Driving Subaru Cadillac Chevrolet

1993 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham Cadillac of Cadillacs This one was purchased in from MJK Motorcars. We finally got tired of the Subaru being out of comission when I'm working on it and waiting for parts, so we went out and found a backup vehicle. There was only one previous owner and it was registered and serviced out in the West County area. At the time of purchase, the hot news was that oil is about to hit $100/barrel, so demand for such a vehicle was pretty low, and we got it for less than half of the Blue Book value. You can pretty much walk through the history of American automobiles just by talking about this car. Cadillac, founded in 1902 and purchased by GM in 1909, has had a long history of automotive innovation. Here's a start: 1910: First to have fully enclosed cabs as factory equipment. 1912: First manufacturer to offer an electric starter, replacing the hand crank. 1914: First to offer a V8. 1928: First to offer a fully synchronized manual transmission. 1934: First automaker to use the newly invented Phillips screw/screwdriver to speed assembly. Pictures Thumbnails below reference to the pictures in higher resolution: Engine: L05 - 5.7L OHV 90-degree V8. 9.8:1 compression ratio. 300 lb-ft of torque @ 2400 rpm. (Cadillac was the first US manufacturer to install electronic fuel injection in 1975.) Transmission: 4L60 4-speed automatic. The GM "Hydramatic" in 1940 was the first automatic transmission developed for a passenger automobile. GM has used Hydramatic to describe a lot of iterations of the automatic transmission since then, including what eventually was renamed the 4L60. Drivetrain: RWD with a 3.73:1 rear axle - included with the 7000-lb towing package Cadillac started promoting front-wheel-drive as the way of the future as early as 1967 with the Eldorado. By 1985, Cadillac's slogan became "Cadillac of Tomorrow" and every car in the lineup was FWD (including the Fleetwood) except for the Brougham. It became its own model, an entry-level RWD land yacht for those who wanted to live in yesterday. The Brougham name was given one last chance to be the most premium Cadillac in 1993, as a trim level of the new RWD Fleetwood. While the new Fleetwood may be a new acknowledgment that FWD is not the way of the future in every passenger car application, it was also clear the big B-body cars aren't exactly forward thinking either. After a brief run, production on all B-body cars ended in 1996 to make way for the next era of American motoring - the Tahoe/Suburban. However, sitting in a modern, loaded, 2003 Tahoe, I can't help but notice the elements taken almost straight out of the Cadillac feature bin - so the heritage continues. Suspension: 4-wheel FE2 (upgraded handling/firm springs) independent suspension with auto level (Cadillac was the first in the world to offer an independent front suspension in 1934.) Dimensions: Curb Weight: 4418 pounds Cargo volume - 20.8 cubic feet Turning Diameter: 40.4 feet Wheelbase: 121.5 inches Track - Front: 61.7 inches Track - Rear: 60.7 inches Length: 225.1 inches - the longest car produced, longer than the Suburban even Width: 78.0 inches Height: 57.1 inches Headroom - Front: 38.7 inches Headroom - Rear: 39.1 inches Legroom - Front: 42.5 inches Legroom - Rear: 43.9 inches Shoulder room - Front: 64.3 inches Shoulder room - Rear: 64.0 inches Wheels and Tires: Cadillac OEM wheels, 15x7 - Rear: Goodyear Eagle GA 235/70/15 - Front: Hercules Ultra Plus IV 235/70/15 Impala SS OEM wheels, 17x8.5 Stock Features: - Twilight Sentinel - Climate control with outside temperature display - 6 Speaker audio system with Radio/Cassette player, 5-band EQ, speed-sensitive volume adjustment, and power antenna - 7000-lb towing package, includes trailer wiring harness, 3.73:1 rear axle, and heavy duty cooling system - Split front power heated bench seats - Retained Accessory Power (10 minutes after ignition is switched off) - Bosch ASRIIU traction control - 4-wheel Bosch ABS-5 - Dual airbags - Front and rear storage armrests with dual cupholders - Brougham leather interior - Multi-delay interval wipers - Digital speedometer, fuel gauge, and trip odometer - Power windows, driver one-touch down feature - Front and rear reading lamps and vanity mirrors - Front cornering lamps - Front and rear lamp monitors (Fiber optics that have been on Cadillacs since the 60s) - Power mirrors - Underhood and trunk lamps - A wide array of possible warning lights and tones, including leaving the turn signal on for half a mile. - Speed-sensitive variable-assist steering with a 13:1 ratio - Automatic parking brake release - Rear defroster - Three 12V outlets - Remote trunk release and power latching - don't slam this trunk, I was confused for the first week! - Power locks - Color: Driftwood Metallic Power Seats - 16-way adjustments for both driver and passenger with 2 driver memory settings Rear Door Controls and 12V outlets - You can lock the doors from the rear - extremely convenient in the days before remote keyless entry. Think about what happens when you get something out of the back seat of your car, and you need to lock the car - you don't have to open the front door again to do it! Rear Storage and Cupholders Rear Lights and Vanity Mirrors - with rheostats Climate Control and Stereo - Cadillac introduced the industry's first signal-seeking automotive radio in 1953. While audio luxuries are now standard in most cars, climate control is still a only a part of premium packages and vehicles. Cadillac set the started way back in 1964 when they debuted the industry's first automatic climate control system. Seats - Front and rear bench seats, with seating for six. Rear Seats - The rear seat is like a big comfy couch. Instrument Cluster Trunk Heavy Duty Cooling System - Part of the towing package - a mechanical belt driven fan with clutch and 240W secondary fan L05 5.7L V8 Lights and Mirrors - Cadillac debuted the industry's first automatic headlights in 1964, and the switch is still labeled Twilight Sentinel in 1993. The mirrors are small and low profile to reduce drag and wind noise, and because the car is already so wide! Motorweek 1993 Review: Date miles Service and Modifications 2007.03.27 91816 oil/filter change at Valvoline 2007.11.28 92339 acquired car, replaced wipers 2007.12.14 92635 oil/filter change 2007.12.22 92635 replaced air filter with STP OEM replacement 2007.12.23 92635 replaced front left turn signal repeater and front passenger vanity light 2007.12.30 92923 complete body wax 2008.02.02 93625 plug wires replaced 2008.02.09 93625 complete body wax 2008.02.16 94008 distributor cap and rotor replaced 2008.06.16 94318 conditioned weatherstripping

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