I was just going off on another thread in the Jeep boards and learned from a guy that Cadillac had a RWD 4.1 V8 that was bolted to a 200-4R. Now the RWD 4.1L V8's were a 90 degree engine with the BOP bell housing, but guys drop in 4.3L all the time now. This engine (from what I could research) was an aluminum block with iron sleeves making really light. The biggest displacement from this block was 4.9L, so they shouldn't be physically all that big. They had 125 hp and 200 ft/lbs. @ 2000 rpm's, good torque range.

The early 4.1L were all TBI, making Carburation feasible. Most of us can't comprehend the electronics in the 4.1 northstar that is the 60 degree pattern, so that's not an option anyway.

Now if I'm wrong on any of this let me know.

What I'm wondering is...

Has anyone tried this Engine swap?
Does anyone know the length of this engine?
Does anyone know the weight of this engine?
Doesn't this sound like it should already have been tried?


Let's face it, there's nothing sadder than an old Cadillac:(
except being passed by a Geo Metro on the Interstate.

Sounds interesting. Got a link to that thread? I remember reading about that engine in some 4x4 mag a few years ago.....or was it a Northstar?.....hmmm can't remember now. This motor you speak of, what years and model did this motor come come in?

these engines were very unreliable, may wanna look into that before going any further

The 4.1 is a turd of an engine. There were all kinds of issues with it, that is why it was discontinued. I agree with domba, check int the history of the engine before you spend any money or time on it. The north star is actually a 4.6 and a lot better engine than the earlier 4.1, 4.6, and 4.9. However it is a wider engine.

these engines were very unreliable, may wanna look into that before going any further

Well I figured it wouldn't be long before some one brought out the reliabuility factor of these engines. They have had a problem with leaking head gaskets, and the electronics associated with them. They were also horrendously under powered for the size of car that they came in.

HOWEVER, there are guys on the various Cadillac boards that have figured out the tricks to getting a good life out of these engines. If you swap it over to a carburater I think you can eliminate just about any wiring issues associated with the original electronics. The power would be about right, in my mind, for a hopped up Sammy's weight.

And there would be a certain coolness/freak factor in such an uncommon swap.

I had an El Dorado with the 4.9L.

That engine is HUGE (physically) I think it would be a tough fit.

The 4.9L, regardless of the posted numbers, moved the car along pretty well for what it was, a Cadillac.

The car also never had any engine/transmission related issues...

I think a 305 or 302 might be a better choice for a V8...just going by physical size.

Here's a picture I took:

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a191/zuki_tyler/eng-1.jpg

You have to remember, an El Dorado has a long hood...and isn't exactly narrow either.

Yeah, I was actually talking about the RWD 4.1Ltr, I believe from about 1982 till about 1987. That one you have there is a bit newer, transversely mounted, and has the 60 degree chevy bell pattern. It is a different engine.

But minus the fat transaxle underneath it, it looks pretty compact for a V8.

I love caddy engines. Way too much for a stock sammy for sure. I would love to see this build. I would have to say that the engine itself is a great engine but it is going to be hard to get it into a sammy plus you will need a huge radiator if you offroad it. I doubt that even the stock radiator in the car would work well enough to keep it cool offroad.

Yeah my thought on the cooling issue was that you could use a similar set-up to what they use on the 4.3L chevy V6 swaps. Without A/C and P/S I was thinking the engine would be working less.

Now I'm just guessing that an aluminum engine wouldn't heat-up as fast.

The power in the old 4.1L wasn't all that high. Alot of guys are throwing even bigger numbers (HP/TQ) into their Zuks.

Cadillac 4.9L (300 ci) 360lbs '91 DeVille, w/alt & flexplate

Chevy small block V8 575lbs (generic for '60s-'70s motors)

Chevy V6-90 229-4.3 425lbs

Ford 5.0 V8 450lbs

Yea, I have a 350 in my rig .. great power, easy as hell to work on, reliable, but it's heavy and theradiator had to be put in the back. Not a big deal though.
But, if I was to change something, I'd probably go down to a 4.3, get another few inches back in the front and keep the radiator up there.
As it is, to get the 350 in there, the firewall had to be cut out a bit to put the distributor where the heater core goes. Now i have a smaller heater core coming from JC Whitney that's 6" tall and wide so I can put it back there.
Point is, if you are a crazy man and like fabrication, get something big, trustworthy and has been trial tested by the race crowd AND 4 wheel crowd ... otherwise, stick with a 1600, I hear they have enough hampsters to turn 35"s on the street without fail.

I have a 4.3L and 200R4 in my Zuk. With an edelbrock intake manifold and Carb and a Holley Fuel pump I am pushing 240HP. I still have the stock drive shafts, stock transfer case, and stock axels. It all is working very well, and it is very fast and has lots of torque. I have never needed to drop into four-low (and in fact I am a little scared to do so).

Its great when you can smoke your 33s!!

A 2.0L swap would be ALOT easier - probably a weekend affair with the kit from Trail Tough - and still have very good power/weight ratio for a Zuk.

If you want an aluminum block, you could also consider the Range Rover V8. I think they are based on a Buick design. Not sure if carb is an easy option or not on these - or maybe you can bolt on an Edelbrock Buick 215cid intake and carb?