I bought my first cad 500 in 1985. To go into an 80 camaro The thing lost oil prime and seized up. Bought a second 500. Had to swap the Eldorado rear sump. Used Vaseline to help prime oil pump. Didn't shim up pump. I was 16 at the time. It too seized up. Even after priming it with a drill. I modded the next pump and block for high flow. A d shimmed the oil spring. Remember I'm a chevy guy. Bought a 3rd engine with a Crack in the block. It wanted to over head about 240. Was a 76 smog motor. Car had no balls. Changed the 10 bolt to a 9 inch ford with 3.50 posi. Car needed a regrind cam in it. I gave the place the specs they did the best they could. They gave it to much duration. 300 something degrees. I put the older heads on needed hardened seats. Car was 13 to 1 comp. Wouldn't run on aviation fuel. Frustrating. Ran a huge tractor trailer turbo on it. At full boost. Car didn't make power above 4800 rpm. Could never get timing correct. Felt like maybe 350 hp n.a. when turbo kicked in at higher rpm Car ran out of rpm. I put solid chevy lifters in car. Would rev to 7000 rpm plus but lost power. Hood flew off car cause Hei dont fit under hood of anything but a cadillac.Got ahold of Larry kruzak. Fixed the worst valvetrain design on earth. Still was t the adjustable. Put olds 455 rods in Car after breaking a cast rod. Car smoked the tires. Ended up breaking trans and rear on 165 mph run using race gas 114. Cracked block at motor mount. Bought a 425 and 472 3 years later. Worked on other guys cad cars for 33 years. Ups and downs. I was called the cadillac man since 1985. I modified and made many parts for these engines to try and race them. We had few parts back then and what was there was expensive. We put them in trucks t buckets cars etc. Cost alot of money to make them a good racing motor. Many over heated. Chevy engin3s way better. Bloodviking
Back in the 90s "hotrodder" magazine made an article about the caddy 500. They use cast rods. So they offset ground the crank to fit chevy big block rods. This stroked it to a 540ci! Then had custom pistons made and edelbrock manifold and cam, upgraded the rockers and used adapters for chevy big block headers. The thing was an absolute beast that could make a diesel cower!
They also modified the factory crank fillets on the edges where the rods meet the crank throws. They radiused them, and widened for the Chevy rods. Another modification was the addition of a rear oil drain in the lifter valley and clearancing the pushrod guides innthe heads. I've seen other goofy set ups- (Potters Engine masters machine with oil pipes routing oil from the plugs in the lifter valleys to the top end) etc.
Mr. Richard I like the way you talk to everyone. Just one of the guys talking horsepower while sipping on a cold beer. You explain things in easy lingo. Thanks alot. Great channel and I hope you have much more success.
Best Caddy video yet. Courtney seemed a bit shy and chilled in earlier videos, but you got him more at ease on this one. The guy is a gold bank of knowledge and experience. Huge thumb's up to Courtney. Well done!
Richard- Thanks for mentioning the term "valve drop" concerning the valve distance relationship to the cylinder heads. As a piston manufacturer, that is a very important term and valuable piece of information that we require from customers when taking custom piston orders. It helps us to calculate the needed valve pocket clearance. #CPCarrillo
Damn! a lifetime of working hard in Courtney's hands, What's he doing with those sausage fingers? Rolling up frying pans like that strongest man competition? Seriously you can see a hard life right there. Respect
dan tinkes : Total mad respect for Courtney. And Steve too. Man they laid into it and got stuff Done! The work Courtney does is seriously smart. Where are the 2.3 inch intake valves, CCS carbs and lost spark ignition and six bolt mains and crank and igntion triggers and endless hours of engine ECM mapping the gang or sequential fire injectors?
Absolutely, but really at the end of the day, no more work than any other engine. Everyone knows about the Chevy, Ford, and Dodge stuff and what needs to be done to turn those up, these "other guys" engines, not so much. That's where guys like Courtney come in, -the guy is a wealth of knowledge about these engines..
I used to run a caddy 500 Qjet on my small block 400 in my truck, it always ran better than the stock one, but I never knew why, maybe that’s why! Good to know.
Cool tips. Love the Q-Jet. On some earlier Caddy and Buick HEI distributors, they have a 5-pin module. The 5th pin is a retard function. Ground the pin and pull 4~6 degrees of timing out of it. So that works well on higher compression engines with aggressive timing. Makes starting a lot easier. And since it is done in the module electronically, the retard function is independent of the mechanical systems, base timing, etc. Just another cool Caddy thing : )
The only time I had oil pressure problem on The Big Cadoo was when I went to mechanical roller set up and started twisting The Big Cadoos rpms. I had block lifter bore bushed with .040 oil holes and restricted Manton pushrods. Grooved cam bearings with oil hole at 2 o clock like gen 6 bbc. Oil pressure was 45 psi at 4500 rpms at full heat soak on street. When the throttle was increased past 4500 rpms the oil pressure guage went backwards all the way to 20 psi. The Fix was 7/8 id mandrel bent tubing with sump screen for maximum flow versus maximum filtering. Fram hp 2 filter. Cut old tube flush off flange and tapered it on tube side keep short stock tube on block side for oring. Use allen head bolts as hex wont fit now. Contoured the oil pump face (kidney area) on engine to relieve the 180 degree bend into gears. I use a peterson external relief valve at the oil pressure port at top rear of block and vent pressure to oil pan. I set the oil pump bypass to 100psi. Ford side oiler block vented oil after all bearings were pressurized. Using this method does the same. All oil passages get pressurized then oil pressure is relieved at external bypass. No oil bypasses at pump, only at external bypass. Vents all the air out of flow to #8 rod bearing also. Makes 55 psi at 6500 rpm. This engine has .0035 on mains .0025 on rods. Got crank back and its more than wanted. Never had oil problem with mild hydraulic flat tappets. Denny Wydendorf makes reamers for bushing lifter bores.
Good info, thanks im thinking about going with a hydraulic roller,delt with Marty from MTS he was about 45mins from where I live when he was around.Learned alot from him and he was always willing to help the"small" guys who spent a few thousand vs the big spenders.Im gonna aslo use an accumulator keep lines pressurized,a friend that drove his all aluminum BBC on the street swears by them said helped keep from dry start ups when the aluminum block is warming up, I dunno but he drove a 580 BBC back and forth to work until it got into the 30's?🤔
@@1diggitech you can vent oil pressure through back of block at lifter valley under maniflold flange or through intake manifold behind rear most runners.
@@1diggitech if you cant keep oil pressure and flow then the accumulater will be empty too. Bigger pickup tube allows pump to keep input flow up to match oil flow at bearings and lifters.
I would like to see how hard you can hit them all. Big bang ecotec series... 2.0 2.2 2.4. The factory turbo or supercharged 2.0l have a sand cast head and stronger rods. They are also 260hp from the showroom. The 2.2s are everywhere, when gm went racing with them, they sprayed them over 400hp with aftermarket rods because the factory ones took a trip to a more scenic place. I would like to see this.
Apparently they are hard to tune because only certain companies make tunes for them especially when they added vvt in 2009 diablo canned tunes don’t even make one
Ecoboost 2.0 2.3 step into what's inhabiting the scrap yard in mass. The older ecotecs had tons of timing chain issues and a pretty weak bottom end from gm. I'd like to see richard tune a hybrid injection setup on an ecoboost engine direct injection and auxiliary port injection. Let's see an ecoboost big bang. 2.0 2.3 and the 3.5 or 2.7.
