Caddy 500 in a 4x4

[zac]

Has anybody here actually done this? My '79 has a th400 now, so it seems I could just use the t-case adapter and tailshaft from a trashed one I have and swap it to the caddy th400, and avoid the engine/trans adapter altogether. How does the engine fit regarding firewall/exhaust/steering? If there's another good thread here, I haven't found it. Thanks

[GmtGmt]

here is one who did a caddy 500cui in a K5 Jimmy

YouTube- Project Torque Build Video 1

this was actuly the video that got me into these square bodys

[3r!c84]

cost him more in spray paint then it coulda cost him for a cheap paintjob

[Damien]

Thats sad. The truck did look nice.

Here are some cad stuff I have found. Good luck.
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...ad.php?t=20020
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=287848

[zac]

Umm.......interesting video. I saw the palm trees in the background, but I'm old and uptight enough to think that indoor engine assembly is the preferred method. But if ya ain't got a garage, I guess....

I see lots of interest in this swap, but it seems to get bogged down in the details. I think my point about the trans is valid. The TH400 tailshaft is irrelevant. You can change the stuff around out back all you want, I'm pretty sure. BOP or Chevy doesn't matter. I guess this is something you just have to do and see what happens.

I know from experience that the Caddy will get better mileage than a BBC. I drove my '75 Coupe daily for 7 years, and even in that huge car it would get 13-14 mpg. The '74 Monte I got my 454 out of never broke out of single digits. So if I could get the bottom end torque I want with less fuel burn, so much the better.

I can say that the weird torque characteristics of the Caddy can be strange for someone who has driven Chevys his whole life. When I first got the car, I would always wonder why the car wouldn't downshift when going up a big hill by my house. So then I manually downshifted. "Oh, that's why." ALL the Caddy torque is at the bottom.

[jeffspower]

I've done several of them. I went the route you are thinking with an '80 K20- I took the Chevy TH400 4x4 output and put it in a Olds case. Mine was a '60s Olds case that didn't have a speedo drive, which is great because a 4x4 doesn't need it either. I's just another place to leak.

Where the firewall and floor flanges form a big lip on the drivers side, you will need to pound flat or cut it out. Maybe a small dent in the firewall on the passenger side for valve cover clearance. Fab up some mount perches and that's about it for custom work.

[zac]

Jeffspower: I noticed you have a truck with a 454 and one with a 500. Which engine do you prefer and why? Thanks

[jeffspower]

For a big heavy truck that you tow with, drive regularly, and want bottom end torque with a smooth idle that will run forever I'd say Cad. Don't abuse it like a thief, keep up on general maintenance and it should be good for at least 200,000 miles. About the only real weak spots when stock or close to stock is thin exhaust manifolds that like to crack (and bolts that break) and the nylon teeth on the cam sprocket (but that's a problem on any old GM engine).

My '72 has a pure stock 500 in it. It had about 135,000 showing on the car it came out of, with the speedo not working. Who knows how many miles it really has. About all that has been replaced is the timing chain, valve seals, freeze plugs and some gaskets & seals when I put it in around 1996. I've put maybe 25,000 miles on it since without repairs. And probably half of those miles were pulling trailers, truck pulls, mud drags, drag racing...

My '88 454 went to shooting coolant out the tailpipe at 156,000 miles- cracked head. So I done a fairly "no expense spared" rebuild with all the typical stuff, plus an RV grind hydraulic roller cam, higher compression heads, aluminum intake, etc. Fresh with all these goodies it now runs almost as strong as the Cad. Maybe if I would have stroked it to 496 it would be about par for a stock Caddy

[zac]

Thanks, that's exactly what I needed.