I agree 💯%> those taillights and hidden headlights were spectacular
I worked in the parts department at one Cadillac in Phoenix in the mid 90s and the owner of our dealership was Bob Lund who was president of Cadillac motivation from 1962 until 1973. We were the world‘s largest exclusive Cadillac dealership and if you need it old Cadillac parts, you called me! Bob is a great guy.❤😊
I enjoy this format and it is great fun learning more interesting facts about these awesome cars. Hard to imagine the '70 and '71 are the same size - the '70 looks so sharp and elegant, while the '71 appears enormous and bloated in comparison.
I never would have guessed that the 1971 Eldorado was the same length as the 1970 model! Ooh, and bucket seats!
Of course, what passed for "bucket seats" in those days were not much different from the split bench seats that were always available, so half of it was semantics.
Indeed...! The '71 looks obviously fatter than the '70. I guess part of me still doesn't believe the author; I'd have to research the stats to confirm that.
I don't believe it
@@aloysiusbelisarius9992 The 71 is more rounded and buxom than the 70. The 70s was more in the 60s angular mold, the 71 marked a return to the buxom look of the 50s, so it looks bigger than it really is. It was actually the smallest Cad in the 70s.
@@jamesbosworth4191 Well, if one factors in the whole decade, I'd say the Seville takes that status, but that's beside the point. One thing I'm curious about is how the Toronados from '71 thru '78 looked a lot like the Eldos of '67 thru '70. It makes me wonder whether Cadillac decided to donate the old Eldo shell design to Oldsmobile for refitting into the '70s Toros. I also have the same feeling about the first-gen Seville shell, being that the sedan variants of Cutlass from the early-'80s looked a lot like the Sevilles of the late-'70s. It's only a guess, but the similarities to those respective models look too coincidental to me.
Thank you for another well done video!! My personal favorite is the 1968 Eldorado = everything is just right on that car and that year!!!!
Today's Cadillacs may be faster and handle better, but they do not have the style nor presence of the first gen Eldorado.
I have a newer Cadillac XT5 as my dailey. I love it but w/ 20" wheels its fairly stiff. I wish they kept the XTS & went pure luxury w/ it.
This is the eighth generation, Eldorado man.
@@dustin_4501EXACTLY. Thank you.
@@douglasb.1203 You're welcome.
@@dustin_4501 8th? How do you figure? 2nd or 3rd., maybe...sorta.
GM actually began using Monoleaf rear suspension on the ChevyII / Nova in the early 1960's. On another note, I never understood the "partial frame" concept, not befitting a Cadillac of old.
Cadillac engines were really great in this era.
I think they just used that layout because Olds had already designed it.
I used to drive a 74’ Eldo Convertible white with Red leather interior 💗🤩
Without question, the most beautiful post-war Cadillac.
Old nova chevy2 had mono leaf in back
I've always suspected the suspension would be designed to give a sportier ride for this model. Kind of a subtle "clapback" to the banker's hotrod.. We like this format and appreciate all that you do! Your channel is gold..
Oh, how I love those GMC motorhomes!
THIS GEN ELDORADO IS STILL ONE OF THE MOST STUNNING CARS ON THE ROAD.
Back on the 90s I saw a program where these two guys bought a 8.2L sedan Deville. They tuned it out and took it to a drag strip. Ran it down the 1/4 mile, came back, cut off the rear doors and ran it again. Shaved an entire second of their E.T.. And after every run, they would cut something else off. It ended up being a rolling chasis and drive train with a seat and a steering wheel. I think they were running in the 13s when it was over. I guess it was a fun way to show how power to weight ratio works and just how heavy those Cadillacs were.
Sacrilege!
@davidgold5961 yeah.....hurts to think about now, but at that time, it was just a 20 year old gas guzzling caddie that no one wanted.
I would think with no rear doors, the back seat area would have acted like a drag parachute and force the engine to work against it.
@@mindeloman There were still plenty of people who loved them, people who couldn't afford them when they were new.
