1976 Eldorado- What are the main gremlins/ issues ?

[smulvey1]

I am seriously looking at buying a 1976 Eldorado  hard top for use during the summer
to drive on interstates to shows and resorts,
and tow my 16 foot boat from my house to the erie canal abou 2 miles away.

Other than that it will sit in the garage facing out to scare away the Prius cars driving down
then street.

I assume I will get 12 MPG or better based on my 1970's experience in cars.

Can anyone share their experiences with their cars?
What should I look for?
Front drive axle issues, transmission issues? is the 500 better than the 472 motor etc

Any sheet metal issues, weak spots I need to weld in plates?

Climate Control ? any damper doors, devices that are problematic?

Thanks for your comments.

Restoring the car will be more successful if I don't re-invent the wheel to many
times.
Sean

[TJ Hopland]

16 foot boat should not be a problem.   I tow a 17.5 fiberglass with my 73 and it does a decent job of it.

Only difference between a 500 and 472 are the pistons and crank otherwise they are identical engines.  Biggest weak point is they have a plastic covered cam timing sprocket like many GM's of the era had.   Mileage and now age are not kind to them so they tend to fall apart.   They can be changed without dropping the oil pan with some creativity and RTV but the proper way to do it requires dropping the oil pan and step one of removing the oil pan in an Eldo is remove engine from car.  The transmission blocks access to some of the bolts and causes clearance issues.   Another reason to remove the pan is to clean all the bits of plastic out of the oil pickup tube.   You can pull the distributor out and look down the hole and get an idea if its been replaced and or its condition.   Based on what you see there and how bad the engine leaks overall and how much leaking you can tolerate you can decide when to yank it out and take care of the timing set and some new gaskets and seals all around.

12 MPG is a good number to start with.  It should do that.  If it does happen to do more you can just be that much happier.  I think mine tend to be in that range or slightly better.  My 75 does high teens.  No idea why. 

No special issues with frame or sheet metal.   They rust in the same spots as other cars from the era. 

The transmission is basically a THM400 in a funky case so overall a pretty tough unit and parts are still available.

The FWD and other common wear parts appear to be discontinued by the old manufactures but there still appears to be plenty of them on the shelves so not too hard to find or expensive yet.  I have recently read about people getting 'new' CV axle assemblies with a made in china label on them so there must be enough demand that they are making them again.   Have not heard yet on the quality.  IF you get what appears to be an old stock CV assembly (dust on the box) look real close at the boots, I have got them over the years where the rubber was already cracked from sitting on the shelf.   I have never seen a CV axle on one of these worn out that had good boots.  I think they were pretty over built so if the grease stays in and the dirt stays out they seem to last a long time.  Seems like I read that some of the rear disc brake parts a 76 would have are getting a little harder to find than they used to be.

A 76 would have hydroboost brakes like the heavier light trucks and diesels have.  Not a bad thing just different and they do tend to need work more often than vac boost systems.

These cars tend to be very sensitive to tire balance.  Some people never have an issue and others (like me) fought vibration issues for years until we finally got a 'good' set of tires that solved the issue.   It seems a tire that is a little off balance to start with may balance out on the machine but just won't run smooth.   I would tell the tire shop up front that you are going to be picky and the car is sensitive so that if you get a tire that requires a lot of weight that it may cause problems so as up front if it would be possible for him to try another tire.    Valve stems are special for these cars and not available to most tire shops so get those ahead of time.   Napa has em but some people reported they are not quite right, I ordered a set and they look like my originals so it may be a batch thing.  Cadillac vendors that have parts from the era have them.   The balance weights are also special to this era Cadillac and I think Lincoln.  They have a little extension on them to clear the hubcap which grips the bead area of the rim.   Not many shops have these so be sure to keep your old ones.   They can be ordered online but no one sells a nice assortment set.  Best option if you order them seems to be order larger ones and let the tire shop cut them down to the size needed.  The hubcap covers them so it don't matter what they look like.  Some have reported having standard weights in the inside works, that never worked for me.  Some have also reported that the modern stick on weights properly placed will work.  I was going to go that route with my last set of tires but I got lucky and the shop had the proper weights. 

No special problems with the climate control I believe it was pretty much the same as any other cad that year.   I think it still used the VIR valve in the AC which was a bit of an oddball thing that can have problems if its been sitting and its a little hit and miss on the repair-ability these days.  If you don't care about being original there are kits to convert to a different style.  I have one on my 73 with a aftermarket compressor and condenser and it cools good and didn't cost me a zillion dollars.     




   

[Scot Minesinger]

Front drive means that you should pull engine to change timing chain if it is original.  Climate control likely is not operational, as generally Cadillacs seem to change hands with this item non-functional.  To repair it is likely that the refrigeration hoses, VIR, dash controller, and programmer behind glove box need to be replaced with good re-built units and converted over to R134 (which does very well in the 76 Cadillacs).  Check the tow rating on front drive system, rear drive DeVille/Fleetwood may be a better choice for towing.

["Cadillac Kid" Greg Surfas 15364]

Sean,
The Owners manual says you can tow up to 6000 pounds with a proper (equalizer) hitch, HD Cooling, and trailer brakes.
Aside from Axle boots that tend to age and crack The front wheel drive components seem to be absolutely bullet proof unless abused harshly.  You did not mention the mileage, but as Scott mentioned the Timing set (Nylon on the cam gear) tends to deteriorate and (unless it has already been replaced which might be the case) can be a bear to do while the motor is in the car.
10 to 12 MPG is a good expectation.  I get about 16 on the highway with my 76, but ;when I went through the motor I did a few non stock mods.
Greg Surfas

[smulvey1]

You are all Wonderful Men, thanks for the information!

I am using a short ramp on the Erie Canal and I
like having the driving wheels on the dry portion of
the ramp when I pull the boat out.

Otherwise Fleetwoods are our friends, for towing.

I go forth in Knowledge!

["Cadillac Kid" Greg Surfas 15364]

Sean,
FWIW GM built a whole bunch of FWD motor homes based upon the Toranado (same as the eldo but different engine) Drive train.  They held up with quite a lot more load than you will put on your Eldo.
Greg

[waterzap]

I have a 78 Hard top, and honestly, the car has been very reliable. Of course things have broken, but they are almost 40 years old. Your trim will likely fall apart many decades before the mechanicals do.

[Glen]

One caution is that the front wheel drive is not good for climbing steep slopes.  I had to back up a steep driveway in gravel with a front wheel drive car.  I also could not drive my Eldo up a steep street in my neighborhood when the street was wet. 

It’s all due to weight transfer.  On a slope there is more weight on the wheels that are lower. 

[mgbeda]

The only real issue I can think of is all the plastic trim, inside and out.  Even on low mileage cars it cracks, because it's a matter of time, not use.  Some trim pieces (bumper fillers, door panels) are being reproduced in rigid ABS plastic.  It seems like Eldorados have more reproduction parts available than other models.

In addition to the usual rust spots look for rust under the vinyl roof, especially along the lower edges.

I've not had an Eldorado, but Caddies in general were as near bulletproof mechanically as you could get until 1981.

-mB

[TJ Hopland]

I have not had any issues climbing hills or boat ramps with my Eldo in the last 18 years I have been doing it.  There is quite a bit of weight over those wheels.  Like the original poster was saying there can be an advantage to having a couple drive wheels up on the dry part of the ramp.  I have even used my Eldo to pull other peoples boats out when they could not do it with their AWD stuff or RWD pickups.