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Projects 53' Cadillac engine swap. Out with the old, in with the....old.

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by HotRodToomer, Jun 13, 2012.

  1. HotRodToomer
    Joined: Jun 25, 2006
    Posts: 857

    HotRodToomer
    Member

    Little update.
    With my foot still healing after surgery, havent been able to do next to anything. but i've been ordering parts. Wire harness, brakes & hardware & this awesome thing.

    [​IMG]

    Looks like a generator, internals of an altenator. Love it.

    This weekend, the front ends coming down a few inches...
     
  2. roadkiII
    Joined: Aug 19, 2004
    Posts: 90

    roadkiII
    Member
    from charlotte

    What motor mounts are you going to use on the 365 to go in the 53 frame? I'm working on a similar project.

    Thanks
     
  3. HotRodToomer
    Joined: Jun 25, 2006
    Posts: 857

    HotRodToomer
    Member

    I think the 53 & 57 mount at the engine are the same, I could be wrong. At least they look the same. If not i'll fab up some crazy wack-ball mount that functions well.
    I hope smooth sailing on your project as well!
     
  4. flatheadpete
    Joined: Oct 29, 2003
    Posts: 10,479

    flatheadpete
    Member
    from Burton, MI

    Back to the Bricks starts officially Tues ya know......
     
  5. HotRodToomer
    Joined: Jun 25, 2006
    Posts: 857

    HotRodToomer
    Member

    Cars still up in the air with no front end & no engine/trans. :(
     
  6. HotRodToomer
    Joined: Jun 25, 2006
    Posts: 857

    HotRodToomer
    Member

    My work path may be crazy but it all heads twards one goal.

    These little guys fell out of the front end after about an hour and a half worth of fun. :)
    Hopefully it looks nice and maybe a little low, the kingpins & spindels still need to go back on. Thought i might as well get it over with while all the stuff off.
    My first time cutting my own coils, have to say, bit of a learning curve on re-install.
    [​IMG]

    More to come soon!
     
  7. flatheadpete
    Joined: Oct 29, 2003
    Posts: 10,479

    flatheadpete
    Member
    from Burton, MI

    Just one? Huh.....didn't know you could cut just one....
     
  8. HotRodToomer
    Joined: Jun 25, 2006
    Posts: 857

    HotRodToomer
    Member

    Well for now. I want to see how it sits and how much room i have for tire rub. I want that sucker a Michigan road scraper if it could be.
     
  9. HotRodToomer
    Joined: Jun 25, 2006
    Posts: 857

    HotRodToomer
    Member

    Update.
    Been busy with work & other projects. Dad needed a new axle under his 53'. Even after all this time I'm still getting back to normal after the foot surgury. But the show must go on so here we go.

    After a hard time scrounging up parts here and there & a few let downs on part ordering/delivering, i have all the engine bits. Everything is looking good & as soon as the heads go on, its getting paint.
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    I like shiny things, I'm just saying...
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    The only impossible thing to locate was this little turd. Now, some are saying its part of the oil pump, some are saying its a vac pump. Any info is deeply appreciated because unless anyone has a working one on here, I've spend a week trying to find a replacement to no avail.

    [​IMG]

    On the car itself side of the build, Got the kingpins in and greased. After a 3,000 PSI power wash, the grease fittings are the only traces of greese left under the hood. Tearing the wires out ans paint will follow soon.
    [​IMG]

    The blower motor is out because im retro fitting a new one in its place.

    [​IMG]

    More to come...
     
  10. HotRodToomer
    Joined: Jun 25, 2006
    Posts: 857

    HotRodToomer
    Member

    Since my work has a paint mixing both & a wall of toners to work with, I got a little fancy with the color's. It started out as "Las Vegas Gold", the numbers on the mix list are just a few of whats in there. I Had to name it so, "Viva las vegas" it is.
    That engines going to look like something......Will it be a good or bad something? we'll see.
    [​IMG]
     
  11. carmak
    Joined: Aug 8, 2005
    Posts: 451

    carmak
    Member

    The little turd on the end of the oil pump is a vacumn pump. Yours looks to be in great shape compared to many. What happens is that the housing often corrodes and then breaks apart filling the bottom of the pan with junk.