To me, this car has one of the most beautiful designs ever. But I bet it was thirsty with that 8.2 liter engine. I remember talking to a guy who was a parole officer about 1972. He spoke of a gang of kids who stole exclusively Eldorados. They knew how to bypass the security and they were so little they had to climb on top of each other to get in the car. Great initiative and ingenuity if only it could be properly channeled. I always appreciate your presentations.
Chevrolet used a torsion bar front suspension on their 1960-1962 pickups and medium duty trucks. I believe a mono-leaf rear suspension was used on base models of the Chevy II/Nova and possibly on base model early Camaros.
GM also used a Torsion Bar front suspension on the C10 to C70 trucks in the early 60's
Adam - you are a wealth of information and knowledge on the history of these classic vehicles.
Thanks for sharing this video with us. 😊
Back in the mid 80s I had the occasion to drive a '76 Cadillac Coupe DeVille. Amazing fuel economy, at 5.5 mpg! It did ride smoothly, however, and had gobs of torque to launch it off the line away from traffic lights. Felt like you were stopping a train to stop at an intersection, and did indeed tip the scales at 5050 pounds.
If it used THAT much gas, something was amis. Maybe the carb needed rebuilding and was running too rich.
I love watching your video's because you are so detailed on the cars you cover. I remember seeing these big cars back in the day, thinking there is no way people are going to want to collect these cars. They will all go to the junkyard once people are done driving. LOL How wrong I was. I actually like these big yachts now, probably because I'm older (47). LOL
You are still young! My kids are older than you, but you are a mature adult, not a teenage boy.
@@jamesbosworth4191 48 now. LOL
I've always thought the 1967-70 Eldorado is a wonderful, timeless design. The successor 1971-78 model, not so much.
The 67-70 design is by far the best, but the next two generations were decent-looking. The downsized 86 model was a complete turd tho and killed the model imo
I agree. Cadillac traded classy for garish.
Agreed. '67-'70 crisp, chiseled and elegant. From '71 forward they are bloated fat whales on wheels that got worse looking every year.
@@therealniksongs The 70s marked a return to the buxom look of the early to mid 50s. Some loved it, some hated it.
Of my 80+ vehicles only owned one '76 Eldorado a beautiful '76 Conv. / Canary Yellow With Camal Top & Interior! A Toronto Blue Jays pitcher bought it for his Dad, NICE KID!!
I love these cars, thanks for the video.
As always, Adam, a superior job. Always look forward to your work.
1) The retractable rear windows were also on the 1967 thru 1971 Thunderbird, when such cars were not equipped with the factory Landau roof.
2) Buckets and Console are exceedingly RARE on 67 thru 70 Eldorado, and also, there are 4 known examples with an Oldsmobile style full length operating console with floor shift. Cadillac dealers did their level best to discourage ordering stuff like this, as they felt it was "hot rod kids stuff" and not proper for a mature, wealthy clientele. Most likely, they didn't want cars coming back after being driven hard.
3) The 1969 Cadillac steering wheel was a "Rim-Blow" design, where you honked the horn by squeezing the steering wheel rim. There was a flood of complaints from (mostly) upper middle class housewives that they would be in an emergency situation and slamming their fist into the steering wheel, with no results. Hence, the hasty 1970 redesign, which looks like it was done very quickly (because it was) to alleviate this customer complaint. The 1969 wheel was initially supposed to be used thru 1970 as well. Many 1969 wheels were modified for more conventional horn actuation.
4) The 1970 was supposed to have dual exhaust all the way back, but, as you can see, it's dual to the muffler with a single outlet. Again, referring to #2 above, that was "hot rod kids stuff."
