1967 Cadillac Eldorado - My First Classic Restoration

[Myfirstclassic]

Does anyone know where to buy reproduction rear air shocks? Or an aftermarket equivalent? The car is almost touching the ground in the back

[Myfirstclassic]

Yeah I did the math when I got the car. It’s power to weight ratio is the exact same almost as my 05 Subaru Wrx with a slightly bigger turbo lol just won’t be able to turn aswell. It’s gonna be a cruiser anyhow.

I need to pull the carpet out to assess the extent of the rust but from looking underneath it seems to just be the flat section of the footwell upfront. Luckily I have a good friend of mine that could help me weld up the patch panel if I can find one. 70’ toronado you said is exact? Or just really close?

Also does anyone know where exactly the famous leak is that causes the bad front floor?

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

Does anyone know where to buy reproduction rear air shocks? Or an aftermarket equivalent? The car is almost touching the ground in the back 

Never heard of anyone reproducing the original rear superlift shockers, as the problem is that one shock uses two airline fittings, and the other one, just one.

What people usually do is get normal ones, and run split lines, either to a manual air fitting at the back of the car, or a T junction, and then run the original ALC.

Rock Auto is a good supplier.   BUT, they don't show any for the '67 Eldorado, yet they do for the '68.   Wonder what the difference is.

Bruce.

[67_Eldo]

Does anyone know where to buy reproduction rear air shocks? Or an aftermarket equivalent?

On my car, the shocks were worn out and the nylon hoses that fed them were shredded in spots. So I went the Toronado route and replaced them with coil-over, load-boosting shocks. I removed the entire automatic leveling system.

If the rear of your car is sitting that low, you also need to check the condition of your single-leaf rear springs. Those springs get tired over the course of 50+ years. You can get three-leaf replacements or you can get ... coil-over load-boosting shocks. :-)

You're beginning to find out some of the nutty ways that a '67 Eldorado is a one-year car. Some of that is due to genuine design changes. Other differences are due to the fact that GM had a fire in 1968 that burned up much of the parts documentation. What we have now, parts-documentation wise, has been pieced together over the years and some of it isn't accurate.

As I mentioned before, you *will* need the parts books in addition to the service manual and the body manual to fix your car. No store I know of -- including Rock Auto -- consistently gets '67 Eldorado parts right. Owning a '67 Eldorado requires lots of reading and double checking.

In this case, the 1974 Parts manual lists different shocks for the '67 and '68 Eldorados. I'm assuming that it is because Cadillac softened up the ride a bit in '68 so the latter shocks are valved accordingly. I'd also assume that a '68 shock would fit a '67 car, if you were bold enough to order one. But the '68 shock wouldn't be tuned to the '67's suspension and tires. The same goes for '69 and '70 Eldos. As I said before, almost all of the main, structural pieces of the '67 through '70 Eldos are interchangeable, rear suspension and body. But the character gradually changed from the original, sharp design of 1967 to the much more "corporate" Eldo of 1970. So suspension pieces will be tuned differently.

The famous leak is from around the windshield and is caused by water running down inside the A pillars. Also, the cowl intakes can leak and let water drip down directly to the floor inside. That's why to fix rust in the floorboards, you have to check out the sheet metal from the roof on down. It's all part of one big puzzle!

The Eldorado can hold its own, speed-wise, in modern traffic, but its low end is limited by its considerable inertia and its top end is limited by its less-than-aerodynamic profile. In other words, a 2013 Honda Fit (manual transmission) will beat you off the line, but from 50 to 100 MPH, the Eldorado wins. Above 100 MPH, step aside for a first-gen Toronado. :-)

[MaR]

Yeah I did the math when I got the car. It’s power to weight ratio is the exact same almost as my 05 Subaru Wrx with a slightly bigger turbo lol just won’t be able to turn aswell. It’s gonna be a cruiser anyhow.

I need to pull the carpet out to assess the extent of the rust but from looking underneath it seems to just be the flat section of the footwell upfront. Luckily I have a good friend of mine that could help me weld up the patch panel if I can find one. 70’ toronado you said is exact? Or just really close?

Also does anyone know where exactly the famous leak is that causes the bad front floor?

Don’t forget to adjust the HP for the ‘67. That was an SAE gross rating which is significantly different that the net rating that has been used since ‘72.

[Myfirstclassic]

Never heard of anyone reproducing the original rear superlift shockers, as the problem is that one shock uses two airline fittings, and the other one, just one.

What people usually do is get normal ones, and run split lines, either to a manual air fitting at the back of the car, or a T junction, and then run the original ALC.

Rock Auto is a good supplier.   BUT, they don't show any for the '67 Eldorado, yet they do for the '68.   Wonder what the difference is.

Bruce.

I have no problem slightly straying from factory on the rear setup of the ALC regarding the lines but I haven’t been under there yet to find out how the factory connects to the height valve.

