Welcome to Hu Garage! The dumbest Automotive channel in all of YouTube And this has to be the weirdest car I have ever purchased and considering my history, that is really saying something. But not only that, it's also barely functional as a car itself because it was a crazy custom show car where they got rid of a lot of the practicality and it's been sitting for a very long time so it doesn't drive all that well. But not only that, it's also a total mystery regarding the history. What little I know just gives me more questions.

I Have no idea idea what purpose this car served when it was built almost 25 years ago, but here's what I do know: this car started Life as a 1999 Cadillac El Dorado and it was never sold new. it really never left the Factory's hands. General Motors designed this crazy custom Cadillac and then had California street rods in Huntington Beach California build this in 1999 and then it was some kind of show card that they used all over the country probably for SEMA maybe for some magazines I have no idea because it predates the internet and there's nothing out there when I Google it other than it sold in 2009 GM had gone bankrupt by then and they were selling their entire Museum I Suppose this would have been a part of it and they sold it in 2009 for $60,000 Now the Builder Chuck Lombardo and his shop. They were world famous.

He died this year sadly, but he built custom cars for Zezy Top and so many other celebrities. He was a very bigname in SEMA and the custom car scene, but since he just passed away I can't get any information from him and I have no idea other than how extremely radically customized this El Dorado is which I will show you today in a tour but where I really need your help is finding out the history of this car. Why did GM have a custom El Dorado built? This isn't a concept car, this is something they just made to show off and they had it chopped, channeled and barreled to where it's 4 in shorter than stock and lowered. So many other custom touches.

The build must have been multiple six figures and then it sells it a Barrett Jackson auction I know because of their bankruptcy in 2009 for 60 Grand and then I buy it recently for only $112,000 It's just such a total mystery and so cool and so detailed that I couldn't say no to buy this thing for $112,000 and figure out what's the story. So hopefully there's a viewer or someone who knows someone that worked at Lombardo shop when this car was built or worked at GM when they had this car commissioned or in the museum or whatever or someone who was at a show and saw it and kept it in a scrapbook because I have absolutely notada other than the Barrett Jackson sales report from 2009, but today I will give you a tour of this Eldorado show you how extremely crazy customized it is. Uh, show you why it's not drivable and then I'm going to have it flat beded to the car wizard to where he can look it over and hopefully help me make this car just a little bit. Well, a lot more usable.

So let's start the tour. but before we get into it today I partnered up with DraftKings where even though the weather might be cooling down, the action on the field stays hot. DraftKings is an official partner of the NFL and and to help you get close to all the action right now. new customers who bet just $5 will get 150 in bonus bets instantly.

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So you definitely want to download the draftking Sportsbook app Now New customers who use my promo code and bet $5 we get $150 in bonus bets instantly. That's promo code hoovies only at DraftKings Sportsbook Now let's get back to the video. Now for those of you familiar with the 12th and final generation of the Eldorado, the differences will be very, very obvious. but for those of you that aren't, well, I'll certainly Point them out.

But for some background, the Eldorado came out in 1953 a very long time ago. this was the 12th generation and the final came out in 1992 and was this body style more or less until 2002. Now a big unveil with this generation of El Dorado was the infamous Northstar V8 which initially had a very good performance reputation but then became notorious for its unreliability and bad head gaskets. They made improvements in 2000, this one being a 99.

It does have that old bad Northstar with the bad head bolts but it appear ears to not be leaking and not overheating. but I can't drive it but we'll get into the engine in a little bit. Let's start with the visual differences front to back so the front. The most striking is the front bumper being a lot Slimmer and the headlights being very slim as well.

I Believe the grill does look more or less St other than it being painted in this ignite orange but it completely Slims up the front end now the body it's obviously been channeled I believe is the correct term because it is a lot shorter than it is is on the stock. Cadillac The fender is also extended out because the headlights are Slimmer to making this all one piece. very clean. It looks like a concept car or something out of like Back to the Future 2 when they went to the Future in the 80s cars looked futuristic or like Demolition Man another movie where cars from the 90s RoboCop where 90s cars were made futuristic looking.

It looks right out of one of those movies obviously. The wheels totally custom as well and already they are a total nightmare. One of the problems with me driving this car is the tires are original. 18 in in the front, 19s in the back.

they're from $1 199.99 and where do you put air in them? There's no stem anywhere on the outside of the wheel like every other car. It's on the inside and I couldn't see it I had to take the wheel off to do that. This actually screws off. There's a little part right here.

