472 & 500 Cadillac Engine Tales

General engine tech -- Drag Racing to Circle Track

Moderator: Team

DrillDawg
Expert
Expert
Posts: 980
Joined: Tue Jul 06, 2010 11:03 am
Location:

Re: 472 & 500 Cadillac Engine Tales

Post by DrillDawg »

The mid 90's viper 488 made 450 hp at 5200 rpm and it would do 160 in about a half mile, so put a good 6 speed behind that cadillac and gear it right and go have some fun.
BORN RIGHT THE FIRST TIME
SchmidtMotorWorks
Vendor
Posts: 11003
Joined: Mon Apr 11, 2005 2:30 am
Location: CA

Re: 472 & 500 Cadillac Engine Tales

Post by SchmidtMotorWorks »

DrillDawg wrote: Fri Jun 29, 2018 12:10 pm Think you can offset grind the 500 crank to BBC size and with a little over bore and the right rod, you too can have 540 tire fryer.
I was wondering if that was possible.
He doesn't have the crank out yet.
I think he is struggling with loosening the main cap bolts (he weighs about 90lbs), waiting for him to discover leverage pipe on his own.
He did manage to get the head bolts off.

Looks to have original pistons with the largest rectangular dish I have ever seen. Engine is 1972.
If anyone can suggest a good piston for that engine please do.
If anyone has worked out the piston that works with a BBC rod, I would be interested to know that too.
Last edited by SchmidtMotorWorks on Fri Jun 29, 2018 2:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Helping to Deliver the Promise of Flying Cars
DrillDawg
Expert
Expert
Posts: 980
Joined: Tue Jul 06, 2010 11:03 am
Location:

Re: 472 & 500 Cadillac Engine Tales

Post by DrillDawg »

Call marine crank, I bet they have done it, if the crank is steel it will need to be hardened. BBC rods are cheap and he'll need to buy pistons anyway. I read long ago that the blocks are very hard and some show little wear after 100000 miles. And the word was if you run high compression or nitrous you'll need studs and orings.
BORN RIGHT THE FIRST TIME
Racer18
Pro
Pro
Posts: 379
Joined: Wed Jul 04, 2007 12:42 pm
Location: Indiana
Contact:

Re: 472 & 500 Cadillac Engine Tales

Post by Racer18 »

I worked at Cadillac Motorsports Development back in the 90's. Spent countless days putting in valve guides and machining intake manifolds. Larry was different to say the least! :lol: :shock:
Frankshaft
Guru
Guru
Posts: 1037
Joined: Sun Jul 05, 2015 6:01 pm
Location:

Re: 472 & 500 Cadillac Engine Tales

Post by Frankshaft »

SchmidtMotorWorks wrote: Fri Jun 29, 2018 2:28 pm
DrillDawg wrote: Fri Jun 29, 2018 12:10 pm Think you can offset grind the 500 crank to BBC size and with a little over bore and the right rod, you too can have 540 tire fryer.
I was wondering if that was possible.
He doesn't have the crank out yet.
I think he is struggling with loosening the main cap bolts (he weighs about 90lbs), waiting for him to discover leverage pipe on his own.
He did manage to get the head bolts off.

Looks to have original pistons with the largest rectangular dish I have ever seen. Engine is 1972.
If anyone can suggest a good piston for that engine please do.
If anyone has worked out the piston that works with a BBC rod, I would be interested to know that too.
Doesn't a 1d sim figure out what Pistons to use? Lol. Sorry, couldn't resist. Just being a smartass in good fun
DrillDawg
Expert
Expert
Posts: 980
Joined: Tue Jul 06, 2010 11:03 am
Location:

Re: 472 & 500 Cadillac Engine Tales

Post by DrillDawg »

Frankshaft wrote: Fri Jun 29, 2018 4:27 pm
SchmidtMotorWorks wrote: Fri Jun 29, 2018 2:28 pm
DrillDawg wrote: Fri Jun 29, 2018 12:10 pm Think you can offset grind the 500 crank to BBC size and with a little over bore and the right rod, you too can have 540 tire fryer.
I was wondering if that was possible.
He doesn't have the crank out yet.
I think he is struggling with loosening the main cap bolts (he weighs about 90lbs), waiting for him to discover leverage pipe on his own.
He did manage to get the head bolts off.

Looks to have original pistons with the largest rectangular dish I have ever seen. Engine is 1972.
If anyone can suggest a good piston for that engine please do.
If anyone has worked out the piston that works with a BBC rod, I would be interested to know that too.
Doesn't a 1d sim figure out what Pistons to use? Lol. Sorry, couldn't resist. Just being a smartass in good fun
lol
BORN RIGHT THE FIRST TIME
prairiehotrodder
Guru
Guru
Posts: 1602
Joined: Sat Dec 24, 2011 10:02 am
Location: melfort saskatchewan Canada

Re: 472 & 500 Cadillac Engine Tales

Post by prairiehotrodder »

SchmidtMotorWorks wrote: Fri Jun 29, 2018 2:28 pm
DrillDawg wrote: Fri Jun 29, 2018 12:10 pm Think you can offset grind the 500 crank to BBC size and with a little over bore and the right rod, you too can have 540 tire fryer.
I was wondering if that was possible.
He doesn't have the crank out yet.
I think he is struggling with loosening the main cap bolts (he weighs about 90lbs), waiting for him to discover leverage pipe on his own.
He did manage to get the head bolts off.

