okay, so i had a 72 chevelle before and screwed it up and was too young and too poor to fix it. so i sold it. i miss the hell out of it. im trying to start a project to make myself feel better.

i recently found out my wifes grandfather has two engines he would let me use to build a car with. i would be building from scratch and i havent even chosen yet what im going to do. also, if i should just move this to the engine forum, please let me know. this is more of a general opinion question so i didnt know if i should start here or not. anyway, here's what i got:

1) a late 80s 350 seemingly out of a suburban. its in okay shape, doesnt need much work enginewise. comes with a 3spd transmission(going to assume its a th350?). didnt get to look at it since its locked up in storage, but im going to assume by the late 80s they were using fuel injection rather than a carb? or would i be assuming wrong? what type of other performance modifications can i make? changing it to a 383 would be one i presume, and that shouldnt require any frame modifications would it?

2) a 67(68MY) cadillac 472ci v8 out of an eldorado(e-body). massive engine, would love to be able to use and tweak into a performance engine, but im not sure i can. eldorados are beasts and only the toronado looks close to sporty on the platform and they're FWD anyways. anyone know if this can be dropped in a chevelle(a-body?) without frame work? being my first project car from little knowledge, with it designed for front wheel drive wouldnt there be issues hooking up the transmission/drivetrain even if it was usable?

once i pick the engine i can start to put together a parts list and costing out what i definitely will need to purchase before i even purchase a vehicle to drop it in(and whatever work that needs).

i appreciate any help. this will be my first project car and i really want to build a chevelle that i can be proud of. ive got storage, all the tools ill need, time, and someone with veteran knowhow for stuff i cant tackle.

thanks

The Caddy 472/500 engines can be built as easily as any off-brand these days. There is a pretty good selection of parts for these engines now, although only from a few suppliers. If I remember correctly, you have a decent selection of oil pans, but there are issues that a Cadillac specialist will tell you about.
The 472/500 engine is well-worth building, and capable of serious mid-range power. Gear it correctly and it will flatten your eyeballs.

If your engine is a '67, it is a 429, a completely different engine that does not enjoy the aftermarket support the '68 and later 472/500 engines do.
If it is a sixty-seven, it's better suited to some kind of nostalgia build, since that engine architecture goes back to 1949 (although upgraded along the way). Build a clone of the pre-mouse motor street cleaner- the Fordillac. Those were Henry stompers in their day.

The late 80s mouse will be much cheaper to build. Likely has TBI, which unless you don't want much performance you should toss. In that case, having injection is not an advantage. You could find and substitute an entire TPI with the harness and computer, but they are getting a little hard to find in good condition these days, as the mid-80s was now a long time ago.
You could do a lot with the mouse motor for what it would cost to build a medium-performance Cadillac engine. The 383 version must use cyl heads of correct combustion chamber design- many 383s don't run much better than the 350 they came from, and the reason is that they are built like 350s... that sounds over-simplified, but it is very true, and the 383 has its own peculiarities when it comes to rod length, piston dome design, and combustion chamber/compression issues.
If you build a cheap 383, you might as well just stick with a 350 build, save the extra dough, and build a better 350.

If you really do a 383 the right way, now you're getting closer to Cadillac money.

So what to do?

IMO, build the Cadillac if you can afford it, bearing in mind that for a medium performance build you can get away with the stock iron head castings, but for modern power you need more....

There are aluminum heads with modern design features available for the big Caddy motors now. With these heads, the total weight of a Cad motor should be a little less than the weight of that late 80s Mouse you're considering. The Cad motor is not all that heavy, like you might be tempted to think.
There are cams, decent dual-plane intakes, etc now available as 2nd generation designs with improvements over the original generation of hot rod Cad engine parts.

Headers- you can basically use BB Chevy headers, with a little massaging of the tubes and a pair of flanges for the Cadillac head. As time goes by, other headers for specific applications become available.

A lot of people use this engine in GM A-body platforms, so it can't be impossible or majorly PITA to install one in the '72 Chevelle you were mentioning.

I have seen a built Caddy run at the strip in a Studebaker Lark (!), and it was honkin' in the 11s, and drove home afterwards.
Saw another, a 472" motor, installed in a ' 71 El Camino, ran low 12s on a smooth idle and Quadrajet, got decent mileage, and was durable as an anvil.

Still think you should build the Caddy?
Well, maybe cost would be the bottom line, for that the Mouse Motor is the all-time champion engine for cost to build (as well as being the most successful engine design of all-time).
But for cool factor, and for extreme mid-range power on the open road and at the track, the Caddy is definitely in there.

Hope this confuses you, so that you have more fun dreaming up your project !

http://cad500parts.com

Eric

interesting, and i appreciate the detailed information.

im not looking to blow everyone away at the race track, i just miss having the power to gun it from 0-80 on the southern california freeway onramps and not worry about every other car already doing 80 while merging. my little saturn can be a bit scary accellerating into traffic compared to what i was used to.

anyways, according to my wifes grandfather the cadillac is a 472. im going to assume its from the 1968 model year. before i decide for sure ill have to pull the numbers and take some pictures and find someone to verify for sure. based on the performance i need i probably wouldnt need aluminum heads, but then again, the would the extra weight require a frame from a big block a-body? its been a long time, i seem to remember it wasnt advisable to just drop in a big block on a vehicle originally outfitted with a small block?

now, my old chevelle had a similar engine(to the 350 i have available) and i was happy with it. got damn near 15mpg on the 350 with a lean qjet, but it was high torque and seemingly low hp(meaning it didnt have a performance cam in it? im a newb and i was a teenager at the time, so im just going on what ive absorbed over time. never could match the numbers off it, but signs pointed to a late 80s truck/suv engine from gm mexico based on the matte black paint on the original block[which indicated gm mexico]) and didnt have much on the highend(which is probably also telling of the limitations of the 3spd with whatever gear ratio it was paired with, which was suited for city driving and not highway driving).

i definitely want more than what i had, because i make semi-frequent trips from so cal to nor cal and to colorado. having some mid range and top end power available on the highway would make me a lot more comfortable taking it on long rides compared to my old vehicle, which was my daily driver and primarily used in city driving. maybe that could be rectified with a 4spd instead of the 3spd, but having a th350 already available makes that a pricey investment i dont need to make

now, when you say cost for the caddy will be expensive.. in terms of $ or just multiples of value over retrofitting/outfitting the 350(which can be bought new in crate for what fully decked out for what, 1500-5000 depending on what i want?) what are we talking? i understand its a different speciality, so i know you may not know a ballpark on that.

maybe it would be better to find a buyer for the caddy engine and use it to finance the 350 if they're in demand and parts are easily accessible like you say. i need to search out a caddy forum to try and get some info on pricing and demand.

thanks for your input