1949 Cadillac Series 61 Build

[Qua-Hoon!]

Just throwing this out there... you could graft a 2nd Gen Camaro/Firebird front subframe on the car and bolt on some tubular upper/lower control arms and add a sway back and a quick ratio steering box and be light years ahead of what the 49 came with originally. There's probably a bolt on kit somewhere something similar, and not have to graft on a different subframe, idk?

The biggest question you have to ask and answer for yourself is "what are you REALLY going to do with the car?" Auto-cross? Cruiser?

I thought about doing something like this. But honestly if I am that far into making things work, I may as well just build it to spec. Currently have the engine pulled and am going to do the suspension measurements on what I have vs what I hope it to be. That should start with determining what I need. Maybe I can use off the shelf stuff, or maybe that would be bad. Either way, C6 stuff is cheap.. and you can nearly bolt it up. My current main concern is track width if stock C6 components and rack and pinion things and how that integrates with the uprights.

I'm also trying to determine.. do I go T56 magnum again? My T56 Magnum I have was in a fire and likely needs a light rebuild.. it was new. But it also has a twin disk clutch and was very nice..

or...

8HP70 or 8HP90..

I've been following the Schwartz Cadillac (he just got it back not to long ago) and other builds for years. I was in New Mexico for a bit and drove past the "Cad Company" so many times without realizing what it was.. lol.. they sold me forged parts for my Cadillac 365 build.

This 1949 Club Coupe is NOT going to be a cruiser. Yes I will likely drive it to work once or twice a week and it will likely look kinda period in how it looks on the exterior and some of the interior. I'd also hope to take it on the Hot Rod power tour. If it gets an LS, then maybe an LS fest. But I have a 1957 Cadillac Coupe de Ville that I frame off rebuilt (forged 365 Cadillac, 4l80e, 4wheel disk brakes, stainless valves in ported heads.. waiting for interior and turbos)... and I call that the "Super highway Cruiser".. I don't need another one. The 57 was designed to seat 8 comfortably... granted 1957 sized people comfortably. This is hoping to be something closer to this - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUPfkwO9yhk This car inspired the idea for this over 10 years ago. Finding the 48/49 was the hardest part.

I also found out out that the SCS "straight through" transfer case is straight cut gears and always a 50/50 split. If I do AWD, I hope for a 20F / 70R split. Or around that.. more research. Could get around 50/50 a bit with gears and tire sizes.. but more than likely I'll be looking on how to adapt a production AWD transfer case to a T56 or 8HP70.

- Alex

[Qua-Hoon!]

Pics from the engine removal and tear down.. look at that sludge. Yikes! Waiting till after I pull the crank for a better decision on the engine. The engine and transmission are stuck together because it wont rotate.. so I need to tear it all apart to separate the engine and transmission if just for better use of storage space. .. I'm also waiting to decide on the 331 to see if I can dry sump a 331 Cadillac. How to route the pressure / supply line is my main problem.. How do people do it if there is no oiling system like a SBC where you can provide supply from the spin on oil filter location?

- Alex

[wfo guy]

Nothing a few days in the vat won't fix.