5) The 8.2 was capable of churning out 600 horsepower with a full, quiet exhaust and hydraulic lifters. GM was terrified of the bad press from the safety nerds and discouraged Cadillac from extracting this much. Even in later, Clean Air Act years, with low compression and unleaded fuels, the 8.2 could've blasted out way more than it did, as you've seen on your cars. Driveway tweaks unleash at least 50 to 75 horsepower. One Cadillac engine builder has a 472 ( the 472, 500, 425 and 368 were the same "engine family") with around 800 horsepower running unleaded pump gas, cats, and full exhaust.
6) Finally, the 500 was in advance response to rumors that Ford was working on (and did have ready but never released) a 514 cubic inch variant of the Lincoln 460 with about 400 horsepower. That engine wound up in slightly detuned form in Super Duty trucks and the 460 would soldier on in its regular form thru the 1978 model year.
Thanks, Adam! I really appreciate these auto-education pieces. My neighbor growing up ordered a new Eldorado every year. As kids we always gathered around to see what her new color would be. I remember thinking, as she drove up in the 1971, that the design had gone retro. It almost had some 1973 design incorporated. I was only 14 at the time, but I still thinks that today.
I meant 1953 design....oops
@@eartha911yt has edit button the 4 vertical dots on rite, to fix mistakes if u read u post & want to fix it
That Eldo is one smooth looking car. Great video!
GM passenger cars and trucks circa 1966-1977 invariably shared a jewel-like faceted aesthetic on the front clip. This is very noticeable on the hood edge and corners. Sometimes it is subtle over the quad headlights, as seen on the 1970 Impala/Caprice and 1973 Caprice. If you look from above at the nose and tail of GM cars from this era, you'll notice the silhouette shape of a castle battlement as seen from the perspective of one corner at ground level and looking up. These designers were artists.
They were stylists, and understood that a car is not an airplane.
Adam, your content is always spot on and as accurate as a Swiss time piece! Bravo sir!!
Had a 60,000 mile ‘70 Eldorado in the mid 1980s, fun car to drive with the ability to annihilate the front tires at will. Pretty impressive top end speed as well although the 120 mph speedometer was a bit of a letdown.
Dad had a 1972 Eldorado. I remember him telling the story that some kid with a hopped-up V8 tried to race him from a stoplight. Dad said he just pushed the pedal down and left the kid in his dust.
Many first-generation Nova/Chevy IIs had mono leaf rear suspension, but that was a much smaller vehicle, and certainly not luxury. Always enjoy your channel.
Enjoy this format for sure. Always nice to impress your friends with random knowledge
great format certainly among the best presentations for my viewing interests
re. '67 eldorado, i had one in '69/'71 when i got a new '71 eldorado.. also had a '66 toronado, nice enough car but mine had AWFUL drum front brakes..
'67/'70 was the best looking prettiest cadillac.. i have a perfect '70 eldorado now that will fly (and a '59 & '60 cadillac convertible)..
father had a '55 packard, i would climb on the rear bumper to "ride" tha car up and jump off for the car to lower itself back down..
i guess i am blessed with longish, so far, life and the ability to own and drive these super neat cars.. the '59 convertible ALWAYS gets salutes from other drivers.. want pix, just ask though i'm not sure just how one could ask that of me on youtube..
Most people were slow to gravitate to disks, as we all did our own maintenance and repairs, and we wanted what we were familiar with, not stuff we had to entrust to a shop.
I too am amazed that the '71 was the same length as a 70. In '74 I bought a beautiful light Mediterranean blue with white top and interior '71 (like the '71 convertible shown) . The front wheel drive was amazing. I got stuck going down a steep loose gravel drive which was almost perpendicular and had to back up to get out. The car just backed up without skipping a stone.!!! I ended up selling it cause I was going to college and it didnt want to park such a beautiful car with the terrible parking. Although it handled great, the ride was not nearly as soft as my then father in laws '72 Thunderbird which too was a large coupe.
Those 72 - 75 "Thunderbirds" were actually Lincoln Continental Mark IV with less standard equipment and a slightly lower price. Nice cars, but they were hardly the sporty cars that 'Birds of the past had been.
