About fifteen years ago when we lived in our old house we were awakened one morning early summer by a lot of car crashing sounds outside in the street. That house was on a hill that was about a quarter of a mile long and fairly steep as historic Columbia street climbs out of the ancient Wabash river bed.

Out in the street was a white Eldorado, one of those early seventies boats with the enormous 500 ci torque monster motors sitting out in the middle of the street with the left side really mangled and resting on the subframe. I walked out and surveyed the situation and this is what had happened:

The driver was a multiple offender DWI who had lost his license but was driving anyway.....drunk. He had run the light at the intersection two blocks from the bottom of the hill and had been hit on the left front of the massive Eldo. Instead of stopping he floored the gas and headed up the hill. The car was wanting to veer left because of the damage but he struggled to hold it straight and as the situation worstened he began to side swipe cars on the left side of the street. He skimmed along and hit about five in a row, each one a little deeper than the last, never letting off the gas.

Then he came to an alley and in the open space that was afforded by it the growelling Eldo leaped to the left and hit the rear about halfway over on the first parked car after the alley.

The impact was great enough that the car was knocked over into the corner of the large old house that sat on that corner. The Eldo caromed out into the street and came to rest more or less in the middle, dripping coolant from the broken radiator, hissing and popping in agony.

The driver was unable to get out the door because of the damage and was too drunk to climb across the consol and make an escape.

In a few minutes the police arrived and got him out somehow. They were not gentle with him as they slapped the cuffs on him and took him away.

The total was IIRC seven cars including the brawny Eldo.

Fortunately nobody was hurt as most folks were still in bed.

This is a good example of why the court system is a lot tougher now on DWI than they used to be.

It is also an example of how robust an old Eldo 500 CI front dirver is.

Tom W

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Those 500s were the worst case of poor timing. Came out right as the first gas crunch hit. Decent engines, but thirsty. Seems to me the racers liked to grab those blocks and build them up. I was pumping gas when those engines came out. Pumping gas at 37.9 cents per gallon. (1973)

The genesis of the 500 extended back to the 1963 model year, when Cadillac brought out a new, relatively lightweight 390 V8 to succeed the 1962 390 V8 that was based on Cadillac's first ohv V8 brought out in 1949. The 1963 engine displacement lasted just one year, with Cadillac bringing out a 429 ci. version for 1964, which was used through the 1967 model year. For 1968, Cadillac enlarged the displacement to 472 ci. IIRC, Cadillac began using a 500 ci. version of the engine in the Eldorado for 1970, with the RWD cars staying at 472 until 1973, when the 500 was available across the board. For the 1977 model year, coinciding with the debut of the smaller RWD deVille and Fleetwood models, the engine displacement was reduced to 425 ci. In 1980, the displacement was further reduced to 368 ci, and for 1981 this engine was the host of Cadillac's variable displacement system, known as V8-6-4, which was an idea just a little ahead of its time, and was dropped after 1981. IIRC, the engine soldiered on for a few more years in the Fleetwwod 75 line (limo) and died when Caddy began using the Oldsmobile 307 V8 in the RWD chassis.

FEEL THE POWAH....I love driving those old behemoths. Tom you really should be a writer you know...That story was great for someone who is primarily ight brained. Thanks.

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"It's normal for these things to empty your wallet and break your heart in the process."
2012 SLK 350
1987 420 SEL

Thanks, Mistress. I took a left right brain test once and came out just slightly to the left (is that the creative side?) of perfect balance.

I hear being too well balanced in this case can be the cause of personality disorders.

....could be that's what is wrong with me.

Tom W

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

I've driven one of those - they are what a Sherman would drive like if it had marshmallows instead of steel in its suspension system.

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1984 300TD