I Did some quick videos showing how I took the wheel off and then I could see the stem seal inside of this wheel but then on the other Wheels it's actually flush and hidden and I couldn't get get any kind of air pump onto it with the wheels on. So that's why all these have very low tires because it seems almost impossible to top off the wheels with air without taking the wheels off and having some special attachment that I don't think I have and you can see taking off the back wheels. Well, how crazy would that be? because they put on these fender skirts which go all the way to the back bumper and it's molded into the rear exhaust here which is actually functional and then the tail lights. Well, they look out of something literally from the future.

the DTS which came after the Elor. So this was designed by GM and clearly they were using styling cues that they plan to use in the future because this didn't come out until I believe 2005 or six with the DTs that style of rear tail amp and there's no way to mount a license plate on this thing because there's no screw holes. This is like a European style license plate Mount that is glued in. the glue started to come a little bit loose where they have the ELO r as you can see it would be an A normally with a proper spelling because well, it's the ELO hot rod.

The whole body, every single panel has also been massaged where I think this is wider but also the roof is quite a bit lower. But the strange part is this is stock glass. the windshield is stock so somehow they made the firewall lower. I I Really don't get it.

This is definitely Factory way these fenders would go over and I haven't figured out I Really need a stock El Dorado park next to this thing to figure out the differences. but one non-stock glass is right here. This is plastic. This is plexiglass.

but when you go inside I have no door handle I keep reaching for it like it's there, but it doesn't exist I have to open the door from the inside to get in. Now this would have had an electric popper on it like a switch, a fob to do it, but there's no fob with this car. You can see there's the popper right here. It would have Push the door out and there would be an electronic latch in here to make the door release.

but I don't have that anymore. So I can't park this car outside with the windows up because I couldn't get in. In addition, there's no mirrors on the side and all with this thing. But inside of this little inset right here is a camera.

A very small camera which we see that in supercars and Hyper cars nowadays, but this is in 1999. They were using little bitty side cameras for side view mirrors, but there's no screen in here. There's really nothing on the interior other than these peel and stick little carbon fiber things and a lower roof that would make you think that this is a custom Cadillac it is 100% stock in Here Original stereo, original climate control. Everything totally normal now for me to fit I Do have to lean this seat back pretty far because the roof is low but it is still a very nice comfy.

El Dorado but otherwise very stock in here. Now what isn't stock is when you start this: Northstar up the exhaust well sounds fantastic. Nice little Grumble there but also it sounds incredible I had no idea Cadillac Northstar could sound like this I know there's the Stsv a supercharged performance Northstar midsize Cadillac that was rear wheel drive sounded great but this this sounds so much better. but there is, uh, some extra noise as well.

definitely a weird pulley noise like uh, something that's been sitting for a long time. because yeah, the Northstar shouldn't be that noisy like a power steering. Some accessory has a pulling noise on it but as you can see, very stock, very clean on the inside of this. Infamous 300 horsepower Northstar V8 I'll shut it off so you can hear me better but this car has 8,000 mil on it which I cannot believe it was put on after this was customized so it makes me think this was like a GM company car or a demonstrator or something.

and then they took it to have it customized. Uh because even all the years ago when it was being sold, it had I think these miles on it. If it's been driven two or 300 miles in the last 15 years, I would be shocked. But like I said, the engine does look very stock and the Northstar is pretty darn weird.

On this side, you actually have a cam belt that is running the water pump and then another belt on this side that runs all the traditional accessories. You have a couple of motor mounts up here, the ignition in the back, and everybody who's had one of these I imagine has had their life ruined. Buy it! I've certainly had a few that, uh, really ate my lunch when I was a car dealer back in the day. but I still have a soft spot for this thing and I know the carer does too, even with this big mechanical.

Goa which is an engine out basically totals the car because they are so worthless in stock form. Now we can drive it a little bit, but with the low tires being so old, I don't want to take it on the road very much, but let's take it for a quick spin. Uh, before I have it loaded and hauled up to the car? Wizards Now the Sun is setting out here. The tow truck arrives in the morning to go up to the car wizards, but really don't feel comfortable driving it much faster than 30 or 40 with those low ancient tires on this thing.

But when I do get up to speed, it does actually drive really nice. Now from the factory, this would have had a rear air ride assist and I think that's not working and why this? Cadillac is sitting a little bit lower than it should it's been lower already. but I think they were able to adjust that air ride to make it help so it is a little bit bouncy in the rear, but actually pretty darn smooth considering. And other than the low ceiling height I Wouldn't know that this is a modified El Dorado It really feels and handles just like any other.

El Dorado of this period and the traction control light does go off eventually at least I think it does turn off when I leave the car running for a while. Everything else in here seems to be working all the electronics. the stereo kicks on heated seats I mean it only has 8,400 miles on it. and other than the big mechanical gotcha of the head gaskets, these were pretty solid reliable cars with that addressed or improved in later years.