To be honest I kinda wanna have the car a little lower than stock but still a Cadillac ride with the ALC fully functional

[Myfirstclassic]

On my car, the shocks were worn out and the nylon hoses that fed them were shredded in spots. So I went the Toronado route and replaced them with coil-over, load-boosting shocks. I removed the entire automatic leveling system.

If the rear of your car is sitting that low, you also need to check the condition of your single-leaf rear springs. Those springs get tired over the course of 50+ years. You can get three-leaf replacements or you can get ... coil-over load-boosting shocks. :-)

You're beginning to find out some of the nutty ways that a '67 Eldorado is a one-year car. Some of that is due to genuine design changes. Other differences are due to the fact that GM had a fire in 1968 that burned up much of the parts documentation. What we have now, parts-documentation wise, has been pieced together over the years and some of it isn't accurate.

As I mentioned before, you *will* need the parts books in addition to the service manual and the body manual to fix your car. No store I know of -- including Rock Auto -- consistently gets '67 Eldorado parts right. Owning a '67 Eldorado requires lots of reading and double checking.

In this case, the 1974 Parts manual lists different shocks for the '67 and '68 Eldorados. I'm assuming that it is because Cadillac softened up the ride a bit in '68 so the latter shocks are valved accordingly. I'd also assume that a '68 shock would fit a '67 car, if you were bold enough to order one. But the '68 shock wouldn't be tuned to the '67's suspension and tires. The same goes for '69 and '70 Eldos. As I said before, almost all of the main, structural pieces of the '67 through '70 Eldos are interchangeable, rear suspension and body. But the character gradually changed from the original, sharp design of 1967 to the much more "corporate" Eldo of 1970. So suspension pieces will be tuned differently.

The famous leak is from around the windshield and is caused by water running down inside the A pillars. Also, the cowl intakes can leak and let water drip down directly to the floor inside. That's why to fix rust in the floorboards, you have to check out the sheet metal from the roof on down. It's all part of one big puzzle!

The Eldorado can hold its own, speed-wise, in modern traffic, but its low end is limited by its considerable inertia and its top end is limited by its less-than-aerodynamic profile. In other words, a 2013 Honda Fit (manual transmission) will beat you off the line, but from 50 to 100 MPH, the Eldorado wins. Above 100 MPH, step aside for a first-gen Toronado. :-)

How is the windshield chrome removed? I wanna check for rust holes underneath. Including the rear window. (I have a waterproof cover on her now until I can replace the rock hard weatherstripping and fix the windshield leak.)

[Myfirstclassic]

Don’t forget to adjust the HP for the ‘67. That was an SAE gross rating which is significantly different that the net rating that has been used since ‘72.

What would the horsepower be at today then? Supposedly it’s about 340hp

[hornetball]

Probably ~220-240 net.

HP is irrelevant for a Caddy though.  What we need is torque and Caddy engines are renowned for that!

[Myfirstclassic]

Probably ~220-240 net.

HP is irrelevant for a Caddy though.  What we need is torque and Caddy engines are renowned for that!

Good call! As long as it will do 80 comfortably I’m ok with it lol

[67_Eldo]

To be honest I kinda wanna have the car a little lower than stock but still a Cadillac ride with the ALC fully functional

On 53-year-old torsion bars and rear leaf springs, your car already sits a little lower than stock. :-)

[67_Eldo]

Window trim comes off the same way it does on all GM products of that period. Get the 1967 Fisher Body Manual. Also, look at the YouTube vids that show people pulling the trim off of their vintage Cadillacs, Oldsmobiles, Buicks, Pontiacs, and Chevrolets.

My Eldorado does 100 MPH with no difficulty at all. And at 80 MPH, I'm getting 13 MPG (without the A/C on).

[Myfirstclassic]

On 53-year-old torsion bars and rear leaf springs, your car already sits a little lower than stock. :-)

Yeah I think is just need to get the back end level with the front and see if I like it

[Myfirstclassic]

Window trim comes off the same way it does on all GM products of that period. Get the 1967 Fisher Body Manual. Also, look at the YouTube vids that show people pulling the trim off of their vintage Cadillacs, Oldsmobiles, Buicks, Pontiacs, and Chevrolets.

My Eldorado does 100 MPH with no difficulty at all. And at 80 MPH, I'm getting 13 MPG (without the A/C on).

Once my wife and I get back from the redwoods I’m gonna buy the full set👍

[billmorrow]

just will add here that i owned a '67 eldorado, got it about a year old and kept it until i got my first mercedes, a new '70 280SL..
my memories are that the '67 eldo was one of the prettiest cars i ever owned.. it was dark blue like 'yours' with all the options and i must say that while it rode much better than the '66 toronado (which had drum brakes in front) the ride was awful for a cadillac..
all in all if given the opportunity i will get another '67 to '70 eldorado but will aim for a '69 or '70..
i hope you enjoy your eldorado..

[K_Cassutt]

Best of luck with the 67.
My word of advice: watch that old condenser. My Caddy started right up after sitting 35 plus years but the condenser was sparking. I have a movie but I missed it. Look up my post to see the result. There is a pool going here to see if I get it running. 😕