Hello Hamb. This a picture dump and help thread for my 16 year olds first car. Its an 83 Deville 4 door(I know) My son Nik,is going to turn 17 in April. Hes been around all my old cars,hes been crawling around and under my old cars and trucks since he was little til now. I have videos,stories etc of us riding together and just shenanigans. His mom and I didn't see eye to eye but it was friendly,still is. I took this kid to Boneville,car shows etc. In his mild teens he didnt want anything to do with my cars,he enjoys going for rides doesnt mater wat car or truck,and if we drive my daily,he loves listening to music. He wasnt interested in learning to drive when I started talking about it. I forced him to drive my truck and the coe,nothing. I stopped pushing. Last weekend we were sitting at the table and he said he was looking at cars on marketplace,i asked why. He said "maybe i wana learn how to drive" I said cool!! What kinda car?? Earlier on when he was about 15 he kind of mentioned he wanted a "square looking car" i tried to steer him into a 79 Monte Carlo or an Oldsmobile,something gangsta. I love the movie Training Day.. So i'd love to get that car. He said maybe. A couple of years later he says: I want a square,mob looking car. Cool. Lets see whats out there. We started looking and then he found this. I told him maybe a 2 door would be better something more finished(I dont need another dam project) He said no i like that.. Ok. Messaged the guy,went to see the car,he loved it. Next day we met to do the transaction,we took it for a ride etc. Nik is excited! We drove it around the neighborhood the next day after I got off work. He loves the 12" subwofers,and the ride. Im going to need some help with some stuff it needs. Ill try to have someone replace the trans gasket since i dont have a lift and im too old to be under low cars like that. The rotor might be warped so front brakes need to be addressed. Turn signals dont work that well,they stick and sometimes they flash and they stick again. It has a noise everytime we turn it on,like the heater fan is on and the bearing is bad. Interior needs love. And the gauges arent working. I wish we went for a little better car but this is what he wants. Now some pictures. And the car as we saw it on the ad
Blower motor bad, burnt out bulb or lazy flasher? Check the gauges fuse first before going nuts, somebody probably tapped into it to power something. Hope that gets you started.
My kid had an 84 Seville. I called it his wanna be a thug gangster phase. I ended up salvaging it later when it got hit. Maroon red power leather seats, power everything else, and the sound deadening gave new understanding to why you got Cadillac quiet.. 4.9 and front wheel drive. I even have a factory shop service manual.
Pretty cool. A 16 year old kid could do a lot worse. I like it the way it is with the wire wheels and skinny white walls. I would probably throw some old style Supremes on there, but yeah a loud *** stereo system and blacked out windows , that would be a straight up pimp mobile.
I dig it, I seem to remember that there were some years of caddies that the caliper pistons turned as they extended and retracted. Really confused people when trying to compress the calipers during brake jobs but not really an issue if you had the tool to turn them. I did a quick Google on your car but didn't see anything so maybe it isn't this vintage, just something to be aware of when you dig into the rotor.
Replace the valve cover gaskets and clean out the oil return holes in the heads at the same time. You’ll thank me later, trust me.
I will look into that thank you I figured its a good start,hopefully turns into a love for the older cars. I think thats what he aims for. Ill keep that in mind, thank you. Thanks,,ill listen to any useful advice thanks. I took the caddy to a shop yesterday,he replaced the trans pan gasket and he said that the oil pan was a bit loose so he tightened up for me. At first he said that it could've been the drilled driveshaft that is leaking,it would have to be taken out and welded close. Well he said just gasket and it was all good...ill check today for leaks after work.. It did shift better after the gasket and refill. He looked at the brakes and said that they look good,,but the bushings are shot.. I could tell they are.. He said a rebuild would be around 2k. He mentioned that it cant be done in a backyard,,,im wondering if thats true or not..
Crngrats! Da man needs a pimp hat! Preferably Red Velvet! Get it safe, explain that those wheels and tires come with physics limitations under what the car is capable of. Especially at speed in the heat. The extensions between the fenders and bumper are HANDLE WITH CARE. The electrical will be a good test of basic troubleshooting. Clean grounds, clean connections, any aftermarket add-ons or repairs should be checked fully.
I say whatever brings them into "the car guy" fold, tastes change with generations, but now we have him. It can only grow bigger for him from here. I say congratulations to you! You want a Flatty he wants a Caddy. Good on you for being a understanding cool dad. Funny thing the first time I saw your avatar and screen name I thought it said IWANAFATTY and said dude knows what he wants.