This is some great content and information, thanks for putting these videos together! Courtney is a wealth of information and tribal knowledge on these Caddy motors!!
Fabricate 7/8" id tubing with sump screen for maximum flow versus maximum filtering. Use fram hp filter for cadillac for maximum flow. Keep main bearing to crankshaft .002 maximum. Contour oil pump face on block to improve flow to gears where oil takes 180 degree turn into pump gear. Full mechanical roller cam set up flows 55 psi at 6500 constant pressure. Set external oil pressure bypass valve at oil pressure guage port and vent to pan or into lifter valley area at back of block. Set pump bypass at 100 psi so that the oil passage vents pressure at the last port that flowd oil. It works. Comp cams pontiac xtreme mechanical lifter with ford 460 lifter link fits the Big Cadoo. These engines set up correctly will give years of maximun adredalin rushes with minimum maintenance. Did it and lived it.
I was so unimpressed with the motors in the 80s I finally bolted on a diesel turbo. Used olds 455 rods with arp fasteners. Filled the block. Ran alky on it. Put the engine in a lite car and was happier. But still no e85 back in my day.
IMO the 76cc head can be ported to flow better than the somgger heads. Some quality time in the sunshine with a saw horse and a carbide burr and the iron Cad heads can flow a LOT of CFM. In the book Big Inch Cadillac Doc Frohmader published his ported iron head intake CFM @28" of water column with .500" of valve opening at a whopping 274 CFM!! This was not a radically modified head. It had modest (for 500CI) valve sizing (2.91/1.75) . For comparison the LS-7 BBC flowed 284 CFM with the same WC and lift. When you consider that a LS-7 was a full race motor with the very best tech Chevy could muster the lowly Cad 500 has some impressive bones. Cad motors are made of "Armasteel" a GM trade name for a grade of pearlitic malleable cast iron. As a 1982 GM brochure explains, it is "a ferrous alloy with temper carbon in a matrix of tempered pearlite or tempered martensite". The molten metal was made in an electric arc furnace and "duplexed" which was a heat treating process to enhance strength. It was like "aging" the molten metal before it was brought to the casting lines. It's only source was the Saginaw Malleable Iron plant. (closed thanks to outsourcing US manufacturing by the arseholes who hate you and I)
Good info im certain I have the 76cc being a 1970 deville wish I knew wich pistons I have im assuming I got the good compression setup as she keeps killing starters lol
We welded a set of hzrdened stainless steel into the aluminum pistons by drilling and filling the other side with plug welds. Never got to finish that project. We drilled holes in the piston sides and rods to lighten the reciprocating assembly.
Caddy oiling problem does exist... Not on the Dyno, Not when driven Regularly. Oil pump loses its prime, won’t pick up oil from the pan. Devastating when your Engine Starts Knocking😡 I have 7 Caddy 472/500 powered Vehicles. Every one has a kill switch for Ignition. I Crank till I see Pressure on the Gauge, then Start it ( NO Failures since I began doing it!) if it doesn’t show pressure within 10 seconds of cranking, Find out Why! There is a plug in the block, above the pump. Add some oil, re install plug. Usually picks up quickly. Some of mine sit for long periods. I have had to use a priming tool ( seldom) but if it has oil pressure it will keep Running🤠 500Caddy/ 4speeds 4ever!
I had a issue with low oil pressure,although the engine ran great the pick up tube was packed with plastic timing gear chips.while apart i would drill asmall relief holein rear of lifter valley .It helps return flow
I don’t know why this occurs, but I’ve purchased many 472/500 cars ( most of them sitting for extended periods) & the majority of them had No Oil Pressure to start with ... I made sure they had pressure before giving them spark & fuel. I’ve bought them after somebody tried to start them( not knowing)... Every one has Knocked😠
Other oil issues I had with 500 engine was the oil relief valve behind the oil filter was stuck open with timing gear chips,and cam bearings not installed properly after rebuild
The oil pumps are external on this series engines they are easy-to-use remove,clean replace gasket,gears if needed and repack with grease and away we go
If you know one engine you know them all. But there are certain tricks to specific engines. Such as mixing and matching cadillac pistons and heads. Oldsmobile rods work in cadillac engines. Swimming up the oil pump spring with a q jet jet works.
We used to weld the crankshaft journals and offset stroke as well for chevy rods. .500 I think. It's been awhile since I did that. You have to heat up the crank journals first.
You said this is in New Mexico? As a snotty nosed teenager in west Texas I used to drag race a ‘62 Ranchero with a tiny 289 that ran 11.80’s. At a race in Carlsbad, New Mexico (circa 1980-81) there was a big ass old Cadillac that was Caddy powered with a fabricated aluminum intake manifold running around 11.60’s if I remember correctly. Painted across the trunk were the words “Where’s That Hot Rod Lincoln?” A really big man was pushing it in the staging lanes and either he was very strong or the Caddy had been lightened because it didn’t look like he struggled to push it by himself! The car stood out and was impressive and I can’t help but wonder if it was Courtney? Anyone know? I ran across a discussion on a Facebook group a few years ago where folks said the guy that ran that car was a Caddy guru from Albuquerque.....
It's cool to see the nuances of each individual engine. I probably would have wound up with the 6:1 compression combo and wondered why it was a turd. Lol
@@timothybayliss6680 You'd have to give 500 cubes a lot of pulley to build any boost at a usable rpm. My 350 makes 8.7psi at 5500rpms with the stock pulleys. It would feel like a 4 cylinder with a big turbo. .. no power .. no power, then wham as it builds boost suddenly in the upper rpm range.
I make a taper bronze insert that goes in the stock oil tube o-ring location. That sits flat to the engine block. Then the new .750 thick oil tube flange thats machined for a o-ring is bolted down over the bronze insert. The insert is sealed at the outer diameter of the origional o-ring hole. There is no tube in the factory o-ring hole anymore. The new .750 thick flange is flat with an o- ring. Increase the opening past the factory pickup tube bore in the block. I Contour the 180 degree turn into the oil pump gear then increase the inlet area to the oil pump gears for smooth unimpeded flow. Use .875 id tubing to make a new pickup tube for maximun oil flow. Lookout Big Cadoo. If the fabulous hotrod brothers had my engine theyed still be smiling in Cadillac style.
The q jet is notorious for drivability and dependability Rochester put a lot of research into the development of them and GM used them on everything for how long ? They got a bad rap because they are not quite as simple as a Holley but as you've shown can keep up and possibly even surpass a holley of similar size maybe take a little more effort as you said but that same carb will run anything even tho the idle circuits different etc you could and I've done it put that same carb on a 305 Chevy and it will run and run pretty well too maybe a bit rich I assume but the one I found in a shed that had been there since 1999 I never opened it up it was off of a 78 trans am so it was an 800 as well I stuck it on a slightly cammed 305 and the accelerator pump still worked fine I was amazed try that w a Holley the accelerator pump and power valve at least will have issues this didn't leak a drop or have any float issues nothing and moaned loud lmao love the Channel richard
Part of what leads to the bog of a Quadra jet is the clockspring for the air doors on the secondaries. It sags over time and let's them open earlier than they should. Honestly it takes like 30 seconds to adjust them too. All of these carbs are at least 30 years old now and people think they should work like brand new with no maintenance. For drivability, they're hard to beat.