So it makes sense that this thing is held up so well. but it's also been stored and unused for years, which explains its level of preservation. but also cars hate to sit and the oil leaks on these can be very difficult to fix if it has them. I'm not sure it has I can't really look underneath because it's so and I haven't seen it drip anything on the ground, but we will find out in the morning when Dennis the tow truck driver arrives and we take it up to the car Wizards and see what he thinks and also see if he can help me make this a functional usable car even though it is so crazy custom and I don't think it was ever intended for that and as I was pulling it inside I just did what I promised myself I wasn't going to do and closed the door with the window up and now like without the popper I can't get in I can pull this window out and try and reach in without breaking it.

So now a clo hanger is a necessary accessory. Uh, for the El Dorado to get the window down when you lock yourself out. This is hoopie life. The ELO is here and The Wizard he's playing with his new toy his new business here.

Happy ending! See even dribbling. So this is a lath, right? Yeah, it's a CNC lathe and why does it need to squirt white goo? It sprays it on the metal while it's cutting it. It's a coolant. Oh, could it be a different color? Perhaps it probably should be, but it's been white for since the'80s Huh? Interesting.

Well this was your old life here. working in a machine shop on a lath just like this. So I guess look at that old Cold War era software there. Wow so you can work this I can I can write, program, set it up and do it all.

I'm gonna get it set up and let it run while I run the shop. the new Wizard Side hustle here Mhm. Well, you'll still work on hoopties, right? Yes, you saw it. I did what do you think at first I saw oh was elderado but as we started looking closer, it was like a glitch in The Matrix or something.

It's like that something's off. Then I realized it's some kind of a special car. It is very special, but uh, very broken and difficult to drive right now. So a 90 9 ELO Rado you see the um, intentional misspelling down here ELO So I couldn't drive it up here because of the tires I couldn't get air in the tires with any of the pumps I have I don't know if you can, but still, the tires are from 99 so driving it would be a little sketch.

Anyway, yeah, that's over. that's 25 years old. almost Mhm, but the body heavily modified, lowered but very stock mechanically. Other than the exhaust, you got to hear this sounds good.

nice little Rumble huh? sounds really good. like the old school hot rod. Cadillac yeah, but you hear the little extra something. Yeah I hear a whining power steering.

It's like it's supercharged. The wine, but uh, it's not. Yeah, if you put your hand on that, you can feel the vibration of that noise. Oh, the pump is dead dying.

Well, it's full of clean fluid. so my pump is on its way out. very likely with only 8,000 mil on this. Northstar Now I know I have brought this car to the right place because you are the only person who has fully mechanically restored a Northstar uh, multiple times multiple time which is crazy what he did with the XLR and taking everything out and then you had a a devil I think as well.

Well, right? Yep. bulletproof them with Northstar Performance head studs, main studs. everything well I don't think this Northstar needs that with only 8,000 miles on it and I'm hoping I don't think it's leaking. But yeah, this is the last year of the bad Northstars.

What would go wrong with them? The threads in the block are really fine thread and they would actually pull the threads out. Uh, the fix is bigger hole and corer, larger threads? Yeah. I've had plenty of Northstars go supernova in my day, but they are a really cool engine and way ahead of their time. Engine engineering wise, they were designed to go like 50 m without any coolant in them.

A lot of cool engineering stuff and being transverse mounted made maintenance a little bit more difficult. And I know the oil leaks can be really hard to fix as well. Yes, think you have to drop the whole CR or lower the Cradle or almost just basically lower the engine out to get the oil pan off. There's exhaust that goes up underneath of it.

It's it's a pain. So you notice that there's something missing down the side of this car. I See, there's no mirrors. Yes, on that side.

Well, there's just a hole. but on this side. Now keep in mind this is 1999. but look inside there.

Oh what? There's a camera. Yeah, but no screen. So I guess they wanted to Showcase Some kind of futuristic thing I Mean cameras of side view mirrors are just now becoming a thing 25 years later. I Feel like we shouldn't put mirrors back on this, but it'd be so easy with today's technology to make that happen, right? We could do that.

So maybe like a small camera here and then a screen just right where you would look if there were a mirror. And speaking of other issues, no exterior door handle I Locked myself out of this car once already. but the popper. You can see it have a fob that would allow this to pop, but it's not working and I don't have the fob.

I Imagine there's something here to release the latch. Well, since all the hardware is there, we would just need a control module and wire in the existing wires to that control module. It should work right? I Figured we just buy poppers and then mix and match and make it all happen again. right? Yep, yeah, but other than that it's just stock stuff.

and I think the rear is sitting low because of the factory air system. The air ride, which you're very familiar with, right all. The Cadillacs blow out their rear shocks. the actual rubber.