Looks to have original pistons with the largest rectangular dish I have ever seen. Engine is 1972.
If anyone can suggest a good piston for that engine please do.
If anyone has worked out the piston that works with a BBC rod, I would be interested to know that too.
Those are soap dish pistons

I'd skip the plans for bigger cubes, there aren't any heads to support them.
KB makes a couple cheaper Hyper pistons. If you use 455 olds rods then deck the block a little you will be better than using the stock 500 rods.
I forget what needs to be done to the 455 rods but its not much.
The Word of God is quick and powerfull
www.therocketshop.blogspot.com
DrillDawg
Expert
Expert
Posts: 980
Joined: Tue Jul 06, 2010 11:03 am
Location:

Re: 472 & 500 Cadillac Engine Tales

Post by DrillDawg »

540 with a T-ram, 600 ftlbs at 5000rpm, lol.
BORN RIGHT THE FIRST TIME
DrillDawg
Expert
Expert
Posts: 980
Joined: Tue Jul 06, 2010 11:03 am
Location:

Re: 472 & 500 Cadillac Engine Tales

Post by DrillDawg »

BORN RIGHT THE FIRST TIME
pdq67
Guru
Guru
Posts: 9841
Joined: Thu Mar 04, 2010 8:05 pm
Location:

Re: 472 & 500 Cadillac Engine Tales

Post by pdq67 »

I always wanted to B&S a 500 Cad. engine out to like 550 or so inches just for fun.

I figure the big engine as light at it is would be great in an A/F/X car.. Since it is wide, it might be a bitch fitting it in them, but ---

I would build it for T and not rpm.. Set the cam at say a 210 to 214 then 5,000 rpm and max. lift it!! And then fight the valve train problems...

Add a set of something like 2.42 reg's and highway drive it.

pdq67
Truckedup
Guru
Guru
Posts: 2728
Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2013 2:41 pm
Location: Finger Lakes

Re: 472 & 500 Cadillac Engine Tales

Post by Truckedup »

I saw this Cadillac run at several meets at the now closed one mile standing start land speed racing track in Ohio...I talked to the builder/driver who seemed quite knowledgeable. it's a 500 Caddy with all the good stuff and a turbocharger...Full electronic engine management....Car ran consistent 180 MPH...That a shitload of metal to push that fast...
He also blew up several engines and was considering an LS swap...

Image
Motorcycle land speed racing... wearing animal hides and clinging to vibrating oily machines propelled by fire
A_VAS
Pro
Pro
Posts: 208
Joined: Thu Dec 03, 2009 1:52 pm
Location: Harrisburg, PA

Re: 472 & 500 Cadillac Engine Tales

Post by A_VAS »

Truckedup wrote: Sun Aug 05, 2018 6:47 pm I saw this Cadillac run at several meets at the now closed one mile standing start land speed racing track in Ohio...I talked to the builder/driver who seemed quite knowledgeable. it's a 500 Caddy with all the good stuff and a turbocharger...Full electronic engine management....Car ran consistent 180 MPH...That a shitload of metal to push that fast...
He also blew up several engines and was considering an LS swap...

Image
yes Mr. Sean Mote....I haven't met too many people nicer than this guy..
he runs the high port heads and intake. I have his old set of standard port alum. heads on my engine now.
too lazy to make power w/o boost
Dragon572
New Member
New Member
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun Aug 05, 2018 9:35 pm
Location:

Re: 472 & 500 Cadillac Engine Tales

Post by Dragon572 »

I had a 472 I put in an '88 Monte Carlo, ran high 13's completely stock, with street tires. I then built a 542" by offset grinding the stock crank to 4.58", which I think was the max you could do and still use a BBC rod bearing. I used 6.8" BBC rods, custom Ross pistons and total seal rings ( 440 oversize I believe). Performer intake, solid cam and T&D shaft rockers (don't remember which ones). Was supposed to build some headers for it, but with stock manifolds, it wasn't much faster than the 472, all done by 5500 rpm. Great for driving around town but lost interest and sold it. 383 SBC I built next was way better. 472-500 blocks had high nickel content, didn't wear too much, and were supposed to be fairly light, alittle heavier than a sbc.
mk e
Guru
Guru
Posts: 5482
Joined: Mon Sep 17, 2012 3:19 pm
Location: Elverson, PA

Re: 472 & 500 Cadillac Engine Tales

Post by mk e »

Fiadillac....dangerously unsafe to drive.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
Mark
Mechanical Engineer
Scotthatch
Pro
Pro
Posts: 311
Joined: Sat Apr 14, 2018 11:12 pm
Location: 7000 ft up

Re: 472 & 500 Cadillac Engine Tales

Post by Scotthatch »

Not a bad motor ... I have been building them for 30 years ... stock is 13 degree valve angle but you need to fix the port entrance .. main caps can use some help as power goes up ...it needs better valve train.. a good intake helps alot ... I like it as building a BBC is to easy and you don't learn
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
Post Reply