Glenn Manchester It was born on the pre-emissions era of the 65 Clean Air Act. It was on the boards till 1991, and ended up altitude compensating, pulse width modulating for closed loop fuel trim, and served 230 to 500 cube engines with a quarter of a.century of factory OEM sales and backup. From net horsepowers of 135 to 650 in certain catagories. And one 24 hour factory races in production stock.Group A, and people who understood Carter AFBs and AVSs and Thermoquads Just Dont Get the Q-Jet. Like the Turbo Hydramatic, also another GM Mark of.Excellence. Best carb ever made. Metering rod that stabs the heck out of.any other carb. Only thing is it would have been cool to see it Win LeMans. The 4150 got that one. The Holley can slip into the role that the Qjet is good at, but it never got the lean cruise and aneroid adjustment and the big bucks GM spent to meet and beat emissions shed sniffer tests. If it wasnt for evaporotive emmissons and OBD 1 & 2..it'd have been around even longer.
Great work Richard. Make sure to remind your subscribers that Flat Out Racing has some SS fire ring Cadillac head gaskets for the Cadillac. Two bore sizes (have to specify since both are covered by the same part number I think there are two thicknesses available also, although the ones I purchased are the thinner ones. I paid for the design and production setup a few years ago since there were really no HiPerf gaskets available and thus the multiple head gasket failures in uprated Cadillac engines (that and most were not decked and shaved prior to the build).
Wonder if that's what's going on with my 500,had a a set of head gaskets made i have head studs and the heads are fully ported & polished, bigger valves and unshrouded chambers,freshly done and it pushed a lil water out of the #1? Stock block with new rings gapped for nitrous & new cam/main/rod bearings compression checked out good in each cylinder can't figure it out?
Once we opened the turbos up. Perhaps 60 psi each on alky. Kept the rpms low. About 5000. The guys wouldn't put it on a dyno. It might break. So was it 2000 hp 2500 on nos idk but we did destroy the pistons after 1 summer. I think the piston gaps were too small. We didn't have forged pistons from trw for a cadillac . Just for our chevy big blocks. We ran the 396 and 427 into the 9600 rpm range with roller parts for about 3 seconds. The engines needed block fill as well. We did window some chevy blocks. Bv
Now all that 500 needs is a pair of turbos. What is the dish on those 76cc head pistons? Looks like you could fit a deck of cards in that dish. At think at that point it is no longer a dish it has graduated to a canyon.
We used modified bbc headers and a 460 tunnel ram on the molded 472 500 motors. The bvalvetrain is hard to modify with steel plates and ford sb rockers. But can be done. Now I'd never run a stock valvetrain. I'm not sure a roller cam is worth much over a mechanical cam to justify the cost. About 900 dollars or more.
Cool ,caddy motors so torqued 500lbs at 2000rpm no wonder those caddyshack caddys where so smooth and powerful. Now 2 100mm turbos for the 2500rpms and above for passing lambos and buggatis
Reading about deburing and shaping pistons. Rough surfaces hold oil and transfer heat better than smooth surfaces. So there's no reason for the underside of a piston to be smooth. On the top you want it smooth as you can to avoid hot spots and reflect heat. The layer of carbon in the combustion chamber will probably block more heat than the polish will reflect but it all helps. If I need to remove any material from my pistons I will make a jig so that I remove as close to the same amount as possible then attempt to polish the area up.
I have an important question. I have a 472 engine year 1968 of origin 375 HP 525 TQ. How many RPM and HP can the ORIGINAL piston rods and crankshaft support??? I have a lunati cam 6500 RPM my heads flow 300 CFM @ 650 lift intake edelbrock worn
I hope you can get Mike from TA to help out on the Buick like you are doing with the Cad. The oiling mods on a 455 Buick are really important. If you use a new TA timing cover and oil pump will help a ton. Lots of other stuff is needed though.
No mention about port differences. The 76 chamber heads with lower valves could have better short side radius. More flow potential when ported. The bowl areas look pretty bad. Porting must go along ways on these heads.
That reference to the possible cam bore miss alignment sounds familiar. I have run into that on some"not real common" small block Fords. I turned a couple of old cams into cam bearing cutters. Be careful and work slow and you can "trim" a slightly misaligned cam bearing.
Saturday I did some trading around and got complete running (well it was running when they pulled it)1997 L21 454 and I'm planning on putting some halfway decent forged rods and pistons .30 over more than likely a pretty nasty and lumpy turbo grind and either find some used Aluminum heads or pick up some promaxx heads, Im gonna shoot for 12 to 1 compression but no less than 11 to 1 a single plain efi intake a 100+mm elbow and throttle body some Bosch 210s I use in everything and Holley efi setup with a HP ecu im not gonna run coil on plug yet. Im trying to keep it cheap as possible and run a pretty simple single turbo setup I already have a air to water intercooler thats good to 1800hp and see how big of a exhaust housing is available for on3's 107mm turbo if they don't have what I want I have access to Precision promod 102mm thats a few years old. I have been wanting to play with a big block ever since Richard started messing around with the sbe 454 with boost a while back. I have a 1977 Nova that my paw paw bought new in 76 and was the first car i ls swapped and turbo its a super simple setup that works pretty damn good built 8.5 10 bolt with a spool and 3.70 gear calvert leafsprings and caltracs some single adjustable Strange shocks a anti-roll bar the kit came from TRZ sub frame connectors 8 point cage up front its basically stock besides being rebuilt and the coils and 90/10 shocks and a brace I made years ago tying the front frame rails together before the sub frame connectors and anti-roll bar. In 2017 it went a best of 6.21 @ 118mph with a sbe 5.3 with a ljms cam pac springs 706 heads stock truck intake and throttle body a simple single turbo setup with a ebay air to air intercooler and a cast wheel t6 s475. Its been sitting in a barn on blocks with a tarps on it since 2017 it should be pretty damn cool with a big block im kinda excited about that im turning 30 next month and never owned a big block and can count on one hand how many old small blocks Ive had
After getting a bit more "education" on the Caddys, the more I like them. Have you done a test with a combination of low compression STOCK cast pistons and big CC chamber heads under boost?
Thanks for all your help. Would it be any advantage to using a Quadra jet with a power enrichment that has a 6"tube top" or even an Chevy taking the "plastic plug " out of a Chevy carb that doesn't have the 6 tube top?
A good question for him would have been do those 76cc chamber heads with the “drop” combustion chambers have a better short turn radius and flow more????? It’s the same as raising the ports if done properly
You’ve been testing some interesting engines lately. Would you be interested in testing some unusual speed equipment? In particular, I’d like to see you test a Predator carburetor. Good info is hard to come by on how these unique carburetors perform, in a variety of applications.
The big chamber head has shorter valves, the valve face is sunk into the head approximately 1/4" but the valve tip doesn't move. He mentions the valve length and you can see how far from the deck surface the valves are. They should use the same rockers pushrods and even valvesprings on both heads.
How much would EFI effect on the octane level? Modern engines run 12 - 14:1 compression ratio, and use 95 octane. Also E85 benefits from high compression. Could this low compression/high octane requirement relate to inefficient fuel "atomization" i.e fuel droplets in the mix causing hydro lock like symptoms?
