Interesting Cadillac Web Pages

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OK, I have gone through the old "Cad Links" thread and done some serious house cleaning and organization. I deleted all commentary, split some items off into separate topics, moved all the articles into the Gallery, and moved all "general" type stuff over into its own sticky thread in the "General Tech" section.

Anyone may post to this thread, but here are the guidelines:

* Posts here should be Cadillac engine or vehicle related ONLY. There is a thread for general type topics in the General Tech section.

* This is not the place for detailed explanations or technical information, conversation, etc; only links to other Cadillac web pages (which may contain such information.) The only exception is if you are quoting valuable information from another message board and wish to preserve it here.

* For each URL you post, please include a title (in bold) and a brief description (in italics). This is to make it easier on the eyes and enable folks to sort through information faster. I have modified JM's first post (right after this one) as an example.

* Again, please refrain from posting commentary; the purpose of this thread is to enable folks (especially newbies) to quickly sort through and read up on Cadillac technical information.

Have fun!
 
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Originally posted by JM:

Assorted Caddy Links.

Doc Chop’s Caddy Knowledge
Most all the specs you’ll need to know plus some handy swap info; a good place to start
http://www.angelfire.com/extreme3/drchop/docscads.html

Cadillac History
.. from 1902 to the present
http://100megsfree4.com/cadillac/

Cadillac Ready Reckoner
More detailed specs beginning with the 1950's models
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~wehawtin/CRRindex.htm

Eldorado Country
Lots of good info on rebuilding a '76 EFI Eldorado; links to several magazine articles & brochures
http://www.eldocountry.com/eldo/

A Cadillac 500 into a '70 One Ton Chevy Truck
http://geocities.com/caddyoneton/

The Cadillac Hot Rod Page
How one owner modified his 1979 Cadillac Sedan DeVille -- plus a couple of  links on a 472 build with pics & information on a 1976 Fleetwood Brougham
http://members.tripod.com/~CadillacMan/79cadpage.html

THE CADDY SHACK
This is an old site but still has some good info; thanks Wayne for putting it together
http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Pit/9364/

Cadillac Craft Center
Offers parts, service and advice for your 1940’s to present GM vehicle!
http://www.cadillaccraftcenter.com/

78 Chevrollac C-10
http://www.geocities.com/bigblockman472 ... Chevrollac

Rodder's Journal
A custom '61 Cadillac
http://www.jimmievaughan.com/ezine/cars/rodders_pg1.htm

Schwartz Performance
Jeff Schwartz's performance shop. Jeff is well known for a bad ass Cadillac he built which won Real Street Eliminator in 2002.
http://www.schwartzperformance.com/cadillac.htm

Cadillacville
This is a Cadillac-only junkyard/parts business in the Pacific Northwest.
http://www.cadillacville.com/
 
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Originally posted by JM:

This is a post from a previous board that I saved.

I've never tried these recommendations.

Dustins Car

I had a 75 CDV, stock weight, MT3 cam, K&N Filter w/Erson drop base filter case, 795cfm Edelbrock built Q-Jet for 1 ton Chevy truck, Accel built dristibutor, Fully ported Edelbrock Alum. intake, Flowmaster exaust, FlowKooler Water pump, and the below mentioned timing curve. Best mpg was 20 at 75mph, most of the time it was 18 @80-85mph. Around town, depending on the throttle angle 14-16mpg.


Advance curve recommendations

If you want to use premium unleaded gas use the combo that I have been using for years.
With the stock 8.5:1 compression use 10-12 degrees initial, one gold spring and one silver spring and turn the adjustable advance counter-clockwise 10 turns or until part throttle pinging is eliminated. That puts it at about 35 degrees total at very low RPM like 1800 rpm. I have tried using more vacuum advance but it detonates like crazy with the spring package described. If you use the stiffer springs in conjunction with more vacuum advance the car is real lazy at WOT. It takes more RPM to get the centrifugal advance to open up and delays throttle response big time. Using less initial timing can work but the car will not want to run well in colder weather. It leans out bad enough to backfire through the carb when trying to accelerate during cold engine operation.
I have tried every combination of weights, springs, vacuum and initial advance and have found the combination I described to be the best compromise between fuel economy (18-20 MPG at 2500RPM or 75MPH) and power (lots of bottom end grunt) at part throttle and full throttle. If you try and use lower octane fuel it will work well for part throttle only. At WOT it will ping lightly with 89 octane, never have run 87 octane in my car so don't know about that. I used the weights that came with the Crane kit due to their lighter weight, and besides the stock weights are usually toast by the time you get to them. They wear heavily around the spring posts. It was the Crane kit, but I think I used the Accel vacuum advance.
 
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Originally posted by JM:

Another build.

