Does anybody know if there is an adaptor to mate a Caddy 472 (1973 vintage) to a chevy manual trans A t-5 to be exact I would Like to use this engine in My 32 Ford PU and we all know real hot rods have three pedals.
any bop 4 speed bellhousing should work. making a t5 live behind 450 ft lbs and finding a flywheel will be the hard part.
Might be "easier" (LOL) to make an adapter plate and run the Chevy bellhousing. Check Speedway Motors or Lakewood's catalog. Guys used to run 500 Cads in IMCA type modifieds, and I'm pretty sure some ran stick ******s behind 'em.
they share the pattern with buick/olds/pontiac, no adapter required, $100 and easy to find. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Bell...ryZ33733QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Keep in mind the 472/500 crank isn't machined for a pilot bearing. Minor detail but worth thinking about. I had heard of a few places suggesting it could be done without pulling the crank. Check out www.500cid.com, http://www.cad500parts.com/ and the cadillac forums (Can't remember the exact link). I've got a 472/th400 waiting for me to work on it as well as a '68 DeVille taking up all the space in my garage.
It can be done with the crank in and bellhousing bolted on. I've done 3 Mopars that way. If anybody's interested, ask and I'll post the details (too much to write for no reason!)
Call McLeod Industries flywheels in cali ,,,,they alway had odd ball flywheels,,,,, 714 - 630 - 2764 Most cranks have pilot hole used for making the crank, just make your own pilot brg on a lathe. On my auto trans olds cranks you can buy an aluumium adapter that uses a roller brg. measure if the pilot hole , and see if it is the same size as a Olds 350 auto crank. arnold.
Careful! Most auto trans cranks have a hole there, but only the end is chamfered to hold the crank in a lathe. If you're serious about putting a pilot in, set up a jig and drill the hole out to a common size. Then you know it's round and centered...
Those Cadillac motors do not have the pilot hole in the crankshaft and they CAN be drilled without taking the engine apart if you are reasonable adept with your two opposing thumbs. The 472 engines are sweet. If you are going to be doing any work on it, give Al a call at Maximum Torques Specialties. Al is the man....and he sells some awesome stuff for these engines. There are newly released pistons and rods for these engines too, just ask Al. By the way, good luck with that T-5. If you are keeping the engine strictly stock and only driving on wet/slick streets it may hold up for you in the short term. They put the bullet-proof turbo 400's behind these engines for a reason. The Cadillacs needed lots of torque, with plenty in reserve, to get them moving and the 472/500 engines were purpose built for that.
It can't hurt. Write it neatly enough and maybe it'll go in the tech archive. Lots of guys with '50s Olds Hydramatic engines that wouldn't mind going to stickshifts, I'm sure. -Dave
I sure could use the info, I'm doing a 472 with a M-22 in the near future and hadn't thought of the pilot bearing.Thanks for your help if you don't mind typing
Well my line of thinking was that this Choped' Channeled' Z-D' Fenderless and shortened bed truck would be so light that a lack of traction would insure the ****** durabillity.
The general consensus with the ******** Cadillac guys is that a manual won't hold up unless you build it up hard, or put it in something very light, with small tires. Not to push spam, or link to another board, but the Cadillac Power board is a great source for all things big block Cadillac. Give the search ****on a try, and search for manual. As much as I'd like to have a manual in my Cadillac, I know it's just not feasable.
I was kind of curious whether or not the M-22 trans would hold up to a 69 472. Not a super light car either. 55 chevy 210. I'd hate like hell to ****ter the Muncie. Should I just say the hell with it and use a turbo 400??
The way we have done the crank drilling is to pull the bearing retainer off the front of the trans, and make an adapter plate that has holes where the trans would bolt to the bellhousing, and the bearing retainer would bolt to the trans. You will also need a large hole in the center of the plate where the trans input shaft would be. Now stay with me here... When you bolt all this together, you have the bellhousing on the back of the motor, the bearing retainer inside the bellhousing (the retainer must be the right size to locate in the center hole of the bellhousing), the adaptor plate bolted up where the trans would go, and a hole which is lined up with the center of the crankshaft. The sleeve on the bearing retainer acts as a guide for your drill. You will need a bushing that the drill bit can slide through fairly tightly and some sort of extension to drive the drill bit. I use one made for carpenters to drill holes thru walls. Now here's where things may get a little tricky... If there is NO hole at all in the end of the trans, you are going to have to start with a fairly small drill bit, requiring a smaller bushing and corresponding drill bit extension. Buy a pilot bushing to fit the trans input shaft (HAND CRAMP!)........ and measure the outside WITH A MICROMETER. This dimension is critical, because the bushing has to press into the crank. If ends up loose you're fukd and will have to find the next largest size pilot bushing. What I usually do is turn down the O.D. of the bushing until it's .002 bigger than whatever the closest reamer I can borrow is. Anyway, that's all the wizard stuff, just drill the crank out and ream it, press in the bushing, and you're ready to row the oar. If you've got a buddy with a lathe, it's fairly easy to make your own combo guide bushing /drill extension. Most trans bearing retainers (BRAIN CRAMP.....) are close to 1" inside dia., and that's about how big you'll need to drill the crank as well (maybe smaller on a Chevy trans...) Use 1/2 shank stepped drills and a 1/2 split point starter bit. You'll only need one guide and you might only have to drill it twice... How deep you ask? Bolt the bell housing to the trans you will use. Lay a straightedge across the face of the bellhousing and measure down to the tip of the input shaft. Call that X. Now put the straightedge across the very end of the crank (NOT the bolt flange) and measure to the back face of the block at both dowels. You are doing it on both sides to make sure the numbers come out the same. Call this Y. If there is a recess in the center of the crank (should be) measure how deep it is. Call this Z. Y-Z-X+1/2 is how deep to drill from where the drill bit touches the crank. Sorry you asked? It can be done at home with the engine in the car, and allows you to adapt anything to anything (I've done 3 Mopars and an Isuzu v6 to an Opel trans, of all things).
Damn! I think I am sorry I asked but that's great info. Thanks for your help and I hope your hands heal quick from all the typing
Hey Rich I have a Lunati 408 in my 66 Chevelle About 500 horse, Anyway I have snaped the ears off several aluminum 4 speeds including a very rare 1970 m-22 from a big block vet (LS6) which had a 26 spline input and th400 output. So I went to a super T-10 with a steel case , this ****** has been bulletproof, until recently when a bad u-joint caused a high speed vibration (About 125) that caused the tailhousing to crack . But then again my buddies say if you whant it broke give it to me!! Also if you need a guy who has an ***load of parts and complete rebuilt unit call Larry @ D&L ******s 631-351-4837 Tell em Greg The Dent Guy sent ya, oh and he is in huntington Long Island!
Greg, thanks for the info. I always thought the M-22 was built to take alot of **** but I guess not from a 472 huh? It's a 69 with according to everyplace I look 375HP and 525lbs.in stock form.With a simple intake and carb change it's supposed to go to 388hp and 540lbs.will be in a 55 chev.210, 14 in. tires and a 1980 Z28 non posi rear.It's not gonna get tractiion even with the ladder bars I don't think so I was guessing that tire spin without bangin gears would save the trans.What do you think?O yeah the trans is 10 spline too
I had a NV4500 5 speed behind a caddy 500 in a full size crewcab chevy,that ****** is strong,I couldn't break it!.I Used a 3/8 thick adapter and a special pinion bushing in the crank with a clearance hole behind it,along with an aftermarket flywheel.Then the fuel prices shot up,the caddy motor was yanked and I put in a ***mins turbo diesel.
Isn't the Ford Toploader 4-speed supposed to have a strength advantage over the Muncie? I'll bet you could get two Toploaders for what the Muncie would bring on eBay. I really, really think the world needs more 500 cubic inch engines with manual trannies. -Dave
Actually it's 12 spline and one-wheel-peel will definitly be the limiting factor for traction, but remember that the spider gears in the center section wiil heat up and eventually fail if you do a lot of one wheel burnouts. Also your axle bearing and seal will wear quicker on the right side. like i said before I've broken a lot of parts.
ok my mistake, 12 spline. I'm not going to be doing alot of burnouts tires cost too much, gas prices , fear of breaking parts and oh yeah, I'm 51 years old and shouldn't be doing that anyway. Yeah right! Bigcheese327 is right too, we do need more 472-500 caddy motors with manual trannies.Love that torque!!!
The Jalopy Journal