So what about the rods? At whet point do they need changed out? I assume they are the biggest rpm limiter besides the stock rockers? Looks like those 9.0 flat tops with the 120cc heads would be the sweet setup for a turbo motor as they would be the least likely to detonate/knock.
I was wondering with all the Caddy stuff lately if you would consider expanding your channel. Would it be possible to put a front wheel drive Caddy motor and trans in some car to make it a rear engine transverse mount setup? Have it make stupid amounts of power and start a new chapter in hotrodding.
The one with forged rods has aftermarket rockers and shafts. The rebuilt stocker has stock clipped ones. If you watch the videos of them, they show up for a second. The dude bolting down the stock rockers mentions how they limit the rpm. Even the stock shafts will start to bend if you need a big valvespring for an aggressive camshaft.
I always wanted to put one of those 472/500 caddy engines into a lightweight chassis with a gear ratio that takes advantage of its torque curve for some fun street cruising.
@@puffkendrick6850 Just wondering if the end result was worth the time/ money/effort and if you put it in stock "as is" or did engine upgrades. I dreamed of doing it back in the 80's when these engines along with all of the "other guys" big and small blocks were literally in almost any junkyard by the hundreds ( I wanted to just drop it in stock )...aftermarket and off the shelf parts such as carbs, distributors, intakes, cams etc. were fairly cheap...although there wasn't much aftermarket support for the caddy except for CMD (Cadillac Motorsports Development) I believe it is actually the same guys that did the engine in Richard's video but just changed their name and location.
The 1st time engine was was mainly stock neighbor gave us some small chambered heads he was tossing,engine awoke somewhat.2nd time we went all out with some cmd goodies.Til this day people are still shocked what this engine does. Was told launching it sounds like a dragster
@@puffkendrick6850 Torque rules on the street if you think about it you rarely see over 5500 RPM during normal driving unless you are running 4:11 gears and such... I had a buddy that pulled a BBC with a TH 400 out of an RV and put it in his square body Chevy thinking it was a 454, didn't change the cam, intake, exhaust or anything, just bolted it in and it ran smooth at idle but in his words he described it as "scary" when he laid into it and he was used to modded 454's. It had a 3:08 rear gear (with a "Lincoln Locker" welded diff) and come to find out it was actually a tall deck 366 which wasn't much on horsepower but would deliver tons of low end torque.
@@AreaThirteenThirteen I agree and if you throw a over drive transmission in the rear you can hit the Highway.The truth is if you take a chance and run something different and win you'll always be remembered
A normally aspirated engine will cost more and be disappointing for some compared to what a cheap pair of turbos will do. Heck you can probably leave in the stock cam and valvetrain and still get 700 hp out of the deal. Expensive 3600 dollar bull dog heads will give you about 100 lousey hp at best. The stock heads aren't that bad. When forced induction is applied on e85 stock heads are very good. Back in the 80s and 90s we spent money on stroking, better heads, roller cams in the 90s. Porting. Hours of time just to get 500 to 600 out of a bb. Then I said never mind all that guys let's go turbo. We changed the engine parts only when using crazy amounts of boost a d hp. Nos works well too. But the turbos are the gift that keep on giving. We had molded a 540 for a guy , 1200 hp on racing gas back then ans 2 big cheap diesel turbos. When put in a modified 23 t. It beat everyone on the street except one guy who dropped a funny car off the trailer with 5000 hp. Bloodviking
John Woodworth : Yessir. Malformed ones which steal the thinest CC secondary rods from Courtney. But its okay. As in most societies, the Richard ones are at the top....
Could you do a video on how to choose a piston and rod set up? And when it’s should be upgraded to forged? That’s where I’m stuck at building my ls2. Thanks
I bought my first cad 500 in 1985. To go into an 80 camaro
The thing lost oil prime and seized up.
Bought a second 500. Had to swap the Eldorado rear sump. Used Vaseline to help prime oil pump. Didn't shim up pump. I was 16 at the time. It too seized up. Even after priming it with a drill.
I modded the next pump and block for high flow. A d shimmed the oil spring. Remember I'm a chevy guy.
Bought a 3rd engine with a Crack in the block. It wanted to over head about 240.
Was a 76 smog motor. Car had no balls.
Changed the 10 bolt to a 9 inch ford with 3.50 posi.
Car needed a regrind cam in it. I gave the place the specs they did the best they could. They gave it to much duration. 300 something degrees.
I put the older heads on needed hardened seats. Car was 13 to 1 comp.
Wouldn't run on aviation fuel. Frustrating.
Ran a huge tractor trailer turbo on it. At full boost. Car didn't make power above 4800 rpm. Could never get timing correct. Felt like maybe 350 hp n.a. when turbo kicked in at higher rpm Car ran out of rpm. I put solid chevy lifters in car. Would rev to 7000 rpm plus but lost power. Hood flew off car cause Hei dont fit under hood of anything but a cadillac.Got ahold of Larry kruzak. Fixed the worst valvetrain design on earth. Still was t the adjustable. Put olds 455 rods in Car after breaking a cast rod. Car smoked the tires. Ended up breaking trans and rear on 165 mph run using race gas 114. Cracked block at motor mount. Bought a 425 and 472 3 years later. Worked on other guys cad cars for 33 years. Ups and downs. I was called the cadillac man since 1985. I modified and made many parts for these engines to try and race them. We had few parts back then and what was there was expensive. We put them in trucks t buckets cars etc. Cost alot of money to make them a good racing motor. Many over heated. Chevy engin3s way better.
Bloodviking
Back in the 90s "hotrodder" magazine made an article about the caddy 500. They use cast rods. So they offset ground the crank to fit chevy big block rods. This stroked it to a 540ci! Then had custom pistons made and edelbrock manifold and cam, upgraded the rockers and used adapters for chevy big block headers. The thing was an absolute beast that could make a diesel cower!
They also modified the factory crank fillets on the edges where the rods meet the crank throws. They radiused them, and widened for the Chevy rods. Another modification was the addition of a rear oil drain in the lifter valley and clearancing the pushrod guides innthe heads. I've seen other goofy set ups- (Potters Engine masters machine with oil pipes routing oil from the plugs in the lifter valleys to the top end) etc.
Mr. Richard I like the way you talk to everyone. Just one of the guys talking horsepower while sipping on a cold beer. You explain things in easy lingo. Thanks alot. Great channel and I hope you have much more success.
Good to see these engines getting recognition.
Best Caddy video yet. Courtney seemed a bit shy and chilled in earlier videos, but you got him more at ease on this one. The guy is a gold bank of knowledge and experience. Huge thumb's up to Courtney. Well done!
he and Scott are good people
Richard- Thanks for mentioning the term "valve drop" concerning the valve distance relationship to the cylinder heads. As a piston manufacturer, that is a very important term and valuable piece of information that we require from customers when taking custom piston orders. It helps us to calculate the needed valve pocket clearance. #CPCarrillo
472/500 poppet valved u-loop 2 stroke you must mix oil with gas for the high nickel block to last! Mix at 40:1
That guy is like the Mondello of the Cadillac engine. He knows some cool tricks.
