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IIRC there is a few Cadillac experts in here. I'm going to look ata 74 Eldo Convertible with 64K miles, supposedly "runs good" but needs a top and interior.

Any recommendations on what i should look for while inspecting this car????

Is mechanical parts cost and availability a problem for the 74 Eldo's???

As I recall the CV joints are expensive.

Memory is sketchy here, but there were some Cadillacs made around this time that had a terrible engine. I believe it was the 4.1 V-8. All kinds of problems with coolant getting into places it was not meant to be. Maybe someone else can shed some light on this. If the car has one of these engines run do not walk, away from it. Good luck, I hope it is a great car for you.

John is entirely right about the V-4,6,8 engine but he's about ten years off. These did not manifest until around '84.

I owned a '74 Eldorado, though not a convertible. As I recall, it had a 500 cu. in. V8. My wife (of the time) had a habit of running over curbs, etc. with it and, yes, the CV joints were expensive and, being driven as it was, it was almost impossible to keep the front end aligned and I bought a lot of tires. The only problems that I had with the car (not caused by the way it was driven) were (1) the speed control went out early on (diaphragm, if I recall) and (2)the padded top retained water causing early rusting/discolouration problems on the rear upper quarter panels (convertibles wouldn't be subject to this). The doors are incredibly long and heavy. The car did not drive badly, in spite of being very front-end heavy but, if you ever get a rear tire out of balance or out of round - or rotate a slightly bent (from running over a kerb!?!?) wheel to the rear, you'll know it immediately.

the HT-4100 was introduced for the 1980 model year, there were huge problems with that wet-liner design. The '74 models still have the 502 cu. in. standard cast iron block engine, a good, relable unit. The trans is good, the chain between the flywheel and torque converter is a remarkable design.
I have worked on a couple of '76s, basically the came car, and a good-trouble-free one at that.

I recall wanting to buy a '79 Cadillac back about 1990 and it had a 425 cubic inch engine. The 4.1 came out in 1980 and it did not have a reputation as a good engine.

The drive train on the Cadillac and Olds front wheel drive full size cars of this period up till 1976 were very reliable the trans is based on TH 400 which is among best transmissions. As long as US car companies made big cars the drive trains were good when they downsized they were in trouble. The CV joints are listed at Advance Auto parts for around $60 which I do not consider expensive.
Finding trim and body parts may be a larger problem and the Plastic pcs between body and bumper if original will be cracked or missing but fiberglass replacements are available.
Gas consumption is not a strong point. But in my opinion gas is not a issue on any old car small part of ownership of old cars.
Look at Hemming Classic car Magazine for some good articles on restoring or the cost of parts for the cars of the 60 - 80 a great mag for car people.

Speaking from my experience in the auto business, I wouldn't buy just the CV joints, I would buy the whole shaft. Costs a little more, but worth it in the long run for the durability.

FWIW, the Cadillac HT4100 (which originally stood for High Technology 4100, but has become known as the Hook & Tow 4100) was not introduced until the 1982 model year. In 1980, the standard 49 state gasoline engine was the 368 cubic inch version of the cast iron 472 motor that first appeared in the 1968 Cadillacs. Besides the unlamented diesels, the exceptions were the California-bound editions of the Eldorado, which retained the Olds 350 V8 with analog EFI. This same engine had been used in Sevilles from 1975 to 1979, as well as in the 1979 Eldorado.

1981 saw another iteration of the 368, which was the infamous V8-6-4 -- a great idea whose time had not yet come.

Continuing its plunge into the darkness, Cadillac unleashed the HT4100 upon the buying public in all 1982 models (except the Seventy Five series and the commercial chassis), thus setting the stage for the mass flight of its customer base to Lincoln, and then later to Mercedes and Lexus.

You really couldn't go wrong with any Cadillac up until 1981, and even in '81, if you knew which single wire to cut, you could still have a supremely quiet, comfortable, reliable and stately automobile. But between the HT4100, the Cimarron and the roller skate 1986 Eldos and Sevilles, Cadillac basically came apart at the seams. They've spent almost the last 20 years trying to recover, and trying to figure out what they want to be when they grow up. Thankfully, the CTS shows great promise, but the rest of the line needs to rise up and meet the same bar level if they are to be taken seriously by today's luxury buyers (i.e., Mercedes and BMW customers). Maybe if The General drops some of the other divisions, Cadillac will have enough money to develop the models it needs to become a competitive global brand, like Packard was 80 years ago!

Many thanks to everyone for your analysis and info. I din't get chance to look at the car today so hopefuly tommorrow, sunday or monday at the latest. It's about 40 miles from here.


55Packardconv's analysis of the 82 and later Cadillacs seems to be the general problem that plagued GM during and since the beginning of Roger Smith ca. 1980. It's just not clear to me why the big money boys at GM has allowed such imcompetence to creep into the top levels of GM since the early 80's.

I'll report back on the 74 Eldo as soon as i get to see it. Tho i have mostly a Chevy backgorund it's the BIG Cadillacs that have always been among my favorites.