Cadillac Misfits

General Category => For Sale & Wanted => Topic started by: Keeper on June 24, 2012, 03:03:44 AM

Title: 500 Beetle.....
Post by: Keeper on June 24, 2012, 03:03:44 AM
Posted on the power board for a laugh.Must be loud and stinky in that thing!
http://www.racingjunk.com/Late-Models/2613066/1971-VW-BUG-WITH-500-CADILLAC-ENGINE.html?imageIndex=0&showSuperSize=true
Title: Re: 500 Beetle.....
Post by: Fins on June 24, 2012, 03:51:43 AM
One word......MORON.   :screwy:  :jack:
Title: Re: 500 Beetle.....
Post by: madcaddyman on June 24, 2012, 09:44:11 AM
"NEEDS TWO FREEZE PLUGS THEY ARE LEAKING EASY TO GET TO" I hope so....what a dick!  :LOL:

Rene
Title: Re: 500 Beetle.....
Post by: Fins on June 24, 2012, 01:29:35 PM
If they were that easy, just change them and scratch the BS from the ad.
Title: Re: 500 Beetle.....
Post by: madcaddyman on June 24, 2012, 02:19:49 PM
Maybe he thinks the main seals are the freeze plugs  :yikes:

Rene
Title: Re: 500 Beetle.....
Post by: guidematic on June 24, 2012, 06:52:23 PM

As if.......

Mike
Title: Re: 500 Beetle.....
Post by: trvlr480 on June 25, 2012, 03:49:44 AM
That thing would be a death trap to drive.  I'm sure there's no need for a heater either and I'd hate to be inside it on a 100 degree day.  I can only imagine where that engine and transmission would end up in a collision.  Nothing like a 300 degree, 800 lb suppository.  If the fan didn't put you out of your misery first.
Title: Re: 500 Beetle.....
Post by: Russ on June 25, 2012, 10:51:11 PM
That left wheel sticks out way too far.  I'd still drive it.
Title: Re: 500 Beetle.....
Post by: thebig429 on June 26, 2012, 12:01:13 AM
At least he could try covering it like this v8 Corvair with a boat engine cover. There is a lit too.( any clues what v8 he used, couldnt catch up to the owner)
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7238/7154955924_9d8522a44a_m.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikesbig429/7154955924/)
V8 Corvair (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikesbig429/7154955924/) by Mikes Big 429 (http://www.flickr.com/people/mikesbig429/), on Flickr
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7079/7154957776_59d971081b_m.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikesbig429/7154957776/)
V8 Corvair (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikesbig429/7154957776/) by Mikes Big 429 (http://www.flickr.com/people/mikesbig429/), on Flickr
Could of tried rear wheel drive like this
(http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6129/5955782899_5e9930aa9f_m.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikesbig429/5955782899/)
Ford V8  VW (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikesbig429/5955782899/) by Mikes Big 429 (http://www.flickr.com/people/mikesbig429/), on Flickr
Might end up driving from the back seat
(http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6134/5956343756_d099e6a823_m.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikesbig429/5956343756/)
Ford V8  VW (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikesbig429/5956343756/) by Mikes Big 429 (http://www.flickr.com/people/mikesbig429/), on Flickr
The big guys the owner so i guess he could fit in there
(http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6002/5955783419_5ce4fe7219_m.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikesbig429/5955783419/)
Ford V8  VW (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikesbig429/5955783419/) by Mikes Big 429 (http://www.flickr.com/people/mikesbig429/), on Flickr
Title: Re: 500 Beetle.....
Post by: guidematic on June 26, 2012, 12:49:47 PM

Those conversions on the Corvair made them quite the runner. They were popular in the '60's. Lots of mags ran ads for the conversion kits.

With that VW, you're literally sitting right in the engine compartment.

Mike
Title: Re: 500 Beetle.....
Post by: Tailfin Joe on June 27, 2012, 11:42:03 PM
 I was at the Street Machine Nationals ,many years ago and there was a VW with a 455 olds sitting in the front where the spare goes, it also was for sale I asked the owner how's it run ? his answer was buy it and find out, must be the same guy .
Title: Re: 500 Beetle.....
Post by: Gary on June 28, 2012, 04:05:38 AM
Some 25 years ago a local guy put a Bug body on a shortened mid-year corvette chassis.
He called it the ThunderBug, and it outran most everything, even the State Patrol one night.
Thankfully, I was not in it when it topped 140.
He's gone, but the car still exists. And it still scares the crap outta me.