@@caseyhill5261 Joe "Dr. Oldmobile" Mondello was a lot of things in his racing career but a joke? No, he was not a joke my friend. Lol
Damn! a lifetime of working hard in Courtney's hands, What's he doing with those sausage fingers? Rolling up frying pans like that strongest man competition? Seriously you can see a hard life right there. Respect
If I could give your comment 50 thumbs up I would!! So well put...
His hands look like my Dads were from being a lifelong mechanic and grain farmer.
Amen..-the guy is extremely intelligent, -and you can tell he has worked hard to learn what he knows.
dan tinkes : Total mad respect for Courtney. And Steve too. Man they laid into it and got stuff Done! The work Courtney does is seriously smart. Where are the 2.3 inch intake valves, CCS carbs and lost spark ignition and six bolt mains and crank and igntion triggers and endless hours of engine ECM mapping the gang or sequential fire injectors?
This is the most in-depth look at the Caddy combinations. I feel like an expert now! Thanks for all you do Richard Love the channel 🏁
You really have to appreciate the amount of work to make these go.
Absolutely, but really at the end of the day, no more work than any other engine. Everyone knows about the Chevy, Ford, and Dodge stuff and what needs to be done to turn those up, these "other guys" engines, not so much. That's where guys like Courtney come in, -the guy is a wealth of knowledge about these engines..
I used to run a caddy 500 Qjet on my small block 400 in my truck, it always ran better than the stock one, but I never knew why, maybe that’s why! Good to know.
I had a Cadillac 500 once. All these videos are starting to make me wish I didn't get rid of it 😆
Cool tips. Love the Q-Jet. On some earlier Caddy and Buick HEI distributors, they have a 5-pin module. The 5th pin is a retard function. Ground the pin and pull 4~6 degrees of timing out of it. So that works well on higher compression engines with aggressive timing. Makes starting a lot easier. And since it is done in the module electronically, the retard function is independent of the mechanical systems, base timing, etc. Just another cool Caddy thing : )
The only time I had oil pressure problem on The Big Cadoo was when I went to mechanical roller set up and started twisting The Big Cadoos rpms. I had block lifter bore bushed with .040 oil holes and restricted Manton pushrods. Grooved cam bearings with oil hole at 2 o clock like gen 6 bbc. Oil pressure was 45 psi at 4500 rpms at full heat soak on street. When the throttle was increased past 4500 rpms the oil pressure guage went backwards all the way to 20 psi. The Fix was 7/8 id mandrel bent tubing with sump screen for maximum flow versus maximum filtering. Fram hp 2 filter. Cut old tube flush off flange and tapered it on tube side keep short stock tube on block side for oring. Use allen head bolts as hex wont fit now. Contoured the oil pump face (kidney area) on engine to relieve the 180 degree bend into gears. I use a peterson external relief valve at the oil pressure port at top rear of block and vent pressure to oil pan. I set the oil pump bypass to 100psi. Ford side oiler block vented oil after all bearings were pressurized. Using this method does the same. All oil passages get pressurized then oil pressure is relieved at external bypass. No oil bypasses at pump, only at external bypass. Vents all the air out of flow to #8 rod bearing also. Makes 55 psi at 6500 rpm. This engine has .0035 on mains .0025 on rods. Got crank back and its more than wanted. Never had oil problem with mild hydraulic flat tappets. Denny Wydendorf makes reamers for bushing lifter bores.
Good info, thanks im thinking about going with a hydraulic roller,delt with Marty from MTS he was about 45mins from where I live when he was around.Learned alot from him and he was always willing to help the"small" guys who spent a few thousand vs the big spenders.Im gonna aslo use an accumulator keep lines pressurized,a friend that drove his all aluminum BBC on the street swears by them said helped keep from dry start ups when the aluminum block is warming up, I dunno but he drove a 580 BBC back and forth to work until it got into the 30's?🤔
@@1diggitech you can vent oil pressure through back of block at lifter valley under maniflold flange or through intake manifold behind rear most runners.
@@1diggitech get hydraulic roller from Howards Cams. They grind the cam to your specifications. They have roller lifters for the Big Cadoo.
@@1diggitech if you cant keep oil pressure and flow then the accumulater will be empty too. Bigger pickup tube allows pump to keep input flow up to match oil flow at bearings and lifters.
Really digging all the weird motors. Anyone can do an LS. How about doing some GM Ecotec 4 cylinder stuff.
I would like to see how hard you can hit them all. Big bang ecotec series... 2.0 2.2 2.4. The factory turbo or supercharged 2.0l have a sand cast head and stronger rods. They are also 260hp from the showroom. The 2.2s are everywhere, when gm went racing with them, they sprayed them over 400hp with aftermarket rods because the factory ones took a trip to a more scenic place. I would like to see this.
Apparently they are hard to tune because only certain companies make tunes for them especially when they added vvt in 2009 diablo canned tunes don’t even make one
Hp tuners supports them
How about the Quad4 2.3 H/O? 180HP NA 4 banger, 30 years ago, quite impressive.
Ecoboost 2.0 2.3 step into what's inhabiting the scrap yard in mass. The older ecotecs had tons of timing chain issues and a pretty weak bottom end from gm. I'd like to see richard tune a hybrid injection setup on an ecoboost engine direct injection and auxiliary port injection. Let's see an ecoboost big bang. 2.0 2.3 and the 3.5 or 2.7.
My old 1978 Caddy had a 425 4 barrel ...that thing was " The Mustang Slayer " made many mustang drivers cry
Id love to see a 425 Nailhead done using some TA performance parts, like you did with the Cadillac.
Another vote from me!!
Heck ya that would be a good Series of videos too do , 455 Oldsmobile also would be great ,
No other engine looks like a nailhead with those vertical valve covers. When I hear nailhead I always think of Tommy Ivo's 4 engine 4wd dragster.
Christopher Seay Yep I know exactly which one you're talking about that is quite awesome
This is some great content and information, thanks for putting these videos together! Courtney is a wealth of information and tribal knowledge on these Caddy motors!!
Wow. I’ve be a fan of Cadillac 472/500 mills for years but never knew much about them. Thank you!
Fabricate 7/8" id tubing with sump screen for maximum flow versus maximum filtering. Use fram hp filter for cadillac for maximum flow. Keep main bearing to crankshaft .002 maximum. Contour oil pump face on block to improve flow to gears where oil takes 180 degree turn into pump gear. Full mechanical roller cam set up flows 55 psi at 6500 constant pressure. Set external oil pressure bypass valve at oil pressure guage port and vent to pan or into lifter valley area at back of block. Set pump bypass at 100 psi so that the oil passage vents pressure at the last port that flowd oil. It works. Comp cams pontiac xtreme mechanical lifter with ford 460 lifter link fits the Big Cadoo. These engines set up correctly will give years of maximun adredalin rushes with minimum maintenance. Did it and lived it.
I was so unimpressed with the motors in the 80s I finally bolted on a diesel turbo. Used olds 455 rods with arp fasteners. Filled the block. Ran alky on it. Put the engine in a lite car and was happier. But still no e85 back in my day.
Good stuff. Thanks Courtney and Richard.
