I'm Insane. Bought A 1971 Coupe DeVille
 

I don't know what happened. I was just checking out Craigslist for a winter beater and saw this ad for a 1971 Cadillac Coupe DeVille for $750. I met the family and it was the grandfathers car, he passed away kids drove it for awhile etc. I'll attach the link from the Cadillac forums with pictures. I just couldn't let it go to the scrap heap and I bought it for $250 bucks . I got it running and everything is there. Not a barn find 911S but something to keep me busy this winter. I needed something to practice welding on and I plan on painting it myself too. Still got some life in her 7.7 liter 472 cubic inch motor!
She gave me a corneal abrasion for a welcome home gift today. Happy Vicodin!

http://www.cadillacforums.com/forums/rwd-19xx-1984-deville-fleetwood-1985/146848-1971-deville-saved-crusher-long.html

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Just remember you are gonna have to feed that thing

Confirmed. You're insane.

my last car was a 69 deville convertible. 472 V8.

excellent car, bulletproof engine, about 11mpg, and could take out a schoolbus head on.

i cannot praise that era caddy enough, is there a drive in near by? the back seat sleeps two. built for sex, basically.

250 bucks! I love it!

You'll have to change your name to either Jake or Elwood.

Awesome! I love it that it's a 2 door!

Very cool:cool:

Cool

I was checking out 1940's cadillacs out a couple days ago. For some reason the '47 cadillac and Buick Roadmaster have grown on me.

Speedy:)

Max Von Undertaker.

Those were great cruisers and that one looks pretty clean. My first car was a 1970 Sedan DeVille and I had a '66 deVille convertible that I drove cross-country when I moved beck to CA. in 1997. They drive like an absolute dream when they are in good shape, it's like driving a cloud. Surprising get-up-and-go for their size, 472 cubic inches + the right auto trans will do that. Have fun.

Sweeeeeet!

20 gallons of paint should cover it.

Thanks guys for confirming my suspicions. It's so wrong that it's right! $250 is a tank of gas and a night out for dinner and a game etc. I've already had the neighbors gush over it. I forget that lots of young folk haven't seen a "real" Caddy in person. I'm gonna go get a stiff drink and a cigar, turn on some Junior Brown and let 'er idle in the driveway for a bit......

Very cool. It makes me miss the '71 Fleetwood I had for a while in high school. The car was longer than a Suburban and had footrests in the back seat. Yours is in so much better shape as mine was though. Does it have the footrests in the back too? Is there any way to post the other pics? We can't see them without registering.

:eek::eek::eek: And it runs??? $250!!! Tell me the A/C works!

So when do you lock out the suspension and put the 30" wheels on?

Great deal. Nice car.

Makes you wonder why cars from the same year that sold for 1/2 of this cars original selling price, are getting big money at muscle car auctions.

:cool:

You could live in the trunk.

there was a shop out here that would reinforce the frame, hack the top off and install a convertible top.

hint hint.



vaguely remember someone selling a kit/do it yourself instructions, if you're looking for a winter project.

you boys ain't thinking right.





24 hours of lemons ftw!

Nice. Did it come with the fenderskirts?

big ass wing in the back for downforce
front splitter
side skirts
some naws
3 color shifting paint
50 inch plasma in the trunk
20 inch platinum Giovanni wheels

and you'll be the shizzle ma nizzle

I bet I could land a Bell Jet Ranger on the hood of that dreadnought:D

I love it.

No skirts. The PO cut his hand removing them one time so he tossed them out. I found a set on Fleabay and hopefully I'll have them for $40.

I'm thinking get the body nice and straight, remove the vinyl roof, and then shoot a nice black enamel paint job. Add a dual exhaust with some flow through mufflers and that should make for a nice friday night drive-in cruiser. I'm just going to have fun with it and for the low entrance fee I really can't go wrong. It will also give me a great platform for learning some more body work skills. Then I can work on finding my 1973 911S barn find project!

Seahawk.
Just lifting the hood is workout. It really is quite a hunk of metal, 4700lbs of fun.

Donk!

I had a '72 in University. Loved it. But gas was slightly cheaper in the 80's.

For that price, no you are not crazy.

that is a great car, though a bit of a pig on gas.

Put dual exhausts on it if they are not already on it.
Mom's '72 Fleetwood Brougham had those. Immense vehicle, almost a limo

We got clipped by a Honda once and I did not even notice it from the back seat, asked Dad why he was pulling over. Dent between the front tire and door R side. Honda, on a flat bed with a crushed front end

When I was about 12, Mom raced some guy in a Trans Am when we were on the way to the movies. We had 8 people in the car and ran away from him. I think she was showing off a bit for my Uncle Kern

See if you can get new hood springs for a reasonable price or get you a 2x4 to protect your melon son

Okay, here's a few more pics of the good, the bad, and the ugly. Some pretty nasty rust in the trunk floor. That's my biggest challenge so far. Still no regrets and I'm having some fun for now. I need to set the dwell on the points. I sold my old dwell meter some years ago. Need to replace the exhaust manifold gasket on the passenger side. The more I run it the more things start to work like the windows and the climate control. The A/C compressor is siezed up so I'll have to address that as the whole system works off of that and tons of vacuum lines. Seems like a lot of folks have an old Caddy in their past....kinda like a VW bug only bigger.
Thanks for all the responses.
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Okay, now it's time to get busy fixing it.

Rolling a Fleetwood is how I mack!

You gotta get a black fedora. Please. Very cool.

Sweet man, just like J. Cash would have driven...

At least that A/C compressor couldn't be any more accessible. Those cars had the best A/C ever made on earth, GM/Frigidaire. It was the world's standard, used on RR and Jags among other contract customers. With a full charge of R-12, you could use it as a meat locker in Death Valley.

eh? No dice or hula hula doll girl? :(

I love it. Always been a fan of big old caddies and lincoln's. Make it a nice cruiser, slap and bag kit on in and some classy 20's (nothing gangster).

AWESOME!!! I love it!

The rust looks repairable, and you'll learn a lot while doing it. Be prepared to find a little more under the vinyl though. Mine had it bad along the bottom, and below the rear window.

I still think you got an incredible deal!

I had 72, 75, 76, and 78. I love those big old caddys.

We consumated our going steady in her parents '71 black Caddy. That car looks scary similar. Has it ever been in California? If yes, don't check under the back seat. How long do used condoms last? Maybe it fell out of a rust hole. :D

If used gently and only briefly, as I suspect was the case, then they last a long time.