Fresh Metal: 1980 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham
The continuing saga of “As the Standard of the World Turns”
The most luxurious owner-driven Cadillac
The 1980 model year is another downsizing for the DeVille and Fleetwood series. It is considered a “re-styling” but it is a downsizing exercise to increase fuel economy. The car’s length and width are the same but every component on the car is trimmed down to make the car look bigger as it conserves petrol.
The body lines were trimmer and more aerodynamic. A new 6.0 litre V8 engine was the last of the great Cadillac engines designed as a “Cadillac” engine. The Fleetwood Brougham once again augmented the model hierarchy as the most luxurious owner-driven Cadillac. This was a dramatically contemporary performance…in the continuing saga of “As the Standard of the World Turns.”
The 1980 Fleetwood Brougham is engineered for the demands of contemporary driving. Its new more formal roofline increases rear seat roominess. From the stylish new grille to the beautifully beveled rear deck lid it is a contemporary expression of formidable Cadillac luxury. Its aerodynamic wind cheating silhouette not only increases fuel economy but aides its stability.
The new limousine-style rear window treatment and new Electro-luminescent opera lamps in the center pillar are signature Fleetwood Brougham exterior features. Distinctive wide rocker moldings and the stand-up laurel wreath and crest hood ornament complete the Fleetwood luxury touches of elegance.
Inside the 1980 Fleetwood Brougham is spacious six passenger traditional Cadillac comfort. The new roofline permits two more inches of rear seat room. Rich Heather knit with Raphael inserts was available in six colors. A leather upholstered interior was available in 10 colors. Dual Comfort front seating with six way power for both driver and passenger, and individually adjustable rear seat reading lamps are Brougham signature interior features.
Standard Brougham interior with optional leather upholstery
Standard features for the 1980 Fleetwood Brougham included: power windows and door locks, Automatic Climate Control, Twilight Sentinel, power steering and brakes, Tilt & Telescopic steering wheel, power trunk release with power pull-down feature, fully padded Elk grain vinyl roof with limousine-style rear window treatment and French seams, Electro-luminescent opera lamps, lamp monitors, remote-controlled right and left side outside rearview mirrors.
Folding center front and rear seat armrests, automatic power antenna, exterior accent striping, seat belt chimes, Tungsten halogen high beam headlamps, and wide white wall steel-belted radials all network to provide extraordinary comfort and convenience. By the 1980s, the Fleetwood Brougham lost its exclusivity to be reduced to a mere trim option package. The Fleetwood Brougham lost its Fleetwood-body at the end of the 1976 model year production. It lost its Automatic Level Control and four-wheel disc brakes at the end of the 1979 model year.
A most impressive manner to add further distinction to the 1980 Fleetwood Brougham was a Cadillac special edition. The Brougham d’Elegance trim option was the ultimate expression of Brougham luxury. Available in five colors the Brougham d’Elegance exclusive pillow-style seating was upholstered in supple leather or Heather/Raphael knit. Deluxe Tampico carpet with carpeted floor mats were luxuriously under foot. The Brougham d’Elegance was another opulent Cadillac luxury sedan.
This is a very special 1980 Fleetwood Brougham. Matt Garrett used his imagination and expertise to create “an example of the way Cadillac should have offered this car to begin with.” He installed the legendary Cadillac 8.2 litre 500 CID 16-valve OHV V8 engine under the hood.
He contracted the services of MTS (Maximum Torque Specialist) to build a high-compression version of the 1970 8.2 litre with 400 horses. All of the “non-essential” attributes of this magnificent engine were omitted making this big-block behemoth extremely smooth and powerful. The transmission was tweaked to sync with the engine augmentation. This is my kind of Cadillac!
A custom 3” dual exhaust system was tuned to a quiet but authoritative ‘groan’ hinting at its inexhaustible power supply. Matt used a heavy-duty 4 core radiator, an 18×6 plate oil cooler, a 12×12 plate transmission cooler, and a heavy-duty booster fan for optimum cooling for this brute. The wheels are Crager Star Wires, the only genuine wire wheels that could hold up to this car’s prolific torque.
With these special wheels Matt used special Vogue wide white walls. Matt says “it’s mind blowing when you race someone who expects to humor you…and you put 3-4 bus lengths on cars like the 350Z’s.” Matt Garrett did this Cadillac justice. I say we send Matt Garrett to head the Cadillac Motor Division at General Motors…he seems to know what Cadillac is remiss…
The 1980 Fleetwood Brougham shared the same body and platform as the 1980 Sedan deVille. The Sedan deVille version used this body shell and platform through the end of the 1984 model year production run. The Fleetwood Brougham would continue using this same body/platform through the 1992 model year when it was known simply as the “Brougham.”
