1959 Cadillac "Low but not Slow" Bagged with L92 415 HP Engine
1959 Cadillac DeVille -- Description
This is my own personal car (Brian Grams). I purchased it as a nice stock 1959 Cadillac with an older frame-off restoration and turned it into what you see today.
It features an L92 Cadillac Escalade engine rated stock at 403 HP and 415 lbs of torque! The car was dyno-tuned to produce even more power. It's backed by a 4L60e automatic over drive transmission and tied into the stock 3.36 rear end. The car cruises comfortably at 80 MPH and gets about 22 MPG. I have driven this car on several long distant trips and it is a dream to drive. It has an e-Level air ride system that automatically adjusts to keep the car level. It has programmable ride heights but is also able to be manually controlled. It also has the i-Level so it can be operated by your phone. The air-ride provides a much nicer ride than the factory springs and is fully adjustable to your liking. While the car did have an older frame off restoration, I did have almost the entire front and rear suspension rebuilt, replaced the steering box and updated the brakes to disc with a dual master. The car is tight as can be and can be driven with 1 finger on the wheel. One thing that separates this car from other LS swaps is that while most people opt for aftermarket gauges, I wanted to retain the classic original dash. All of the gauges and idiot lights, including speedometer were modified to work with the new swap. No ugly modern gauges. The car is also a factory A/C car, it was updated with all new modern A/C components connected to the factory controls and duct work to retain the factory look and function. The heater core, control valve, hoses, vacuum pods, etc. were all rebuilt to work flawlessly. The engine install was done in a way that mimics a vintage style so it doesn't scream "modern" when you raise the hood. The engine was painted blue, custom coil covers were installed to look like factory valve covers. Car is cooled by a Be Cool radiator with twin electric fans, the car will never overheat on you! A $2300 custom exhaust was specially made for this car, it snakes through from front to out below the bumper without touching anything, even when in the lowered position. No exhaust rattles or banging!
Visually, it does not get any better. Everyone from old to young love this car, nothing beats a laid out big Caddy! I've taken it to high-end restaurants where the patrons would walk right past the $300k Ferrari or Lamborghini to check out this car! It even caught the attention of Cadillac Official who highlighted the car in their social media, the only vintage car known of them to share. The cosmetics were done by Montoya Kustoms, who is responsible for building numerous World of Wheels show winning cars! The car was dismantled for a professional paint job. Hundreds of hours were spent blocking the car out to make it as close to laser straight a big panel car like this can get! Its a factory Ford purple color, easy blend or repair, with a purple Kandy fade. The roof was paneled and flaked, do not look at it in the sun without sun glasses! The car received a lot of tasteful pin-striping before the entire car was cleared, it will not fade or rub off! Montoya also reupholstered the car from headliner to carpet and added some nice details like a custom cup holder (a necessity for long trips) and the Angry Orchid seat plaque. The dash is still the original dash pad in great shape with only light cracking near the defroster vents. To truly finish the car off, they had notched the frame and raised the drive-shaft tunnel to get the car to sit all the way on the ground when aired out. The trunk was finished in black carpet which highlights the professionally installed air-ride system.
One thing I learned from doing this car is how much more expensive and difficult it is to build a Cadillac then a Chevy! You could build a Chevy for about 1/2 of what a Cadillac costs! I have well over 6 figures in the car and put about 10k miles on this car since it was completed. It is not a trailer queen but it dominates the local car shows almost always leaving with a best of show award.
E-Level Air Ride
I-Level Air Control
Power Disc Brakes
Power Steering
4L60e overdrive transmission
L92 6.2 Liter fuel injected engine
Diamond Back Radial White Walls
Air Conditioning
Power Windows
Autronic eye (not functional)
Power Seat
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