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Vehicle Description
1965 CADILLAC Fleetwood
For Sale in this auction is a remarkably rust-free Arizona Original, that I acquired about a year ago as a parts car companion alongside a nicer '65 Fleetwood, that I have sold just recently. As the new owner of that car was not interested in this one to be shipped overseas, I ended up with the car offered in this auction as a leftover. I had briefly considered the possibility to rejuvenate this car myself, but other commitments and lack of time had me decide against it in the end.
The car is mostly complete, as you can see in the numerous pictures that I have posted in this auction description. Only a few of items are missing at this point, by what I noticed namely some exterior emblems, as well as a few interior pieces like an electrical front window switch assembly. Luckily none of which are so important and prohibitively expensive, that it would be unwise to restore it to its former glory.
As it comes with an Arizona title and still starts and runs it could be also fixed up as a rat car and being driven as such, perhaps in a low budget movie or as your daily ride. While it can at the moment only be operated with fuel supplied from a spare canister, a thorough cleaning of the entire fuel system should make the engine operational again. Furthermore a transmission service including the use of a couple of seals, to cure the otherwise operational transmission from its leaks, as well as a check of the currently not functioning brake system along with a new battery should be all the car really needs to mechanically get it going again.
Obviously you could also purchase the car to keep it as a parts carrier for your existing 1965 Cadillac automobile. As such it would certainly save you a bundle in case of parts failure on or body damage to your collector car.
Parts for these older Cadillacs have become quite expensive, and are getting harder to find by the day. Just try to obtain an engine core, or any major chrome part, like a bumper. It is doubtful that you will be able to get your hands on any of those for less than $ 500.00 a piece, so looking to purchase an almost complete car like the one offered in this auction could easily translate into thousands of Dollars of savings over the years to come.
As mentioned above the interior is all there for the most part. While a rat ride could almost get away with leaving it the way it is, a full restoration would obviously require to redo all seats, the carpet, the dash and the headliner.
Most all the chrome that is used in an abundance inside of these Fleetwoods is still in really good shape, and could be used as is after a good and detailed cleaning even if you desire to restore it to an overall rather nice appearance.
(Click on the above picture for a close-up look of the dash)
Once a battery is connected the ignition still turns on and both control lights in the speedometer illuminate, the odometer currently shows 46001 miles. Unfortunately the power windows can't be checked at the moment, as the master switch is missing, but as the front power bench seat motor is still working I assume there is a good chance that most all electrics are still operational after a brief inspection and cleaning as needed.
Surprisingly all glass installed in the car is still there and intact, including the wrap-around windshield and the back glass.
The exterior for the most part still displays much of the originally applied factory black paint coat, even though large portions have deteriorated in Arizona's sun. As the car was equipped with a customary vinyl roof, rust has developed on some prone spots underneath the vinyl with the padding.
Patching these rusted areas and painting the roof prior to re-installing a new vinyl roof will take car of these minor damages easily, as the vinyl roof will hide any repairs sufficiently. The rest of the vehicles body is rust-free and straight, as you can see in the many pictures posted.
Under the hood the original 340 horsepower V8 engine with a 429 cubic inch displacement still performs service. It has become quite a desirable piece of hardware, as drag racers like to use these big block Cadillac motors to have powerplants built with substantial horsepower. While a battery is not installed in the car at this time, it does look like nothing else is missing, an assumption that is supported by the fact that it still starts and runs.
(Click on the above picture for a close-up look of the engine)
The trunk floor is graced by visible surface rust, but seems not to have any perforation. A good clean-up and rust treatment should better its appearance significantly. The car furthermore comes with a few spare parts that I have stored in the trunk. Click on the picture below to see in an additional picture what those are.
(Click on the above picture for a close-up look of the engine)
While the car displays a set of Arizona collector plates in the pictures posted, these originate from my personal collection and are not part of the lot for sale. I merely mounted them to the vehicle when the pictures were taken to clearly display, that it is titled in Arizona.
To my knowledge it remained all its life in the deserts of Arizona and Southern California, explaining why it is in such remarkably rust-free condition. It is currently located at my residence north of Palm Springs where it can be picked up by the high bidder. First bid in this auction is set to only $ 19.65, and I have furthermore set a low, low reserve to somehow protect my financial involvement.
If you were looking for an iconic and cool American luxury ride to restore, one that is not totally rusted away, this Fleetwood may just be that car for you. It has all the right stuff still on and in it, including the 8-cylinder engine, so it would serve many purposes regardless of what you have in mind with it.
!! IMPORTANT ADDENDUM !!
Some of you Cadillac enthusiast may recognize this vehicle as having been listed here on eBay before. Due to an unfortunate circumstance a sure sale with a fellow eBayer fell through, as this parts/restoration project vehicle got damaged, while waiting on my property to be transported to the new owner's place.
Eventually the previous auction's high bidder and I arranged ourselves, but the car remained here in the condition shown in the picture below. Other than that it is still in the basic same condition as listed above ! Damaged in the process were the LH front fender, the curve-light, both headlight bezels, as well as the headlight housing. While I think the fender may be repairable I was able to obtain a complete replacement for the damaged curve-light. A new owner would only need to obtain a set of headlight bezels and the housing that holds the sealed beams, if his intentions are to restore the vehicle. The fender wheel-well well molding which is missing in the picture below simply fell off and was placed in the trunk for protection.
I decided to place the Cadillac one more time on eBay in this listing. If this auction will not result in a sale I will most likely part the car myself, as I do not intend to invest more money into auction fees or restore it myself due to lack of time.
Please read my terms of sale !
I do my best to accurately describe my vehicle for sale. If you still have any questions remaining that are not answered by the description and the pictures above, I invite you to email me at Axelbee@Earthlink.net before you place your bid.
Please understand that you are bidding on a "USED CAR" in need of attention! You will find various flaws consistent with its age and usage, and if you are an overly picky buyer, who never purchased a vehicle online before, it might not be suitable for you to purchase a vehicle through this online auction. If you are someone who wants to save a lot of money, as it is possible in an online auction, you will have to consider putting a portion of those savings back into the vehicle to make it as good as possible in your own opinion. As I cannot be held responsible for things that happen after a completed sale, the car is being sold AS-IS and as pictured with no implied warranty.
Please place a bid only if you are serious about owning the car and have the necessary funds readily available to pay for it. I expect payment in full within 7 days after the auction ended and will not be able nor willing to assist in financing. I accept your payment in US funds only, this by means of a Money Order, Cashier's Check, or a Wire Transfer. I will certainly work with you on any arrangement to have the car picked up or shipped at a later time, payment terms still need to be met within the 7-day period.
While I gladly assist with any shipping arrangements of the car to be shipped to any location in the world, any additional costs for transportation and preparation will be solemnly the high bidder's responsibility in addition to the final high bid price.
If you do not agree with all of the terms above, then please, do not bid on this vehicle. Once the auction ended and you had successfully become the high bidder, you have accepted a legal and binding contract, as outlined in eBay's rules and regulation, to purchase the car offered in this auction with no room for further negotiations.
Thank you for stopping by and your interest in my auction.
In compliance with eBay's Rules Regulations no part of this presentation may be reproduced without permission of the author + designer . Please E-mail any inquiries about use of the photos and the written material to axelbee@earthlink.net.
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