Common issue with 80s GM heater fans on A/C cars is the motor does get noisy. Two common issues is junk gets into the heater box, usually leaves, and needs to be cleaned out. Just requires fan removal, easy to do. Pull out the fan speed resistors and verify they are clean too. If the fan itself is noisy, drill a small hole at the 'top' of the fan motor on the '******' where the end of the shaft would be. Dribble in a little turbine oil and that usually quietens a noisy fan motor. If there is a fan motor speed issue, fan and resistors usually are not the problem.(high speed only) GM used an wire couplee behind radio faceplate that tends to overheat and melt. Single wire, usually brown connector. Its not a connector to controls just a lone coupling. Connection gets hot and melts plastic in between contacts. Cut it out and replace with a bullet connector. For the indicators getting stuck, is it they dont flash or they dont turn off when returning the wheel to center? If the lights arent flashing verify all the applicable bulbs are illuminating. Clean sockets and bulb ends and verify correct bulb wattage is installed. Sometimes the smaller 194 bulb molded sockets get crusty/toasted and those pigtails just need to be replaced. Verify correct flasher is installed. And of course all the bonds/grounds are good. Dunno why but the light harness ground for the D-side head/light that bolts to the rad support on 80s GM cars/trucks all seem to go bad. Clean and if need be replace eyelet. Usual indication is the D side headlight is slightly dimmer than Pside. Mechanically if the turn signal doesnt return its probably the switch inside the column that is just going to pot. Easier to replace the ***embly and harness. There are the spring kits and such but the plastic in these switches is so brittle by now, dont bother trying to repair, just replace it. While in the column, if its tilt and feels a little sloppy, its best to go a little further and lo***e the lower E-torx bolts. https://gbodyforum.com/threads/how-to-fix-loose-tilt-steering-column-pic-heavy-now-with-video.75149/ Also, if the multifunction switch(turn signal stalk) is a little sloppy, replace that too. CC slider switch if it doesnt 'click' positions can become a hazard. Its been a while but Metro was the only brand that sold the proper chrome stalk multifunction switch w/CC. Others sell the chrome non CC stalk, or the all black w/CC stalk. There is some difference in the repop stuff so you cant readily replace the factory chrome sleeve onto a Dorman black stalk. Brakes, if the car sat probably has a bit of rust on em. Drive around the neighborhood and just drag the brakes to clean them off. If pulsation incrrases with heat, the pads probably kust need to be rebed in. Find a nice stretch if empty road/highway and do 10x 60-10mph slowdowns in succession. Hard solid smooth braking. Like when getting off at a really short offramp. DONT STOP. Get back up to speed again and slow down, you dont want to lock up the tires, you want the rotors turning. By about the 7th time the pulsation will be at its worst, by the 9th it should be mostly gone. After that continue driving without stopping for 15mins to allows the brakes to air cool down evenly. If gauges arent working, its a common 80s GM issue. Pronted circuit board has copper traces that get dirty. Pull dash(cluster) out, be careful of VSS its attached next to speedo cable with a 5mm(?), best to disconnect speedo cable at transmission to allow enough slack. Also a great time to replace speedo cable if the speedometer is bouncing. Get your favorite pencil eraser ready. There is a printed plastic circuit board that will be mounted on the back where dash bulbs are plugged in. At every connection clean copper contacts with eraser. Main connector usually sits in the dash and cluster sits over it. The spring loaded contacts sometimes need to be reformed to make contact again. Its a ****py connection. May have to open the cluster to get to other gauge contacts. Be warned, do NOT Touch/wipe gauge cluster face. It will smear. If its dusty only use compressed air.
He said that the DS is drilled and sometimes fluid goes in there and starts seeping out..I dont know.. Thank you,I didnt think about the wheels and tires performance.. I always liked the way they look but never drove on a set. What's the deal with the fender extensions? Are they plastic? The tailight chrome bezels are not sitting properly.. i just have so much going on to sit down and start messing with this car but im always thinking about the issues. So you think the suspension rebuild can be done in the backyard? Yeah im glad he chose something old,and we have a cool relationship,hes a great kid,smart,funny doesn't give me any trouble. Haha someone else called me iwanafattie before. Wow so much information,I will keep digging slowly at it.. I called an auto electrician and he'll take a look at it on Friday morning. Im going to be busy with my yard so he can tell me what the car needs.
The Jalopy Journal
