Going out to see an engine collection today, owner wants to sell, mostly later model ('60s/'70s and even 80s) stuff that is not very interesting for this board. But there is a Cadillac Flathead in the bunch, supposedly freshly rebuild ready to go. What should I look for that is Flatcad specific? Anything that increases or destroys the value? Thanks,
Hi Rob, The main thing to look for is cracks between the valves.These engines have a bad tendancy to crack there. The other thing to look at is the year- the 1937 have a different rear main seal, and is not as desirable, The '37 crank will not interchange with the '38-'48 blocks. Hope this helps!
I don't know how to tell the difference, but knowing it is a Cad and not a LaSalle would make me happy. Buddy, how do you tell the difference?
No idea.. didn't even know they looked alike.. so how do you tell the difference? This is the one picture I have:
Rob, that's a Caddy engine. Well, the 'flat' spots on the heads are different on the Lasalle and Caddy, but even they change at certain years. I'd have to look in the book to be certain which is which. The Lasalle was 322 CID, the Caddy was 346 CID. All of the parts interchange. The Lasalle was 3.375" bore, and the caddy has a 3.5" bore. Everything else is the same. Even the '37 Lasalle tranny everone talks about is misleading, because it was in all '37 Lasalles AND Caddies! If you don't buy the engine, I might be interested, depending on price!
Date change, going to look at it next Sunday now. Just found out the asking price for most of the stuff, including the Caddy engine. If it's rebuild, as they say it is, I'm going to own a caddy flathead next weekend ;-)
Well, I got a Caddy flathead. Not rebuild, but the price was right so I picked it up anyway, left everything else there. How do you like this story: on his deathbed grandpa said "All the money is in the attic!" and repeated it several times. When the kids and grandkids went to the attic, expecting to find boxes of cash all they found was old car parts, they decided it was junk so they threw it all out. They described to me today what they had, all caddy stuff.. aluminum heads, multi carb intakes, transmissions, rebuild kits. The only reason the engine was still there, it was too heavy to move to the curb so they needed someone with an engine hoist Not sure what I'm going to do with it, probably just pull the heads and see what I have and sell it on.
the spinning sound they heard was gramps spinning in his grave as all that aluminum performance caddy gear went to a foreign country to get turned into scrap , the groaning sound heard was every hamber who reads this thread groaning in unison at lost auto treasure , good score on the caddy mill , thank god it was heavy so they couldnt drag it out
I would say that this is probably the best time ever to own a Cad flathead. Here on the HAMB there has been more Flat Cad information, dicussion, and discirvory, that the previous 50 years. Maybe you should check the arcives and keep it.
The Jalopy Journal
