firefoot0315

Good Lord I'm amazed I remembered my login credentials. I joined here in 2009ish, when I needed tips for maintaining my '94 STS. I always liked this community. It was civilized, helpful, and direct. Fast forward a decade, I may have the opportunity to get my hands on a '85 Fleetwood Coupe. I'm wondering if it's worthwhile. Backstory: it belonged to a late uncle, who loved his '81 so much that he bought the '85 when he found out the coupe would be discontinued, so that he'd have a brand new Fleetwood Coupe ready to replace his current one. He died before that happened though. And so the car sat. My grandparents got the mechanicals refreshed in 2000, then parked it in their barn, where it's sat ever since. Now that they're getting older, it's time to start cleaning out junk, and in the back corner of their barn, under various boxes and stuff, is a "brand new" 1985 Fleetwood Brougham Coupe with 800 miles on it. The body fillers are toast. Obviously it'll need another mechanical refresh. It'll need new rubber everywhere. It'll probably need another coat of paint. There's no telling what rats and squirrels have chewed through. Last I checked the interior, about a year ago, it still smelled new. The leather seemed soft and plush, there were no obvious signs of rodent nesting, and the only thing that seemed out of place was the fallen headliner. I know it hasn't been wrecked or stuck together with Bondo. I know the HT4100 hasn't failed during operation, seeing how it wasn't even broken in to begin with. I'm assuming there's no cancer rust, although it's in swampy South Texas so who knows. So I can potentially get my hands on an interesting car with a story and some family significance. Any idea how much it could cost to at least get the engine running? I figure I can take care of the cosmetic stuff a bit at a time. In the end, is it worth it to save the car, or should it go out to pasture?

Well it's not like the HT4100 was a powerhouse either. All else being equal, diesel sounds like a good choice.

Thanks. I'm not looking for a drastic overhaul, and need this car to be a good reliable daily driver for a few years, so Stage I sounds like what I'm looking for. If I could find a place to do a tune for one or two hundred bucks I'd be more than happy, but unfortunate as it is, $500 is about 20% of my car's blue book value, and more importantly I don't have that kind of money handy. But I feel like I've gotten enough information now to at least start an intelligent search for a tech, something more substantial than "uh, can you tune my car up?" Thank you all for that, and I'll keep you updated.

I called FastChip, and the receptionist was "fairly certain" they've never done a chip for the Northstar, but told me to call back and talk to the head tech. Also checked out Wester's Garage. They do have a chip for the OBDI Northstar, but it's about $500. So I'll do a bit more investigating, and maybe try local chain garages. I also have uncles that have worked for GM dealerships for years. They may be able to help me find someone who can reprogram my PCM. To be honest, I hadn't even considered asking a dealership. I figured I'd have to find a speed shop. So that is a big help.

Would a dealership still be able to reprogram the PCM in a 1994 STS? Or would the outfit you mentioned be able to work on a 94? Also, I found the link in the N* performance area for fastchip.com. Is that a little bit more legitimate? Moreover, they have a shop within reasonable driving distance for me. Might it be worth a trip out there? Sorry, I don't have enough of a grasp on the workings and potential of engine computer systems, nevermind the Northstar system, to ask anything more specific, and what research I've done hasn't turned up much for 94 Cadillacs. Go figure. I've found more information here than anywhere else, so anything anyone can tell me would be hugely appreciated.