Triple dark cherry 1996 FWB with V4P towing package is now mine

While I was letting go a 1996 RMW last April (that car was nearing 200k miles), I was also looking for a 1996 FWB -- ideally one equipped with the towing package. The V4P option is really rare, but I did acquire one this weekend:

97,879 miles as of last night;
three owners from new, who took very good care of the car (I was given all the maintenance records since 2009);
no rust whatsoever (the car was garaged her all life).

I have learned a ton from this forum about both the RMW and the FWB, for which I am grateful. Special thanks to @silverfox103 and @dmg4 for their posts and help!

PS: Here is a photo of the car, taken right after settlement the previous owner had removed the plates.

https://i.servimg.com/u/f77/20/40/01/13/img_3911.jpg

i,m partial to those colors,. why were you set on getting a v4p in particular? what is it about the v4p option that is desirable for you?

Quote :

what is it about the v4p option that is desirable for you?

For me it was the rear gear ratio. More than anything else, it really wakes up these cars and makes them move. Hate the sunroof (I feel the same way about EVERY sunroof).

phantom 309 wrote:

why were you set on getting a v4p in particular? what is it about the v4p option that is desirable for you?

Sorry for the belated reply, I have not had a chance to log on in the last few days.

As @dmg4 pointed out, the 3.42 gearing makes the car scoot nicely. There is a penalty on the highway, of course --   about 2mpg. I am willing to make that trade-off in favor of better pickup.

This said, the main attractions to me were the HD suspension and cooling/upgraded parts.

--> A V4P Fleetwood, as a direct result of all those HD improvements, has IMHO a near-ideal blend of comfort: it  handles very securely at speed, and steers quite well in an emergency (without wallowing, which a regular FW does). The handling is all the more impressive, when accounting for the car's sheer size and mass. The difference with the "regular" FW / FWB that I have driven is striking.  

--> As well, conversations with an older friend who was high up in the B/D program at GM back in the day have convinced me that the HD towing-package parts (extra cooling, etc.) do in fact reduce the wear and tear.

Other than the 10-percent worse mileage, there is one other downside: I have had to check every part that I replaced as part of maintenance, to make sure it was not a different "HD" part.

The HD cooling will only come into play if you are towing something heavy,.my cad will idle all day in the heat and never get hot,.not quite sure how the HD cooling helps with wear and tear,. The mechanical fan is a noisy earsore,..i have no time for it,.and i have converted a couple of wagons over from HD cooling fan to twin electric.. 2mpg eh? It's been different for me,,, adding 3:73's to everything i drive has actually improved mileage especially in town,.i'm with dave i have no desire for a sunroof,. although we have some cars with them,.,..as for the improved handling? well a decent set of bilsteins and some good 255 50 17, 555 nitto',s and the old caddy will get around ok the wider lower profile tires are a huge improvement over the wallowing 235 75's I
For me if i was going to mod the fleetwood at all,. i would add the 13" front brakes and a 9c1 rear end,. trying to get the big car whoa'd down from 130mph is tough on gm stock brakes,.

I thought I'd post a photo of my car, after a thorough detailing ten days ago.



Mechanically, new balljoints (Moog) and steering damper (Moog) were installed, the fuel/gas filters and the oil were replaced, a new water pump (AC Delco) was installed. The original OptiSpark unfortunately had to be replaced because the four little screws did not cooperate with trying to replace the rotor and cap.

I've now put almost 2k miles since buying the car and replacing the tires a month ago, and it's great. Next in line are the front shocks, after I put another 1.5k miles on it in the next 2-3 weeks.

Beautiful! Definitely one of my favorite colors on any of the B/D cars.

On the optispark, just drill them out, drill out the holes a little and use bolt/nut/washers to hold it together. Somebody else taught me that and it's useful advice.

I've put another 2.5k miles on the Fleetwood. Replaced the front shocks (with KYB KG4515), the trans shaft, U-joint and yokes (all to get rid of some vibrations at specific highway speeds), and some bushings. The car is now very smooth. Here she is today.

https://servimg.com/view/20400113/18

I just acquired a dark cherry 1996 RMW with V92 Trailer Towing Package and SE1 Prestige Package, as a load-carrying companion to my FWB. Both cars are burgundy inside and out.

Here is a photo of the car taken last summer. The window tint has already been removed. I like the Ridler 695 allow wheels, but in 18x8 with Nitto 255x45ZR18 summer tires, the ride is too rough for my taste. I plan to swap back the OEM wheels as part of bringing the car back into shape with the help of a mechanic friend in the next few weeks: the car is extremely solid, but I want her gone through with a fine comb for reliable long-distance driving, and I want to spruce her up cosmetically (vinyl wood edges, fly away panels, side chrome moldings and rubber inserts, badging, Leatherique treatment for the seats, and a new set of custom mats).