Cadillac V8 engine

The term Cadillac V8 may refer to any of a number of V8 engines produced by the Cadillac division of General Motors since it pioneered the first such mass-produced engine in 1914.
Most commonly, such a reference is to one of the manufacturer's most successful, best known, or longest-lived 90° V8 engine series. These include the pioneering overhead valve #331 series| cu in introduced in 1949, made in three displacements up to ; a #390 series| introduced in 1963 that grew to #429 series|; and a #472 series| introduced in 1968 and enlarged to. Also notable was the [|Northstar], which debuted in 1992 as a 4.6 litre, and was also produced in 4.4 L and 4.2 L versions.
When the Northstar engine series ended production in 2010, it became the last General Motors division to retain its own proprietary V8 design. This changed when Cadillac created the twin-turbo "Blackwing" engine in 2019.

L-head

The Type 51 was the first Cadillac V8. Introduced in 1914, it was the standard engine for 1915 Cadillac models. It was a 90° design with an L-head configuration and was water-cooled. Bore and stroke was, for a total of of displacement. Output was.
This engine was designed under the leadership of Cadillac's chief engineer, Scottish-born D McCall White, later a vice president of Cadillac. Hired by Henry Leland for his V-engine expertise from his employment as chief engineer at Napier, and previously Daimler at Coventry, he was later to move to Nash with LaFayette. White was appointed to a committee of three to supervise the development of the V12 Liberty aircraft motor, that later contributed to cross town rival Lincoln Motor Company introducing the Lincoln L series much later in 1917.
The engine was refined for 1923 with a crossplane crankshaft that introduced the 90° offset for each pair of cylinders which improved balance and smoothness. Power was up to.
The L-head was on the Ward's 10 Best Engines of the 20th century list.
L-head applications:

Cadillac created a new V8, the 341, for 1928. It was a engine and produced. The same year saw the introduction of the synchromesh transmission. This engine was used in the Series 341 and 341B cars of 1928 and 1929.
From 1930 through 1935, Cadillac produced a version with an increased displacement of. This used a bore and stroke. This engine was used in the Cadillac Series 353 and Series 355.

Monobloc

A "monobloc engine" was used in the 1936 Series 60. It was designed to be the company's next-generation powerplant at reduced cost from the 353 and Cadillac V12. The monobloc's cylinders and crankcase were cast as a single unit, and it used hydraulic valve lifters for durability. This design allowed the creation of the mid-priced Series 60 line.
Bore and stroke was. This engine was closely related to a monobloc design earlier introduced in the 1936–1948 engine, which was modified with a bore. This was used in the Series 60/60S/61/62/63/65/67 and 70/72/75. It was also used in a dual setup in tanks, in World War II mated to a Hydramatic transmission.

LaSalle

In 1937, the new monobloc flathead gained in Cadillac V-8 models to, while the LaSalle straight-8 of 1934–1936 that originated from Oldsmobile actually was replaced with the 1936 smaller version at. In 1941, the LaSalle nameplate was phased out along with the, and Cadillacs, all powered, were available with the new Hydramatic automatic transmission which debuted in Oldsmobile the previous year. These engines were produced through 1948.

OHV

331 series

For 1949, Cadillac and Oldsmobile each produced their V8 designs. Both of the engines were overhead valve designs, pioneered by Buick. The Cadillac 331 engine featured a "dry", open runner intake manifold, rear-mounted distributor, and shaft-mounted rockers. Crankshaft end play is carried by the rear bearing on the two GM engines. It has the lighter "skirtless" block where the oil pan flange does not descend appreciably below the crankshaft centerline and they both have a partial integral cast iron clutch housing that compares to the early Chrysler Hemi V8 design. 1955 331 engines went to a lighter "flat back" that bolted to a clutch and flywheel housing at the front of the transmission.
Bore and stroke are for an overall displacement of. This engine features an oiling system which uses a central cast-in passage between the lifter galleries feeding oil to the cam and crank by grooves machined into the cam bores. A single drilled passage per bearing saddle feeds both cam and crank journals. Shared with the Oldsmobile Rocket V8 is how the lifters are supplied oil through small "bleeds" instead of placing the lifters directly into the right and left side oil supply galleries. Many early racers would replace the Cadillac hydraulic lifter and rocker assemblies with the solid lifters and adjustable rockers from the Studebaker V8 for operation at higher engine speeds.