The fabulous Fleetwood Brougham was basically a badge-engineered Sedan deVille. A coupe version of the Fleetwood Brougham was released during the middle of the 1980 model year, it was the same theory; it was a badge-engineered Coupe deVille. There hadn’t been a Fleetwood-bodied Cadillac since the end of the 1976 model year production run. By the end of the 1980s, Cadillac had become a hodge-podge of GM parts.
The 1980s proved to be challenging for automakers. With EPA mandated mpgs and stricter emission control standards, luxury automobiles took a hit and had to be refined for the day. Cadillac built a 6.0 litre 368 CID 16-valve OHV V8 engine that was lighter in weight adding to its fuel economy. It produces 150 hp @ 3,800 rpm with 359 Nm of peak torque @ 1,600 rpm.
The engine is mated to GM’s Turbo Hydra-Matic THM-400 3-speed automatic transmission. The engine is equipped with a Rochester 4-bbl downdraft Quadrajet and a mechanical fuel pump. Performance is rated as 0-60 mph in 13.7 seconds, 0-100 mph in 57.9 seconds with a top speed of 104 mph. It can do the ¼ mile @ 71 mph in 20.2 seconds. Unfortunately, hp had to be sacrificed for the contemporary issues of the day aka fuel economy.
The 1980 Fleetwood Brougham is built as body on frame construction using Cadillac’s ladder-type frame with welded crossmembers. The Brougham rides upon on a long 121.5” wheelbase, has the luxury length of 221” with a 76.4” wide stance. The front suspension uses upper and lower control arms with independent coil springs, link-type stabilizer bar and hydraulic direct action shock absorbers.
The rear suspension is no longer set-up for height control as it was no longer standard equipment but now, optional at extra cost for the first time on a Fleetwood beginning the 1980 model year. It’s equipped with Cadillac’s four-link drive, coil springs, and hydraulic direct action shock absorbers. The Brougham not only lost its height control but also its standard four-wheel disc brakes for the 1980 model year. It is fitted with a hypoid type rear axle, and a propeller shaft with two constant velocity joints.
The 1980 Fleetwood Brougham is equipped with Cadillac’s triple braking system. The self-adjusting system is fitted with front discs with single piston sliding calipers and duo-servo drums fitted to the rear axle.
The system has a power hydraulic dual master cylinder with separate hydraulic fluid chambers to facilitate independent front and rear brake operation. The parking brake has an automatic vacuum release and is considered a true auxiliary brake since it will not lock with the engine running and car in gear.
The 1980 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham is restyled with a trimmer more aerodynamic silhouette. It is powered by an all-new 6.0 litre V8 engine. From its stylish new grille to the beautifully beveled rear deck lid, it is an elegant expression of Cadillac luxury. The formal new roof line adds rear seat head and leg room to the already spacious six passenger interior. A full complement of Cadillac amenities are standard.
The Fleetwood Brougham historically was the most luxurious owner-driven Cadillac and the 1980 model was no exception to the elegant rule. The Fleetwood Brougham was always a car of elegant refinement. The clean, contemporary lines highlights a distinctive roof treatment, luxurious appointments, and the Cadillac heritage made the 1980 Fleetwood Brougham one of the world’s great luxury sedans. This is luxury on the grand Cadillac scale in the grand Cadillac manner. It is another elegant Fleetwood performance…in the continuing saga of “As the Standard of the World Turns.”
…so what’s next as the Cadillac Flagship?
NotoriousLuxury 
An absolute wonderful collection of Cadillac’s !!! I wish I had better luck with the used Cadillac’s I have owned as someone always hit me and totaled four that I previously owned,,, a 1975 Sedan DeVille , a 1978 Coupe DeVille, a 1979 Fleetwood Brougham, and a 1980 Sedan DeVille !!! I dearly miss those Cadillac’s as I have loved Cadillac’s for over fortyeight years !!!
I know exactly how you feel! Isn’t it a shame GM no longer makes a Cadillac?
lovely car! I have a 1980 d’elegance that has been sitting in the yard for at least 10 years.
Can you give me any advise on restoring it and how it may cost? WickedAnt76@ gmail.com
Cheers Steven! You say it’s a 1980 and it has been sitting for a decade? Are you in the rust-belt? How many miles are on the car? How many owner’s has it been driven by?
The reason I always tell people to ask these questions when deciding to embark upon a restoration! It ain’t easy I’ll tell you now! How is the vinyl roof covering? There’s a molded shell under the cover to give the roof its shape to distinguish it from the Sedan deVille. That padding holds water if the cover isn’t maintained and waterproofed. Cars like those need to live in a garage because of the top.
