1977 Cadillac Fleetwood
The Fleetwood name started as a body manufacturer, and was acquired by General Motors in the purchase of Fisher Body in 1929, who purchased Fleetwood in 1925. From 1925-29 Fleetwood Body built Cadillac bodies exclusively, offering them as an option from 1927-1934. After 1934 Fleetwood bodies were only available on the exclusive Series 75 and Series 90 Cads. By the 1950s it was used as an umbrella to designate more expensive, exclusive Cads, and also as the body manufacturer for the Fleetwood Brougham from 1957-1961. With the addition of the Eldorado Biarritz in 1963 Fleetwood was the body manufacturer. The Eldorado, Sixty Special on the extended Cadillac chassis, and high end Series 75 models were placed under the Fleetwood banner, but there was no separate Fleetwood model. Bare Fleetwood chassis were used for professional coach builders. In 1977 the Sixty Special Brougham and Series 75 were renamed “Fleetwood Brougham” and “Fleetwood Limousine” respectively. In 1985 the Fleetwood name was used on the new front-wheel drive GM C-body platform, while the Brougham became a separate make on the rear-wheel drive GM D-body platform for a single year. In 1986 it became a DeVille option package, before becoming part of the Fleetwood Sixty Special on the stretched C-body platform, and the Fleetwood Series 75 used an even longer stretched C-body chassis. In this period there was a lot of back and forth with the Fleetwood designations and other models. In 1993 the Fleetwood name landed on the rear-wheel drive C-body four-door sedans. When this platform was retired in 1996 the Fleetwood name was as well.
1977 Fleetwood Brougham/Series 75
The downsized C-body Cadillac appeared this year. This body would continue through 1996 which ended Fleetwood production and rear-wheel drive Cadillacs. The commercial chassis was reduced from 157.5-inches to 144.5-inches. All models received the new 425ci V8 engine, with electronic fuel injection optional on Broughams. All four-door bodies were now true sedans with B-pillars. Fleetwoods received wide rocker moldings with Fleetwood lettering on the front fenders and trunk. Four-wheel disc brakes were now standard. Factory-built limousines were made from two-door bodies, with rear four-door doors added to create a limo.
AVAILABLE MODELS:
1977
- Body Style
- 60-Four-Door Sedan
- 75-Four-Door Sedan
- 75-Limo
- 86-Commercial Chassis
- Engine Options
- 350ci-Fuel Inj, 180hp
- 425ci-4bbl, 180hp
- 425ci-Fuel Inj, 195hp
1977 Cadillac VIN Decoder:
First Character: GM Division
Second Character: Series
- B ~ Fleetwood Brougham
- F ~ Fleetwood Limo
- L ~ Fleetwood Eldorado
- Z ~ Commercial Chassis
Third and Fourth Characters: Body Style
- 23 ~ Four-Door Limo, Aux Seat
- 33 ~ Four-Door Limo, Center Window
- 69 ~ Four-Door Sedan
- 90 ~ Commercial Chassis
Fifth Character: Engine
- R ~ 350ci V8
- S ~ 425ci V8, 4bbl
- T ~ 425ci V8, Fuel Inj.
Sixth Character: Year
Seventh Character: Assembly Plant
- Q ~ Detroit, Michigan
- E ~ Linden, New Jersey
Eighth-Thirteenth Characters: Production Code
- Production number sequence.
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