What do you guys think of this motor as far as being clean? It is supposed to be a Cadillac 500 inch motor with 22k on it. It looks good it to me. What do you all think? Flame it if you want. I'm looking for valid opinions.

 

It looks excellent. I have a Cutlass ('87) with a 500 Cad in it. I've built three of these motors. If you are contemplating performance work I recommend you go on Cadillac Power Forum. Lots of good info there. The well known problems with them are worn out timing chain gears (plastic teeth like a Pontiac), worn out/disintegrated valve stem seals (plastic) and weak valve springs. The factory oil pressure is low (around 35 psi at cruise). The factory cam specs are weird, designed to facilitate smoothness over power as is the distributor advance curve. A cam change and a distributor advance curve add a lot of power. What year is it?

 

It certainly looks cleaner than not, though that's not the clearest picture.

That'll certainly move your car along.

- Eric

 

Cadillac 500/472 engines are excellent powerplants. I owned a 71 deville and a 72 eldo with those engines. Smooth dependable gas guzzlers.

 

The picture is a little fuzzy but it looks very low mileage. You can't get more cubic inches.

 

Thanks to all you guys for your input. The motor was swapped in there because the old one had a lifter issue that sounded to me like a rod knock. I was waiting for the motor to go bad and the trans went south first! My buddy had a motor and trans from a 74 sitting on his shelf. He did the swap for me. It leaked from the intake just a bit so they pulled the intake to reseal it and I got to snap a picture of it. I had this big dog out today and while it isn't the fastest thing on the road it is one of the coolest. I get more comments and thumbs up with this beast than with my Cutlass. Go figure. I was going to Church and I heard a little kid say, "Oh man! Look at that!" I gave him the horn. It sounds like the Queen Mary. (handles like it too) Just too cool.

 

A clean luxo-barge like that will always get looks. That's a LOT of real estate moving down the road. Much more majestic and classy looking than the modern offerings by Cadillac IMO. Nice ride!

 

Way cool.

 

Hail to the boat capt. That engine is pristine.

 

Too bad you didn't post this before it was installed. There is tremendous untapped potential in these engines and you don't have to give up any driveability or gas mileage.

 

"Untapped" describes it.
I had a 34,000 actual mile '75 Eldo convertible.
Fun ride except power was pitiful.
It wouldn't even maintain interstate speed if there was even the slightest grade.
You'd thought 500 cubic inches would have some decent power.
I think it was rated around 200 HP.
A few years ago, Hot Rod picked the top 10 worst American engines.
The Caddy 500 was on the list.
Maybe modifying it made it a worthy engine, but stock, it's a dog.
Beautiful car, though.
DSCN5579.jpg

 

My wife's pop had a 72 Eldo and I drove it some. It seemed to go just fine and had power to spare. I can say the same with my pop's 75 Toro with 455. I would say the power was pretty much similar. No slouch accelerating on the freeways and on ramps and had power to pass. Neither one a neck snapper but ok in my book.

 

Cool ride, plenty of comfort. Its a whole'nother world to cruise in.

I still want to put a 500 in my Cutlass. Call me crazy..

 

There's a guy around here who's got one in his old Chebby pickup truck.

Says it'll tow anything, all day long.

- Eric

 

Its easier to put a Cadillac in a G body than in an A body. Less steering shaft interference. The catalytic converter equipped 500s were choked miserably. I think the EFI 500 was 200 hp net and the carberated one 190. The two headpipes joined at a T then 90 degrees into the converter. Terrible design. 500s respond very well to usual: cam and ignition improvements and a better exhaust system. The cylinder head flow on the '68-'73 models is excellent. The '74 up, not so much. Its not heavy, just big. I have 307 Olds front coils in my Cutlass and the front doesn't sag at all.

 

The 500/472/425 Caddy motors are all excellent engines. Thesmog equipment is what killed the power. The two Caddy’s I had were a 71 CoupeDeville and a 72 Eldorado pre smog motors though they were no longer the highcompression engines which were last produced in ‘70 they still moved those carswith authority. It’s not difficult to boost the power on these engines. I dothink heads changed at some point in the mid 70’s.

 

Is that Roxena Red 67442nut?