Next, examine the weld studs and plastic clips used to hold the stainless-steel lower rocker panel covers. Rust enters the seams of these cars and eats away at it relentlessly. Look at your door inner seams especially the bottom of each door. There’s no need to have the car refinished if you don’t look at those seams, the rust eats from the inside out.
Check the floor! Remove the lining in the trunk and check for corrosion. Pull up the carpet and examine the interior floors.
I forgot to mention a potential SHOCK! When the vinyl roof cover is removed…sometimes the roof is so far gone it resembles toast! Cars from the north like around Ohio, Michigan, thru New York, up to Maine and Rhode Island, Massachusetts, have been in that road salt…it eats thru the roof silently!
I removed the roof cover from a 1982 and it looked just like toast. It was so dangerously rusted the car was eventually going to fall apart into pieces. The roof is the major structure of your bodyshell. It provide the basis to hold both sides together, and the front and back. This is why you merely do not snip the top off of a vehicle calling it a convertible. You can hit a bump and the frame may shift because its major structure has been removed. You get t-boned and the entire bodyshell bends like a “U”.
Sometimes, its better to leave then 1977-1992 Brougham and Fleetwood Brougham, and the DeVilles alone. The corrosion eats these cars from the inside out. Pop your hood and examine the seams especially at the front of the hood. Corrosion hides in there eating thru the hood. If you get a good rust-free candidate and it’s good-2-go for the restoration. These Cadillacs from this genre are finnicky & temperamental when it comes to restoration. it takes time and money.
But I can’t stress the corrosion checking enough. Some of those cars ended up worthless in scrap yards because of corrosion in key areas. You have to look everywhere for rust. It does no good to get a drop-dead gorgeous paint job only to have little bubbles popping up 6-months to a year later. The underside has to also be inspected. Look in key areas where suspension components are mounted to the chassis.
Unfortunately, all of the beauty trim pieces attached to the cars, helped to accelerate corrosion. The weld studs and the plastic clips are the reason you don’t see more 1971-1976 Cadillacs. PLUS, they were made with improperly refined sheet meatal and rust ate them relentlessly! Same with the 1980 thru 1984 Sedan and Coupe deVille, 1980-1992 Brougham and Fleetwood Brougham. The vinyl tops and the weld studs/plastic clips were having a contest to see which could debilitate your Cadillac first!
The vinyl roof On the 1971-1976 Fleetwood Brougham was its detriment. The weld studs along the bottom of the rear roof trim held the moldings in place. Salt got into places car washing didn’t get to and rotted some areas straight thru like instantly before your eyes! AND that road salt was soaked into the padding under the vinyl roof cover. This is why you see toast when the top is removed. Sometimes you can poke your finger thru! Yes!
If the car has sat out in the weather for 10 years…I don’t know, that’s a big question only you can answer by a thorough inspection. Has it been under a shelter or just out in the open? How many miles are on the car too? If it has well over 100,000 miles and been sitting for a decade…it’s a parts-car only! Don’t even waste your money. You can strip the thing down to the bare metal and have a nasty shock! It’s all in how bad you want to restore it and is it worth all of the money this venture will take? Did you realize sometimes it can take up to a decade to fully restore your ride? There’s no timetable because, you really don’t know what you will encounter.
Do you plan a frame-off or a turn-table to flip it over? There are many ways to do this and it takes a body shop estimate in person. They can look to see how much work they will have to put into it. This is great if you can do the work yourself. I have a cousin that helps me rebuild cars. We’ve been building our own cars since high school. When we went to college we all had a Rolls-Royce in our clique. We restored them as we drove them. Watching them turn into classics have been so much fun! We do 1975-1976 Cadillacs for kicks. I did a 1966 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III and it is a show car today.
A good paint job is obscenely expensive – but you have to pay if you want it done right. But, if there’s a lot of corrosion – look for a cleaner model year and restore from there. Don’t get caught with an exponential money pit. Rust repair is never guaranteed by the way…not because they are being mean – sometimes you cannot contain it in one spot.
Rust chains out like poison ivy! You might see the rust popping out in the upper quarters, then look and the rust has spread to the lower quarters from the inside out. And, the bad part: that same rust will return, next time with more gusto! The rust you sandblasted or sanded down will have a larger cavity the next bout! its better to cut the rotted panels off add new sheetmetal. Mustangs and Camaros have aftermarket rust patch repair panels because they are so popular.
If I can shed any more light shoot me a line. I just happened to be returning email today and I saw your post. Good luck with your ride but make sure to look everywhere for corrosion otherwise…your wasting your money. I’ll put it this way…all of the rust you see will be back if it isn’t repaired and cut out properly!