Photos of 1997 ETC

[Cadillac Jim]

The next post has some photos I took today for perusal by Caddyinfo Supporters who are interested in how the car looks, inside and out.

[Cadillac Jim]

Here are a few exterior views.

Here is a close-up of rock chips in the hood paint above the headlight on the driver's side. This seems to be a cluster of chips that isn't seen anywhere else. Note that the headlights are glass, so they won't dull or yellow and they're easy to keep clean.

Here's a wheel, showing the accessory Cadillac Crest Center Covers. These were $500 at the dealer when they were available but Direct Performance/Cardio-Doc on Wheels can give you a deal on them.

Here's the right front tire tread, showing near-new tread on the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus tires.

This inviting visage is what the driver sees before getting into the car. The floor mats show that the car does need a good wash job! Next week...

Here's the back seat. The difference between the Seville and Eldorado platforms is six inches of wheel base, and it all comes out of the back seat foot room. The Eldorado is really a 2+2, not a four seater. Both the driver's seat and the passenger seat is all the way back, and the passenger seat is leaned back to a reclining position. Both seats are six-way electric with four-way electric lumbar support. All upholstery is leather.

This is the inviting passenger seat, all the way back and leaned back to a reclining position.

Here's the radio and A/C controls. The radio is the top-of-the-line with DSP, and this car has the Bose sound system.

Here's the cell phone, in the center console. Without it you have racks for storing CDs or Casettes. The phone works and is hooked to OnStar Gen I and integrated with the stereo system but it's an analog phone and no providers have cell towers for it anymore. I keep it OFF.

[Cadillac Jim]

Here's the speedometer, showing the current mileage.

Here's the instrument cluster, timed to show the P0300 CURRENT and the MIL lit.

Like a nice, big trunk? Here it is.

The manual pull to release the fuel door when the battery is dead has never been used.

Here's the 12-CD Changer, on the right side of the trunk compartment. It works fine and I use it all the time. Note the cargo net stowed against the rear edge of the trunk compartment.

Here's the cartridge of the 12-CD Changer, with all 12 CD compartments filled. I will keep my CDs.

I found the installation manual for the 12-CD changer under it when I removed it to clear a jam several years ago. Here it is.

Here's the motor. Not cleaned up like a show car but it's all there.

Here's the Jasper serial number sticker on the air cleaner box. The Jasper was installed over the July 4 weekend in 2006. The mileage at that time was 116,700 miles so the motor has 45,500 miles on it.

The battery is a 1,000 CCA 84-month battery about a year old.

The plug wires, coils, and plugs are new AC/Delco, and the looms and conduits on the firewall side of the coils are new too.

[BodybyFisher]

Beautiful Jim, thank you for taking the time to take, post and write up the photos.

You have taken terrific care of it.

[Texas Jim]

That is a VERY NICE 97 ETC...

[Cadillac Jim]

Well, I only wash it a couple of times a year because I don't have a brushless car wash nearby and I don't want people rubbing on the paint and interior all the time. It's usually not spotless, but when it is spotless it is stunning. I'll wash it this week. I usually wait until Spring but the car will be gone in a couple of weeks and I would like to get some nice pictures now.

[scott y]

That's a beautiful machine Jim, Thank You very much for showing all the Great photos!

[Cadillac Jim]

I'm overwhelmed by the response to some quick photos of a car that I haven't washed since last spring. There have been a few coffee spills in it, particularly on the passenger side.

[Texas Jim]

I'm overwhelmed by the response to some quick photos of a car that I haven't washed since last spring.

There have been a few coffee spills in it, particularly on the passenger side.

I see how you work.... blaming all the coffee spills on the little lady when she isn't here to defend herself... LOL LOL LOL

[Cadillac Jim]

Yeah, I do notice some spill stains on my side.

Here is the option list. I'll have a separate post on the options.

Here is the sunroof, closed. This dealer-installed option has the auto-close feature, which closes it when you turn off the key. The factory sunroof doesn't have that, I don't believe, even though the same company makes both of them. The auto-close feature keeps the interior dry if it rains while the car is parked, and it prevents the Caddyshack syndrome.

Here is the sunroof, open. I find that the open position, with the windows open, is a lot like a convertible. Interior wind is OK at 30 mph and below, but you need to keep loose papers in the glove compartment.

Here is the sunroof, in the vent position. This is great at any speed, and is good for drawing the heat out of a car that has been parked in the sun. Just crack one or both of the side windows a bit.

Here is the sunroof from inside the car, looking from the passenger side. Note the two garage door openers on the sun visor. I used it for years, until about 2007 or so, but the Homelite doesn't work with the newer garage door openers. I haven't looked for a replacement that would go in the 1997 model year cars.

Here is the roof console. Note that the sunglasses holder is there, unlike with the factory sunroof. Also, the little black hands-free auxiliary microphone for the phone/OnStar peeks out on the driver's side. The dealer told me that the original microphone, behind the three slots to the right, didn't work well enough so the phone came with the auxiliary mike. The rocker switch is for the sunroof.

[BodybyFisher]

Wow, nice photos Jim, that is a great camera. Car looks great. I started working on my Monte Carlo today, vacuumed the heck out of it and started making a list of what it needs.

[Cadillac Jim]

Yeah, I was still using film but when I saw that I could get 21 megapixels and ASA equivalent 3200 without noticeably "grain" (noise in digital cameras) I saved up my pennies and got a Canon EOS 5D Mark II. I use the ASA 3200 speed all the time for hand-held indoor photography at f/4 and get a keeper nearly every time, with the help of image stabilization. All these photos are taken with the recommended standard lens for this camera, the EF 24-105 mm f/4L IS. That's the only lens I plan to take with me for the road trip in the CTS-V. That and the Samsung Galaxy S II's eight megapixel camera, which Texas Jim showed us all how to use in his recent magnificent road trip, will serve to provide photos under that car's blog in a few days. His camera model is about three months newer than mine, so photos from my camera may not have the magnificent blue skys and such that his do, but we will soon find out.