The early 1980's were not a good time for Cadillac. Questionable product planning along with poor execution at a time when younger-target buyers were gravitating to German makes and models almost doomed what had been one of the world's most respected if not hallowed automobile brands. In many ways, it's amazing the moniker is around today because of how bad things had gotten and gotten very quickly back then. This 1983 Cadillac Coupe deVille was a poster car of those woe begotten days although some of what ailed this one, in particular, have been remedied.
That's because the engine it came from the factory has been replaced with a 1987-1995 GM 350-cubic inch V-8. There aren't any more details in the Facebook Marketplace ad about it other than the poster claims it has a new four-barrel carburetor. All GM "350's" made after 1986, even ones in trucks, had at least throttle-body fuel injection so some work has been done to it. Cadillac offered a 350-cubic inch, throttle body fuel injected in 1992 and it made 185-horsepower and 300-pound feet of torque. Nothing to write home about today but in the early 90's for a Cadillac, that was quite improvement over what they had not long before under their hoods. Who knows, maybe this began life as a 240-horse, L98 with 330-foot pounds of twist.
The engine this car was built with was Cadillac's infamous "HT4100". "HT" was for "High Tech" and many joke that stood for "hook and tow". The 4.1-liter V-8 was originally developed for Cadillac's front-wheel-drive "C-body", full-size cars that came to market for model-year 1985. With the abortive V8-6-4 of 1981 infamy, Cadillac had to do something. And quickly. Thing is, they made a bad thing worse stuffing the '82's with the HT. That's saying a lot too considering how bad the V8-6-4 was.
In addition to being just plain gutless, early HT's inhaled head gaskets, had cooling and oiling issues, replacement parts were expensive and finding a shop to work on them was next to impossible. Many an HT would conk out without warning too. Hopefully still within warranty but often times not.
Why Cadillac rushed the HT into these cars and not replace the V8-6-4 with Oldsmobile's bullet-proof 307-cubic inch V-8 or, heaven forbid, Chevrolet's 305, both of which could get 20+ miles per gallon with a tall axle ratio and overdrive, is a question we'll never get an answer to. Thing is, even if they did, these cars, that were so crisp, new and highly regarded in 1977, had become woefully out-of-step with the times.
I can't imagine a then 35-to-40-year-old "yuppie" (young urban professional) buying this; these they left to the blue hairs and old at heart. The sharper styled Eldorado was better but only so much so and it too was saddled with the HT. Old's diesel "350" V-8 was just as bad (maybe worse) making the credit option Buick 4.1-liter V-6 the best engine available. Again, not a good time for Cadillac.
Not twenty-years prior, even fifteen, a Cadillac was what you drove to make a fashion statement that you had "it" or wanted to appear you did. You drove a new Cadillac in 1983 and the fashion statement you made was you were one step away from the proverbial dirt map.
The engine in this car doesn't mean this is a screaming quarter-miler, mind you. Most likely it still has the 2.29:1 axle which would do nothing for get up and go. Being a Cadillac, it would also have over-boosted, slow steering and the suspension set up for a cushy ride so soft you might think something wrong with it. Swap the rear gears for at least a set of 2.73's if not a god's-green-earth 3.08, to make the most of the engine's beefier torque curve, add Bilstein gas shocks and thicker sway bars fore and aft and you might really have something. I'd swap the steering box as well with something like the F41 Chevrolet's set up.
All that costs, though. The gear change and suspension upgrades would run you the dark side of $3,000. Cost of admission for this is $10,000 - that's almost double what average retail is and about two-grand more than high retail. Another case of someone charging for the moon for an engine swap. So, for thirteen-large you get a pretty solid that's not worth half that. I'd think that kind of money better burned on something a little older, in similar shape and more complete out of the box.
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