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    1. #1
      Join Date
      Feb 2006
      Location
      Columbia Co. NY
      Posts
      282

      Caddy powered pick-em-up. 57 Chevy truck

      Time for something a little different....

      My brother started a Caddy 500 motor build about 17 years ago and abandoned the project after changing directions. I love building engines, so last year I got the bug to finish it and see where it led. After a winter of wrenching I picked up where he left off and compiled the rest of the parts needed to get it all fitted and screw the engine together.









      Gawking at a freshly built Caddy I just had to find something appropriate to bolt it into. And I need a pickup... So be it may, I found a super clean 57 chevy 3200 on Ebay sitting in the desert out west for a good price. Its a long bed, which I actually prefer over the short beds for the 55-57 trucks. The proportions are gorgeous I think.






      Fast forward a year....
      After sitting a various storage locations and in the midst of moving to a new home, I finally have a garage to work on it and made its way into its rightful spot just today!!






      The basic plan will be all-purpose fun truck that is a riot to drive and actually retain some utility. I have a full complement of suspension and chassis parts on the way from No Limit Engineering, including the WideRide front end and Fat bar rear. I plan to keep this thread updated along with my progress! I figure it will help keep the motivation levels high and I would love to hear any suggestions!
      Attached Images Attached Images  


    2. #2
      Join Date
      Feb 2006
      Location
      Columbia Co. NY
      Posts
      282
      The engine sat dormant for about 8 months after I finished the assembly. About 2 weeks ago I finally had the time to get it bolted to the dyno and break it in, and see how it runs.




      With over 500 foot pounds a basically a fast idle, I think it won't have trouble pulling a camper around.




      Here is a little Youtube footage of the engine running:

      https://youtu.be/3W0ziJYJ5-8


      https://youtu.be/r545SL1tRUA

    3. #3
      Join Date
      Aug 2011
      Location
      Sevierville, TN
      Posts
      524
      Country Flag: United States
      "Stump Puller"
      Matt Kenner

      68 C10 stepside

      If you can leave two black stripes from the exit of one corner to the braking zone of the next, you have enough horsepower. - Mark Donohue

    4. #4
      Join Date
      Oct 2007
      Location
      Georgetown/Austin, TX
      Posts
      307
      Country Flag: United States
      Man, 615 Lb./Ft. at 3,900 RPM!

      What's the specifics on the engine build?

      Very cool truck too!

    5. #5
      Join Date
      Feb 2006
      Location
      Columbia Co. NY
      Posts
      282
      Quote Originally Posted by CliffsBlueCamaro View Post
      Man, 615 Lb./Ft. at 3,900 RPM!

      What's the specifics on the engine build?

      Very cool truck too!

      Factory block and cast crank .030 over to make 507 CID.
      Big block Chevy forged rods resized to replace the factory cast rods
      Custom cast pistons for 10:1 compression
      472 heads that have some magic done to them
      CAD company SS300T hydraulic flat tappet cam and lifters
      Edelbrock Performer intake
      CAD company shaft rockers 1.72 ratio
      CAD company aluminum deep sump oil pan
      Cheap-o-chinese-Ebay stainless block hugger headers
      It was dyno'd with a 750 Demon carb but I plan to go EFI if the budget allows. Holley Sniper looks sweet.

    6. #6
      Join Date
      Nov 2006
      Location
      Ma.
      Posts
      5,567
      Country Flag: United States
      fun ride for sure! I love the truck.
      Wayne
      Car FINALLY home !!!!!! lol
      Project FNQUIK https://www.pro-touring.com/showthre...ghlight=FNQUIK

    7. #7
      Join Date
      Feb 2006
      Location
      Columbia Co. NY
      Posts
      282
      Spent the afternoon pulling all the front end sheetmetal. Taking some measurements it looks like the Caddy will fit in there without TOO much struggle... I'm hoping I will get away without having to massage the firewall.



    8. #8
      Join Date
      Feb 2006
      Location
      Columbia Co. NY
      Posts
      282
      Out with the old!!!




      In with the new!!! Or a test fit anyway...







      Looks like it should drop in without too much hassle. I will need to relocate the radiator in front of the core support for sure. Everything else should work!

    9. #9
      Join Date
      Feb 2006
      Location
      Columbia Co. NY
      Posts
      282
      Now the real work can begin....


    10. #10
      Join Date
      Aug 2004
      Location
      Los Angeles
      Posts
      592
      Country Flag: United States
      Nice! Im putting the same engine in a Toyota Pickup, Just in the bed.

      If you go with EFI you will want to go to a single plane intake, the dual plane will give you fits on the tuning.
      The rule is measure twice and cut once. My problem is I still measure with a mic and cut with an axe!

    11. #11
      Join Date
      Feb 2006
      Location
      Columbia Co. NY
      Posts
      282
      Quote Originally Posted by Protour_Pinto View Post
      Nice! Im putting the same engine in a Toyota Pickup, Just in the bed.

      If you go with EFI you will want to go to a single plane intake, the dual plane will give you fits on the tuning.
      Wow! Are you documenting your build?

      I've heard mixed thoughts on the dual plane thing. Some guys claim theirs works fine with a dual plane. The divider doesn't go all the way up to the top of the intake, and I plan to run a tapered spacer. I wonder if that will be enough to make it work ok...

    12. #12
      Join Date
      Mar 2010
      Posts
      469
      This is a fun build. I've built a few Caddy engines. Well, more accurately, the same Caddy engine 3 times... it's now a 547.

