Anyone have suggestions for some custom mods for my 1992 cadillac

[disciple3rd]

I want to customize my car, what should I do first the engine for performance because I want anyone who rides in my car to enjoy the ride, or may be the exterior like paint lights and some new cadillac emblems, or maybe the interior where my seats are faded, i have leather seats but the leather is getting old I do want people to think they are riding in class. My budget is good I can afford the high end and the low end. Anyone with Ideas please help. Im in Washington this state has lots of Caddy's I want to be different. Also anyone with 1989 til 1993 Caddy's show some pics I want to see what everyone else is doin. Thank you.

[WarrenJ]

In customizing a car you pour into it money that you will *never* get back when you sell it. Quite the opposite in fact. The prospective buyer might subtract from the sale price the amount of money he thinks required to remove your add-ons.

If your budget is ample, as you say, I'd suggest moving up to a newer model with good leather. You'll enjoy other benefits as well and you'll always find a few odd extra dollars to put into it over time.

Here's a thought: rather than being "different," you might want to concentrate on being "best-in-class."

Regards,

Warren

[Cadillac Jim]

If you move to a later model Cadillac, I suggest that you look at the 1994 or later STS. This car comes with 295 or 300 hp, depending on the year. Make sure that it's an STS with the Northstar DOHC V8. There are those here who say that the SLS with 25 less hp is just as good, and I find that the SLS drives much the same as my ETC (basically a two-door STS). The difference is the final surge at the top of the RPM scale, which few passengers will enjoy (but I like a lot). The SLS will get slightly better gas mileage, and you will find upscale options more easily on the STS.

The Caterra is very sporty and a standard shift is available on it. It was introduced as a 1997 model in mid 1996.

If you stay with the 1992 DeVille, it's 4.9 liter V8 is rated at 200 hp, and has more torque at launch than the Northstar. Also, performance upgrades for the 4.9 are easier to find than for the Northstar because the Northstar is pretty much tricked out from the factory, and any changes tend to bring with them drivability problems and emissions issues. On the Links page of this web site, I see this:

Prestige Engine Co.

214-905-9933

They custom manufacture high performance 4.1, 4.5 & 4.9 Cadillac block engines in a variety of configurations. I do not know if they do Northstars or not.

You could find a custom upholstery shop and ask them about restoring your leather upholstery. Leather is just about the most durable material available and unless it is in really bad shape, it should be restorable to like-new condition. Replacing it would be more expensive and you will have a hard time matching the quality of the factory leather.

The aluminum wheels that come with later model Cadillacs and may be on the 1992 DeVille come with hard chrome plating as an option. If you have these wheels, the Cadillac dealer sells the six-inch disc in the center that covers the lug nuts with gold raised Cadillac emblems in place of the simple imprint on the stock lug nut covers. List price of these covers is $125 apiece but many dealers are selling these at a discount over the parts counter.