[hotrod69nova]

i want to put a 425 cadillac[same size as 472/500 on the outside] in my 1969 nova.i have been told i can use the stock motor mounts.will i have to custom make frame mounts or can i use something else.any info you have on this swap would be great.

 

[fasteddie]

WHY? Chevy motors are cheaper and can make way more power!

 

[hotrod69nova]

i can get a great deal on the whole car.plus the 425 makes great torque and weighs about as much as a sbc.

 

[Vin63]

That would be interesting, especially from a fabrication perspective. Please keep us posted.

I get hassled on a regular basis for putting a 455 (now 462 ci) Pontiac in my '63 C-10. And, yes, I fabricated my block-to-frame mounts from leftover 1.75" tubing.

 

[71SS454]

Why not? Like you said, the Caddy engines make great torque, they had to to get those land yatch's moving. I've seen a 73 Camaro with a 472 in it, and my friend had a 1970 500 in a S-10. That thing was unreal! Forget traction. 1970 was the high compression, big power 500. Had to put a body lift on it though to get clearance for the exhaust/steering. If you're gettign the whole car, there's a decent chance you can use the frame mounts that are in the Caddy, although you may want to look around for a BOP short tail transmission if the Caddy has the longtail in it.

BTW Vin, I always love messing with people when they are looking at a matching numbers GMC pickup, with a Pontiac engine in it. I've only seen a handful of them though, but man you should see people scratch their heads.

 

[74 hatchback]

Great idea, that thing is a torque monster and should be 12 second car right from the get go.

 

[EdwardsSS]

Please keep us posted on this transplant. I know nothing about the 425, but I know the 500 puts out about 500 ft. lbs. of torque at 1800 rpm...that's turbo diesel pickup torque. If you decided to race it I'd would be interested in what you have to do to get the power to the ground.

This website: http://www.cad500parts.com/ has a lot of performance parts for the Cad. motors.

I've been considering a transplant for my '55 Chev if it stays with me. Yep, a lot of torque for an engine what weighs about 550 lbs.

Good luck, Ed

 

[bowtie0069]

I used to drive Steve Magnante's 500" Caddy powered Chevette--never turned over 4700 rpm and ran 11.90's with 2.80 gears. There are a few places that have what you need to do the swap.

 

[Chevy6455]

I had a Caddy 429 motor from the 60's in my 65 Chevy II and it was spinning tires constantly.The thing had incredible torque and it was not very heavy. I wish I had kept the car or at least the motor. If I came across a deal on one I would buy another Caddy motor in a heartbeat. In stock form most if not all of the bigger cubic inch motors make over 400 lb. ft. of torque. You can't beat that for out of the box power on a stock motor.

 

[Vin63]

BTW Vin, I always love messing with people when they are looking at a matching numbers GMC pickup, with a Pontiac engine in it. I've only seen a handful of them though, but man you should see people scratch their heads.

Yep, in the task force era, the V8 GMCs were Pontiacs. I was originally looking for a '63 GMC, but couldn't find anything worth building (they were all so hammered). Here's what I did:

Driver side:

Passenger side:

 

[TizzDizz]

I think it's a great idea, and it makes me wonder about the Pontiac 400/th400 that I've had sitting at my parents' place for about 8 years.