IMO the 76cc head can be ported to flow better than the somgger heads. Some quality time in the sunshine with a saw horse and a carbide burr and the iron Cad heads can flow a LOT of CFM. In the book Big Inch Cadillac Doc Frohmader published his ported iron head intake CFM @28" of water column with .500" of valve opening at a whopping 274 CFM!! This was not a radically modified head. It had modest (for 500CI) valve sizing (2.91/1.75) . For comparison the LS-7 BBC flowed 284 CFM with the same WC and lift. When you consider that a LS-7 was a full race motor with the very best tech Chevy could muster the lowly Cad 500 has some impressive bones.
Cad motors are made of "Armasteel" a GM trade name for a grade of pearlitic malleable cast iron. As a 1982 GM brochure explains, it is "a ferrous alloy with temper carbon in a matrix of tempered pearlite or tempered martensite". The molten metal was made in an electric arc furnace and "duplexed" which was a heat treating process to enhance strength. It was like "aging" the molten metal before it was brought to the casting lines. It's only source was the Saginaw Malleable Iron plant. (closed thanks to outsourcing US manufacturing by the arseholes who hate you and I)
Good info im certain I have the 76cc being a 1970 deville wish I knew wich pistons I have im assuming I got the good compression setup as she keeps killing starters lol
We did these bearing tricks with an oiling groove and can open up the oil block passages. Cam a d bearing and bearing holes.
We welded a set of hzrdened stainless steel into the aluminum pistons by drilling and filling the other side with plug welds. Never got to finish that project. We drilled holes in the piston sides and rods to lighten the reciprocating assembly.
Caddy oiling problem does exist... Not on the Dyno, Not when driven Regularly. Oil pump loses its prime, won’t pick up oil from the pan. Devastating when your Engine Starts Knocking😡 I have 7 Caddy 472/500 powered Vehicles. Every one has a kill switch for Ignition. I Crank till I see Pressure on the Gauge, then Start it ( NO Failures since I began doing it!) if it doesn’t show pressure within 10 seconds of cranking, Find out Why! There is a plug in the block, above the pump. Add some oil, re install plug. Usually picks up quickly. Some of mine sit for long periods. I have had to use a priming tool ( seldom) but if it has oil pressure it will keep Running🤠 500Caddy/ 4speeds 4ever!
What makes it do that sitting ?
I had a issue with low oil pressure,although the engine ran great the pick up tube was packed with plastic timing gear chips.while apart i would drill asmall relief holein rear of lifter valley .It helps return flow
I don’t know why this occurs, but I’ve purchased many 472/500 cars ( most of them sitting for extended periods) & the majority of them had No Oil Pressure to start with ... I made sure they had pressure before giving them spark & fuel. I’ve bought them after somebody tried to start them( not knowing)... Every one has Knocked😠
Other oil issues I had with 500 engine was the oil relief valve behind the oil filter was stuck open with timing gear chips,and cam bearings not installed properly after rebuild
The oil pumps are external on this series engines they are easy-to-use remove,clean replace gasket,gears if needed and repack with grease and away we go
If you know one engine you know them all. But there are certain tricks to specific engines. Such as mixing and matching cadillac pistons and heads. Oldsmobile rods work in cadillac engines. Swimming up the oil pump spring with a q jet jet works.
Custom forged pistons from Cad Company. Deck height, ring location, correct wrist pin, exact dish or dome. 100 % of what you need.
Great men like this are not being replaced
I’ve been re watching the Caddy 500 series. It makes me want a big 1970 5 door with an aluminum headed roller cammed 500 CID
We used to weld the crankshaft journals and offset stroke as well for chevy rods. .500 I think. It's been awhile since I did that. You have to heat up the crank journals first.
Congrats on 100k subscriptions, and thanks for content.
Another super informative video!
Really digging all the niche market QJ stuff 👍🏼👍🏼🍻
You said this is in New Mexico? As a snotty nosed teenager in west Texas I used to drag race a ‘62 Ranchero with a tiny 289 that ran 11.80’s. At a race in Carlsbad, New Mexico (circa 1980-81) there was a big ass old Cadillac that was Caddy powered with a fabricated aluminum intake manifold running around 11.60’s if I remember correctly. Painted across the trunk were the words “Where’s That Hot Rod Lincoln?” A really big man was pushing it in the staging lanes and either he was very strong or the Caddy had been lightened because it didn’t look like he struggled to push it by himself! The car stood out and was impressive and I can’t help but wonder if it was Courtney? Anyone know? I ran across a discussion on a Facebook group a few years ago where folks said the guy that ran that car was a Caddy guru from Albuquerque.....
It's cool to see the nuances of each individual engine. I probably would have wound up with the 6:1 compression combo and wondered why it was a turd. Lol
Cranking compression would be like 80psi...lol. Just put a vortech Si on it with 87 octane
You and I have the same kind of luck my friend! I call it the "black cloud theory" -it follows me around!!
@@timothybayliss6680 You'd have to give 500 cubes a lot of pulley to build any boost at a usable rpm. My 350 makes 8.7psi at 5500rpms with the stock pulleys. It would feel like a 4 cylinder with a big turbo. .. no power .. no power, then wham as it builds boost suddenly in the upper rpm range.
I make a taper bronze insert that goes in the stock oil tube o-ring location. That sits flat to the engine block. Then the new .750 thick oil tube flange thats machined for a o-ring is bolted down over the bronze insert. The insert is sealed at the outer diameter of the origional o-ring hole. There is no tube in the factory o-ring hole anymore. The new .750 thick flange is flat with an o- ring. Increase the opening past the factory pickup tube bore in the block. I Contour the 180 degree turn into the oil pump gear then increase the inlet area to the oil pump gears for smooth unimpeded flow. Use .875 id tubing to make a new pickup tube for maximun oil flow. Lookout Big Cadoo. If the fabulous hotrod brothers had my engine theyed still be smiling in Cadillac style.
You can grind the lip off the sparkplug and use a shorter plug on the threaded end to lose a little compression and double the head gaskets.
The quad is awsome! I have 3 472s they are pretty good!
The q jet is notorious for drivability and dependability Rochester put a lot of research into the development of them and GM used them on everything for how long ? They got a bad rap because they are not quite as simple as a Holley but as you've shown can keep up and possibly even surpass a holley of similar size maybe take a little more effort as you said but that same carb will run anything even tho the idle circuits different etc you could and I've done it put that same carb on a 305 Chevy and it will run and run pretty well too maybe a bit rich I assume but the one I found in a shed that had been there since 1999 I never opened it up it was off of a 78 trans am so it was an 800 as well I stuck it on a slightly cammed 305 and the accelerator pump still worked fine I was amazed try that w a Holley the accelerator pump and power valve at least will have issues this didn't leak a drop or have any float issues nothing and moaned loud lmao love the Channel richard
Part of what leads to the bog of a Quadra jet is the clockspring for the air doors on the secondaries. It sags over time and let's them open earlier than they should. Honestly it takes like 30 seconds to adjust them too. All of these carbs are at least 30 years old now and people think they should work like brand new with no maintenance. For drivability, they're hard to beat.
Glenn Manchester It was born on the pre-emissions era of the 65 Clean Air Act. It was on the boards till 1991, and ended up altitude compensating, pulse width modulating for closed loop fuel trim, and served 230 to 500 cube engines with a quarter of a.century of factory OEM sales and backup. From net horsepowers of 135 to 650 in certain catagories. And one 24 hour factory races in production stock.Group A, and people who understood Carter AFBs and AVSs and Thermoquads Just Dont Get the Q-Jet. Like the Turbo Hydramatic, also another GM Mark of.Excellence. Best carb ever made. Metering rod that stabs the heck out of.any other carb. Only thing is it would have been cool to see it Win LeMans. The 4150 got that one. The Holley can slip into the role that the Qjet is good at, but it never got the lean cruise and aneroid adjustment and the big bucks GM spent to meet and beat emissions shed sniffer tests. If it wasnt for evaporotive emmissons and OBD 1 & 2..it'd have been around even longer.
