From Totaled to Daily Driver: The Journey of My Cadillac

"Bozi Tatarevic" (hoonable)
12/04/2013 at 00:47 • Filed to: None

Since my Legacy GT has gone from daily driver into an extended project I needed a replacement. I narrowed my list down to a comfortable RWD sedan and one of the choices was a Cadillac STS. I decided to look around and wanted to keep my choices within a certain budget. Using my available resources and access to insurance auctions I started searching for one that could be saved.

I came upon this 2005 Cadillac STS at the auction that needed lots of repairs but was not out of reach for my expertise and budget.

The vehicle was purchased and transported to me at an initial cost of a little over $3000. At the time it had 106,000 miles and had a host of issues, some of them included:

-Poorly fitted front bumper and hood

-Missing lower grille

-Fog lights zip tied in place

-Wheel and dash airbags destroyed

-Dash broken

-Driveshaft and differential noise

-Wheel bearing noise

-Bent wheels and bad tires

-Timing chain and tensioner noise

-Oil leaking from front cover

-Misfire under load

It appeared that repairs were started on the vehicle and it may have been totaled out in the process. I started on my journey to bring the vehicle up to par. The first order of business was to repair the engine. I found that the timing chain guides had become extremely worn and the chain had stretched so I ordered a whole new timing set, all related seals and gaskets, new oil pump, new water pump, as well accessory tensioners and belts.

This was by far the most difficult timing setup to put together from all of the setups I have done as there are 3 separate chains and GM made a revision to them so it took a while until we verified that it was just right. Once the chain was complete, all of the gaskets were replaced, along with new spark plugs, and an ignition coil. The engine was ran with some conventional oil and a little cleaner and then replaced with synthetic oil and a new filter.

Once the engine was complete we moved on to the driveline. I found that the center bearing for the driveshaft was bad and that the differential was making noise as it was loose internally. I took this opportunity to upgrade the differential and picked up an LSD unit from a CTS along with new seals. This unit was installed along with STS-V bushings.

We checked all of the wheel bearings and found 3 to be noisy so we went ahead and replaced all 4 with new units and resurfaced the rotors and put on new pads while we were in there. We put air in the tires and fixed a bent rim so that it could be driven around the lot. The car was finally running and driving properly.

Since the mechanical were complete we moved to the inside and started pulling the interior. The seats were pulled, which was followed by pulling the dash and all of the safety equipment that was blown up. New restraints and airbags were installed and the interior was thoroughly cleaned. I am not a fan of the wood trim so I found a used replacement dash with brushed aluminum trim.

We put everything back together and made sure there were no creaks or rattles. We finished up by aligning the body panels properly and ordering all of the clips and brackets necessary to mount the lights properly as well as a new lower grille. Since the wheels and tires were not in usable condition I decided to upgrade. I found some used Chrysler 300 OEM 20 inch wheels on craigslist and wrapped them in some nice Falken tires. I chose the Chrysler wheels as they have the same bolt pattern and hub size and the offset fit well. The end result of my and my friends labor was a nicely polished ride.

The car now rides like a dream and is a real looker. My inital goal was to stay under $6000 dollars and I met my budget easily. The breakdown is below:

It was $3119 at the auction including fees.
Transport $275
Dash, Airbags, etc were $400
Cosmetic Pieces $200
Engine Parts $450
LSD, Mounts, Bushings $300
Wheels, Tires, Lug Nuts $900

Total Invested is around $5700

Bozi is the founder of !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and creates articles on everything from engine swaps to late model car restorations. You can follow him on !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! or drop him a line at !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

DISCUSSION (36)

Milky > Bozi Tatarevic
12/04/2013 at 00:52

Damn you did work … nice job and nice car. The wheels really help its looks too IMO.

phenotyp > Bozi Tatarevic
12/04/2013 at 01:00

Super nicely done. I wouldn't have thought those wheels would have looked as good as they do in the pictures. And holy hell you did a lot of work. Hope it drives as nice as it looks!

Bozi Tatarevic > Milky
12/04/2013 at 01:01

Thanks, they really were the finishing touch. The car looks great in person, my phone pictures do not do it justice

Bozi Tatarevic > phenotyp
12/04/2013 at 01:13

Thanks, it took lots of research as this lug pattern is fairly rare and finding wheels that are not chrome and 24in is quite difficult. I am happy how it turned out as it makes the car look better but looks like something that could have come on it from the factory

Spaceball-Two > Bozi Tatarevic
12/04/2013 at 01:18

My 65 year old mother has one of these and they are a dream to drive.
You did a great job and the wheels play.

For Sweden > Bozi Tatarevic
12/04/2013 at 01:47

Where do you find parts that cheap?

Bozi Tatarevic > For Sweden
12/04/2013 at 01:50

Dash and airbags were found at a junkyard through car-part.com

LSD found on ebay

Wheels on craigslist

Replacement parts from Advance Auto parts with their 40% promo code

PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power > Bozi Tatarevic
12/04/2013 at 02:17

ok, this caddy looks stunning ! if you asked me to appraise, without knowing the work put in, I would've said 10-13K easy! Those wheels seriously help the looks!
great pictures BTW!
quick question: How much of a pig is the 32v Northstar V8 to work on?

