500 cadillac into tj

BullHead

New member
a friend of mine found me a 500 high compression cadillac motor, would like to upgrade my 2002 tj turbocharged 4.0 up to a 500 cadillac, i know people have done this, wondering if anyone can help me out here,

so far heres what i understand

a 500 cad bolts to a chev bell housing, not sure if its a sb or bb bell housing, so i'd go with a sm465 4 speed backed with a ford 205 t-case,

what i'm wondering is clearence issues, motor mounts, headers, ect, dont need to worry about diffs, i have dana 44 high pinion with a ford 9inch in the back,

if anyone can help me out, i would appriate it a lot, thank you very much
 

i am wrong on bellhousing, need a bop pattern

anyone know about motor mounts, rad, headers, clearance, ect
 
Well it's going to be a lot of work. You are correct on the BOP big block bellhousing. You will need to be creative with adapters since no BOP trans was 4wd. The front springs will need some help or buy a lift and figure on it settling several inches. You can only fit so big of a radiator so going to a 4 core might work depending on the horse power of the engine and run a shroud and a stock fan, not a flexi fan. The motor mounts will need to be custom. Good luck squeezing a NP205 between the frame rails. That is a large t-case and the frame rails are not very wide. Headers for this application will need to be custom made. The CPU will need to be integrated so the dash works.
 
advanced adapters makes a bellhousing for a ford np435, you didnt look already, i have a 7 inch lift already, already packing alot on there, winch full bumper, turbo, roof rack, its not that much heaver then a chev 350, my straight 6 with the turbo still is pretty close to it, of course i have to go custom rad, i know that, its common sense, you telling me that doesnt really help, a 205 isnt that big, you;d be amazed what some welding can do, and mounts, custom yea i know that, what i want to know is anything i can just buy, ya i know all about the computer of the jeep, what your telling me i already know, start by telling me something i dont already know
 

Bullhead, you asked a pretty wide open question, nobody has a way to tell what you already know.
 
Same same. Be more specific on your question and don't bite the head off the one's offering you suggestions and advise.
 
advanced adapters makes a bellhousing for a ford np435, you didnt look already, i have a 7 inch lift already, already packing alot on there, winch full bumper, turbo, roof rack, its not that much heaver then a chev 350, my straight 6 with the turbo still is pretty close to it, of course i have to go custom rad, i know that, its common sense, you telling me that doesnt really help, a 205 isnt that big, you;d be amazed what some welding can do, and mounts, custom yea i know that, what i want to know is anything i can just buy, ya i know all about the computer of the jeep, what your telling me i already know, start by telling me something i dont already know

1. This is YOUR project YOU do the research on whose adapters will work.
2. "Not much heavier than a 350",,,,again you need to do some research.
3. "My straight 6 is pretty close to it" again you need to research.
Sense a common theme here yet bullhead?
Considering you didn't even know a stock production 500cid engine would be a big block and that Chevy has a different bolt pattern than the other GM divisions, seriously why would you ever think I would assume you have any mechanical knowledge at all.
4. "Start by telling me something i don't already know" No thanks, you know it all already according to you.
 

I think this is a case of C.A.I.(Cranial anus inversion).:lol:
 

ya, am very bullheaded, i know that

well, i posted it as i was looking for info, i've found that the 500 cad is 280lbs heaver then the straight 6, but i have a turbo on mine, so minus 60-80lbs, so thats 200-220 lbs heaver, just like someone sitting on the hood, which isnt that much of a difference

i found a bellhousing already, not bad only 400 for it

and the 500 cad is only 40 lbs over the 350, thats why people like the motors, for the power they make is good for the weight, in the past ive seen a couple 472s in cjs, but that was years ago

there might be some companys out there that make some stuff for it, we'll see
 
ya, am very bullheaded, i know that

well, i posted it as i was looking for info, i've found that the 500 cad is 280lbs heaver then the straight 6, but i have a turbo on mine, so minus 60-80lbs, so thats 200-220 lbs heaver, just like someone sitting on the hood, which isnt that much of a difference

i found a bellhousing already, not bad only 400 for it

and the 500 cad is only 40 lbs over the 350, thats why people like the motors, for the power they make is good for the weight, in the past ive seen a couple 472s in cjs, but that was years ago

there might be some companys out there that make some stuff for it, we'll see

Not commenting on any of this, just saving a quote.
 

