High Desert Caddy

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High Desert Caddy

Join me on the adventure of fixing up a 1962 Cadillac Fleetwood 75 and the surprises that come with it as a first time classic car owner.

10/31/2026

Who you gonna call? 👻
Ecto-1 started life as a 1959 Cadillac. Miller-Meteor built it as a hearse and ambulance combo on Cadillac's long commercial chassis, the heavy-duty cousin of the Fleetwood 75 limousine.
Mine is a 1962 Fleetwood 75 limo. Same big-Cadillac family, three years newer, no proton packs. So I had AI show me what it might look like if it crossed over.
Happy Halloween from High Desert Caddy. DM me CADDY if you want to see the real one around Santa Fe.

Justin Trowbridge, Associate Broker | Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Santa Fe Real Estate | (505) 982-0330 | Equal Housing Opportunity
Meet the car and the broker: https://findmysantafehome.com/

10/30/2026

The generator is out. Now the alternator has to actually fit.
Reverse-mounted the old bracket, built a little bracket underneath, ran a heavy-gauge positive and negative, and put a 100 amp fuse in line in case things go critically wrong. At least it's not duct tape and baling wire.
What would you have done with a 30 lb generator?

Justin Trowbridge, Associate Broker | Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Santa Fe Real Estate | (505) 982-0330 | Equal Housing Opportunity
Meet the car and the broker: https://findmysantafehome.com/

10/28/2026

If you ever see me in this cowboy hat, here's why.
Years ago at a Ford dealership in Nebraska, I watched a mechanic chase a gremlin so deep he took the whole truck apart. I walked by and said "there's your problem, the truck's got no wheels." He laughed. Now it's my turn: I did this alternator swap wrong for weeks, so the hat means I'm poking fun at myself.
What's your "deep in the weeds" story?

Justin Trowbridge, Associate Broker | Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Santa Fe Real Estate | (505) 982-0330 | Equal Housing Opportunity
Meet the car and the broker: https://findmysantafehome.com/

10/27/2026

I've been shocked enough times doing electrical work that I hype myself up like it's a heavyweight fight. Today's opponent: one small spark from the alternator on the 1962 Fleetwood 75. My reaction was a little bigger than the spark. Turns out the battery wasn't as "off" as I thought. Lesson learned, lunch earned.

Justin Trowbridge | Associate Broker, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices New Mexico Properties
Santa Fe homes, history, and a 1962 Cadillac.

10/25/2026

Jack and Rose might have made it if High Desert Caddy had been there. 🚢
My old cover was dust only, made for limos parked indoors. The '62 Fleetwood lives outside, and once you count the drop over the fins and hood, it needs about 24 feet of coverage. My answer is a recycled vinyl billboard from the Titanic exhibit in Portland.
And yes, it comes down to two, maybe three square feet of difference.
Santa Fe sun and monsoon season are hard on anything parked outside, including cars. DM SANTA FE if you're planning a move and want local tips.

10/23/2026

I have a degree in industrial design, which basically means nothing. But it does mean I can't stop staring at the back of this car.

The fins. The bullet taillight. That little chrome wing that pops out of the bumper (a body shop's nightmare). Even the Fleetwood lettering.

What car do you think had the best design? 👇

10/21/2026

Built by friends over a weekend Carhenge is a great stop in Western Nebraska if you're out that way. Alliance Nebraska in the western part of the state.

10/19/2026

The instructions were on the label the whole time. Bend the little tab after you insert the bar, and the jack stand stops coming apart in your hands. It's a small fix that makes garage work on the 1962 Fleetwood easier.

Justin Trowbridge, Associate Broker | Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Santa Fe Real Estate | (505) 982-0330 | Equal Housing Opportunity

10/17/2026

A lesson from the garage: check your assumptions, even the ones a smart tool hands you. The alternator I put in this 1962 Fleetwood is unregulated, but the advice I followed assumed it was regulated. That's the kind of mismatch that can overcharge and ruin a battery. I caught it in time, and matching wiring is on the way.

Justin Trowbridge, Associate Broker | Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Santa Fe Real Estate | (505) 982-0330 | Equal Housing Opportunity

10/16/2026

Tesla put rocket thrusters on a Roadster, so naturally the 1962 Fleetwood 75 needed them too. Meet the High Desert Caddy Mark 2. The hover part went great. The landing, less so. We'll fix that and get back to you. But come on, that's pretty cool, right?
Parody. AI-generated. Not affiliated with Tesla.

Justin Trowbridge | Associate Broker, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices New Mexico Properties
Santa Fe homes, history, and a 1962 Cadillac.

Address

Santa Fe, NM

Website

https://www.bhhsnmhomes.com/agents/2012523/Justin+Trowbridge

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