FYI, I saw this at: http://www.modifiedcadillac.org/articles/Cadillac_700R4/Cadillac700R4.html Here it is, recreated here for your reference and enjoyment. ~Jason Mating a Cadillac 390 and a 700R4 transmission Here are the parts and web sites used to mate the 390 to 700R4 1. Cadillac to Chev auto or manual http://www.transmissionadapters.com/index.htm 365,390 Starter included Bendtsens Transmission Center Inc. 13603 Johnson St NE, Ham Lake, MN. 55304 (763)767-4480 [email protected] 2. shift linkage, short arm, part #SAK 1600S http://www.kugelkomponents.com/products/shift_kit/shiftkits.html 3. Turbo 700R4, labor, supplies ... Pruitts Tranmissions, Anderson, SC modify driveshaft 3 new U-joints, new yoke, retube rear half, balance Burts Garage, Anderson, SC 4. new driveshaft center support bearing & bracket http://www.coopersvintage.com/pdf/1959.pdf The Hydramatic was leaking from a number of places, and the labor to R&R was the same as upgrading to the 700R4. So we bit the bullet and told Pruitt to forge ahead. He recommended the Bendtsen adapter because it is made of ¾ inch STEEL plate. I had looked at Wilcap adapters, but they are aluminum. In addition, Pruitt had seen one used locally on a 1962 Sedan that, after installation, cruised to California and back!!
Fuzzy pic of the adapter sitting between the block and the trans (attached). The kit includes a Mopar mini starter that requires a bit of rewiring if you plan to keep the points-type ignition. The Cadillac starter has both an “S” terminal (for starting) and an “R” terminal (for running). The MOPAR starter only has the R terminal. Some ingenuity will be required. However, we had converted to a Pertronix ignition system, so 12V is used everywhere, and the ignition resistor had been deleted. The other problem with the starter was the stacking of tolerances concerning ring gear engagement. As initially installed, the starter teeth did not engage deep enough into the ring gear teeth; .030 clearance is ideal. Unfortunately, the gap was larger than this. In order to adjust the clearance, the starter was shimmed. A call to Bendsten by Pruitt was initially met with skepticism. When they realized they were dealing with a professional shop that had done this before, they listened. Bendsten made a new adapter end that slid the end of the starter closer to the flexplate teeth. Atlanta, a second setscrew was installed on the starter bolts to keep the starter from moving away from the flywheel.
The Kugel arm has to be bent in order to correctly align with the column arm and the trans shifter shaft. The 700R4 was built using Corvette clutches, new hard parts, and non-electronic overdrive engagement. It shifts into o-drive at about 50MPH. No shift kit was used. A wide selection of driving and driven speedometer cable gears is available from Chevrolet to calibrate the output. Tire diameter and rear axle ratio will determine the appropriate gear set for the 700R4 and your car. A driveshaft was built using a new trans yoke (700R4), new original-type u-joints, and a new Center Support Bearing. The old shaft had a weird double-tube section in the rear, where a smaller tube was inside a larger tube and the 2 pressed (??) together. This rear section had somehow twisted itself so that the u-joints were no longer in phase. So . A new driveshaft emerged from the machine shop: I cant get the pic to fit properly here use your imagination, or email me for the details. A trans mounting plate, welded to the original crossmember, was made to allow the use of a stock 700R4 rubber transmission mount.
Someone asked about the shift quadrant on the dash. Well, She Who Must Be Obeyed had decreed that the interior be left stock. So, as of now, the quadrant still reads : PND1D2LR. Pruitt was able to align the “D” of the 700R4 with the first D of the quadrant. So, if someone tries to steal the car and has to backup, they won’t find Reverse where they think it is! We’re still using the original cooler lines and the radiator-based cooling loop. Long range plans call for moving the radiator in front of the crossmember and adding a B&M Supercooler. Ok, so how does it work. Well, it works great! The car has A LOT more initial acceleration from a dead stop, shifts better, and doesn’t leak. Gary and Helen Mulholland
I used the Wilcap Adaptor on a '63 Pontiac Grand Prix. I ran into the same problem with starter engagement and had to mill the crank spacer for the flywheel, plus, some of the bolt holes were slightly off on the adapter plate. Haven't finished yet............
I see Speedway now also makes a kit for this conversion and it is a lot cheaper. The adapter plate appears to be a cast aluminum item which also looks nice visually. I'd like to hear from anybody who has used one and what they thought of it???