P e r f o r m a n c e  M o d i f i c a t i o n s
1977 Cadillac Coupe Deville

1969 Cadillac 472 block bored .020 and decked and squared to 0 deck height
1971-73 Cadillac 500 pistons with Chrysler 426 hemi pins.
Chrysler 440 std double moly rings.
Oldsmobile 455 rods with sps Chrysler 440 rod bolts.
Cadillac 500 standard crankshaft.
Balanced
Competition Cams 232/242 @ .050, 110 centerline .540/.560 lift.
Rhodes lifters.
Heads have been ported with a significant enlargement on the intake side.
TRW swirl polished intake valve 2.20 in. from Ford 429 SCJ
TRW swirl polished exhaust valve 1.80 in. from Chevy 427 L88
Pistons have been fly cut for clearance.
Block has been notched to prevent shrouding.
Combustion chambers have been reshaped for optimum valve flow
Sig Erson tapered valve springs designed for Chevy 327
Light weight hardened steel retainers, keepers and lash caps.
Heads milled .100 with resulting compression ratio at 9.7
Single 4 bbl Torker manifold made from Edelbrock Ford 390 Streetmaster.
Performance modified 780 Holly (3310).
Custom made headers with 2.5 inch exhaust & turbo mufflers.
125 HP Nitros Oxide setup.
Holley electric fuel pump in addition to stock fuel pump.
Modified HEI with MSD Blaster ignition.
High tork starter.
Chrome 1969 Cadillac valve covers and Chevy 454 chrome air cleaner.
Modified Turbo 400 with Turbo 350 converter.
1970 Chevelle 12 bolt rear end with 411 posi in a 4 series carrier.
Two sets of slicks, one for asphalt and one for concrete.
Heavy duty trans and gas coolers.
Crossmember from 1972 Impala to accomodate dual exhaust

P e r f o r m a n c e  D e t a i l s

The block is from a 1969 Cadillac 472 (4.30 bore) it is bored .02 over, honed on a Sunnen Cylinder King. The block has been squared and milled to .000 deck height. The head gasket is .040 thick, so there is plenty of piston to head clearance.

The crank is a standard 500 CID crank (4.30 stroke), purchased new, which has been micro polished. The rotating assembly has been balanced. Bearing clearance is set at .0015 - .0020. The oil pump is a stock high volume design with a stiffer spring.

The rods are 455 Olds, which are forged instead of cast like Caddy rods. They have been magnafluxed, fitted with Chrysler 440 SPS bolts, the small end offset drilled to make up for .035 shorter length and fitted with Chrysler 426 Hemi pins (they're stronger and .10 wider).

The pistons are Ertel cast .020 over 1971-1973 Cadillac 500. The rings are standard Chrysler 440 double moly, I believe they are TRW. They were fly cut to accomodate larger valves. The actual compression ratio is 9.7:1. They are clearanced at .003.

The camshaft is a Compettion Cams hydraulic 232/242 duration at .050 lift with .545/.560 lift and a 110 degree center line. The cam was reground from a stock Cadillac cam. It uses Rhodes lifters, stock pushrods, and stock timing chain and gears.

The heads have been significantly modified. The intake port was raised .250 inch, opened up and recontoured to improve flow. The exhaust port was also opened up, though it needed less modifying than the intake. The heads were milled .100 and squared to even out cc volume. Chevy 427 L88 2nd design TRW swirl polished exhaust valves and Ford 429 SCJ TRW swirl polished intakes were used. The valve heads were reduced to prevent shrouding (1.84 to 1.80 and 2.25 to 2.20). The valve pockets
were significantly opened up to improve flow. A three angle valve job was done and the intake valves were back cut. The combustion chamber was recontoured and a rough polish was applied to reduce turbulence. The valve springs are Sig Erson Chevy 327 conical springs. They are small diameter at the bottom, fit on the stock valve seat and large diameter (like a rat motor) on the top, to facilitate higher spring pressures and longer lifespan. The retainers and keepers are hardened steel. The intake valve uses .060 thich lash caps to equal the height of the exhaust valve. The rockers are stock steel Cadillac 1.65:1 ratio. They are adjusted by putting shims under the rocker stands.

The headers are custom made with 1.875 diameter pipe leading down to 3 inch collectors and 2.5 inch dual exhaust going to 2 turbo mufflers. The 2.25 inch tail pipes exit under the rear bumper. The cross member was replaced with one from a 1972 Chevy Impala to permit both exhaust pipes to be tucked up near the floor pan. The two pipes are connected to form an "H" pipe. There are also dumps installed to make opening the exhaust easy. There is no catalytic converter. The headers can be removed and installed in less than an hour without raising the engine.

The intake is a modified Edelbrock Streetmaster for a Ford 428. It was modified to fit the Cadillac engine. The plenum was opened to convert it to a Torker. All factory accessories that were bolted to the intake still are. The manifold was engineered to perform well and look decent. A modified 780 CFM Holley 3310 (the original design) sits on the manifold. The air cleaner is from a Chevelle SS 396. It has a dual fuel line to allow the stock mechanical pump and the Holly electric pump to work independently of each other. There is a small tranny cooler in line to cool the fuel temperature.

The ignition is HEI with external coil and MSD blaster ignition. It was curved to 26 degrees in the distributor in by 4,000 RPM.

The Turbo 400 transmission has a shift kit and other modifications to improve performance and durability. It has a Turbo 350 converter. The stall speed is about 2,500 RPM. I had a 3,500 stall converter in it and it was too strong for street use (the 235-75x15 tires went up in smoke and the car did not go anywhere). The car runs almost as fast on the strip with the lower stall and has better top end. It launches plenty strong with the Turbo 350 converter.