Thanks, Adam, for the great video. I love your idea of top 10 interesting facts. For me, the 67-70 Eldorados are the pinnacle of American automotive design and I think my fave is the 1970. I prefer the exposed headlights and just love the rear taillight design of this car. It’s sad that GM became so focused on cutting costs. They cheapened what was, at that time, a world class vehicle. Awesome channel!!
A number of these aspects were also on the 66-70 Toronado as you noted. On my 68 I bought and installed the 2 small quad horizontal shocks for the rear suspension setup which was similar & had the leaf springs. The horizontal units were still available in the late 70s at the dealer. The rear power windows on my Toronado also went into the pillar but only slightly so, & then tilted forward while sliding down below. As you know the Toronado also offered its transmission set up to the Eldorado thus they both had basically flat floors front and rear. The Toronado also had the torsion bars up front. My 68 Tornado had the single horizontally mounted muffler that was on both the dual and the single exhaust versions so it was pretty easy to add dual exhaust by replacing the rear muffler with the dual unit. The ride of the Toronado was still, by even the standards of the late 70s, (I drove a 1972 Cadillac Deville as well) quite comfy, & it was relatively at least, pretty smooth & did not seem particularly rough to me. of course in 68 the ride was softened up a bit since customers were complaining about it being stiffer than a luxury machine should be. As you know in 1970 the Toronado had the W34 option available (and also for the previous years in 69 & 68) which put the hp at 400 instead of 375 with better breathing and a hotter cam.
Yup, it was still possible to get a performance Toronado, but Olds advertising was different - for the 67 and 68, the theme was the Youngmobiles, kind of an extension of the youth oriented advertising for the Rocket 88 and Super 88 of the 50s and 60s, but for 1969, they shifted to the luxury oriented theme of the 98 series and attracted a different clientele, who didn't care about handling.
I like this format, Adam, and I also especially love your Best/Worst Engines videos. Would love to see more of those.
The ‘67-70 are the attractive models. ‘71+ just never clicked.
Thanks Adam, you made my day with this in-depth and interesting cameo of the 1970 Cadillac Fleetwood Eldorado! Very enjoyable.
Thank you Adam. I loved hearing the Toronado and Oldsmobile facts mentioned in the video. I swear you can see the 1971-1978 Toronado in the 1967-1970 Eldorado. It is clear Eldorado influence Oldsmobile Toronado. The engineers and designers at Cadillac had imagination and forward thinking world class luxury with V-12's and other things.
Early Novas & Camaro/Firebirds used momoleaf springs. Especially with weaker powertrains (sixes & small V8s.)
Love these cars!!! 👍👍
Ours was a 1968. Pink one red interior😊😊
@@gerry-p9x Very cool!
@@gerry-p9x Nice! They looked great in pink.
@@UberLummox yeah trying to find the color like a pinkish lavender color with matching top....More to come
@@gerry-p9x Oh I think I know that color. Back in the day there was a '67 in my town that was *pink* pink. Kind of a light pink.
The 67 Firebird had two mono leafs out back . I was big into the second gen T/A's. A coworker had an originally 67 400 convertible . Really cool first year bird .
Stella styling that caught my eye then and I still find attractive to this day.
Top 10
Great presentation form
Hello, Great Video Thanks. My 1970 Eldorado Had a Tilt and Telescoping Steering Wheel And it also had the Large Moon Roof . To this day I have never seen like the one I had in 1975.😂
I remember seeing the new 1967 Eldorados at the local Cadillac/Oldsmobile dealer, Jacobs Motor Co. It created quite a sensation at the time. I thought it was too small and not the traditional Cadillac. I do think the '67''-'70 are some of the most beautiful cars ever built.
It is hard to believe that
Cadillac = Ultimate style and luxury.😊
I dont comment often,, i like trying to match what i know about the cars i grew up with,,,against what you talk about,,,,keep up the great work,,,
The 70 Eldorado is my favorite year, I had a 70 Eldorado and a 70 Fleetwood Brougham both in cinnamon firemist. I don't recall the heated seat option in the 70 but if I remember correctly it was available in 69, a very rare option like the sunroof.