      One small piece of advice, when time and funds allow, put in an MSD set-up and box, it made a world of difference on our engine. We run a retard box, so the engine can start easier, but difference in idle, starting and overall power when you hit the loud pedal made it worth every penny. And we're runnning a 700 cfm Qjet to keep in simple, I'd like to efi it someday.

      A few build photos, because we all love photos...

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      And prior to our MSD conversion.
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      Good luck with the build, looking forward to the epic burnouts. Our is a handful, torque everywhere.
      Last edited by bovey; 12-01-2017 at 05:43 AM. Reason: ugly sentence structure needed attention.

    13. #13
      Join Date
      Feb 2011
      Posts
      284
      With that engine weight and absurd torque curve, maybe should move the engine back? Truck is already light out back, and moving the rad forward with the added Caddy weight -- she'll NEVER hook up! Our 63 C10 has a 454 in it and there's plenty of room out front. Be careful with your accessory/drive choices, maybe squeeze electric fans in if needed. Otherwise you'll always need a load of bales on to keep from spinning through town...

      Engine looks great! Love the valve covers. Is that the factory engine color?
      70 GTO - Alum 5.3/4L80e, 7875
      17 GT350

    14. #14
      Join Date
      Feb 2006
      Location
      Columbia Co. NY
      Posts
      282
      Quote Originally Posted by bovey View Post
      This is a fun build. I've built a few Caddy engines. Well, more accurately, the same Caddy engine 3 times... it's now a 547.

      One small piece of advice, when time and funds allow, put in an MSD set-up and box, it made a world of difference on our engine. We run a retard box, so the engine can start easier, but difference in idle, starting and overall power when you hit the loud pedal made it worth every penny. And we're runnning a 700 cfm Qjet to keep in simple, I'd like to efi it someday.


      Good luck with the build, looking forward to the epic burnouts. Our is a handful, torque everywhere.

      Awesome!! I will look into the MSD setup down the road if I have issues with my HEI. It seemed to work fine on the dyno, but it was definitely giving the starter a workout getting it spun over. I rebuilt the original HEI with a Pertronix flamethrower kit.

      What kind of vehicle do you have the Caddy in?

    15. #15
      Join Date
      Feb 2006
      Location
      Columbia Co. NY
      Posts
      282
      Quote Originally Posted by Interceptor5588 View Post
      With that engine weight and absurd torque curve, maybe should move the engine back? Truck is already light out back, and moving the rad forward with the added Caddy weight -- she'll NEVER hook up! Our 63 C10 has a 454 in it and there's plenty of room out front. Be careful with your accessory/drive choices, maybe squeeze electric fans in if needed. Otherwise you'll always need a load of bales on to keep from spinning through town...

      Engine looks great! Love the valve covers. Is that the factory engine color?

      The Caddy is huge, but one of the great things about them is they are only 40 pounds heavier than a small block Chevy after you install an aluminum intake. Its a fantastic engine design.
      The nose weight of my truck will actually end up LESS than factory because the IFS front end should drop quite a bit off the nose. Those leaf springs, cast iron steering box and solid front axle weighs a ton and will all be in a pile in the garage when I'm done.
      That being said, I think you're still correct about needing hay bales in bed for traction.

      Thanks for the encouragement. That blue was the closest I could find to the original Caddy color. Its just a dark blue engine paint.

    16. #16
      Join Date
      Aug 2004
      Location
      Los Angeles
      Posts
      592
      Country Flag: United States
      Quote Originally Posted by rlovell383 View Post
      Wow! Are you documenting your build?

      ..
      I have a small thread here https://www.pro-touring.com/threads/...et-Truck-build

      Most of the pictures are posted here https://postimg.org/gallery/le52qlvw/
      The rule is measure twice and cut once. My problem is I still measure with a mic and cut with an axe!

    17. #17
      Join Date
      Mar 2010
      Posts
      469
      Quote Originally Posted by rlovell383 View Post
      It seemed to work fine on the dyno, but it was definitely giving the starter a workout getting it spun over. I rebuilt the original HEI with a Pertronix flamethrower kit. What kind of vehicle do you have the Caddy in?
      Most likely the starter you have is as tough as they come from GM. I do know the starter on the '77-'79 425 is strong unit. Ours hated to start as well ('79 starter), so we put a retard box on it which takes 20 degrees of timing out, just to start the engine. Works perfect.

      As for the car, it's a '79 CDV and it's fun.
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    18. #18
      Join Date
      Feb 2006
      Location
      Columbia Co. NY
      Posts
      282
      Quote Originally Posted by bovey View Post
      Most likely the starter you have is as tough as they come from GM. I do know the starter on the '77-'79 425 is strong unit. Ours hated to start as well ('79 starter), so we put a retard box on it which takes 20 degrees of timing out, just to start the engine. Works perfect.

      As for the car, it's a '79 CDV and it's fun.
      I don't have a starter on the motor yet. The dyno I used has its own built in unit. I plan to get a high torque unit from MTS and go from there.

      Sweet machine!

    19. #19
      Join Date
      Feb 2006
      Location
      Columbia Co. NY
      Posts
      282
      Spent the day getting in touch with my dirty side. Got the frame all sandblasted...


    20. #20
      Join Date
      Feb 2006
      Location
      Columbia Co. NY
      Posts
      282
      Figuring out where all the parts go this morning...


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