Has anyone built a "restomod" Caddy that isn't a hotrod?

[bcroe]

The 79 Eldo here looks completely stock, even
under the hood.  But the suspension has heavy
duty sway bars/shocks/springs and more so it no
longer rolls like a boat.  The (original) fuel
injected small block Olds is now a 409 (bored
403), with a 3 in stainless exhaust.  It has a
67 Eldo switch pitch transmission with 6 speed
electronic control.  The super duty 78 final
drive teamed with a reversed POWER DRIVE chain
set in the trans gives an economical 2.40:1
overall ratio in high.  Smooth, rugged, and
overweight, it will beat any naturally aspired
79-85 E car, never mind those turbo charged
Rivs.  Bruce Roe

["Cadillac Kid" Greg Surfas 15364]

I don't think you would consider the "Paris" "El Camino" version a hot rod.

[Cadillac Jack 82]

I have a blue top cover from an escalade I put on it after these pics  Wasn't too bad to fit but there are some tricks to making it work 

Okay that's rad!  Not a huge fan of resto-mods but that's a camper that any psychobilly boy wouldn't mind taking to Viva Las Vegas.

[tcom2027]

To answer the question,no I haven't considered building or owning a Cadillac  resto rod. A hot rod, yes, but not a radical one, maybe a late forties Ford. Carbs, cam, custom paint frenched lights, smoothed door handles, etc. A Cad, no,as I don't remember any rodded CAds growing up in the fifties or in the early sixties.

I like hot rods. During my lifetime I was able to attend the Oakland Roadster Show and Hot August Nights every year for ten years along with the GoodGuys Shows in Pleasanton Ca.

Builders like Roy Brizio, and Boyd Coddington, are icons. Both design and build works of art. Roy Brizios' cars are designed to be driven and they are.

Resto implies restoration, but to what level? And what level hot rodding? My feeling about restorods is keep as much of the car correct and only incorporate changes that affect the safety and perhaps performance while trying to preserve as much of the cars' originality as possible.

At a show years ago in Santa Rosa, Ca. I saw a '47 62 series that looked for all the world like a well restored example until it started and then when the hood was raised. THe owner had shoehorned a 500 into the engine compartment. It looked like a factory installation. It sat on radials and must have been a ball to drive.

That to me was a restorod. A sleeper, a Q ship.

I bought a '53 Chrysler New Yorker Coupe a few months ago with the 331 Hemi. It has been lowered, a 727 TorqueFlite trans installed and Cherry Bomb mufflers,along with a four barrel manifold and  Demon 650 carb, duals and a mild cam. Otherwise it is original. It performs.

The ride height has been corrected, it's scheduled to have the Cherry Bombs replaced with stock mufflers. Once that happens I intend to drive it and see if I can live with cam lope at idle. It's a luxury car. I want a smooth ride and a smooth idle. If it were a '46 Ford tricked out the  way the Chrysler is I wouldn't have touched a thing.

Is the car a resto rod, I dunno. After all of the above,I guess it comes down to to semantics. After all this discussion I can't help thinking about  "Cadzilla". I had to mention it. I can't help it.

tony

[SteveB3155]

Why is Johnny Cash's "One Piece at a Time" going through my head?

[TJ Hopland]

Why is Johnny Cash's "One Piece at a Time" going through my head?

Because its the only one of its kind?

[Abe Lugo]

I have a 41 Convertible.  It's mostly stock with the exception of a 472-500 Eldorado engine and trans and a commercial rear end.  I would say it can be driven and has been driven like a Hotrod at some point. 
It's not quite resto-mod whereas custom wheels, modern amenities - no Ac,ps,pb on it. 
I don't enter it to be judged in any way.  I just drive to  enjoy it.  And fix little things it needs.

[gross707]

My '75 Caribou started out with the vinyl roof as pictured in the first photo, but I removed it while doing some subtle engine mods and installing a wooden bed.  So it's a modified modified.

[jwwseville60]

That camper is awesome!
Im putting a helicopter turbine in my 47. Jet-A diesel.
Should hit 175 mph.

[Caddy Wizard]

My 49 fastback is a numbers matching car. I installed electronic fuel injection on the stock manifold under the stock air cleaner, electronic ignition in the stock distributor, a dual-circuit master cylinder for safety, and a modern front seats with integrated 3-pt seat belts (I could not design a shoulder belt anchor to fit on the super slender B-pillar of this body (covered in stock 49 fabric).  In the back seat I added lap belts. I also designed and added a "hidden" air conditioning compressor (between the exhaust manifold and the engine mount) and an underdash console for the air conditioning controls, some aux gauges, and some AC outlets.  When you open the hood, the 49 Cadillac engine looks rather stock and there is no hint of the air conditioning.  You have to look closely to notice the throttle body fuel injection. All my changes are reversible. 

Car is super reliable, starts instantly, is comfortable in the heat in Georgia, and is as safe as I can make it without diminishing the design that Cadillac bestowed on this lovely model.

Is it a resto-mod?  Probably not.  Is it all stock? No.  But the body is untouched and the original drivetrain still powers the car. 

[jwwseville60]

Wizard, I love your 49 coupe.
My perfect modified Caddy would be one like yours but with:

• AC
• electric power steering
• A 1962 390 with 3-deuces
• TH400 trans
• stronger rear end
• espresso maker, 12v conversion