A friend had a 68 or 69 Nova with Mono Leaf rear springs. It was a 6 with a powerglide.
I used to see Novas and Camaros crabbing down the street when they got old, nothing too serious, but the clamps that held the rear axle to the springs seemed to loosen up. I though at least some Novas had multiple layers of leaf spring, though they might have used single leafs on the base model. When that suspension was re-used for the '76 Seville, they put liners, Mylar or Teflon or something, between the leafs to keep them from squeaking.
@@pcno2832
I remember Novas with single leafs, and with multiple leafs.
I got a ‘78 Nova for my stepson, and it had multi-leaf springs.
My sister had a ‘76 or possibly ‘75 dark blue Nova, bought brand new, and I liked it.
She was killed in that car by a couple of dickhead drunks, and I don’t remember for sure, but think it was multi-leaf rear axle. She didn’t have that car all that long….she was killed in October of ‘76.
Sorry for your loss
Imagine if the EPA never existed and these engines were able to be improved over time.
Imagine the 8.2 liter with direct injection, variable timing, variable intake, a cold-air intake tube, and made out of aluminum!!!!! Holy crap they would literally shred the tires off!!
I wish they would never have existed. I believe that we would have cleaned up fine without it.
Yes, you just gave us a pretty fair description of the hot rod hobby.
Most everything the EPA forced to help hydrocarbon emissions was for the good and we probably never would have seen manufacturing costs drop low enough for producing and machining aluminum to gain performance, efficient fuel injection systems (even GDI), or VVT/VVL systems so they could make it to light vehicles. That said, every single thing pushed by the EPA to reduce nitrogens of oxides emissions killed power and fuel mileage so they can keep their EGR systems and low compression engines with retarded ignition timing.
@greggc8088 it has come at n enormous cost. Todays DI engines are in the tens of thousands. Turbos add to the problem. With safety regs, costs are unaffordable. Have you looked at the sticker on a new car lately? Even used clapped out pieces of trash cost 5k or more. Ill take leaded gas over this
@@henrystowe6217 Preaching to the choir.
Absolutely Stunning!
I love how much you love cars Adam and I'm learning things that I never knew.
Adam, Fact: Nobody was expecting a video at 11:18 on a Thursday morning. 😁
I have always thought fender skirts make for a fatter, heavier look overall. They also tend to make the car look longer and lower. Never a big fan, they can make a car look classier or more expensive.
This is a good format, Adam. I like history with specs and figures, manufacturer as well as model.
Yeah, THAT'S a REAL car! 😍
Your videos are great. Thank you for your hard work!
Just the better looking model.
My dad's 66 New Yorker had bucket seats similar to that with a semi-console in between them. I think that was a relatively rare option on the 66 New Yorker.
Excellent video and information. Loved the Eldorado! Thanks, Adam.
I love your videos, they are absolutely fabulous!
Great presentation Adam--Keep 'em coming!
Always appreciate the informal yet professional style of your delivery. I can’t stand the other channels where the guys come on like smarmy game show hosts or out of control nuts.
The '69-70 Cadillacs all had black steering wheels with a deep binnacle lined in black plastic to reduce glare. A severe reaction to the chrome-filled early 60s models, but it stank of cost-cutting. The extra tumblehome of the '71-78 Eldos really made them look bloated--the earlier gen. wore its similar size much better.
Love your videos! I'd love to see one on the 79 (I'm not sure of the year model but the 79 looks closest) Olds Delta 88. My grandma had one for pretty much my entire childhood, bench seats front and back, four door. My sister called it the "Lead Sled" because it was silver. Those were very reliable cars and their size made them safe for grandma's. Keep up the great work!
