Hopping up the 500 Cadillac

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#The long stroke Cadillac whether 4.300 stock or 4.600 stroker need plenty of cam. Several cams have been tried.For any type of performance use a minimum of 234-244 @.050 tappet rise with as much lift as you can get works well. This cam will peak at 5100 rpm but still have good torque at 3000 rpm. With really good heads, add 10 degrees or 244-254 duration. Stock heads & stock valves only need about 220-230 duration. Anything bigger will not flow any more air because of head flow limits.
 
#The long stroke Cadillac whether 4.300 stock or 4.600 stroker need plenty of cam. Several cams have been tried.For any type of performance use a minimum of 234-244 @.050 tappet rise with as much lift as you can get works well. This cam will peak at 5100 rpm but still have good torque at 3000 rpm. With really good heads, add 10 degrees or 244-254 duration. Stock heads & stock valves only need about 220-230 duration. Anything bigger will not flow any more air because of head flow limits.
 
#Engine SIZE DOES NOT AFFECT HORSEPOWER. Engine size DOES affect TORQUE. SHOCKING as this sounds, A 350 cubic inch engine with good flowing heads will out horsepower a 550 cubic inch engine with poor flowing heads. The 550 will out torque the 350 at low to mid RPM. TORQUE is what makes the car go. The Cadillac has POOR FLOWING HEADS  so you have to Maximize  Torque and help the horsepower under 5000 rpm. This is why the Cadillac is GENERALLY limited to not exceed 5000 RPM.
 
#Engine SIZE DOES NOT AFFECT HORSEPOWER. Engine size DOES affect TORQUE. SHOCKING as this sounds, A 350 cubic inch engine with good flowing heads will out horsepower a 550 cubic inch engine with poor flowing heads. The 550 will out torque the 350 at low to mid RPM. TORQUE is what makes the car go. The Cadillac has POOR FLOWING HEADS  so you have to Maximize  Torque and help the horsepower under 5000 rpm. This is why the Cadillac is GENERALLY limited to not exceed 5000 RPM.
#Stock rocker arm stands are fragile over 100 lbs of valve spring pressure. This light spring pressure limits RPM to about 4600. More radical cams or more rpm require more valve spring pressure. This requires after-market rocker arm assemblies. MTS and others have some excellent ones that will take high spring loads. The heavy rocker arms require a minimum
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#Stock rocker arm stands are fragile over 100 lbs of valve spring pressure. This light spring pressure limits RPM to about 4600. More radical cams or more rpm require more valve spring pressure. This requires after-market rocker arm assemblies. MTS and others have some excellent ones that will take high spring loads. The heavy rocker arms require a minimum of 130 lbs of seat pressure. Beehive conical springs work best to counter the harmonics that cause premature valve float. With a normal non-beehive 130 lb spring we were on the verge of valve float at 5100 rpm. Higher spring pressure can wipe out  the cam lobe of the Cadillac Blank because of its small size. Beehive springs can extend this to perhaps 5500-5700 with the same pressure.  You better have really good heads to flow enough Air at that rpm and still make horsepower at that rpm.
Of 130 lbs of seat pressure. Beehive conical springs work best to counter the harmonics that cause premature valve float. With a normal non-beehive 130 lb spring we were on the verge of valve float at 5100 rpm. Higher spring pressure can wipe out  the cam lobe of the Cadillac Blank because of its small size. Beehive springs can extend this to perhaps 5500-5700 with the same pressure.  You better have really good heads to flow enough Air at that rpm and still make horsepower at that rpm.
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#With aftermarket rocker arms you cannot use stock valve covers. You have to use tall ones for clearance.
 
#With aftermarket rocker arms you cannot use stock valve covers. You have to use tall ones for clearance.
 
#The factory HEI distributor works fine if it is modified slightly. The stock advance curve is about as screwed up as any I have ever seen
 
#The factory HEI distributor works fine if it is modified slightly. The stock advance curve is about as screwed up as any I have ever seen

Revision as of 16:21, 21 February 2009

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