Gary
Title: Re: 500 Beetle.....
Post by: Fins on June 28, 2012, 04:34:37 AM
My '69 GTX would outrun any of the State cars. The biggest problem was trying to outrun Motorola.


It never did work.  :speechless:
Title: Re: 500 Beetle.....
Post by: Tailfin Joe on July 04, 2012, 12:53:02 AM
 Hey Fins what was your Top End on the GTX? , what gears were you runing?
Title: Re: 500 Beetle.....
Post by: trvlr480 on July 05, 2012, 06:19:30 AM
Quote from: guidematic on June 26, 2012, 12:49:47 PM

Those conversions on the Corvair made them quite the runner. They were popular in the '60's. Lots of mags ran ads for the conversion kits.

With that VW, you're literally sitting right in the engine compartment.

Mike

Either one would be a death trap if you went out and really started using all the horsepower although I'd opt for the Corvair with the V-8 any time.  I knew an accountant years ago.  He was 30 years old.  To make a long story short he bought a '66 Vette.  We painted it and put the usual "Duck's Butt" on the rear end.  Then he installed 454 LS-7.  One of the real ones before they de-tuned them and he was dead a weak later.  He hit a tree sideways at around 90 mph.  He was ejected out the BACK window and killed instantly. I went and looked at the car in the wrecking yard.  The tail shaft of the transmission was sticking straight up through the drivers seat right where his ass was.  The tree slammed right through the car half way into the drivers seat.  It came in the right side and left about a 1 foot wide "path".  The headers on the left side of the engine were actually "stretched" when the car was bent.  ALL of the fiberglass on the body was shattered and literally left the body of the car on impact.  There was no "body" left.  Just everything the hood, qtrs, doors and everything else was glued or bolted to.

That Vette had so much power that he could just roll on the gas at 20 mph hour and light up the 50 series tires he had on it for as long as he wanted to.  I know what happened.  He was in 3rd gear at 90mph and shifted to 4th.  The ass end swung around and that was it.  He was out-running the cops on HWY 101 at the time because he was enjoying his new toy and had a few beers in him.  That really wasn't that out of line back then in Kalifornia.  We all did it when we could just for fun.  He should have had that rear end tuned and it wouldn't have slid out from under him at that speed.

Needless to say, if I want to drive something really light weight with a lot of horsepower it better have the suspension, brakes and evrything else to handle that kind of horse power and torque.  Corvairs and Beetle don't measure up in that respect.  Neither does anything else from the 60's or 70's without some serious cash spent.

There is a reason they manufacture Ferrari's, Lamborghini's and other exotics.  The exotics are actually engineered to handle horsepower and torque like that.  Even at that the owners wreck them and get killed in them all the time.
Title: Re: 500 Beetle.....
Post by: EZ on July 05, 2012, 01:59:24 PM
After I blew up the 482 C.I. Big Block Chevy engine in my Camaro door slammer drag car I put a second mortgage
on the house and bought an LS-7 454 Crate motor from the local Chebby dealer.  It has 12.5:1 compression, steel
rods, steel crank, 4 bolt mains, 7/16" rod bolts,  big square port heads.  The thing was bullit proof.  All I did was
install a .780 lift cam with about .320 duration in it and go racing. 

You're right.  The old LS-7's were awesome!  :rockon:
Title: Re: 500 Beetle.....
Post by: guidematic on July 05, 2012, 03:49:20 PM

LS-7? So far as I know they were rhetoric of legend. It was never installed in any car, but may have been available over the counter in parts or even less likely as a crate engine. The LS-7, according to an article I read many years ago was a 454cid version of either the L-88 or the tri-carb 427, can't remember which at the moment.

The LS-6 was a high zoot version of the 454 installed most commonly in the 1970 Chevelle SS454, then in a few 1971 Corvettes. It was essentially a 454 verwsion of the L-72 427 and rated at 450 HP in 1970 only. Lower compression in 1971 dropped the rating to 425HP.

Mike
Title: Re: 500 Beetle.....
Post by: EZ on July 05, 2012, 05:27:49 PM
LS-7 was a crate engine only. I don't think it was in any production cars.  Maybe a prototype or two.
It had 12.5:1 compression and a bigger cam than the LS-6
which could also be bought over the counter through the parts dept but it only had 10:1 compression
and a smaller cam.

