The Eldo was not driveable when we purchased it. Electrical short and overheating issues.
(Text submitted by Erik Fretland)
My father taught me many things that prepared me for adult life, but the top lessons that have helped shape my life as a father (of 3 children) and husband (married 32 years) are:
- If something is hard to do, most people won’t try to do it.
- Care about others before yourself.
- Trying and making a mistake is better than doing nothing.
- Doing something on your own is better than asking someone to do it for you.
I learned quickly that Dad lived lessons 3 and 4 every time he would work on his 1960 Willy’s Jeep Truck, 1965 Mustang or his 1967 Renault R10. As a kid, I would always try to help, I would frequently get in the way and slow down the repair work, but most importantly, I learned that I loved repairing and/or restoring vehicles.
When our first child was born, my wife and I decided that I would teach him the basics of preventative maintenance and basic vehicle repair as he approached legal driving age. We also decided that his first personal vehicle would be manufactured in the year he was born. We purchased a 1995 Mitsubishi 3000GT with 127,000 miles 6 months prior to the date he was planning to receive his driver’s license and it remains his favorite car to this day. We carried on the same tradition with our daughter as well as our youngest son. Our children learned everything from basic fluid/filter changing procedures to water pump, alternator, starter and belt/belt tensioner replacement. Our oldest son and my daughter liked working on their vehicle, but my youngest son loved it!
Fast forward to 2024, our youngest son Alex is majoring in Mechanical Engineering and will graduate next year. He still drives his first car, a 1998 Pontiac Firebird with a 3.8 liter V-6 and he has personally repaired/replaced most parts in the car. He loves a mechanical challenge and that’s why the idea for our Spring Break Eldorado Road Trip was formulated.
Worked on the Eldo for 5 months before our road trip. Replaced: alternator, water pump, fuel pump, fuel filter, AC Compressor & Idler pulleys, radiator, thermostat & hoses, new coils & spark plugs, new valve cover gaskets, new tires. Removed: dealer installed spoiler and fender skirt chrome skirts.
We purchased a clean, but neglected 2002 Eldorado Collector’s Edition Coupe from the original owner in late 2023 and it had numerous mechanical issues, so it had to be towed to our house. Collector Series #998 of #1698 had received a new lease on life! We worked for 5 months on the car replacing everything from coils, spark plugs, fuel injectors, alternator, A/C compressor, battery, tires, fuel pump, valve cover gaskets and all filters. We drove it for a few days and decided it was ready for a road trip, but Alex wanted to put this limited edition Eldorado to the ultimate test…..
Alex wanted us to take a road trip from Florida to Arkansas! My uncle, (an Air Force fighter pilot during the Vietnam era) recently had a stroke and we decided to drive the Eldorado (1,100 miles each way) to see him! The Eldorado ran flawlessly and the 43 hours we spent together in that Aztec Red Classic during his spring break was priceless.
Work Completed and the Eldo is Ready to Roll!
The Highlight of our trip. Spending the day with Uncle Richard “Dick” Sullivan.
Air Force Fighter Pilot and long time Cadillac Lover!
Cruising north of Tupelo, MS. 94 MPH until I woke up…
Golfing with an old friend from grade school.
Takeaways from our trip include:
- Taking a road trip with your child gives you valuable bonding time that you will never get on any other vacation
- The Braised Angus Short Ribs at the Forklift Restaurant in Tupelo are superb!
- A Cadillac Eldorado can go 94 mph when Dad is napping in the passenger seat … and it only feels like 65 mph!
- Taking time out of our busy lives to share a day or two with a person in need is time well spent
The Spring Break Eldorado road trip was our best road trip ever! Get your classic car or sports car out of the garage and hit the road!
Making memories one mile at a time with your child is an amazing and valuable thing to do.
Back Home in Florida. The Eldo ran Flawlessly!
Wonderful story! Thanks for sharing. You’ve done something very right raising your children! Good call on removing the aftermarket bling. I like a bit chrome , but
those wheel opening moldings are over the top!
What a great story! You make me realize that my own three kids (born 1992 1994 and 1995) got most of their early driving time in a car close to their birth years (1993 Crown Victoria).
It is very true that you can get a special bonding when you take a road trip with one of your kids. I got the chance to do this with my daughter several years ago and it was a wonderful experience.
And I will vote with John Kelly that those chrome pieces that were on the wheel arches of your car when you bought it are simply awful, so you made a good call in removing them.