When build time comes around I’ll need this info!
Great work Richard. Make sure to remind your subscribers that Flat Out Racing has some SS fire ring Cadillac head gaskets for the Cadillac. Two bore sizes (have to specify since both are covered by the same part number I think there are two thicknesses available also, although the ones I purchased are the thinner ones. I paid for the design and production setup a few years ago since there were really no HiPerf gaskets available and thus the multiple head gasket failures in uprated Cadillac engines (that and most were not decked and shaved prior to the build).
Wonder if that's what's going on with my 500,had a a set of head gaskets made i have head studs and the heads are fully ported & polished, bigger valves and unshrouded chambers,freshly done and it pushed a lil water out of the #1? Stock block with new rings gapped for nitrous & new cam/main/rod bearings compression checked out good in each cylinder can't figure it out?
@@1diggitech did you deck the block and shave the head to get them straight??
Once we opened the turbos up. Perhaps 60 psi each on alky. Kept the rpms low. About 5000. The guys wouldn't put it on a dyno. It might break. So was it 2000 hp 2500 on nos idk but we did destroy the pistons after 1 summer. I think the piston gaps were too small. We didn't have forged pistons from trw for a cadillac . Just for our chevy big blocks. We ran the 396 and 427 into the 9600 rpm range with roller parts for about 3 seconds. The engines needed block fill as well. We did window some chevy blocks.
Bv
On that knock-out plug on the carburetor, knock it out and thread the hole for a plug.
Be awesome for you to do more videos like this tricks and tips video
You got the "BEST" engine only YT sight by far!! Hope you get a Gazillion subscribers!
Now all that 500 needs is a pair of turbos. What is the dish on those 76cc head pistons? Looks like you could fit a deck of cards in that dish. At think at that point it is no longer a dish it has graduated to a canyon.
We used modified bbc headers and a 460 tunnel ram on the molded 472 500 motors. The bvalvetrain is hard to modify with steel plates and ford sb rockers. But can be done. Now I'd never run a stock valvetrain. I'm not sure a roller cam is worth much over a mechanical cam to justify the cost. About 900 dollars or more.
Cool ,caddy motors so torqued 500lbs at 2000rpm no wonder those caddyshack caddys where so smooth and powerful. Now 2 100mm turbos for the 2500rpms and above for passing lambos and buggatis
Another great video, hope you get that involved with the Buick testing.so long from Wisconsin.
Richard, any chance we can get some amc other guys stuff? Big Bang on a Jeep 4.0?
YESSSS PLEASE!! A boosted big-bang AMC 4.0 would be very interesting. I saw Newcomer's latest 4.0 N/A build, -pretty impressive.
Horsepower Monster built a nasty one. Forged, bored, stroked, aftermarket head, fabed intake, crank trigger, individual coils, massive 90 something or 100mm throttle body. It’s getting a turbo very soon too. Check it out.
Amc 360/401/258 are the ones I want to see
19👍's up thanks again for taking us all along with you
Reading about deburing and shaping pistons. Rough surfaces hold oil and transfer heat better than smooth surfaces. So there's no reason for the underside of a piston to be smooth. On the top you want it smooth as you can to avoid hot spots and reflect heat. The layer of carbon in the combustion chamber will probably block more heat than the polish will reflect but it all helps.
If I need to remove any material from my pistons I will make a jig so that I remove as close to the same amount as possible then attempt to polish the area up.
I raced these motors from 1986 to 1996. And messed with them here and there till 2023.
I have an important question. I have a 472 engine year 1968 of origin 375 HP 525 TQ. How many RPM and HP can the ORIGINAL piston rods and crankshaft support??? I have a lunati cam 6500 RPM my heads flow 300 CFM @ 650 lift intake edelbrock worn
WHAT ABOUT YOUR ROCKERS?
I hope you can get Mike from TA to help out on the Buick like you are doing with the Cad. The oiling mods on a 455 Buick are really important. If you use a new TA timing cover and oil pump will help a ton. Lots of other stuff is needed though.
he already did
So is the caddy quadrajet better for big motors
Cam lift can be incredible with the proper head
No mention about port differences. The 76 chamber heads with lower valves could have better short side radius. More flow potential when ported. The bowl areas look pretty bad. Porting must go along ways on these heads.
120 cc heads with stock 500 472 pistons give more valve to piston clearance but make for 3 pounts less comp. 8.5 1 from 13.1
That reference to the possible cam bore miss alignment sounds familiar. I have run into that on some"not real common" small block Fords. I turned a couple of old cams into cam bearing cutters. Be careful and work slow and you can "trim" a slightly misaligned cam bearing.
What about the 429 upgrades?
We used to groove the cam bearings
Good stuff, always
Cool stuff man. I don't think Courtney is in as much of a rush as you are haha. Seems like a cool dude.
The stock cast pistons can hold up for several seasons too. Even at 13.1
Saturday I did some trading around and got complete running (well it was running when they pulled it)1997 L21 454 and I'm planning on putting some halfway decent forged rods and pistons .30 over more than likely a pretty nasty and lumpy turbo grind and either find some used Aluminum heads or pick up some promaxx heads, Im gonna shoot for 12 to 1 compression but no less than 11 to 1 a single plain efi intake a 100+mm elbow and throttle body some Bosch 210s I use in everything and Holley efi setup with a HP ecu im not gonna run coil on plug yet. Im trying to keep it cheap as possible and run a pretty simple single turbo setup I already have a air to water intercooler thats good to 1800hp and see how big of a exhaust housing is available for on3's 107mm turbo if they don't have what I want I have access to Precision promod 102mm thats a few years old. I have been wanting to play with a big block ever since Richard started messing around with the sbe 454 with boost a while back. I have a 1977 Nova that my paw paw bought new in 76 and was the first car i ls swapped and turbo its a super simple setup that works pretty damn good built 8.5 10 bolt with a spool and 3.70 gear calvert leafsprings and caltracs some single adjustable Strange shocks a anti-roll bar the kit came from TRZ sub frame connectors 8 point cage up front its basically stock besides being rebuilt and the coils and 90/10 shocks and a brace I made years ago tying the front frame rails together before the sub frame connectors and anti-roll bar. In 2017 it went a best of 6.21 @ 118mph with a sbe 5.3 with a ljms cam pac springs 706 heads stock truck intake and throttle body a simple single turbo setup with a ebay air to air intercooler and a cast wheel t6 s475. Its been sitting in a barn on blocks with a tarps on it since 2017 it should be pretty damn cool with a big block im kinda excited about that im turning 30 next month and never owned a big block and can count on one hand how many old small blocks Ive had
What about the aluminum head specs?
After getting a bit more "education" on the Caddys, the more I like them. Have you done a test with a combination of low compression STOCK cast pistons and big CC chamber heads under boost?
