Winter Hibernation Has Begun

Today was the last day before my last car went into winter hibernation, as the bad weather is on its way. I picked up my son from school one last time in the Persian Lime green ’74, and he thoroughly enjoyed driving it home before we tucked it away in the warm, dry garage.
A Short Season
It was a very short season this year. I was busy at work, and I also took five weeks off for a long road trip with my dear family to the northernmost part of Europe.
I did not manage to drive the Lincoln Mark III at all this year. I only started it and let it idle for a while outside the garage.
Looking Back at the 2026 Season
Short as it was, the season kept me busy in the garage.
The ’58 Eldorado was the "star "of the season, though not in a good way. It left me stranded three times, which led to a complete rebuild of the center Tri-Power carburetor, a replacement linkage rod and a missing prong on the hot idle valve. Whether the vapor lock is finally solved, I will find out next summer.
My son Elliot started collecting his 3,000 km for his driver’s license, and part of that happened in my old Cadillacs. He has driven the ’67 Convertible, the ’67 Eldorado, the 1996 Roadmaster, the ’74 CDV and the ’78 Eldorado, and his verdict is that the ’74 is the best one to drive.
The ’66 and the ’67 deVille swapped shoes: the Diamond Back radials moved over to the deVille, and the ’66 got the correct bias ply tires. While I was at it, I went through the brakes of the deVille and finally found the misadjusted upper anchor plate that had been giving the front self-adjusters trouble.
The ’67 Eldorado reached 30,000 miles, and a routine brake fluid change reminded me that a valve on cars with front disc brakes needs attention before vacuum bleeding.
And last but not least, a replica Cadillac sofa from my friend Alex now greets everyone at our front door, with the full approval of Snoopy.
Plans for the Winter
I have some plans for the winter, mainly for the ’67 Eldorado, where the windows need some adjustment, and the 58 Eldorado need new rear mufflers to pass the technical inspection next spring.
Looking Ahead to 2027
The big highlight of next year will be the Cadillac BIG Meet.

Tags:1974 Cadillac Coupe DeVille, Website News