Whats the best way to figure out if the engine I have was used in a marine application? I have a hunch it was.
On the back of the block there are 5 plugs ( 3 look to be 1/2" and 2 look to be 5/16" or so in the block that I have not seen on other engine pics on the web. Also, I see no serial number on the block which was the vehicle vin number?????. And last, the Heads say Cadillac Motor on each head. Marine application still needs a water pump and gen.
I've seen them used in tanks and have a angled intake so the carbs sit level when the engine is clocked. My guess would be that it came from a car.
The motor was in a car before I got it. I was told a 46 Caddy convertable. I also found the drivers side head is missing the heater hose port. No threads there. As far as the fan goes, no, boats dont have fans. But but the pully is there without the fan in a boat. There has to be a way to identify this block. It has no numbers on the block anywhere as well as the heads. I have 2 other sets of heads with ID numbers on them. I will post pictures of the back side later tonight where the 5 plugs are. Thanks for the input so far guys.
Above pic is the head with the missing port for the heater hose. See the raised circle to the right of the head. Also notice the name on the head. Above. Any idea what thethreaded fitting at the base of the dist is for? Tach? Did they have Tach's back in the day in these kinda cars? Notice the 5 plugs? Other pics of blocks I have seen do not have these plugs.
If the engine has Cadillac written on the heads it usually means a non car use. Especially if you can not find numbers in the location as indicated by Bullington, or the numbers do not match car manufacture lists which is highly likely. In some cases the heads were installed in the reverse position to the cars as the water outlets ran to the rear, this can be checked I believe by removing the top radiator curved pipes and seeing which head has the big hole and which has the small outlet hole in it. I believe from memory the small hole should be on the water pump side. If not then the heads will have been reversed for use in another application. I doubt by the condition of your engine that it has been a marine powerplant but I am only guessing. Tank is the 1st thing that comes to mind or maybe a spare that was never actually installed into a tank and used for after war purposes. If I could find a head reference I have here at home some where I could also tell you what year they maybe.
Agreed. Quite common here for military blocks to find their way into cars. Car engines didn't have Cadillac across the heads. I've got what I believe to be a marine distributor and it's nothing like the stock unit you've got there.
I got the same engine as you have GoManGo1951 with exactly the same distriburtor and 6 bolts at the rear. I also suspect the drive off the distributor is for a tach, probably used to synchronize the twin engines in the tanks similar to what pilots do with twin engine aeroplanes. The only other difference is mine has car heads, probably swapped out a long time ago. I still can not find that head guide that I have which tells what year the heads was made. If I fined it I will drop you a PM or something. What are your plans for this engine or is it going to be for sale. By the way my engine has different exhaust manifolds that dont run a cross over and exit at the front similar to where your crossover is but in front of the carby and does not have a cross over, must have been on a tank with a twin exhaust system, which were never on cars. I have attached a picture of a similar tank head, which seems in later years they included the firing order and numbered the cylinders, from that numbering you can tell the heads sat in the reverse position so the water outlets were at the rear.
My take is its a Military app motor that found its way in a car post WWII. There were TONs of those engines in crates that were meant for many different mititary applications. Surplus. I dont see anything that says marine anything, and my knowledge is that no one was putting these in anything amphibious back them. They just weighed too damn much. The fitting on the dizzy is for a tach. Sorry nothing definative, but does it matter? They were all the same inside, unless it was a Lasalle and its only a 322ci.
I agree, not much more that can be said at this point. I hope you have a better understanding of cadillac flatheads now. I still would like to know what you plan installing it in???? I found an old article on Errol Flynn the actor who owned a plank wood ski boat and it had a cadillac flathead engine fitted, the article was written by the guy who was restoring it in Sydney, Australia from memory.
They put them in boats. I will dig up some pics. Also here is a tag off a 346 that gives you an idea of who used it. My cousin is selling me this motor.
Man that is the wierdest Cadillac engine I have ever seen. Very interesting exhaust manifold set up. Is the oil pan a very deep one? I'd be interested to read more from you when or if you dis-assemble it to know what it had inside. More pic's would be nice, thanks, Russ.
Russ, The 346 was modified to replace a supercharged cord engine back in??? I bought this from a friend that restores Cords and Auburns. This engine runs and was removed from a Cord 810. The engine is "as is" when it was removed.
Thanks! this answers a lot of question about my engine. Mine came out of a 41-42 Caddy as the date of the hydra-matic confirms, but the engine has the same heads in the pic that "fiftyV8" posted with the firing order and cylinder numbers on them. They are mounted on the opposite sides so the water outlet tubes are on the front.
Great that you got some worthwhile info here. Please keep posting any other stuff or info on your build. It all helps for others following...
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