Thanks for all your help. Would it be any advantage to using a Quadra jet with a power enrichment that has a 6"tube top" or even an Chevy taking the "plastic plug " out of a Chevy carb that doesn't have the 6 tube top?
What are the stock specs of the cam
the eldorado pan is a big secret as well. Its needed for most RWD chevy swaps.
yes-I asked Courtney if he wanted it
Cam bearings needs to provide pressure not less with more holes and the original intake kicks ass
A good question for him would have been do those 76cc chamber heads with the “drop” combustion chambers have a better short turn radius and flow more????? It’s the same as raising the ports if done properly
I placed 425 heads from a 78 on to 500 from a 76 and had no issues.
this motor is really the unknown gm motor that people don't have no clue about and is a very strong motor when glue together with the right parts.
You’ve been testing some interesting engines lately. Would you be interested in testing some unusual speed equipment? In particular, I’d like to see you test a Predator carburetor. Good info is hard to come by on how these unique carburetors perform, in a variety of applications.
never run one of those
The proper atomizing jets are in certain holley carbs. They make more power then the q jets.......down leg boosters are junk too.
The 425 heads will raise compression to 10 to 1 but you can just buy an older 472.
Clearance from valve to piston is about 1 inch on some engines.
Bv
So what heads does a 1968 472 have on it? 76cc? They supposedly have 10:1 compression....
So it’s valve stem length instead of pushrod length that changes with chamber volume? Or is it both?
The big chamber head has shorter valves, the valve face is sunk into the head approximately 1/4" but the valve tip doesn't move. He mentions the valve length and you can see how far from the deck surface the valves are. They should use the same rockers pushrods and even valvesprings on both heads.
They didn't show the 12.5.1 combo from stock parts.
How much would EFI effect on the octane level? Modern engines run 12 - 14:1 compression ratio, and use 95 octane. Also E85 benefits from high compression. Could this low compression/high octane requirement relate to inefficient fuel "atomization" i.e fuel droplets in the mix causing hydro lock like symptoms?
So what about the rods? At whet point do they need changed out? I assume they are the biggest rpm limiter besides the stock rockers? Looks like those 9.0 flat tops with the 120cc heads would be the sweet setup for a turbo motor as they would be the least likely to detonate/knock.
rockers-rods are good
I was wondering with all the Caddy stuff lately if you would consider expanding your channel. Would it be possible to put a front wheel drive Caddy motor and trans in some car to make it a rear engine transverse mount setup? Have it make stupid amounts of power and start a new chapter in hotrodding.
its been done with ELDO drive trains
Some 12 -15 airport shuttle vans in Miami had rear wheel drive eldo set ups in them.Didnt get a good look on set up
I remember a guy doing that with a Porsche, but used a 403 Buick engine...
There was a guy that did this to an acura integra. Twin 60mm turbos, and 2x 4bbl TBI set ups I believe.
What brand was the thinner metering rods y’all ran? Summit had some for the Q-Jet, but they looked thick like the original ones.
Are those green manifold gaskets hand made? I use to work at a Tank Company and we had yards of green gasket material like that....
I would like to know what your engine is doing regarding rocker arms. I didn't see a shaft rocker system.
The one with forged rods has aftermarket rockers and shafts. The rebuilt stocker has stock clipped ones. If you watch the videos of them, they show up for a second. The dude bolting down the stock rockers mentions how they limit the rpm. Even the stock shafts will start to bend if you need a big valvespring for an aggressive camshaft.
I always wanted to put one of those 472/500 caddy engines into a lightweight chassis with a gear ratio that takes advantage of its torque curve for some fun street cruising.
We put a caddy 500 in a Buick skylark a few years back and took a lot of money
@@puffkendrick6850 Just wondering if the end result was worth the time/ money/effort and if you put it in stock "as is" or did engine upgrades. I dreamed of doing it back in the 80's when these engines along with all of the "other guys" big and small blocks were literally in almost any junkyard by the hundreds ( I wanted to just drop it in stock )...aftermarket and off the shelf parts such as carbs, distributors, intakes, cams etc. were fairly cheap...although there wasn't much aftermarket support for the caddy except for CMD (Cadillac Motorsports Development) I believe it is actually the same guys that did the engine in Richard's video but just changed their name and location.
The 1st time engine was was mainly stock neighbor gave us some small chambered heads he was tossing,engine awoke somewhat.2nd time we went all out with some cmd goodies.Til this day people are still shocked what this engine does. Was told launching it sounds like a dragster
@@puffkendrick6850 Torque rules on the street if you think about it you rarely see over 5500 RPM during normal driving unless you are running 4:11 gears and such... I had a buddy that pulled a BBC with a TH 400 out of an RV and put it in his square body Chevy thinking it was a 454, didn't change the cam, intake, exhaust or anything, just bolted it in and it ran smooth at idle but in his words he described it as "scary" when he laid into it and he was used to modded 454's. It had a 3:08 rear gear (with a "Lincoln Locker" welded diff) and come to find out it was actually a tall deck 366 which wasn't much on horsepower but would deliver tons of low end torque.
@@AreaThirteenThirteen I agree and if you throw a over drive transmission in the rear you can hit the Highway.The truth is if you take a chance and run something different and win you'll always be remembered
I’d love to see a 07 ish 2.4 ecotec le5
Hhr, cobalt, or solstice engine
You are the best!
A normally aspirated engine will cost more and be disappointing for some compared to what a cheap pair of turbos will do. Heck you can probably leave in the stock cam and valvetrain and still get 700 hp out of the deal. Expensive 3600 dollar bull dog heads will give you about 100 lousey hp at best. The stock heads aren't that bad. When forced induction is applied on e85 stock heads are very good. Back in the 80s and 90s we spent money on stroking, better heads, roller cams in the 90s. Porting. Hours of time just to get 500 to 600 out of a bb. Then I said never mind all that guys let's go turbo. We changed the engine parts only when using crazy amounts of boost a d hp. Nos works well too. But the turbos are the gift that keep on giving. We had molded a 540 for a guy , 1200 hp on racing gas back then ans 2 big cheap diesel turbos. When put in a modified 23 t. It beat everyone on the street except one guy who dropped a funny car off the trailer with 5000 hp.
Bloodviking
If you run nos 120cc should do it
I was just about to ask about the peanut pistons
How about some information on the rocker systems... what is available, etc? Thanks
Mine is stock
What compression ratio do you need for a turbo or super charge?
9 or so
Roughly how much horsepower will you gain going from 8.5 to 9.1 compression
about 1.5%
These q jets are the big ones
Are we going to see any more coyote stuff? Great vids BTW 👍
Yes, soon
You cant buy some of this info. Expert interviews and teaching.
Personally I blame squirrels
John Woodworth : Yessir. Malformed ones which steal the thinest CC secondary rods from Courtney. But its okay. As in most societies, the Richard ones are at the top....
Most Squirrels wives don't live in Moscow.
Dean Stevenson lol I'm just picturing the squirrels nest made from carb needles 😂
John Woodworth : if your Q jet, Carter , Stromberg Zenith or Skinner Union carb suddenly stops....thats Squirrels. Needle Theft by the "Other Guyz".
Dean Stevenson 😂
Could you do a video on how to choose a piston and rod set up? And when it’s should be upgraded to forged? That’s where I’m stuck at building my ls2. Thanks
we ran stock to 1543 hp-so you are probably good