[funkyskier74070]

My wifes 2001 Catera motor grenade'd at just over 100k miles. massive amounts of oil entered the cooling system and completely destroyed the motor and entire cooling system is gummed up with an oil and water mixture with the consistency of yogurt and color of tapioca. Very dis-appointing to say the least to have such a catastrophic failure on a vehicle that is in perfect condition otherwise.

My father is an LS1 fanatic and we have come to the conclusion that it would be a fun project to shoehorn a real motor into the caddy. I have done a little research on this, a few have tried including a guy using a farm tractor as an engine hoist. But info is scattered and sparse.

I need some real good resources or at least some ideas to start planning this project and procuring the required parts. My father owns a fabrication shop and I'm 39, so this isn't a pipe dream. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

The only decision made is that I will be sticking with an automatic transmission, either stock or some other flavor and I would like to see 325 to 400 HP assuming the rear end will hold up.

I will be happy to put a website together to share all we learn and how the project turns out. I know there are a lot of people who really love the Catera, to bad the reliability was'nt much better that a corvair.

Cheers!!

 

[elvin315]

Oh boy. Another V8 project. If you didn't know by now Opel actually developed an Omega V8 but GM axed it. Lingenfelter bought their stock of conversion parts and sold them on eBay. More to it than just slipping in a LS1. They might still have a kit left and I think there's someone selling one they bought but can't use. Here is some info on the Catera V8 and other V8 projects..

Lingenfelter site:
http://www.lingenfelter.com/vehicle...version-project-car-amp-conversion-components

The Catera V story from the current owner:
http://www.cadillacforums.com/forums/cadillac-catera-cimarron-forum/16176-catera-v.html

The Catera V project album from start to finish:
http://www.pbase.com/elvin315/the_catera_v

One current V8 Project:
http://www.cadillacforums.com/forum...000-halleluja-catera-v8-project-underway.html

Another current V8 Project
http://www.cadillacforums.com/forums/cadillac-catera-cimarron-forum/130818-cant-wait.html

Need more??? Ask Warez or MyOpel.

 

[guardian]

You said it yourself, but I'm just gonna repeat here for the sake of emphasis:

The Cat is RWD. You gotta transmit all that V8 HP and torque to the interface between the REAR rubber and the road. Once you pick a power plant, check the ability of the transmission, torque tube, U-joints, and rear end to handle the extra power.

And that includes when you gun it.:tisk:

Also, the factory Cat has decent F/R weight distribution. So watch the weight and location of your V8, too.

If I were going to replace a Cat engine with a different one, I would not focus so much on the number of cylinders. I would try to identify an engine with roughly the same power (OK, maybe just a bit more) and weight, but one which drives the cams with chain. That engine might turn out to be a V8 . . . . or maybe not.:thumbsup: