Thread: Caddy Engines??.

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Well, it looks like that link didn't take us anywhere.

Tell you what, if you have a fax machine at your disposal shoot me a private message with the number and I'll send you a copy of the article when I get home.

Jim

Originally Posted by Mike P

"......Something I always wondered about... Using the turbo425 transmission from a big Eldorado or Toranado with a 500 Caddy or 455 Olds in the back of a Kelmark GT kit....."

I seem to recall Hot Rod Magazine did a wrtie up on a 455 Kelmark, as I rememeber it was kind of a monster.

In certain ways you can draw a lot of similarities between the big Caddy engines and the early Chrysler Hemi’s. Almost every Hot Rodder has heard of them, there is a fair amount of misinformation about both, you don’t necessarily come across a lot of them anymore, even if the initial cost of the engine is low they are an expensive engines to build. Even with only a few companies supporting either engine there really is a pretty fair amount of good aftermarket performance equipment out there to build the engine to suit a particular application if you know where to look.

I suspect the main reasons you don’t see more of them used is the cost to build the engine and that putting one of these in something is a bit more of a challenge. These engines are wide and tall and specific swap kits are not readily available so putting them in certain projects can take a fair amount of fabrication skills and experience (but that is true with a lot of swaps).

Having gotten into these engines a while back I am aware of several ongoing caddy swap projects plus I've read of many completed cars (putting turbos on these seems to be coming quite popular). They are being built, you just don't hear as much about them.

Mike,

I'm kind of lost here.Tech gave this link to a Caddy build you did and I read about 5 pages.It ended there(without finishing) and maybe there is another link I am missing.Here is the link:

http://www.clubhotrod.com/forums/sho...light=Cadillac

What happened to this build??.

It's still under construction, between a computer crash and some long frustrating days at work plus a change in schedules (we used to work 9 hour days with every other Friday off and are now working 5 eight hour days every week (even though I’m still putting in closer to 10 hour days)) work on the El Camino slowed down quite a bit. I’m still plugging away and will probably post an update this weekend when I finish up a few little things.

I’m pretty much down to getting some new fuel lines run, mocking up the AC, getting the cooling system done and then it will be take it all apart for body work and rebuilding the engine and trans.

I don't see all the cost that some of these guys are saying the caddy motor cost.
It's gonna cost you alot more to take a small block and try to get the Torque and HP that you can get from that caddy motor. I've got a machine shop down here that will rebuild a stock caddy motor for about $1500. I've got a small block with almost $10,000
in it and it has almost the same torque as the caddy. The only reason I did the small block is because the caddy motor would not fit in the car. If it would have fit, it would be in there.
Plus it's more dependable then the full race small block.
Kurt

"Google" "Cadillac 500" and start reading - it'll keep you busy for a while. They are a good engine; in stock form they will outpull just about any other "stock" engine out there, and "rodded, well, there was/is a guy who is/was campaigning a basically stock bodied Coupe de Ville with a built 500 that was running sub 10 quarters; that's a near 5000 pound car, and he was getting air under the front wheels. They can be made to rock and roll if you want to spend the money, but there are only a few regular production speed/power items available, and they are not cheap. Ford 460 intakes can be fit with adapter plates, and headers can be fabbed from scratch, or modified from, I think, big block Chevy pieces. Valve train improvements and adjustable rocker arms are available, and head porting is helpful. But in stock form, they are a very strong and long lived engine. MTS is probably the most "up on Caddy" site out there, as they make and sell Caddy performance stuff.

Well if 500 isn't enough..........how about 540??.

http://www.crankshaftcoalition.com/w...e_500_Cadillac

I am running a 472 caddy comp cam stock heads vortec springs alum intake 355 rear gears 2850 lb car,400 tranny 2000 stall cheap rebuild on it rings and bearings runs 12.5s in the 1/4 all day leaving it in drive . They are a tough big torque engine as long as you dont over rev them 5000 rpm is the max you should spin them and want them to last

Originally Posted by canadianal

I am running a 472 caddy comp cam stock heads vortec springs alum intake 355 rear gears 2850 lb car,400 tranny 2000 stall cheap rebuild on it rings and bearings runs 12.5s in the 1/4 all day leaving it in drive . They are a tough big torque engine as long as you dont over rev them 5000 rpm is the max you should spin them and want them to last

I searched high and low for your build thread and came up empty.Could you please leave a link to it??.

Thanks,

Gary

thanks for the link gary. told charlie and i a few things we did not know about the 500 caddy.

The 472/500 is just about the most under rated engine out there i reckon, stock give enough power for most but don't rev em.
you can get real horsepower from them if you use the right parts and it won't break the bank either.

talk to Marty at MTS

sorry gary dont really have a build thread basicly started with a stock 472 and went from there ,when i rebuilt it i put in the cam(biggest comp cam in the book) still really mild and intake , rocker arms are a problem i am using a buick type rail syst i got on line, used chev small block springs in the heads , I have ordered the new heads and top valvetrain from MTS and am waiting as they are not a off the shelf unit,they are not cheap. All the rest of the engine is stock rebuilt it myself in my garage. without slicks the car is traction impaired .
the 355 gears are at the high end of what i would think would be streetable and should probalbly have 3.20s as i dont think it would slow it down. 60 ft times are in the mid 1.70s right now

1gary -

Here's another source you might look at:

http://www.cad500parts.com/


Jim

Just searching the net for interesting uses for a 500 CI Caddy motor and found this one. As techinspector1 suggested here is my version. Complete Caddy front end was stiched to the S-10 frame. Added coilover shocks and attached rod ends to frame for alignment. Front end has the radiator with fans,Steves_Car A.jpgSteves_Car B.jpgSteves_Car D.jpgSteves_Car E.jpgSteves_Car F.jpg 2" dropped spindels and 300 lbs of lead to make it driveable. without that it was a beast. Grafted 2 beds together, added fender flairs, teak bed liner and it drives like a factory ride.

If anyone is interested it is for sale. Contact me onebadcad2aol.com