Assume '77 Cadillac...

What engine would you put in something like this?

http://stlouis.craigslist.org/cto/2951138012.html

Seriously.

I smell diesel. I'd say Powerstroke, but GM car says Duramax.

I'd just put another bigass Caddy V8 in it, but I have a thing for bigass V8s.

i'm partial to the 77-79 cars.

honestly, i swapped from the stock 2.29 rear gear to an impala SS 3.08 limited slip rear end and it woke right the hell up. the 425 is pretty nice and i used to knock down 22mpg highway.

otherwise, early 472 or 500 with 500+ ft lbs off idle, drop it right in.

In 1977 they had a newly downsized 425, I'd backdate it to the 472 or 500.

I like the direction this one ended up going.

Did you guys know you could buy that car with the cam in block 4.1L Cad motor? Anybody want to have a slowest car competition, I know what I'm bringing.

To the original question, correct would be a 500ci Cad, but it would be pretty easy to install whichever bigblock you find first- 455 Olds, Buick or Poncho were all available in that basic body configuration, and a Chev rat bolts into the same hole as a small block...Why not a Merlin 632? World products provide a 2 year 24,000 mile warranty.

For the price a generic Chevy 350 would be hard to beat.

stroker wrote: What would you put in something like this?

With that much engine bay, what wouldn't fit would be a shorter list.

If it was mine and I didn't care about gas prices, probably a 454.

I think a Duramax would work beautifully here, if you can find a car-style oil pan. It's about the size of a big-block.

Otherwise, the old Cadillac 472/500/425 is a very good engine. They tend to last 200kmi plus, tolerate much abuse, and provide lots of smooth power. If it were my project, I'd retrofit it with a good multipoint setup, a free-flowing exhaust, and the most advanced engine management I was comfortable with tuning.

425 cubic inches is a LOT in the downsized car. I think they were sub-4000 lbs. With modern engine management, I'd think you could get 350-370 at the crank (300-320 at the wheels) without a cam change.

If that's not enough that engine would take to turbocharging like a duck to water. Two little ones, right on the log manifolds, and you'd have room for a gigantic intercooler.

Um, the engine it was designed for?

Seriously, I'd bet it would bolt right in and everything would hook up without any trouble.

Sometimes I wonder why folks make things harder for themselves.

BO-ring!

How about an F20C out of the S2000?

I mean, V8 is totally expected. But the brash 4-cylinder wail heading to a 10k redline, in that thing?

You'd have the automotive equivalent of

peter wrote: How about an F20C out of the S2000? I mean, V8 is totally expected. But the brash 4-cylinder wail heading to a 10k redline, in that thing? You'd have the automotive equivalent of

While I'm as pro-Honda as they come, you'd need one helluva supercharger to even get the car to move. An engine with the torque of a weedwhacker won't do much in a massive Caddy.

Now to REALLY be perverse, go 1UZFE from a Lexus.

A hood that long needs giant straight six with a stupid big turbo. How bout a Ford 300 with a T88? Or better yet, Cummins. Or, for maximum heresey, 1jz.

peter wrote: How about an F20C out of the S2000?

A custom 6-rotor? :)

--Ian

Fine. Phaeton W12. The Caddy is much lighter, so it should move out well, if you can get the awd drivetrain under there.

i'd sell it to my cousin for a demo car- he'd give me probably $1500 for the privilege of gutting it and smashing it up in a public arena- and use the money to buy one of the smaller B bodies, like maybe a 77-79 2 door Caprice or Impala with the fastback rear window..

For less than the price of a swap, could you cam, port and modify the existing engine?

Dan

^ this.

The O.P. did say "seriously".

I'd leave it the hell alone and cruise in it, just like I do the one I own... and mine just has a 305 in it.

Turbo in place of the muffler. Try to keep everything stock looking under the hood.

Love it!

I had a 68 Sedan Deville (stacked headlights) in college with a 10.5:1 CR 472 . Added a Holley 750 vac sec 4 barrel via an adapter and replaced the dizzy with an HEI with advance kit (lighter springs). Easily 400 crank hp. Then added NASCAR spec Koni shocks in the front (at least quadruple the compression stiffness) and "coil-over" rear helper shocks in the rear. The car was actually fun to drive. Got 22 mpg on the highway.

Okay, the reason I'm asking is that my Dad had a '77 Coupe and if you got your boot into it, the thing would actually run. My question is that it's now 35 years later and it seems to me like you should be able to drop a pretty stock EFI mill into the thing and get decent mpg with comparable hp. I'm not looking for mega-hp and mega-$, just a driver that has the benefits of current technology. Does that help?