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!
Thanks John,
I’ve never owned a Cadillac with a Northstar engine before, so repairs on the Eldorado were alot more challenging for both me and my son. I have found that having a common goal (working on a car or truck together) is a great way for both of us to communicate and bond around common goals and repair challenges. We spent many late nights and weekends working together on the Eldorado.
With all the stories we had heard about Northstar engines, I was a little concerned about taking a long road trip, but that Eldorado ran really well for the entire trip.
I agree 100% about those chrome wheel mouldings, they were definitely over the top and we were so glad to remove them and find the paint in good condition under the mouldings!
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 !
Thanks H Craig,
Yes, it’s a very unique car. I never knew that Cadillac offered the collectors series before we found this one. We were lucky to find it on Craigslist in 2023!
Thanks JP,
I’ll bet your kids will remember that Crown Vic as one of their favorite cars because it was their first driving experience, it was so reliable and rode so smooth! I really liked Crown Vics and Grand Marquis of that vintage.
I agree with you and John about those chrome wheel mouldings. They were installed at the dealership before the original owner picked up the car. Not sure who thought they looked good, but I’m sure there was an extra charge for them.
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…
Thanks Huey,
I really appreciate your comments. I’m sure you and your son will have a great trip in the Ghia when the time is right. Time together sharing common challenges and experiences is invaluable and enjoying a classic car road trip together is hard to beat!
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.
Thanks CD3, it sounds like you will be able to start the family road trip tradition with your son in that 1978 T-Bird! Those Diamond Jubilees were really nice cars. I always really liked the unique interior, color contrasting wheels and special opera windows. My Dad had a metallic blue 1973 Mark IV that was an amazing car, so you have 2 cool cars to work on with your son.
I agree, no regrets is a great one to add to the life list.
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 Nate,
I really appreciate your comments. You and your son benefitted in so many ways from the long trips you have taken together. I agree with your comments about double dividends for dads and children.
Working on cars together and taking road trips with Dad build confidence. I believe that many children today are fearful of trying anything new because they have been told failure is somehow a bad thing when it’s really an essential part of growing into an adult, building confidence (and learning from mistakes that lead to success).
Old VW’s were such great first cars because they were logically designed and straightforward to work on. I’ll bet his car was fast!
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.
Thanks for your comments, Paul. Working on a Northstar engine was a new experience and I was apprehensive about driving it a long-distance trip based on many questionable reviews of the engine’s reliability. But my son challenged me and I took the challenge. I’m glad it worked out well and we had a great trip together!
By the way, the 66′ F100 is an awesome truck!
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!
Thanks for your comment, Jose. I feel very fortunate that my youngest son is even more motivated to try new restoration projects than I was at his age.
Oil leaks were a major issue for many Northstar engines. we were lucky that both valve cover gaskets and the oil pan were leaking, but not the rear main seal. Replacing both valve cover gaskets and tightening the oil pan bolts (very slightly) were enough to stop virtually all of the oil leaks. You are correct, when a Northstar is running correctly, it is a Beast with alot of power and speed (with decent gas mileage, too.)
On any project we are working on, we start organized and try to stay organized. When we had to remove the fuel tank to replace the fuel pump, frustration levels got high and the tools got scattered, though! So we can always get better.
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!
I am very sorry to hear about your son, Dennis. I’m sure that your week together in 2007 meant the world to both or you. He had to be very happy and excited to visit the Bowling Green facility with you and to take such a great trip with his Dad.
By the way, that’s an awesome looking C5! Maybe you can take your grand kids on a road trip someday!
Great read, and life lessons.
Thanks Peter!
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!
Sounds good, Jeff.
I think you will agree about those short ribs!
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!
You guys look cold, but I’ll bet it was a great road trip! And,I’ll bet that Camry is still running somewhere. Those cars run forever! Thanks for your comment on my story!
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.
Thanks for your comments, Carlsberg6. I agree about how rare the 2002 Eldorado actually is. We only saw one other Eldorado on our 2200-mile trip…and it wasn’t a Collector’s Series.
Seeing my Uncle was the highlight of our trip. He was so happy and surprised that we would both drive so far to see him. It took time and effort, but was totally worth it to see his face when we knocked on his front door!
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.
Thanks for your comments, Eric.
I’m glad you were able to take a road trip with your father when you were 16 and you have such fond memories. My father and I both loved cars and car repair, but we never took a fun road trip together.
I had a similar personality conflict with my Dad for about 10 years so we didn’t do many fun things together until I moved out of the house and had my own career. We patched things up, but it took quite a while.
Plan a road trip with your kids. They grow up too fast!
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.
Thanks for your comment, Joe. New technology, cleaner fuel, better oil quality and vehicle computer analysis advancements make vehicles that our kids drive last longer than vehicles of our time. Newer vehicles are just more difficult for DIY’ers to repair, so car companies can profit from those big repair bills when a car is repaired by a dealership.
It’s fun to bring an older car back to life and to test it on a road trip. Sometimes the outcome is really good like our Spring Break/Eldorado road trip. My son and I are thankful that our trip worked out so well!
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.
Thanks for your comments, Carlito. Let’s keep working to share our knowledge/love of classic cars with our children. Hard work, a few failures and successes make life fun and memorable. Restoring a classic car teaches our children that nothing is easy, but completing a job can be very satisfying (and result in a great road trip).
Thank you for your prayers for my father. He died in 2003, but I think of him almost every day. Very positive thoughts, he was a good guy.
I know your uncle, used to live in Mountain Home and was a regular customer. What a wonderful guy, he sure loved his coffee. He was a true mentor for my son and many other Young people. Say hi to Dick from Mark.
Thanks for your message, Mark. That is so cool that you know my uncle. Yes, he did live in Mountain Home at one time and he still loves his coffee! I will call him tomorrow and tell him that I received a message from you. Your message will bring a smile to his face!
I hope you still have a classic car you enjoy! Take care and God Bless!
Yea, that blew me away I had to do a double take. He also enjoyed our home made frozen custard, even helped us out at the county fair once handing out samples. We had many long conversations. Is he alone now, I remember Sondra was not doing well. And yes I do have a classic, 1999 Buick LeSabre Limited, loaded, with blue leather and most of the bells and whistles, deep foremost blue.its in pretty good shape. good luck with your endeavors.
Man that Aztec Red looks good. I have a 98 Eldorado ETC myself. Only has 89k miles on it. It’s just had a new lease on life itself. Just replaced intake manifold gaskets, fuel filter, spark plugs and wires, new battery and alternator and A/C recharged.