Under The Gun: 1960 Cadillac Fleetwood “The Thundertaker”

- in Cars

Have you ever wondered what an outrageous SEMA show car looks like before the big show? We’re going to show you!

1960 Cadillac “Thundertaker” is the result of a four-year, 10,000-man-hour build by Bryan Fuller and his team at Fuller Moto in Atlanta.
Check out these awesome photos as Bryan Fuller’s expert team at Fuller Hot Rods pull together years of hard work. The Thundertaker was a mainstay at the Fuller shop for some time, but with the SEMA show, it was time for this ride to rise from the dead!

"The Thundertaker" 1960 Cadillac Fleetwood hearse before
Where it all started. A little rough around the edges.

Thundertaker - 1960 Cadillac Superior Coachworks Hearse
Stripped and braced. The bracing helps maintain squareness while the bodywork begins.

Cadillac Thundertaker building process
Just a little rust, but overall not too bad.


Cadillac Thundertaker building process
Back from being stripped and blasted.

Cadillac Thundertaker hot rod building process
Some of the body rot is visible on the quarters.

Cadillac Thundertaker Art Morrison chassis
Huge by long boxed custom Art Morrison chassis. Notice the exhaust pipe routing through the frame.


Cadillac Thundertaker hot rod building process
The body meets the frame for the first time.

Cadillac Thundertaker hot rod building proces
Starting to get an idea of just how big this thing is!

The Thundertaker a Four-Ton Hotrod Cadillac Hearse
Finally a glimpse of what is to come.

Cadillac Thundertaker hot rod building proces
Custom floors of course.

1960 Cadillac Fleetwood Custom Limo Thundertaker building process
There wasn’t a single panel left untouched by Fuller’s metal working team.




1960 Cadillac Fleetwood Custom Limo Thundertaker building process
Cut, weld, grind. Repeat.

1960 Cadillac Fleetwood Custom Limo Thundertaker building process
When you want to lay this low you need to tuck everything under the car. Here is a great view of the exhaust pipe routing tunnels and the driveshaft tunnel.

1960 Cadillac Fleetwood Custom Limo Thundertaker final assembly
Paint is on! Those quarters are arrow straight.

1960 Cadillac Fleetwood Custom Limo Thundertaker final assembly
Time to start the final assembly.

Bryan Fuller working on Thundertaker Cadillac
Here’s Bryan Fuller himself working hard on the door internal mechanicals.




Cadillac Thundertaker hot rod building proces
The guys pulling hundreds of feet of wiring.

Cadillac Thundertaker rear end building proces
A better view of the quarters.

Cadillac Thundertaker custom hot rod building proces
Two of the four batteries on board!

Cadillac Thundertaker hot rod air tank
One of two air tanks for the air ride suspension and another battery.

Cadillac Thundertaker hot rod Wilwood brakes
This beast will stop on a dime thanks to the Wilwood brakes.




Cadillac Thundertaker hot rod rear axle and suspension
A great view of the rear axle and suspension. Wires seem to be EVERYWHERE on this car.

Cadillac Thundertaker hot rod wiring
Just a little wiring to finish up. This is the dash by the way.

1960 Cadillac Fleetwood hot rod Thundertaker 454 big block engine
This monster is powered by a fuel injected big block.

1960 Cadillac Fleetwood hot rod Thundertaker roof
See that big hole in the roof?

1960 Cadillac Fleetwood hot rod Thundertaker sunroof
This sunroof goes there.




1960 Cadillac Fleetwood hot rod Thundertaker interior parts
The interior is coming together.

1960 Cadillac Fleetwood hot rod Thundertaker interior parts
One of Fuller’s guys puts on the plastic seat cover. Yes, those old school seat covers your grandmother had on her couch.

1960 Cadillac Thunderbraker the massive front bumper
The massive front bumper sitting upside down, waiting for installation.

1960 Cadillac Fleetwood The Thundertaker finished
Job done!


It took more than 10,000 hours to build this 1960 Cadillac Fleetwood. Totally worth it. With a build of this caliber, “Thundertaker” wears its name with pride.

1960 Cadillac Fleetwood The Thundertaker


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