RR of the Day: 1981 Cadillac Eldorado Diesel
Reader Julius Cheng calls his '81 Eldo diesel "a rolling monument to GM stupidity," which, in addition to making us chuckle, also serves as a vivid reminder of just how far GM and Cadillac have come in the last 25 years. Examples of the aforementioned "Old GM" stupidity included Diesel badges that were misaligned on each side of the car, as well as only having three matching wheel centers. Ahhh, the salad days of quality control.
The car is mostly stock, save for repairs/replacements performed after it was stolen, as well as a couple of modern concessions like a K&N filter and Performance Friction brake pads. Julius learned to drive in this car, which his dad bought because of it's fuel economy potential. In its prime, it was apparently a nice road-trip cruiser, as the 105-horsepower diesel was good for 24-25 mpg between refuelings. Due to scarcity of parts, however, taking it on long trips is a bit of a gamble now. It recently blew a fuel injector pump on a drive from NJ to NY, and Julius had to drive the car an hour out of the way (at a blazing 35mph) just to get the part.
In any case, he does work at maintaining its original look. The diesel exhaust makes keeping the rear end clean a full-time job, and he's also pretty meticulous about ensuring that the wire-spoke wheel covers look tidy. Lastly, the interior retains the utterly breathtaking 80s GM ergonomics and appears to be in decent shape. When you consider that a lot of Eldorados from this era are either total beaters or already rotting away in junkyards, it's nice to see someone put in the effort to keep one looking and running OK. The fact that it's a diesel makes it particularly interesting and seals the deal: it's today's Reader Ride of the Day.
Follow the jump for additional photos and instructions on how to submit your car for RRotD consideration.
1981 Cadillac Eldorado Diesel
How to submit to RR of the Day:
Create a Flickr account if you don't already have one. Search for and join the group called 'Autoblog RR of the Day'. Upload up to three photos of your ride to your own account at a size no larger than 450 pixels wide if possible and include as much information about it and yourself as possible. Even if your ride is sweet, it will not be chosen if there's not a lot of info accompanying it. Click on each photo and just above the picture it will say "Send to group". Click that and select the Autoblog group. You're done, that's it!
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
TheOne442 9:23AM (12/13/2006)
Solid car Julius. Good choice for today, let's mix it up a bit.
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Jason_801 9:23AM (12/13/2006)
The interior makes me want to shag a hippie.
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M. 9:23AM (12/13/2006)
Was it a Bosch or a Rotodiesel injection pump?
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CJ 9:29AM (12/13/2006)
Wow!! This could be Reader Rig of the year.
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roadside observer 9:31AM (12/13/2006)
Julius, kudos on your excellent maintenance work!
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Stephen 11:08AM (12/13/2006)
I second #1--good choice.
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HotRod 9:42AM (12/13/2006)
I'm the last one to defend GM, but isn't it possible that a 25 year old car lost a hubcap somewhere along the way and an 'almost' match was used?
And possibly there was a minor fender repair and the body shop guy put the Diesel emblem in the wrong place on that side? At least once a week I get behind a car that has the rear emblems all wrong due to idiot body shop guys.
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Mike 9:57AM (12/13/2006)
Thank you Alex for writing yet another obviously biased POS anti-american article. Beautiful, articulate, and lacking any form of factual evidence to back of the drivel. Thank you.
As for the car:
the interior is holding up beautifully.
The exterior is holding up beautifully.
How many miles are on it? I would say the motor is holding up pretty damned good as well...
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AZMike 9:49AM (12/13/2006)
a couple of things here:
1) first, the engine designation nameplates ALWAYS go below the side moldings on this body style Eldorado, not above them. someone has obviously moved them to their present position, and this could perhaps be the cause of their being crooked. look in any factory Eldorado photos; it will verify this. there should also be an Eldorado emblem on the trunk, right above the Diesel namplate.
2) their are two choices for injector pumps. the awful GM rebuilt version (lasts less than 20,000 miles) or the improved aftermarket version, which lasts forever. the GM rebuilt unit is about $150, and the more durable version is about $300.
there is always much laughter concerning the 1978-1985 GM diesels, much well-deserved. however, check out the prices for a pristine example in either Hemmings Motor News or Ebay; the prices are substantially higher than a like model with a gasoline engine.
Mike
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Be Oh Be 9:54AM (12/13/2006)
#7 - More than likely, that's probably what happened. I'd be very surprised if the badges and wheel covers were botched up from the factory.