Seeing as how I wrote that article, I can answer the question : <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="814"><colgroup><col style="mso-width-source:userset;mso-width-alt:896;width:21pt" width="28"> <col style="mso-width-source:userset;mso-width-alt:3968;width:93pt" width="124"> <col style="mso-width-source:userset;mso-width-alt:6528;width:153pt" width="204"> <col style="mso-width-source:userset;mso-width-alt:2976;width:70pt" width="93"> <col style="width:54pt" width="72"> <col style="mso-width-source:userset;mso-width-alt:4160;width:98pt" width="130"> <col style="mso-width-source:userset;mso-width-alt:3552;width:83pt" width="111"> <col style="mso-width-source:userset;mso-width-alt:1664;width:39pt" width="52"> </colgroup><tbody><tr style="height:18.75pt" height="25"> <td class="xl25" colspan="4" style="height:18.75pt; mso-ignore:colspan;width:337pt" height="25" width="449">Cadillac Transmission conversion</td> <td style="width:54pt" width="72"> </td> <td style="width:98pt" width="130"> </td> <td class="xl26" style="width:83pt" width="111"> $3,066.45 </td> <td style="width:39pt" width="52"> </td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.0pt" height="16"> <td style="height:12.0pt" height="16"> </td> <td> </td> <td> </td> <td> </td> <td> </td> <td> </td> <td class="xl24"> </td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.0pt" height="16"> <td style="height:12.0pt" align="right" height="16">1 </td> <td>adapter</td> <td colspan="2" style="mso-ignore:colspan">Cadillac to Chev auto or manual</td> <td> </td> <td> </td> <td class="xl24"> $ 695.00 </td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.0pt" height="16"> <td style="height:12.0pt" height="16"> </td> <td> </td> <td colspan="2" style="mso-ignore:colspan">365,390 Starter included *</td> <td> </td> <td> </td> <td class="xl24"> $ 28.00 </td> <td>ship</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.0pt" height="16"> <td style="height:12.0pt" height="16"> </td> <td> </td> <td> </td> <td> </td> <td> </td> <td class="xl24"> </td> <td class="xl24"> </td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.0pt" height="16"> <td style="height:12.0pt" align="right" height="16">2 </td> <td colspan="3" style="mso-ignore:colspan">shift linkage, short arm , part #SAK 1600S</td> <td> </td> <td class="xl24"> </td> <td class="xl24"> $ 44.95 </td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.0pt" height="16"> <td style="height:12.0pt" height="16"> </td> <td> </td> <td> </td> <td> </td> <td> </td> <td class="xl24"> </td> <td class="xl24"> </td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.0pt" height="16"> <td style="height:12.0pt" align="right" height="16">3 </td> <td colspan="2" style="mso-ignore:colspan">Turbo 700R4, labor, supplies</td> <td> </td> <td> </td> <td class="xl24"> </td> <td class="xl24"> $ 1,742.50 </td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.0pt" height="16"> <td style="height:12.0pt" height="16"> </td> <td> </td> <td> </td> <td> </td> <td> </td> <td class="xl24"> </td> <td class="xl24"> </td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.0pt" height="16"> <td style="height:12.0pt" align="right" height="16">4 </td> <td colspan="2" style="mso-ignore:colspan">modify driveshaft</td> <td> </td> <td> </td> <td class="xl24"> </td> <td class="xl24"> $ 440.00 </td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.0pt" height="16"> <td style="height:12.0pt" height="16"> </td> <td> </td> <td> </td> <td> </td> <td> </td> <td class="xl24"> </td> <td class="xl24"> </td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.0pt" height="16"> <td style="height:12.0pt" align="right" height="16">5 </td> <td colspan="3" style="mso-ignore:colspan">new driveshaft center support bearing & bracket</td> <td> </td> <td class="xl24"> </td> <td class="xl24"> $ 116.00 </td> <td> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> Gary
I like the Bendtsen's adapter because you can use the common Chevy flywheel/flex plate...I believe Wilcap's flywheel has Cadillac crank flange bolt pattern.
Hi Gary, I’m in the process of ordering all these parts to convert my ‘60 Cadillac to 700r4. I’m in the UK, the adaptor kit from Speedgems has just arrived at customs, I have ordered most of the additional parts that I think I’m going to need to complete the job but I’m a little stumped on what yoke to get. How did you deal with it? Were you able to find a 700r4 yoke that would fit the Cadillac driveshaft or did you cut the end off and put a different UJ? Any help or advice you could give would be most appreciated. Seeing your article inspired me to go down this route. My Cadillac my daily driver so the plan is it gets driven into the workshop and gets driven out straight after the operation. I’m trying to get everything together that I’m likely to need so that it can be done in one hit. All the best, Saul
Well actually he was on the board at 11:59 today or at least his computer was. He just hasn't posted for a long time. As far as the front yoke you first have to know if you have inside or outside lock rings on your front Universal joint as a 60 Deville seemingly could come either way Using the Rock Auto cheat sheet you can see that you have those options on the front U joint https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog...id+v8,1320499,drivetrain,universal+joint,2392 You shouldn't have a problem crossing numbers in the UK though and should not have to do the pay extra shipping because it has to come from the US thing. You can do the same type of search for the front U joint of the donor vehicle of the transmission if you do have the front yoke that came with it. WWW.rockauto.com and then put in the info. Then armed with part numbers you go to your local auto parts store that you figure you have the best chance of finding what you need. There are also combination joints with one size of cup on one side and a different size on the other side to mate pieces together, they are more expensive but paying the equivalent of 30 to 40 dollars US for one may save ordering a 100 dollar US yoke.
Looking at this for an 85 Chevy Caprice with a 350 it looks like the front U joint may be the same. https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog...id+v8,1036842,drivetrain,universal+joint,2392 That is a real common U joint on full size GM vehicles.
Okay, I guess that makes sense. Says his last 'activity' was Sept. 2017. I thought that meant he was here.
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