I bought mine in the mid 80's for about $3400.  It was expensive back then but looking back it was a steal!!!
I should have bought several!!!   :curse:
Title: Re: 500 Beetle.....
Post by: trvlr480 on July 06, 2012, 09:04:23 AM
It's true that LS-7's were a crate only engine.  The very early LS-7's had quite a bit more power than the later LS-7's.  I "think" the very first had aluminum heads as well and when they de-tuned them slightly they put cast iron heads on them and a much milder cam but they were still brutally powerful for that era.  I do remember that it was right around 1976 give or take a year when I worked at that corvette shop and the engine that accountant put in his '66 was one of the earlier hot ones.  It would absolutely not idle under 2000 rpm and even at 2000 rpm it had a serious lope to it.  It was extremely fast.  Fast enough to get him killed.  He was driving an Impala with a 283 in it at the time.  I do remember now that after driving around in it he realized it just had way more power than he felt comfortable with and was getting ready to pull the LS-7 and put in a small block.  The night he got killed was going to be the last drive with that engine. It was coming out the next day.
Title: Re: 500 Beetle.....
Post by: guidematic on July 06, 2012, 01:51:57 PM

The aluminum heads would likely mean it was a 454cid version of the L-88. The explosive power and idle characteristics also suggest that to me. L-88's were routinely dynoed at around 525HP. The LS-7 likely would have made in the vicinity of 550-575HP.

Then there was the L-89. That was the aluminum head version of the L-78 and L-72 and the tri-carb version of the L-72 (Can't remember the RPO on that one) It's also rumoured that a few Chevelles in 1970 had the LS-6 with aluminum heads. Apparently a documented SS454 convertible has surfaced some time ago. These are the cars of legend.

Mike
Title: Re: 500 Beetle.....
Post by: trvlr480 on July 07, 2012, 05:31:54 AM
QuoteThe LS-7 likely would have made in the vicinity of 550-575HP.

You're right. I believe they were rated at 600hp.  By the standards back then.  They would probably only have about 400 today.  They did put the LS-6's in the Chevelles.  Trying to find one of those would probably almost be as difficult as finding a factory 426 Hemi in a Dodge Dart.  I actually saw one of those one time.  What they did to shoe-horn that 426 in there was amazing.
Title: Re: 500 Beetle.....
Post by: EZ on July 07, 2012, 12:28:57 PM
If anyone wants to do the math my '67 Camaro weighed 2550 lbs with the steel headed LS-7.  It ran the 1/8 mile in 6.12 seconds.  This is well below the 9.90 index for Super Gas in the 1/4 mile.  Super Gas index was 6.40 in the 1/8 mile.  All I did to the motor was change to a huge solid lift cam, add a high rise intake and an 850 double pumper carb.  I believe if I could have afforded a 1050 Dominator carb the car would have run the 5.99 Super Comp index or at least real close.
Title: Re: 500 Beetle.....
Post by: guidematic on July 07, 2012, 01:22:05 PM
Quote from: trvlr480 on July 07, 2012, 05:31:54 AM
QuoteThe LS-7 likely would have made in the vicinity of 550-575HP.

You're right. I believe they were rated at 600hp.  By the standards back then.  They would probably only have about 400 today.  They did put the LS-6's in the Chevelles.  Trying to find one of those would probably almost be as difficult as finding a factory 426 Hemi in a Dodge Dart.  I actually saw one of those one time.  What they did to shoe-horn that 426 in there was amazing.

LS-6 powered Chevelle SS454's are not that rare. I think the option cost about $400 over the base LS-5 in the SS454. So about half of the SS454's were LS-6 equipped.

Also I think the 450HP rating is a bit shy of what they actually made. Essentially it was a 454 cid version of the 425HP L-72 427. When that engine was released in 1966 it carried a factory rating of 450HP, but part way through the year it was dropped to 425HP. This was part of a gentleman's agreement between the manufacturers to not post outputs more than 425HP. That's why you see 425HP ratings on the Hemi and Ford 427's. A couple ratings did go to 430, the L-88 and the tri-carb version of the L-72.

So, if the 450HP rating of the L-72 is correct, then I would expect the LS-6 to produce somewhat north of that.

It was quite common for engines to be underrated through the 60's. For differant reasons. Pontiac started it with the SD421's in 1962 to get them into a more advantagous class in Super Stock drag racing. Until the NHRA caught on and began dynoing engines themselves to get the true outputs. They were rated at 406HP@5600RPM but they would spin to 6500 and higher at which point they were around the 500HP point.

Then it was for insurance reasons. Lower ratings meant lower rates, even thiugh that in itself only worked for a period of time. A few of those engines were the Pontiac Ram Air IV 366HP, Chev L-78 396 375HP, Z-28 and Boss 302's 290HP and the winner the 428 CJ rated at a paltry 335HP.

Mike