Well the inevitable has happened. The tired 351w in my binder has developed a rod knock. I knew it was just a matter of time because it was a junkyard motor. I have another windsor in the shed and a 500 cadillac. I know the windsor would be the easiest route but i can't get that caddy out of my head. Both are ready to go so the money isn't the issue. I would have to do some floor and firewall work on the truck to get that cad in there and i don't have a shop. Are the caddy engines worth the trouble? Any thoughts?
not if you dont have a shop stick with the the blue oval mill, unless you have a friend thats got a shop you can park it in while you whittle out some new engine mounts and start cutting into the cab
windsor is the quick fix... time is usually the big factor if money isnt so how long do you want to be without your ride? the cad motor isn't going anywhere so drop the windsor in and start to make plans and measure out what you need to make it happen later. .02
+1 you will have a ton more fab work and down time. Plus your going to have to change trans and possibly drive shaft lengths.
Not to mention with the Cad you will have a transmission change, Shifter, throttle linkage, possibly radiator hose issues, Drive shaft modification, alternator mounting and on and on .
This one is a no brainer (no offence to you). Like has already been mentioned just put in the Winsor you have and maybe while your at it take some measurements for a future Cad transplant. That way you don't miss the coming summer out on the road. I do believe ou should keep the Caddy plans active as I've personally seen about a half dozen Cad transplants and they make a sweet cruiser combination. Frank
The biggest stumbling block with the 500 cad is the oil pump and filter location. The pump is externally mounted, and the filter comes out at a very strange angle. It's location requires modifications to the front cross-member, and sometimes to the suspension as well. Also, the oil pan is a front sump, which causes clearance and mounting issues. You can use the pan off an ElDorado, which is a rear sump, or one off a 425, which is a mid sump. [along with the related pickup tube and screen] The oil pump off a 425 will bolt on as well. It's filter is mounted at a slightly less bizarre angle, and if you couple that with a remote mount filter, you might get lucky... But overall, it takes some real work to put a big cad into anything other than a cadillac I guess that's the price we pay for 500 cubic inches of torque monster... Yea, it's worth it, but it ain't easy.
Space is very limited at my house and it is sitting covered outside so I think it best to part with it.
I bought the caddy for another project that got destroyed. I Spent big money on a rear sump pan and conversion mounts. The oil filter problem looks to be an issue since it is on a torino frame.
If you got a genuine Eldo pan, it's probably worth as much as the entire engine. E-bay the mounts, pan and pickup, CL the rest of it.
It's one of those fancy aluminum pans from mts. It was at a time that i had more money than brains. A new wife and kid took care of that.
Really? Are throttle linkage, a shifter and a new driveshaft that difficult? I'm gonna go against the grain here and suggest you invest a little time and effort into the Caddy transplant. Nothing like HUGE torque and an effortless 400 hp to put a smile on your face. Can you say "Remote oil filter"?
i'm siding with the only one here with gutts. REMEMBER! hotrodding: because baseball, basket ball , golf and football ony take ONE ball.
There's a NASTY 472 under the hood of my avitar '36. If one fits under that, there's really NO excuse to use a SBF under the hood of that 'binder!
I know I know..from a guy who has an SBC in his A.. I would go for the Caddy mill too I understand the "dont have a shop" issue, used to be that way for me too. there are ways around that
A friend of mine offered me his shop. I think i am going to do the caddy swap. I was more concerned about being outside in the cold. That's not an issue anymore. Thanks for the comments.
you sure won't be sorry using the 500. Some weld up headers and a Edelbrock intake and good carb will wake that big boy up and put a smile on your face
The simple remove and replace Windsor for Windsor won't be as easy as it appears at a glance. Every little change generates three more. If you switch to the Caddilac, it is even worse. Ask yourself whether you have the time and ambition to make the swap before committing to the bigger project.
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