Thank you for this I am so interested in thesescars
I like the format as you learn sometimes unbelievable things
I would never guess the 70 71 have the same dimensions
The 70 was more angular and chiseled in the theme started by the 57 Ford, the 71 harked back to the buxom look of the early and mid 50s, so it looked bigger than it was, the 70 looked smaller than it was.
5:29 I love that ivory/sky blue/brown combo, never seen any other car like it.
1:51 The length increase of the 1971 is .00496 %, less than one-half of one percent.
I had a 1970 El Dorado and it was a ordeal vehicle.I'm hoping 1 day I could repeat it back.Get another one back
Follow that dream!
I bought two of these ( 1 wrecked,1 rusted out) just for the engines. They are now 540ci and have 600 horsepower.
GM did have some experience with torsion bar suspension, the 1960-62 Chevrolet C-10 pickups used a torsion bar front suspension
As did the 88 - 90 something.
Another great video and nice format to use ,,, what ever you do is always awesome .
Chevy 2 used Monoleaf system. Early 1960's Chevy 2WD C-10 used Torsion bars.
i believe the 67 Camaro also had single leaf rear springs
Thanks again for your always incisive descriptions of cars so many of us fondly remember and still admire and collect. You explained a puzzlement I always had as a child. My dad’s best friend had a beautiful triple dark blue ‘70 Eldorado, and it had a remarkably rough and noisy ride on less than perfect streets. We had a beautiful ‘72 Thunderbird-Ginger Glow with white alligator grain top and hopsack ginger bucket seat interior. I knew our Ford wasn’t as expensive a car as the Cadillac, but I was always amazed at how much quieter and smoother riding the Thunderbird was.
The 72 - 75 Thunderbirds were actually slightly cheaper Lincoln Continental Mark IV, and that car was about total luxury, whereas the 67 - 70 El Dorado was more about sporty luxury.
One of the most gorgeous Cadillacs ever produced. Id love one of these as a companion to my 72 Mark IV or a Buick Wildcat or Riviera
I just saw a Popular Science owner survey of the 1969 Eldorado. The biggest owner complaint: rough ride, though they like the sporty handling. OK.
I like this format!
I like the hidden headlights, but like the bigger engine in the 70. My grandmother had the 70 brand new. It was a copper blown color. She called it the Cinnamon Streak.
The eldorados ride quality is probably one of the reasons the Continental mark 3 did so well
Terrible ride for a Cadillac
Do you have one?
@@biglongcadillac I had a 67 and 70, they didn’t ride well at all
@@kevinrca must've been the cars. My '70 Eldorado rides great
@@biglongcadillac my family had both back in the 70s that's how I know the eldorado didn't ride as good as a mark 111 or a mark v I remember the mark 111 rode the best
Fascinating......
I believe '60-'62 Chevrolet and GMC trucks used torsion bars as well. Not sure if it's the first time GM used them but it's the earliest I know of.
Very cool. Keep up with this format
My bedroom is smaller than the hood on this car! LOL
The 1960-1962 Chevrolet C10-C60 also had torsion bar front suspension.
I recall some of those early Eldo's had a "suck-box" that would drop the power to the a/c compressor clutch after the intake manifold vacuum fell below a certain value for a period of time. It had a calibrated orifice to bleed off the vacuum slowly and the diaphragm failed occasionally causing a total loss of cooling. Though terribly vague in the steering, these were fun and powerful to drive. The first, early 500s would carbon-up fairly easily and develop a "rod-knock" if not taken out and driven hard (flogged, we used to say) once in a while. My then--boss bought a 3, or 4 yr old car that "needed an engine" for pennies on the dollar and a couple of quarts of water poured down the part-throttle Quadra-jet later, he had a great car for some years to come.
If I had one, I would replace that Quadrajet with a square bore carb. Maybe city gas mileage would be even worse, but part-throttle performance would be peppier - less need to dip into the secondaries.
Very beautiful car
I wish they had made a 67 to 70 Eldo convertible. The upholstery could have been a more interesting pattern.