    I pulled the vanes out of mine when I rebuilt my 58 365 about 10 years ago and plugged the vacumn line at the back of the block.

    Also:

    Pressure test your waterpump before you install it. I have had super bad luck with rebuilt units. The suplier always refunds the money but the time it takes to change one it considerable.

    Glad you are keeping a Caddy in a Caddy.

    Carmak
    Riverside, Iowa
     

    Attached Files:

  12. HotRodToomer
    Joined: Jun 25, 2006
    Posts: 857

    HotRodToomer
    Member

    Thank you very much for the info! Three days straight i was calling parts / rebuild company's asking, no one knew anything. So, now I'm not as worried as I was. However I'll take your advice and check out the water pump, I had it rebuilt at my last job, but you never know right?
     
  13. carmak
    Joined: Aug 8, 2005
    Posts: 451

    carmak
    Member

    Since the heads don't have bolt holes almost everything on the front of a Caddy engine bolts to the water pump. I went through two rebult units (from reputable sources) before I got a good one.

    If you have any trouble with brackets let me know, I have a couple 57/58 parts cars.

    Carmak
     

    Attached Files:

  14. HotRodToomer
    Joined: Jun 25, 2006
    Posts: 857

    HotRodToomer
    Member

    Mini Update

    I was like a kid on Christmas when i walked into work Sunday morning, flipped on the lights and saw this, Damn its close now!

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    I can't wait, but now i realize how much more I need to get going on the car before the engine is done.

    Paint he engine bay, start the rewire of the car, get the brakes back on, ECT.

    But, I'm determined to get it driving at least before I have to put it away for the season. If i have to take it for its first run in snow, So be it.

    Also finished rebuilding the distributor, MSD cap, rotor & Pertronix Ignitor II. I'll be getting a Blaster coil, painting it black & painting the old letters on it.
    Why you ask?, Just because.
    [​IMG]

    Next matter of attention is the fuel pump, I have 3...
    53' Original, works but leaks like hell.
    53' rebuilt in the 60's, been sitting in a box since then. (Any good, ?)
    57' Stock, came with 'Unspoken about' 3rd engine in this story.

    Stay Tuned!
     
  15. HotRodToomer
    Joined: Jun 25, 2006
    Posts: 857

    HotRodToomer
    Member

    I'm back!
    Work, time & cash have been the hold up for everything.
    But I got to it and got a few things done. The engine is essentially finished on all the machine work, i just have to add the final bits. I should have it back soon.
    But as for now, I managed to get the front end tied back together. Had to make a castle nut & chase some threads, but it was nice and easy.

    [​IMG]

    Then I was excited to sit it back on its feet. It sits now with no engine close to wha it did stock with the engine. Should be lower.

    [​IMG]

    Then I got fancy with the nice weather, painted the engine bay. Whats still not painted will be a color other then black.

    [​IMG]

    Once the engine gets back. A mad, mad dash will take place.
     
  16. terryble
    Joined: Sep 25, 2008
    Posts: 541

    terryble
    Member
    from canada

    What are you using for heads and exhaust manifolds? The reason I ask is I tried to put a 365 in a 55 and could not find manifolds to work 331 manifolds wouln't cover the 365 ports and 365 manifold wouldn't clear steering. Had to cut and braze 365 manifold (it was 40 years ago!).
     
  17. Looking like some good progress. Love the original engine
     
  18. Y-Blokkah
    Joined: Oct 19, 2012
    Posts: 167

    Y-Blokkah
    Member
    from Anna, Tx

    I'm a sucker for a 53 Caddy.

    Y-Block powered, of course.

    i can't wait to see this done. I'm planning on bringing something to the Woodward traffic jam next year, so maybe we'll see you there, sitting in traffic too!
     
  19. HotRodToomer
    Joined: Jun 25, 2006
    Posts: 857

    HotRodToomer
    Member

    terryble, I'm glad you brought that up. I have been too focused on other aspects of the project I honestly overlooked that bit. Ill be looking into it. Hell I just relized my plan to use the middle exit 57' passenger manifold on the drivers side is defunked too. I need to pay more attention!

    hoboy56, Thank you very much! Small block would of been a simplistic choice, but ill be more excited once the exhaust note climbs with the caddy mill.

