1968 Cadillac Fleetwood 7.7L V8 472cu Limousine 75 series- would you enjoy this vehicle as a project?

kschachn said:
There used to be a website that chronicled a guy’s restoration of a Cadillac Eldorado from approximately the same vintage. The site is gone now, but it would be so appropriate here for this vehicle. The entire site was a vivid and literal testament to the phrase “money pit”.
Click to expand...
Most restorations result in a car that is worth far less than the cost of the restoration.

Folks don’t do it to make money.

The shops make the money.

The owners do not.
 
Astro14 said:
Most restorations result in a car that is worth far less than the cost of the restoration.

Folks don’t do it to make money.

The shops make the money.

The owners do not.
Click to expand...
Yeah this guy was doing it because he wanted to, and no other reason. His narrative was great though about how over and over he'd start a relatively simple looking task only to find how deep a problem really ran. His site was humorous and informative at the same time.
 
Kira said:
Posts #21 + #25 refer to the air intakes (for rear AC) on the rear quarter panels.
I was a tad unclear. I should've said "forward on the front fenders"
Click to expand...
My bad. You were clear enough I should have caught that.

But yes those are turn signal indicators.. Not a Mopar guy but those were used by GM for many years before and after 1968.
 
Kira said:
I just noticed the trim atop each forward fender. Are those turn signal indicators, like on a Mopar?
Click to expand...
Yes. Cadillac had them for years. My 1965 Deville had them as well as my 1969, and 1984. They used fiber optics. They also had a panel in the headliner area above the rear glass, which would tell you if your tailights, brake and rear signals were working. You could see that panel when you looked in the rear view mirror.
Most likely long before Mopar.
 
JohnnyG said:
Yes. Cadillac had them for years. My 1965 Deville had them as well as my 1969, and 1984. They used fiber optics. They also had a panel in the headliner area above the rear glass, which would tell you if your tailights, brake and rear signals were working. You could see that panel when you looked in the rear view mirror.
Most likely long before Mopar.
Click to expand...
The GM Vigilite system. My grandfather's car had them, and when I sat in the back seat I'd always look up at that thing and see it illuminate when he put on the brakes. It was pretty cool.
 
Kira said:
That J.C. Whitney radio antenna (RF fender) is the deal breaker for me.
I bet it has the windshield-wire antenna.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure when GM starting using the antenna, that was in the windshield, but it wasn't as early as the 1960's. It was very posh in this generation of cars, to have a power retractable antenna. Cadillacs, the Buick Riviera, Buick Electra, Oldsmobile Toronado, and Oldsmobile 98, all came with power retractable antennas. It would automatically extend when the radio was turned on, and retract when turned off. Or it could be manually overridden.

Kira said:
I just noticed the trim atop each forward fender. Are those turn signal indicators, like on a Mopar?
Click to expand...
There where three fiber optic indicators in each front fender, one for turn signal, another for headlights, and the last for high beam. It gave the driver a confirmation that the lights were working, from the driver's seat.
 
It's crazy isn't it?
My winters in TX had me drooling over the older vehicles that I no longer see in my area.
 
1. Run the VIN to see if it isn't stolen. https://www.nicb.org/vincheck

2. It will be cheaper to restore the vehicle in Mexico. Restoring US classics has actually turned into a cottage industry over there. I can say that Mexicans are excellent body techs, as are techs from countries without a good parts supply chain, because if you can't buy it, you have to fix it.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom