I know this isn't the most popular swap on this site, but if anyone here can give me some advice it would be appreciated. I'm getting ready to put a 350/4L60 (I think) combo out of a 94 GMC 1500 P/U, into my 65 Cadillac CDV. I pulled the motor and trans this weekend, along with the computer and harness. Can anyone here tell me what needs to be done to make this combo run in my car? I'm mostly interested in the wiring. When my buddy pulled out the computer and harness he said there were two harnesses plugged into the computer. One was the bundle from the engine compartment that p***es through the firewall and the other ran from the computer towards the instrument panel in the dash. Do I need the 2nd one? Can anyone offer tips for getting this thing running? All help is appreciated.
you will be disappointed with the performance. everyone i have ever talked to,in person or on the computer,has regretted putting a SBC in a Cadillac. plus it ruins the resale value. just sayin'...
i agree that i think you'll be disappointed in the performance of the little small block in this big car. in addition, you might not get a lot of help here, as computers and things are stepping outside "traditional." Why not put a 500ci big block Caddy with a Turbo 400, if youre looking to do something. That'll give you the torque you need and is more respectful of the Cadillac than going SBC. Do not piss off the Cadillac gods-- they'll curse you -scott noteboom
I still thank you for the input. I'm not expecting it to be fast. With the smaller fuel injected motor and overdrive, I'm hoping for a big gas mileage improvement over the p.o.s. 429 that's in it now, and a huge increase in reliability and driveability. I really need some direction on connecting the wiring. I feel like I have the actual installation under control as far as motor/trans mounts and all that. I also took the radiator, aux.trans cooler, and part of the exaust system (o2 sensor) out of the truck as well.
You are on the WRONG website if you are asking about electronic fuel injection buddy...seriously...you are barking up the wrong tree. Now I am putting a 383 stroker SBC in my '61 CDV Caddy but I am going with traditional induction and ignition systems to keep some period feel. I am actually going to get MORE horsepower and torque than the stock 390 so I am going to be up on the deal. The bore is identical but the stroke is 1/8th of an inch shorter but with more efficient heads, intake, and exhaust I will have a better running car. I wont even get started on how much better the TH400 will be than that piece of **** Jetaway what was in there.
You WILL NOT expirence an improvement in MPG or reliability. That little chevy will be busting it's gut in low gear to move that monster caddy, and it'll be worn out in 20,000 miles. True, the 390/429 was not cadillac's crowning achievement, but the 472/500 was. There are guys on the cadillac forums getting up to 23 mpg out of 500 caddy's with the proper tuning and cam, and the 500 is probably the most reliable engine GM ever produced. It even came fuel injected [optional] starting in 1973, and it's the same [basically] FI system you will find on mid 80's Z-28's and T/A's. http://www.mtscadparts.com/ http://www.cad500parts.com/index.htm
Well, I guess if you can somehow squeeze the word "traditional" into what you're doing it is allowed to be discussed here. I would be willing to bet that there are at least 100 guys here who have done or been involved in a swap like this back when it was ok to talk about. There are probably 1,000 guys who have purchased billet valve covers and put a heartbeat graphic on the side of a car back in the 90's. Just because the people here don't admit to this **** anymore doesn't mean they don't know about it.
By 390, i hope you're not referring to the '59-'62 390, cause those be fightin' words The 59-62 390 is the same motor as the 365/331-- and carries a beautiful legacy. In a nutshell, i think that motor (being the first m*** produced OHV motor) is a crowning achievement of Cadillac and advancement of cars overall. Love the 500 also, of course... Now, im sure you're talking about the redesigned 390/429... well then, i wont get my ******* in a tustle over that comment.... SBC in a Cadillac?..... -scott noteboom
This motor and trans came out of a gmc full size extra cab pick up. I did a little research and, to my surprise, the listed curb weight of the caddy IS heavier than the truck....by 52 pounds. I don't think the additional weight will over tax the motor. And I will bet any amount of money that if I do this swap and get the motor running well, it will absolutely get better mileage than the 429/400.
By traditional I mean tri-power carbs and non HEI ignition. I'm not happy about putting an SBC into my ride but I like to support those who have chosen to take their own route and do their own thing instead of following a puritanical point of view. Hey I sold my '61 390s so they can be put into open hood hotrods. One ended up having a snapped crank so it was parted out and the other was not reliable so it went into a private V-8 museum. I don't give a **** about resale value or the opinions of the puritans because when my car is done it will be worthless to anyone besides me! edit: My old running 390 is under the red sheet... my dead 390 is under the white sheet...dead...dead....dead!!
Find a factory manual for the truck It should have the wiring diagram for the computer and engine. You might get a someone in a dealers shop to copy you the pages but they may not keep a manual for a truck that old. I don't think The Chiltons or that type of manual will help much. One other source for the wiring diagram might be a place like Mastertune. They have printed out wiring and vacuum diagrams for me for a couple of bucks. If you have all the wiring harness and it hasn't been cut you shouldn't have big problems. I'm not sure that you will gain a lot of mileage as it will probably get the same mileage it got in the in the truck. The change in gearing might help though. By the way the front seats out of those 65 Cad Deville coupes work great in 51 Merc coupes.
WOW! Now that's a valve cover/manifold/motor collection spencurai!!! send it all: There are a number of books that deal with this, two that might help are available on Amazon: How to Tune and Modify Chevrolet Fuel Injection (Motorbooks Workshop) (Paperback) by Ben Watson (Author) Chevy TPI Fuel Injection Swapper's Guide (S-a Design) (Paperback) by John Baechtel (Author) I know you have a throttle body injection but this very similar stuff. A friend has mine has done several swaps into 67-72 Chevy pickups with both TPI and TBI systems by modifying the original engine harness with good results. You might also check with this website: http://www.affordable-fuel-injection.com/ Good luck!
Preach it, brother! If you do go ahead and do this swap, sell the motor/trans combo here or on the '63/'64 Cadillac MSN group. Folks will totally buy it... of course they may smile a lot on the way home! ~Jason
Eventually, I may go EFI on my 429 - but I haven't quite made that decision yet. If I do, I may give you a run for your money! ~Jason
So It sounds like you might need the other part of that wiring harness because you not only have an electronic fuel injection harness but you may also have a computer controlled transmission. You need to find out if you have the 4l60 or the 4l60-E. If you have the "E" version you are going to need the computer for the transmission also. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GM_4L60-E_transmission gawd I wish it were my collection but alas it is not!! That is about half of what this guy has because I am standing in the doorway between the two rooms and the pictures are 180 degrees from each other.
You need both feeds. you don't need every wire in each, but you need some in each. Go to a s10 v8 swap site, they have the vortech systems mapped out, where to cut, lengthen, etc. Its a nightmare the first time. Its not fun the second time.
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