U bought and fixed a BEAUTIFUL car…….nice you are an engineer…..ENJOY !
I thank you for a great story too!
Wow! Great bonding and family experience!
My son is only 7 at the moment, but I want to do a road trip with him when he’s old enough. Probably in the old Ghia – mechanically simple and quite capable of long distances.
I hope I can do as good a job as a father as you have…
Excellent read. Wow! Something I wished I’d been able to do with my dad.
We are currently the owners of a 1976 Mark IV and a 1978 Thunderbird Diamond Jubilee. I’m now 61 and cannot wrench like I used to. About a year ago, our son needed a rest from everything and moved home. Recently, the bug started on him and he started prepping the Bird for paint. Maybe I’ll finally get to do a father son project after all.
Last thing to add to your dad’s list:
Live your life with no regrets.
You’re obviously a good Father having thought well into the future .
Your father’s life lessons are now paying double dividends .
I don’t much modern cars but this Caddy looks very sharp to me .
Your son looks alert and ready , this is always a good thing .
I did the same with my son back when he was about 6 years old, he wasn’t terribly interested in all the time it takes to do a job well but enjoyed playing with my tools and seeing what I was doing, his first car was an old VW he built into a mighty V8 killer, he’d been aiming to beat Honda Civics but overshot his mark a goodly bit .
All those road trips we took were wonderful, I took him from coast to coast and he learned not to be afraid like so many are today .
-Nate
Thanks for sharing this touching story. It’s one thing to keep my extremely simple ’66 F100 going, but when I look into the engine compartment of something like this, I know it’s not for me. But kudos to you both.
It’s great that your kids picked up the mechanical skills and one picked up the bug. I had a ’94 Seville and it had some problems, the worst being the main seal oil leak in the engine. These NorthStar cars were beasts! They were a revelation at the time.My buddy had a pearl white Eldo at the same time I had my Seville, It was a great car.
I like rule #1! Though after many years I try to avoid that. It looks like you are a methodical person, or you just lined up the tools for that photo!
A road trip with your son can indeed by a wonderful time together! My son and I did that in 2007 in the C5 Corvette I had at the time. We drove back home to Wisconsin, then down to Kentucky-from West to East-and then back home to Indiana via Ohio. It was a excellent week that we got to spend together; sadly we can never do it again as we (and his wife/children) lost him to a very aggressive form of cancer in 2023.
However, I will always treasure the memory of our one real road trip together. 🙂 DFO
May God bless you and your family Otto. So so sad you lost your son but so very happy you had the privilege to share that time with him and your Vette. I’m sure you had some awesome conversations about things you guys never thought you would have! Trying to type through the tears man. And so happy he left you Grandkids to hear all about that trip!
Great read, and life lessons.
Excellent story, Erik. I wholeheartedly agree with all 4 of your father’s lessons, and with your takeaways. Well, I can’t say for sure about #2 on the takeaway list, but I’ll take that for a recommendation the next time I’m in Tupelo!
I agree it’s a wonderful experience. My wife and I did it with our younger son in December 2005, traveling from Los Angeles to our home in central Virginia.
Photo was taken at Monarch Pass on US Route 50 in Colorado with our 2004 Toyota Camry. Can you say c..c..cold!
Great article. These Eldorados are beautiful and fast cars and very rare sights…. the ones I see in these parts are usually on their last legs.
Very noble thing you did visiting your uncle and great uncle in his time of need.
Great story!
So true about how taking a long road trip provides priceless memories for both parent and kid. I’m in my 50s now, and still look back fondly on a cross-country road trip I took with my dad when I was 16. I hope someday I’ll have a similar opportunity with my own kids.
Very glad to hear about folks who are able to pass along knowledge like vehicle maintenance, etc. One of my biggest regrets is not learning that kind of thing from my father – he was quite a DIY-er, but our personalities conflicted so much that neither of us could work together on projects. Congratulations on pulling that off with your kids!
And great Eldorado, by the way! A perfect road trip car.
It’s an observation on vehicle longevity that my children and their friends daily drive vehicles as old or older than they are but the oldest vehicles I’ve owned were made when I was in 8th grade.
One of the most profound anecdotes that I have seen on curbside Classics that only do we see a history of the Cadillac, but also we get a lesson of values that are so so often lost in present day. Thank you so much. Prayers to your father wherever he is.