Thread: New Project

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With my 40 done a year gone by I needed a new project so here's my next one
1937 Cadillac LaSal Opera Coupe.
Sheet metal is in great shape. The engine is an old Oldsmobile with auto trans and both are junk. Hoping it won't take me 9 years to get this one done.

Wow, that hood goes on forever. Nice project !!!

That is a great looking coupe!

What a great project! With the length of the hood I was surprised to see that the specs say it had a 322cuin V8! I was thinking probably a V-12 or something straight.

What are the plans for it?




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My plans are to upgrade the suspension and engine, no body mods. I know there's a bunch of folks that say I should restore to original but I want a car that I can drive to Nome AK. Auto trans with plenty of power and brakes to deal with traffic on the interstates. The old Oldsmobile engine and trans that are in it are up for grabs, its stuck and very 60's vintage. Many years ago someone installed the engine and trans but never finished . What really attracted me to this car was the big hood with coupe body. I'm ready to get started but the 100 degree temps are slowing me down.

Originally Posted by Navy7797

........but the 100 degree temps are slowing me down.

Tell me about it. Yesterday afternoon, Accuweather was reporting the heat index around here to be 122!! Don't get much done in that heat or at least not very fast.

I vote for a 472 or 500 CI Cad motor, but I'm sure a 6.0 LS/4L80E combo would do just as well.

Originally Posted by Hotrod46

I vote for a 472 or 500 CI Cad motor, but I'm sure a 6.0 LS/4L80E combo would do just as well.

How about a Caddy NorthStar?

What a great find. It's got such a perfect body I fell in love immediately LOL.
Subscribed, I'll be following along.
That long front end seemed to beg for a long engine but when you look at the actually area for the engine it's just basic small v8 territory. ^^^Northstar does meet the COOL category.
KISS rule applied= SBC/700r4.
I'm really curious what you will decide on.
Nolan

Here's a few more pic's. The gauges are very clean and clear planning on using them after up date to 12 vdc.



Engine bay has lots of room both front and rear

Looks like Mike hit the mark with the 472/500 Caddy. It appears to have room for a big block. I always wanted to do a pickup truck with a 500 Cadillac, just never got the opportunity. Here's a '37 with skirts, food for thought.
https://inthegaragemedia.com/classic...illac-lasalle/

It looks like you could move the radiator forward about a foot with that front shroud, so you're definitely not space limited!! Heck, it looks like you could slip a V-12 or Viper V-10 in there and not be cramped!

Originally Posted by rspears

It looks like you could move the radiator forward about a foot with that front shroud, so you're definitely not space limited!! Heck, it looks like you could slip a V-12 or Viper V-10 in there and not be cramped!

Nah, that thing is big enough to hold an Allison.

Ok as time is flying by and I've got to start gathering parts , engine and trans are foremost on my mind. I was thinking 383 stroker or LS type. Stroker I understand , LS types are foreign to me. Wanting to buy a complete engine/trans package. New stoker alone 5K+ than I need trans. Used LS with trans $3500 -$ 8000 depending on what site you look at miles etc. . Also there are so many variations of the LS. Thoughts and inputs are welcome. I'll be trying to get the best bang for the buck and end up with a very dependable driver. Tx to Nome AK and back dependable.

Originally Posted by Navy7797

Ok I'll be trying to get the best bang for the buck and end up with a very dependable driver. Tx to Nome AK and back dependable.

I'd be searching for a whole late model used car, and use every piece of it !