    Y-Blokkah, Oh yes, there will be traffic. The gun boats been through 3 years with no problems. I hope the new situation fallow suit.
     
  20. dirty old man
    Joined: Feb 2, 2008
    Posts: 8,910

    dirty old man
    Member Emeritus

    subscribe cause I love Caddys of the 50's & 60's.
     
  21. Caddy's don't deserve a belly button motor. I kept the 55 331 mill out of my new project Caddy, just in case I want to build a retro hot rod, since I picked the car up cheap enough it doesn't owe me anything and can sit there till I need it.
     
  22. HotRodToomer
    Joined: Jun 25, 2006
    Posts: 857

    HotRodToomer
    Member

    Indeed. Plus I love engine note, if my radio died I wouldn't be mad.
    With the Cadillac engine, I love the sound. I'll always be grinning.
     
  23. 56sedandelivery
    Joined: Nov 21, 2006
    Posts: 6,695

    56sedandelivery
    Member Emeritus


    Too late now to help you with your project, but I always use "Super Clean" in the big purple one gallon jug; spray it on full strength, let it set, spray some more, hose it off. It may take a couple of applications, but it works good for suspensions, and under the hood. Just don't get it on your skin, and leave it there; it will eat your skin right off!!! Plus, it helps to clean off the driveway as everything drips down. It'll even take off old base paint, so don't get it on anything you're not going to repaint after. Butch/56sedandelivery.
     
  24. HotRodToomer
    Joined: Jun 25, 2006
    Posts: 857

    HotRodToomer
    Member

    Oh no worries, your advice is sound. I used that as well, it took a good amount of the crud off. The power washer with that stuff in the soap tank did wonders!
    The whole thing doesn't look too shabby now.
     
  25. HotRodToomer
    Joined: Jun 25, 2006
    Posts: 857

    HotRodToomer
    Member

    Finally, the engine is back in my hands.
    Picked it up from the other shop and brough it back to ours, My boss has been kind enough to let me work on the thing in the back room of the store.
    I was as happy as you could imagine at this point.

    [​IMG]

    Got it off the truck and on the stand, brake clean bath, lacquer thinner bath, tape & lunch bag cover.

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    (I forgot to grab a picture of it in primer)
    Shook the hell out of the paint, gave the engine some heat due to the colder temps, pushed it outside and slung the gold at it and BAM!

    [​IMG]

    Now, since I still need to drop it in the car, and i want to keep it as unscrathched as I can, a lot of things are put on just for mock up, but damn its still starting to look good!

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    Im just proud of it, ha.

    So most likely next week it will be ready to hook to the trans and get dropped in the car. I have a set of headers on the way that im hoping to fix the exhaust problem, took the fuel pump apart to find someone had already very recently, (At least before I've owned it), rebuilt the unit.

    Stay tuned!
     
  26. snaptwo
    Joined: Apr 25, 2011
    Posts: 696

    snaptwo
    Member

    More than a couple of years back , I owned a '54 Fleetwood sedan that had a 365 installed. The stock manifolds were used with an adaptor plate that was sandwiched in between the '54 manifold and the 365 head. These were cut from 3/16" plate. Never leaked though.
     
  27. randy
    Joined: Nov 15, 2003
    Posts: 679

    randy
    Member

    Nice motor! Nice job keepin' it old Cadillac...kinda wish I had done that.
     
  28. HotRodToomer
    Joined: Jun 25, 2006
    Posts: 857

    HotRodToomer
    Member

    I was going to do the same with an adapter plate. But I just figured I'd let the engine breath easily and just go with headers. But I wish I could keep the manifolds for the look.
     
  29. HotRodToomer
    Joined: Jun 25, 2006
    Posts: 857

    HotRodToomer
    Member

    Quick little question, Does anyone see anything wrong with the way my oil lines are hooked? I cannot find any information and i forgot how mine were hooked up previous.
    Thank you!
    [​IMG]
     
  30. Ester Eddie
    Joined: Feb 26, 2012
    Posts: 3,988

    Ester Eddie
    Member
    from Alaska

    Man that looks great.
     

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