That car is sweet. I've been toying with the idea of finding a Buick from that era to restore (maybe a Riviera or even an Electra). Just for shits and giggles.
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Avinash Machado 10:18AM (12/13/2006)
I belive Oldsmobiles of that era also offered the same diesel engine as an option.
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mr 11:07AM (12/13/2006)
Wow. Condescending review of a pretty nice car.
So Julius - when are you converting that baby to veg oil?
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AMcA 10:21AM (12/13/2006)
That generation of Eldo is still a good looking car. Maybe not a car of our times, but still good looking.
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laserwizard 10:29AM (12/13/2006)
I'd take an older Cadillac over the garbage they are building today. I like the AMERICAN look of the dashboard, the crisp styling, and the presence that the older Cadillacs have on the road. They look luxurious and I'm not buying a Cadillac to drag race (unless I'm wearing high heels and a wig and then well.....).
Today there is no longer a Cadillac made that is worth its sticker price - Cadillac has ruined the looks of the outside, ensured the interior is as cheaply made and designed as possible, and makes you regret that the engine and chassis is so good by having to endure time inside it.
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BOB 10:35AM (12/13/2006)
My friend, the hopeless car nut, had one of these. Beautiful car in solid colors! Rode like a huge sack of pillows (not a compliment. This horrid diesel engine was one of the pinnacles in GM's attempts to turn Cadillac from "the Standard of the World" into a clown car.
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Professor Porsche 11:18AM (12/13/2006)
"In its prime, it was apparently a nice road-trip cruiser, as the 105-horsepower diesel was good for 24-25 mpg between refuelings." (SIC!)
I cannot believe somebody wroe this with a STRAIGH FACE.
The above performance is LOUSY under ANY Case.
Cars with TZHREE TIMES the Hp and much heavier than the stupid Caddy Diesel ROUTINELY Get 24 MPG highway, and with the cruise control at 78-88 MPH!
Such as my UEBERWAGEN "Magnificent 7" BMW 740iL Movie Star of a car (see identical styling and color in Bond's 1997 "Tomorrow Never Dies", Bond's Hamburg Rental. Only he got the V12. Life's unfair)
This ugly Heap of Junk should have been converted to cans long time ago.
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C'est Raoul 11:46AM (12/13/2006)
Great choice! I love those UFOs!
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Mike 11:31AM (12/13/2006)
did you really jsut compare the gas mileage of a 1981 Caddy deisel to a 1997 BMW 740?
that has have to be the single most retarded post in Autoblog history. Please, for the love of GOD, snip the twins before you have a chance to procreate. This world is already going to shit, the last thing we need is more people with the IQ of an amoeba.
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Richard Warren 12:01PM (12/13/2006)
These were nice rides able to cover a lot of ground smoothly, quietly and very comfortable. They were what they were, pretty much straight line cars. They still have a nice look and line to their style a well taken care of one still looks good today.
This Diesel was far from being perfection, but have to tell ya it was not as bad as folks make out. The main problem was the pump as AZMike points out, the fact there was no preheater for the fuel before reaching the pump and a way undersized filter. Glow plug relays were problematical. The soot at the rear of the car could be reduced by cutting a portion of the exhaust off and adding an angled pipe aimed at the ground.
Those wheel covers? Well, those were stolen a lot during that period, in fact before the factory offered it you used to by an aftermarket kit to deter theft. GM also made two different covers, a lower cost replacement and the original. Those puppies listed back then for over a hundred dollars apiece. To see a non matching one, not surprising and it was not a factory screw up, because the wheel covers came packaged (shrink wrap)and the dealer installed them during PDI. (I never saw a mismatched pair until after the car was down the road and if they had been mismatched the dealer would have warrantied them BEFORE the customer took delivery)
As to the emblems. The emblems went ABOVE the BSM on Eldorado below on Seville
http://www.car-nection.com/yann/Dbas_txt/Phocad80.htm
http://www.car-nection.com/yann/Dbas_txt/Phocad82.htm
http://www.car-nection.com/yann/Dbas_txt/Phocad79.htm
Julian, great ride, want to sell it?
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Professor Porsche 11:53AM (12/13/2006)
My 1983 Pontiac 2000 had 84 HP and a 5-speed manual and was rated 28/46 by the EPA, and I DID get 40s Highway mileage.
it also has 102 lbft torque.
Compare this to the heap of junk STUPID UGLY Diesel.
(to Mike)
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