caddy attack!

[ratrodney]

Hey all.
bought a 71 fleetwood. 68,000 original miles. Set for a while and the guy I got it from put in new floor pans....new pad n carpet...new headliner...4new tires and a 600 dollar lowering kit in the rear.
Its got nice patina.
I drove it home 3 hours and it did great.....until bout 45 minutes away.
It started stalling n popping out the tailpipe. It straightened out but did it again but this time it sounded like a 12 Guage blast. I got out n looked and the muffler looked like it had swelled up n blown outwards ripping it at the welds...lol
I babied it home but was wondering what it might be? I was thinking maybe were it set so long that it got Mindanao clogged up and the built up pressure blew the muffler.
my buddy said maybe an ignition or trimming problem.
I think ill start by sawzawing off the original muffler to see what happens and go from there. Sound like a smart start?
Here it is...I love it![dr

 

[Dr Crankenstein]

Beautiful BIG Caddy! [cl

I hate to say this... but I suspect you burned a valve. (Do a compression test.)

What in the world is "Mindanao clogged"?????

.

 

[Toad]

Dirt dobbers up the tailpipe!

Toad

 

[Tripper]

Holy cow dude... that's a BIG boat right there!!!

BoB

 

[earthman]

Who doesn't love an 'ol Caddy. Could be something simple like old cracked plug wires crossfiring.
Let us know RR.

 

[AZRodDave]

Badillac!!!

Dirt dobbers up the tailpipe!

Toad

Mouse house in muffler? Nice tank, dude! Cut the mufflers off and straight pipe it! [dr

 

[lowbudget50]

Damn big car man! Hope its somethi g simple!

 

[BlueNorther]

Those big GM cars from the 70's and early 80's, had a two layer pipe between the cat/con and the muffler. we found it to be a problem when driven in cold (but above freezing temps).

If driven at freeway speeds the inside layer would get cherry red from the catalyst, and when going off the freeway and encountering a big cold puddle, the outside layer would shrink fast enough to cause distortion on the inside layer, and leave only a pencil sized duct for the exhaust gasses to go through.

Strange but true, we repaired many of them in the old days. the replacement pipes were a heavy single wall pipe.

 

[Willowbilly3]

What blue said, except 71 didn't have a cat. It's pretty easy to check for with a vacuum gauge. Engine will start, vacuum normal but quickly drops.
But, I'm more inclined to think a coil or condenser breaking down or water in the gas. The clogged pipe don't make a backfire. Start with a good basic tune up, plugs, points, wires, fuel filter......
I had a nice 71 last year. Red Coupe deville with white leather. 2 owners, 55,000 miles but had sat outside a few years. After getting it all up and running good, it made me really nervous to drive because it seemed like all that poorly made and decomposing plastic on the interior was going to disintegrate at any second.

 

[Bamamav]

Did the violin case with the machine gun come with it? [ddd

I think it was standard issue with the car....

 

[ratrodney]

Thanks guys. It started up today fine and idled great but cut out when I really stood on it.
No violin case but I can supply my own.
Heres the exhaust....RR

 

[ratrodney]

Here it is

 

[phil cottingham]

I had a Pontiac do the same thing years ago. It was a cracked distributor cap.

 

[ratrodney]

Sweet...ill start with basics. Looks like its been tuned up recently but ya never know. TnxRR

 

[ratrodney]

Got my mexican mafia look goin on...lol

 

[Willowbilly3]

Mine wasn't running quite right. I found the rubber hose near the fuel tank was cracked and sucking air.

 

[Sam_Fear]

Big car for a big man. My '66 had the sock on the end of the pick-up tube inside the gas tank folding over and restricting gas flow. EDIT: Disregard - That wouldn't cause the muffler blow out.

 

[Skip]

Got my mexican mafia look goin on...lol

Like the look, and the car. Reminds me of "the day" back in Cali. [cl

 

[Bamamav]

If it has sat a long time, I'd suspect water in the gas. My old IH farm tractor, before I got a new gas cap and quit using ethanol blended fuel, would capture water in the tank anytime it sat for over a couple of weeks. It would run like crap, missing, backfiring, etc, until I drained the carb and part of the tank. I never blew the muffler off, but it sure rattled my eardrums a few times when it backfired!