365

Displacement was increased to for 1956 by increasing the bore to while maintaining the stroke. For the three years that the 365 was made, the base versions had a single four-barrel carburetor. The 1956 version produced 285 horsepower. The 1957 version raised that base engine output to 300 horsepower, while the 1958 base version cranked out 310. Eldorados featured multi-carb engines in all 3 years. The Eldorado engines were also optional on all other Cadillacs. The 1958 Eldorado 3-2bbl version produced.

390

A longer, stroke pushed displacement to for 1959, yielding, while the Eldorado Tri-power reached.

390 series

For the 1963 model year, Cadillac redesigned its V8 engine, modernizing the tooling used in the production line while optimizing the engine's design. Although it shared the same layout and architecture with the 1949-vintage engine, the revised engine had shorter connecting rods and was lower, narrower, and shorter. The accessories mounted on a die-cast aluminum housing at the front of the engine for improved accessibility. An alternator replaced the former generator. The crankshaft was cored out to make it both lighter and stronger. The revised engine was lighter than its predecessor, for a total dry weight of.
The revised engine shared the same bore and stroke of its predecessor, for an unchanged displacement of. Power was unchanged at, as was torque at.

429

For 1964, the engine had a bore and stroke, raising displacement to. Power rose to and torque to. It also included its first emission control system, which was a positive crankcase ventilation unit. The 429 was used through the 1967 model year.

472 series

Cadillac introduced an all-new engine for 1968. Although the modernized 390 series engine was compact and light for its displacement and output, represented the limit of the original architecture's expansion, and it had been surpassed by Chrysler's 440 and Lincoln's 462 and 460. Cadillac went bigger, with provision for even more expansion.
At introduction, the new engine had a bore and stroke for a displacement of. "Extensively redesigned" to ease maintenance, it used 10% fewer parts and 25% fewer gasketed joints as before. It delivered at 4400 rpm and a massive torque at just 3000 rpm. The new engine was about heavier than its predecessor. It was used through 1974. It was designed with potential for a displacement.

500

For 1970, Cadillac fitted a crankshaft with a stroke, increasing total displacement on the engine to. At its introduction it was rated at, SAE gross, and of torque. For 1971, compression was reduced from 10.0:1 to 8.5:1, the lowered compression ratio dropped the 500's gross output from to, or in the new SAE net ratings. By 1976, its final year, it had fallen to. However, a new Bendix electronic fuel injection system was offered as an option, and it increased power output to. The 500 was exclusive to the Eldorado.

Year	Engine VIN code	Engine letter code	Displacement	Rated horsepower	Rated torque	Bore x stroke	Compression ratio	Oil pressure
1968–1969	-	-		at 4400 rpm	at 3000 rpm		10.5:1
1970	-	-		at 4400 rpm	at 3000 rpm		10.0:1
1970	-	-		at 4400 rpm	at 3000 rpm		10.0:1
1971	R	61E,Q		at 4400 rpm	at 2800 rpm		8.5:1
1971	S	61E,Q		at 4400 rpm	at 2800 rpm		8.5:1
1972	R	62E,Q		at 4400 rpm	at 2400 rpm		8.5:1
1972	S	62E,Q		at 4400 rpm	at 2400 rpm		8.5:1
1973	R	63E,Q		at 4400 rpm	at 2400 rpm		8.5:1
1973	S	63E,Q		at 4400 rpm	at 2400 rpm		8.5:1
1974	R	64E,Q		at 4400 rpm	at 2400 rpm		8.5:1
1974	S	64E,Q		at 3600 rpm	at 2000 rpm		8.5:1
1975	S	65E,Q		at 3600 rpm	at 2000 rpm		8.5:1
1976	S	66E,Q		at 3600 rpm	at 2000 rpm		8.5:1