The rear end is a 1970 Chevelle 12 bolt with 4.10 gears mounted on a 4 series posi-traction carrier. I also have 3.55 gears mounted on a 3 series posi-traction carrier and a set of 3.73 gears. The 3.55 ratio is an excellent alternative for street and highway use.

The car has an NOS 125 horsepower nitous set up that sits below the carb. I have two pairs of slicks, one I use for asphalt and one for concrete. I have an extra cam, a high stall converter and other misc. parts. 

The car could be driven every day. It gets about 8-9 miles per gallon around town. It is very reliable. The drive train has less than 5,000 miles on it. I have driven the car about 500 miles a year for the last 15 years. It is always garaged. It is never outside unless I'm driving it.
 
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Originally posted by Darius:

CADDY ENGINE WEIGHTS.

I weighed my 472
by nytrus 1 (Paul)

March 12, 2004,

****************************************************************************
nytrus1 wrote:

I have read from several sources that a caddy 472/500 weighs 600 lbs, a SBC  is 575, and a BBC is 680.  Well, after wrestling with 3 engines this past weekend I am not so sure. My friend and I trailered a chevy 4.3, a chevy 350, for him and a '69 caddy 472 for me.  Loading and unloading the 4.3 was cake, the 305 wasn't bad,  but after stepping on my nuts heaving the 472 around, I question that 600 lb #. I don't know If we were intimidated by the sheer size of it, or it really is a lot more than 25 lbs heavier than a small block.

  So I weighed it.
Complete '69 472 air cleaner to oil pan, fan to flexplate. All weights are in lbs. and include the bolts, etc. for that part.

Block---------------------------------------------  210
Crank w/hub--------------------------------------78
pistons/rods,bearings---------------------------- 30
Heads w/valves, springs----------------------- 125
valvetrain-Cam,lifters,pushrods,rockers,chain,gears-  27
cast iron intake ---------------------------------- 43
oil pan,pump,pickup---------------------------- 14
valve covers---------------------------------------- 7
water pump, plate---------------------------------10
flexplate--------------------------------------------- 5
fuel pump-------------------------------------------- 2
motor mounts----------------------------------------7
distributor, coil, wires-------------------------------7
exhaust manifolds---------------------------------- 31
balancer, pulleys,brackets, belts-------------------15
alternator-------------------------------------------- 10
power steering pump-------------------------------14
air pump------------------------------------------- --10
cooling fan---------------------------------------------6
Q-jet carburetor,dashpot,choke spring------------10
Air cleaner-------------------------------------------- 5

Total--------------------------------------------- 666 lbs.

there was no A/C compressor

ready to run- carb to pan,w.p., cast iron exh. manifolds- 599 lbs.

use alum intake (368-- 17lbs)-------------------  573 lbs.

take off exh. manifolds    ------------------------- 542 lbs.

Hmmm, looks like I will have to weigh a SBC to compare them in the same state of dress.

**************************************************************************
Ted In Olympia Replied:

Thanks for the info but I'm confused.  How did you get from 666 to 599 pounds?

Thanks for the information and hard work.  Neat stuff.

TED

*******************************************************************
nytrus1 then sent this message:

599 lbs. is without any front accesories, motor mounts or air cleaner.

666 lbs. is complete, just as it came out of the car.

***********************************************************************
A few days later Nytrus 1 added this:

finally got a chance to compare weight with a SBC 350 4-bolt main. As I suspected, the caddy 472/500 weighs considerably more than a SBC 350.

I weighed the SBC the same way as the caddy.

              Caddy    SBC
******************************************************************
short block---318  240

long block--- 475  365

ready to run w/cast iron intake --  599  493

with aluminum intake--                573    477

complete as pulled from car -      666    549


100+ lbs.  difference!!!

So, in complete trim, the caddy is  66 lbs. heavier than published and the sbc is
26 lbs. lighter, although in as ready to run trim, my weight measurement matches what Al (MTS) has listed on his website.

I wonder how many other engines have substantially different actual weights from the published ones. Does anyone else have actual engine weights?

paul
*****************************************************************************

There were other comments from various list members but this is the gist of the matter.

Darius
 
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Originally posted by cadillac512:

Got some weights together-

Stock cad rod: Big end 551g, small end 264g, total 815g
stock cad piston/pin(no rings): 907g

6.735" Olds 455 rod:  Big end 609g,small end 247g,total 856g
7" Olds 425 rod: Big end 633g, small end 270g, total 903g

KB202 piston/pin for 454 chev(no rings)866g
KB353 Cad flat top piston/pin 835g
KB382 Cad 28.5cc dish top 807g

approx ring set wt 60g
approx rod brg wt 50g
 
I removed almost 50g from my 7" rods for the 512 in the T-small ends with pistons ended up lighter than stock but big ends were still heavier.Total weight per piston/rod assembly was 30g per hole above stock Caddy weight.I did not have it balanced and it is quite smooth though.

Terry
 
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