Hot Rods Cad 390 Build

Building a vintage Cadillac engine was kinda a bucket list for me. No real reason, just something I wanted to do. Bought a core 61 390 with a trans that I didn't want but the seller wouldn't separate. Which in the end turned out to be a bad deal. Here is a picture of what I started with.

 

Now to show you the bad part of this deal. Not only was the block already .060 over but some a-hole in the past apparently broke the corner off and JB Welded it back on.
So the search was on for a new block...

 

So after extensive Craig's List and Ebay shopping... I located a couple of blocks and heads in the hills north of Magic Mountain hoping and praying that when I got home I didn't buy more junk...

In the end I ended up with a good block that cleaned up at .030

 

So I hauled all the parts down to my friends at Wholesale Automotive Machine and did the full block combo. Decked, line honed, bored, the whole nine yards. Crank was standard and we just polished it.
I did some minor porting and clean up work on the heads and had the guys install hardened ex. seats, all new valves and valve springs.

 

Then I took it home and began assembly work. Made a trip down to the guys at Schnieder Cams.
I sent the rocker arm assemblies to Rocker Arm Specialists in Northern California for refurbishing.

 

Great start! What's it going in? I started assembling my 390 this week as well.

 

Also, just noticed the cam card lists 1.5 rocker ratio, but stock was 1.6 for the 390. Just in case you want to double check your lift specs. Would be approx .480 at the 1.6 ratio. Sorry...I've just been degreeing and checking valve to piston clearance today on mine.

 

For my birthday my wife bought me the just released Offenhauser 3 Duece intake and I went to an estate sale and found a complete SBC tri-power intake with Rochester Carbs that the previous owner had rebuilt with vintage speed parts. So I sold the SBC intake for more than I paid for the whole setup and proceeded to make adapters to fit the Rochester Carbs to the intake.

 

I also ended up with a couple of other intakes during this journey.
And NOS Weiand Drag Star intake

 

So I got the whole thing screwed together and built a quicky engine stand. And got it ready to fire up.

 

Here it is running: You may need to copy this into your browser

 

I hope you enjoy this, I had fun building this engine.

 

Yep , you are correct , I believe the early 331,s etc were 1.5 . mine degreed with no issues and plenty of valve clearance.

 

BTW...disregard the violet generator

 

I like the fuel block Colin, make that yourself ?
Finding a later block here with the full flow filtration is the hard part.

 

Yes Chris , I made that . I bought a Moon fuel block but it was too large to place it where I needed it to fit.

 

Nice touch mate.

 

Wow...awesome build, well done

 

Nice, starts right up.

 

So.... what are you going to do with it?

 

That’s cool. I’m betting there’s a Coupe in the mans future

 

rad

 

My original plan was to install it in a 55 Chevy big window that I had, But when I bought the 59 vette project last year I gave the truck to my friend James who's been hanging around my garage since he was 12 or so , he's 34 now . I'm keeping my eyes open for maybe a 49 -50 Chevy coupe to put it in? But right now I really need to concentrate on the 59.

 

Hey Mark , Schnieder still had brand new cam cores in stock so the base circle wasn't an issue. I double checked the lifter preload when I assembled the engine and it checked out fine.

 

You are not the first one to tell me that Mark! But with the Vette I am going for more of a M/SP look.

 

I love this. You built it just for the hell of it. I have an olds and doing the same. No idea what it's going in...

 

I blame it on Sutton Speed.....He's the one who posted about Holley blowing out the Quicktime bellhousings for $168. I'm afraid to add up the what I actually spent on the build

 

I have a 62 390 if u want a back up motor.
Cool caddy tho