Bellows It's something they blow out. The pump burns up because it runs forever. It's so common. I've actually heard the pump run once, but we'll see.

we can put up the lift and check it out. huh? Let's get it up there and see what we see. Wizard's noisy as Lips This one is pretty noisy. need to go through lubricate it? well, you had some in your white lubricant? Yeah, all right.

Is this the only non leaky 99 El Dorado left in existence? It appears to be. wow, it's dry. Okay, here's a tiny bit of seepage going on here. we'd have to see it Might be power steer steering or there's some hoses right above there.

and what's that accessory that's all leaked all over? Yeah, that's the AC compressor. Okay, I know the AC works actually. I think it's something up above that. All right, but nothing serious.

nothing dripping. Transmission is dry. Yeah. I'm curious how they lowered the suspension because it is dramatically lowered, but it doesn't ride in the front.

At least too bad because it's functioning. I Can see way up in there. It looks like they cut the coils and then put some spreaders. They're like silver colored.

They spread the coils apart so they cut the spring and it was too low and then they spread one apart to get the desired height. something. I Think this is just made for photos I mean they they weren't planning on taking this on a nationwide trip or anything. You can see the same thing over here.

Oh and this one. it happened to roll Just Right to where you can see the stem for the air there on the inside. but then on this other one, it doesn't have that. It's flush.

It's a where is it? Yeah, it's a flush flat stem and I couldn't get anything on it. That's weird. It unscrews and it's recess right? Yeah, you'd have to have an like a a male adapter to fit into there or something, right? But I think it could take a normal stem? No problem. it clears the brake well enough.

mhm to where if I had new tires put on? Well, I don't I mean you had to be careful of this caliper where it would hit all right and still the uh stock Cadillac converter there? What Is this? Some sort of a switch that would have been for the poppers, right? Maybe an emergency access? is there one over here? Yeah, sure enough, but it's not working. It doesn't do anything. Yeah, yeah. interesting.

I Mean that's that's very common to have on popper cars, but the system is dead mhm I Would love for a hidden switch to exist again, just in case, but if the battery goes dead, you're still pretty screwed. Yeah, you're still screwed with the battery. Interesting. Interesting indeed.

Here's our cat. Mhm 8,000 miles. You can see a lot of the plating and stuff on the parts is still there. There's still the stickers like Factory fresh but being lowered.

The undercarriage has taken a bit of a beating here. Mhm: You can see something they made here where the welding like a channel. No drive shaft here? obviously? Nope. Front wheeel drive.

but no Muffler either. So we have the cat just going straight out huh? I Guess so. just cat only and that's why it sounds how it sounds. There's some a little bit of scraping here on the fuel tank, which is not good, but uh, let's see if the back is as stock looking as the front.

huh? There's the springs. They probably just cut a coil or something. okay, or got some lowering springs. It should have the air suspension.

You can see it has Magnar ride also air suspension because that's what that little wire this. This is the Magna Ride part. Yeah, it does give a Service Ride message. So I'm betting that those airbags on the shock are blown.

All right. That's why it's not holding in the air and not raising I Don't know if we'll be able to get those. we'll have to see. If not, we could.

uh, figure something out with these Springs to raise it up? Yeah, well, and there's still a lot of these cars on the road. and I know there was different options back in the day. as far as retrofit kits or yeah, bringing it back to factory, we could look into that too. I wonder if Arnot has any support for these? I don't know because they're not.

They're not worth that much. No. uh-oh the exhaust is broke there. Oh well, that's cool that it's fun.

functional actually. The tips: It actually does work. Yeah, they're real. Very neat and scraped a few times here as well, but nobody would see that.

Yeah on the ELO Yeah, and unlike a lot of concept and really custom cars, I feel like this is capable of being something usable that you can drive. it could be. There's not major modifications where it's unusable. We could totally make this road worthy so you're not offended.

like when I bring you a crazy race car and all the crazy custom stuff this is. This is doable, huh? It's doable and it's something I only do for you. This is something I wouldn't offer to my customers because of liability and I know you're probably not going to sue me into the ground if something goes wrong. Yeah, the only thing I could sue the wizard for is for assault if I ever tried to leave without paying, right? right? But that wouldn't happen I Always pay.

Yeah, you always pay. and with this one is going to be a little bit of a mystery as far as figuring out the rear suspension and the air ride and the poppers. Uh, stuff. That'll take some research.

so I'll give you some time I Won't wait around for you to click in the office and do some shopping. It looks like you have some Milling to do as well. Huh? Some lathing, some yeah. Definitely joyful.

Happy Endings Going on back there so we'll update on the estimate and the progress on this car soon. Thank you so much for watching.