My ol' man has a 1954 caddy series 62 and I'm wanting to see some pics of what people have done to them for some ideas. So far we pulled the old 331 engine and trans out. (For Sale if anybody is interested in it.) And putting a 350 with a 7004r trans but we are needing some ideas on the interior and exterior of the car or even some custom work.
nothing wrong with a 331... great motor. Do a search just using the word cadillac. There are a few threads with great photos and a few great examples of 54's. 40StudeDude's brother has a killer one and he's building one right now too. couple real nice 55's too.
Oh, please rebuild that 331 and put it back in there. I am not sure your aware that that is one of the Holy Grail engines. It may be a bit more to rebuild actually it's really expensive, but it's perfect and will only add to your cool factor. I have been considering trading my 331 Hemi for one.
Hahaha! I was think the same thing, but I think a 322 Nailhead may fit that bill. Now if it's free we may be on to something.
Still runnin the 331 in my '55 and drivin that thing everywhere. Plenty'o motor even for that big boat. I say keep it. If you lived closer, I'd love to have one sittin in the waiting room!!!
Overhaul the 331"...it's easier than trying to make a Chevy fit... As stated, my bro's '54 still has its 331"...matter of fact, we just pulled it out and are going to overhaul it...also found a local that can rebuild the Hydramatic...should run about $550-600 for a complete tranny rebuild. Don't know how much the engine is going to cost yet... It appears the 331" has never been out of his car...it still had paper tags on some of the parts stating "Cadillac parts" and a part number on it. My '55 has a 500" and a T400 in it...it's currently stripped to bare metal, getting some body mods...so not much to see at this time...you can do a search for "55 Caddy build" on this forum...there were 5 installments and all of them are still in the archives... Here's shot of my Bro's '54... R- Oh, BTW, we had his Caddy at GG's event in KC in '06 (I think), may have been in '07...did you see it then...???
I'm closer than JeffreyJames - maybe I'll pick up that Caddy motor and trade ya for that Hemi. ~Jason
Got one if you want to trade,came out of a running driving 54 Caddy.it runs really quiet. i will post some pics of the 54 Caddy
Roger. If I had to ballpark a full parts and labor on that 331 I'd say $4500. Cost me $600 just for the heads. If you're doing tear down and assembly and only need the parts and machine work done I'd still expect to pay at least $3000. the 331 actually had a lot of HP for their time. The 54 came stock with 230. 10 more than my 53. You can do a lot with them with just a mild cam... they don't like heavy cams from what I've read... Bore it out and some mild port/polish. Etc. Mine is .60 over and running otherwise 100% stock with the carter 4 barrel. I'd say I'm probably still pretty close to that stock number. here it is right now... Heads are done. Just need some washers and to drill a hole for the PCV and its done. my vote rebuild it but quite honestly I see the draw in going chevy. You can go into any store anywhere on the road and find what you need. With the caddy when something breaks you're hosed.
4500!!?? oh my god!! i just had mine all re-done and spent about 1700!! including parts! Holy shit! Hey Danno before you switch over to the dark side did you at least pop its lid to see how hurt it was? those things can take a beating before they are fried. Nothing better than a caddy thats all o.g.. Gobbs of power in that first quarter throttle!
A caddy rebuild for under $2000. Never heard of one before. Parts kits go for close to that. $1400-1800. Where did you go? Is that their normal price? What work needed to be done? What year? I paid $600 for my heads. I just don't see getting the block redone with parts for $1100. That's nutty. You got a smoking deal. It really is a great motor. It pushed my caddy over 110mph the night before I pulled it out and that was with a sticky lifter and blowing a little oil.
I got real lucky but the new goodies were: Pistons and rings Main and rod bearings only Oil pump gears Lifters Pushrods He bored the block .030 (couldnt get .010 stuff) and cut the crank .010. According to the old man the heads just needed a quick cut on the valve seat and everything was still to spec. He said the rocker arms were almost spot on so he only shaved a thou. Cam was perfect. Hes a nice guy so he didnt charge me for the head work cause it was so clean..SCORE! When i pulled it out it was a grease bomb but still had the blue paint on it and the bolts looked unturned. Odometer only read 87800. Its a 64 and wasn't taken care of but i guess it was driven easy. Runs beautiful now so looks like his work checked out. 1725 all said and done. I just got done yankin the motor on a 62 and it was worn out and horrible according to the old man but we still got out the door for under 2000. Put that one in a couple weeks ago and runs beautiful everyday. Lots of go under that pedal! I think he gave me a break cause im a kid into this old stuff and he liked what we were doin with the caddys.
What are you gonna throw on that 331 for a fuel system? I saw a 2 4bbl manifold at Coopers for a 331 all restored with carter carbs
Did he end up selling that thing? ^^^ seemed like he was offering it at a pretty fair price if I remember correctly.
Yea, the engine in the car ran great but the trans was going south and he didn't want to spend the 1000 to rebuild the trans so he used the nearest thing that he had. The engine is in Fredonia Ks. If anybody is interested in the engine and trans I"ll ask him what he wants for it. also couple of pics of the car
Dude! Click these links: http://www.transmissionadapters.com/cad_early.htm http://www.wilcap.com/cad.html Keep the 331, and just use a newer transmission! You'd get better economy, anyway. WAY cheaper and easier than a motor swap, plus you have a Cadillac motor under the hood! ~Jason
Talked to the ol'man and he said he would sell the engine and trans for 500 bucks and it ran when he pulled it out but it has sat for about a year. It needs a water pump. His number is 620-378-3655 ask for Mike. He also has some exterior trim peices and a mark something ac compressor. Can't talk him into putting the old engine in. But as long as i see it go down the road again.
og 331 very powerful motor ..... gettin sideways at elmirage. ive had alot of cars and this is one of my favs!
Well can't turn the ol man from the dark side. Hes destined to have the chevy in a caddy. But his car i just work on it. lol
The Jalopy Journal
