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1977 Cadillac Sedan deVille

automotive, Cadillac

In late October 2022 I bought a 77 Cadillac from someone in CT via eBay.

It’s in surprisingly good shape, and has yet to break down — made the 100+ mile trip home and dozens of around town drives since — but I don’t have any confidence in it for situations where timing is important.

  • Brakes
    • Lines — I assume they’re all ready to blow
    • Master Cylinder — based on speculation it’s bad
    • Wheel Components — calipers/cylinders, pads/shoes, rotors/drums, all the bits and pieces, they’re not specifically bad, but have to assume they’re a liability
  • Suspension
    • Springs — the car sags in the rear and floats even for a Cadillac, I’m assuming the rusty 45 year old springs are done
    • Shocks — replaced already, the old ones were absolute toast
    • Ball Joints / Bushings — nothing feels specifically bad, but all the rubber is shot, and who knows how old the parts are
    • Tie Rods / Steering — similar to above, nothing feels bad, but it’s all super old and rubber components are disintegrated
  • Cooling
    • Hoses — might be fine, but stamped 1992… probably gotta go
    • Water Pump — I can see a mild wobble in the pulley and I thought it might be weeping some coolant
  • HVAC
    • Blower — initially worked on high, now not at all… not safe to drive in any situation with condensation
    • HVAC Head — has a pretty obvious vacuum leak when in any position except “Off”
    • Refrigerant — would be nice to be able to get cold / dry air, I remember how lousy driving in rain can be without working air conditioning
  • Body
    • Rust Prevention — I want to “do no harm”, so I really want to coat or other protect the underbody before I start regularly driving it
  • General Mechanical
    • Oil Leaks — it leaks oil, but it also seems to be leaking something else, unclear what it is, only happens while running but nothing is getting low, the fluid is viscous but has no obvious color or strong odor, it’s vaguely fuel like, but could be anything.
    • Belts — not specifically bad, but good to baseline
    • Vacuum leaks / Rubber — have to assume all the vacuum and fuel lines are toast at this age

I’ve got all the parts together, I believe all the tools I need, even have a garage… just need to find the time…