Gizmo - The Only Good Gremlin, but don't feed me after Midnight > Bozi Tatarevic
12/04/2013 at 02:53

Thank you for rescuing another Cadillac from death by salvage yard. Excellent job on that motor - those timing chains are a bear to get right.

jdrgoat - Ponticrack? > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
12/04/2013 at 04:13

Not sure if he will still be able to answer your question or not, but this car doesn't have a Northstar. That's the 3.6l V6.

911e46z06 > Bozi Tatarevic
12/04/2013 at 04:52

Bravo sir. American hero.

Bozi Tatarevic > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
12/04/2013 at 07:17

As jdrgoat said mine is the 3.6L so all of this stuff was completed without taking out the fans or radiator but I have worked on the northstar and it is not much more complicated to deal with

Takuro Spirit > Bozi Tatarevic
12/04/2013 at 07:23

Used airbags? That's illegal here. Though if you ask for a "horn pad" or if the passenger bag just happens to come with the dash.....

Same goes for cats. "Yeah, I need an EXHAUST MANIFOLD, wink wink, nudge nudge...."

Congrats on getting it done, and for under budget! Looks great.

PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power > jdrgoat - Ponticrack?
12/04/2013 at 09:23

whoops, just realized that...
thanks!

PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power > Bozi Tatarevic
12/04/2013 at 09:24

okay, thanks :)

Bozi Tatarevic > Gizmo - The Only Good Gremlin, but don't feed me after Midnight
12/04/2013 at 09:27

They are quite a feat but luckily there are tools out there to at least set the cams in place. You just have to follow the order very carefully

FJ80WaitinForaLSV8 > Bozi Tatarevic
12/04/2013 at 09:36

awesome. well done.

brakesnow > Bozi Tatarevic
12/04/2013 at 09:41

Wow, awesome job!

Post about your Legacy GT build! I've got a stage 3.5 '05 sedan myself :)

thebigbossyboss > Bozi Tatarevic
12/04/2013 at 10:17

You sir, are the king of Oppo. I bow before your automotive prowess!!

MonkeePuzzle > Bozi Tatarevic
12/04/2013 at 10:30

looks good!

do tell more about the Leg GT! :D

Bozi Tatarevic > MonkeePuzzle
12/04/2013 at 10:36

I did posts about it here:

http://oppositelock.jalopnik.com/my-latest-proj…

MonkeePuzzle > Bozi Tatarevic
12/04/2013 at 10:45

oh indeed you did, and I appear to have asked for more info then too, off to review your nasioc thread :D

Makoyouidiot > Bozi Tatarevic
12/04/2013 at 14:46

As a car, how is it, I prefer the STS looks to that gen of CTS, but I've always been afraid it would be too floaty and old school caddy for my taste.

Bozi Tatarevic > Makoyouidiot
12/04/2013 at 15:03

As a car it is great. I have driven the CTS as well and they share alot of components. The only difference is the air shocks on the STS. I like to think of it as the difference between a 3 series and a 5 series BMW. The STS is smooth and comfortable but has enough torque to move and can go in the corners fairly well for such a large car. Adding the LSD also helped the car perform better without losing comfort

Makoyouidiot > Bozi Tatarevic
12/05/2013 at 09:15

Rgr that

Aaron Paul: Oppo's Resident Fake British Actor > Bozi Tatarevic
03/28/2015 at 20:52

Awesome job! The Chrysler 300 wheels look fantastic!

Fred (FreddsterExprs) > Bozi Tatarevic
04/11/2015 at 15:56

That thing looks fantastic.

Quick question: are you the guy who's swapping a LS into the Legacy?

Bozi Tatarevic > Fred (FreddsterExprs)
04/11/2015 at 16:00

Yep same one

Fred (FreddsterExprs) > Bozi Tatarevic
04/11/2015 at 16:26

Awesome, can't wait to see the finished car.

LongbowMkII > Bozi Tatarevic
05/02/2015 at 11:58

Good stuff, did you find any other issues down the road?

Bozi Tatarevic > LongbowMkII
05/02/2015 at 15:10

Nothing out of the ordinary, had to replace a couple of wheel bearings, do the brakes, and a coilpack

LongbowMkII > Bozi Tatarevic
05/02/2015 at 15:31

Follow up response about a project? How odd! Hoping to snag a deal at an auto auction within the month(if something doesnt pop up before) Prepping by going over your past articles(and dry runs)

Doug DeMuro > Bozi Tatarevic
05/02/2015 at 17:21

Those wheels look amazing. Really, really nice. And I usually HATE non-OEM wheels. Someone should’ve showed Cadillac this back in 04 when the STS came out.

Bozi Tatarevic > Doug DeMuro
05/02/2015 at 17:30

I was really happy that they worked out so well. I like to believe I inspired GM in their wheel choice for the ATS:

Kinja'd!!!

Viggen9er3 > Bozi Tatarevic
05/02/2015 at 22:53

OoOoO, you should flip cars !

Carwood > Bozi Tatarevic
05/03/2015 at 17:49

I always found it interesting how proper wheels can make a vehicle look entirely different. Saw an accord coupe the other day with Audi style 5 spokes and it looked fantastic. This one as well!