Caddy 500 in a Squarebody

[GmtGmt]

I Recently bought a C30 Crew cab with no Engine or trans

I have a mid 70s 500 Caddy engine sitting for a another project
As Smallblock chevys and Big blocks are getting really expensive over here in Europe and want to use this caddy engine

I have made a rear sump oil pan and pickup tube

From research i found out that the stock Chevy engine mounting bracket can be used with caddy mounts if i flip them from side to side.

But i read that it might have some firewall clearence to do

Anyone have any pictures of this swap in progres?

[kennyw]

It has been done many times before and I have a parts truck with a 472/500 Caddy motor in it. No reason to clearance the firewall.

[kennyw]

Here are a couple pics.

[cerial]

If your using the TH400 then the only difference is the tailshaft. Easy enough to swap out in most cases. Worst case you shorten a driveshaft.



If your planning on keeping the sm465 that is where things get a bit tricky. Cadco has a flywheel and the thing is a Heavy sob. It is also quite thick.
https://cad500parts.com/product-category/driveline/
Call them to make sure your getting the right stuff for the application

I had a Lakewood bell(opened up to the sm465's larger bore), 1/8" block protectior, adapter plate, the thick flywheel and from there it was a basic BBC 454 clutch. But I only had like 1/16" between the block protectior and the flywheel. A mini starter was needed also because the Cad starter nose would not fit inside the lakewood.

Plan on dropping $500-600 in cad co parts plus another $200 for a BBC clutch.Watch the tooth count on the ring gear or your going to need to play with the starter also.


I have had 3 500's and 2 472's in squares. I had my last 472(68High C) sitting in the shop and finally got rid of it this summer. Those Cad engines blocks love to drink and in a square plan on 6 and if your lucky 8mpg. They are fun in a mudtruck where you want that torque. But they do have issues with oiling, valves and everything is more expensive then a BBC. An LS is a much easier option especially if you want to keep the sm465. Bolt in deal with the parts to bolt the engine up to that sm465 about 1/2 the price of the cad stuff.

[GmtGmt]

Thanks

I have a chevy TH400 with an adapter thats allready fitted to the engine

Originally Posted by cerial

If your using the TH400 then the only difference is the tailshaft. Easy enough to swap out in most cases. Worst case you shorten a driveshaft.



If your planning on keeping the sm465 that is where things get a bit tricky. Cadco has a flywheel and the thing is a Heavy sob. It is also quite thick.
https://cad500parts.com/product-category/driveline/
Call them to make sure your getting the right stuff for the application

I had a Lakewood bell(opened up to the sm465's larger bore), 1/8" block protectior, adapter plate, the thick flywheel and from there it was a basic BBC 454 clutch. But I only had like 1/16" between the block protectior and the flywheel. A mini starter was needed also because the Cad starter nose would not fit inside the lakewood.

Plan on dropping $500-600 in cad co parts plus another $200 for a BBC clutch.Watch the tooth count on the ring gear or your going to need to play with the starter also.


I have had 3 500's and 2 472's in squares. I had my last 472(68High C) sitting in the shop and finally got rid of it this summer. Those Cad engines blocks love to drink and in a square plan on 6 and if your lucky 8mpg. They are fun in a mudtruck where you want that torque. But they do have issues with oiling, valves and everything is more expensive then a BBC. An LS is a much easier option especially if you want to keep the sm465. Bolt in deal with the parts to bolt the engine up to that sm465 about 1/2 the price of the cad stuff.

[mr48chev]

There may be more room on a square body but on my 71 I had left head to firewall clearance issues. My 77 one ton seems to have more room though and it has a 454 in it. I wish it had the 500 and automatic in it.

This is from when I was fitting the motor mounts up and the oil filter clearance is tight and the fuel pump is on the drivers side requiring a longer hose but that isn't an issue except remembering to pick up the hose on a parts run. Exhaust clearace is tight on the right side, My son and I heated and bent a section of the frame rail down by the exhaust manifold for clearance when we were fitting the engine, heat, and a bit of massaging with a 2-1/2 lb hammer and it clears and the frame isn't comprimised. You can see it in this photo but the photo wasn't of that.



Good luck, that has the makings of a nice truck to wheel down the road with.

[GmtGmt]

What formed Radiator hoses do you use that will fit or has to be modified to fit
stock Caddy hoses or the truck hoses?