It's an interesting project and I say do it, just to see if you can, but....
Would I do that if I already had a turbo 4.0? Heck no. Here's why:
1. your D44 and Ford 9 probably have all they can stand with your turbo 4.0
2. I believe BOP/Caddy engines are wider than a chevy (wider degree of "V") . A chevy big block is a tight fit, so with a wider engine I would say you can at a minimum kiss your inner fenders goodbye. It might fit between the frame rails.
3. Horsepower to weight is key in rock crawling. Not only that, but it helps for the weight to be balanced front to rear(60/40 anyway). Now you have a moderate hp set up that sits long and low. You would swap that for a heavier setup that sits high (to clear the frame rails) and toward the front. THen you remove your aluminum trans and transfer and add even more weight with a 435 and 205.
4. I assume the 500 caddy is carb'd, so you would have to upgrade to FI. Might be limited support in that area.
I would say the Cons outweight the two Pro's which is HP and you can put a Caddy emblem on the hood.
 
ya, i dont really like the turbo in it, i want more tourque down low, i dont care for rock crawling, thats too slow for me, trails and mud, ya would be something, the 500 cad is widdddde on the top, i think just the base of the intake manifold is 15inches wide, looks like a body lift would have to go in to clear the master cylinder, ya, i have a truck avenger carb for it, good for 40 degrees one way and 30 the other, i just dont like the response with FI, i miss the carbs, the 500 cad makes more ft/lbs at 1800 then my turbo does at 3100, i want the bottom end of a big motor, worst, i dont like it and have to put the turboed 4.0 back in, it would give me something to do for the summer, maybe i might like it, maybe i wont, all i can say, is i wish i went with a supercharger over the turbo, lol, i was going to get the stroker kit and aftermarket computer for the 4.0, is about 3500 for it, where i can do a 500 cad at that and get 500hp+ and 600ft/lbs+ for the same price
 

ya, i dont really like the turbo in it, i want more tourque down low, i dont care for rock crawling, thats too slow for me, trails and mud, ya would be something, the 500 cad is widdddde on the top, i think just the base of the intake manifold is 15inches wide, looks like a body lift would have to go in to clear the master cylinder, ya, i have a truck avenger carb for it, good for 40 degrees one way and 30 the other, i just dont like the response with FI, i miss the carbs, the 500 cad makes more ft/lbs at 1800 then my turbo does at 3100, i want the bottom end of a big motor, worst, i dont like it and have to put the turboed 4.0 back in, it would give me something to do for the summer, maybe i might like it, maybe i wont, all i can say, is i wish i went with a supercharger over the turbo, lol, i was going to get the stroker kit and aftermarket computer for the 4.0, is about 3500 for it, where i can do a 500 cad at that and get 500hp+ and 600ft/lbs+ for the same price
Should be about as useless as one of those small block barstools. Neat but useless!!!!!
 
IF you are willing to drop $3500 on it, then why not go with a Gen III Vortec or LS1. Any one of those will fit, have huge aftermarket support, are fuel injected and actually still get decent mpg. Try a 6.0 litre for torque. If that doesn't have enough torque and throttle response then you need to have your head examined.
BTW...you are the only person I have ever heard say that you prefer the throttle response of a carb vs. FI. This statement leads me to think something is wrong with the tuning on your current setup.
 
every FI vehicle out there has slow response, nothing like what a carb can do, no LS1 would ever go in my jeep, i think it would be an interesting project, so far noone on here as seen a tj with one, thats what i'd like to know, i dont care for mileage, comes with theres no replacement for displacement, the 500 would be interesting, noone seems to understand, its okay, we'll see if someone has done one
 

every FI vehicle out there has slow response, nothing like what a carb can do, no LS1 would ever go in my jeep, i think it would be an interesting project, so far noone on here as seen a tj with one, thats what i'd like to know, i dont care for mileage, comes with theres no replacement for displacement, the 500 would be interesting, noone seems to understand, its okay, we'll see if someone has done one

I have seen a YJ with an LS1 stuffed in; I also saw on e-bay a TJ with a Viper engine in there. That would give you more torque as well... Sounds to me like you woud need to reinvent the wheel to get the Cadi engine in there, and the end results will not be all that great except for the torque (center of gravity, weight, etc will all be degraded). Just my 2 cents...
 
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