1966 Coupe Deville suggestions

[XNC]

Hey guys, I want to get some opinions from people would know, so here's my dilemma.

I just recently purchased a 1966 Coupe Deville that doesn't have an engine or a tranny, and I'm really in a bind as to what engine I'm going to put in it. I have an old 390 sitting around that would need to be rebuilt, but i also found a 460 with transmission (not sure what exactly) in running order and the guy only wants $500 for it. The problem is that I want this car to be my daily driver and there is no way that the 460 would be affordable, right? So here's my question: In your opinion, what kind of engine should I drop in the beast? Should i stick with the stock 429, or should i jump to the 460, or should I drop down to the 390? I want a car that can go, as well as be at least reasonably fuel efficient. I'm pretty sure i'm asking for too much, but does anybody have any suggestions as to how I could achieve such a feat?

Someone suggested to me at one point to turbo as well as supercharge the engine. Any input on that?

I really appreciate all that you guys have to say, so thanks in advance!

[maxwedge]

Welcome to AF. What engine is a 460, not a Cadillac.

[XNC]

The 460 is a ford, i believe it's commonly referred to as the torque king

[maxwedge]

Going into a classic Cad, come on you are kidding here!!! If any change, go with a 472 or 500 Cad engine.

[caddydaddy]

Originally Posted by XNC

The 460 is a ford, i believe it's commonly referred to as the torque king

Maybe for a Ford, but the REAL torque king is the Cadillac 500!

What is your budget for this project? I cringe at the thought of anything but a Cadillac engine in a classic Cadillac, but a EFI 350 Chevy would be a more fuel efficient choice with decent power. But if you are looking for raw power, I'd go with either a 472 or 500 Cadillac. The supercharger or turbo on one of those would produce unreal HP, but you would have horrible gas mileage. It would be more like gas footage!

[XNC]

Haha, no kidding. It is kind of sad to put anything but a caddy engine in a car like that, but budget wise caddy engines are usually kind of spendy, aren't they? My friend found a cadillac 503 (i believe) that a guy was selling with a transmission for i think it was 800, but just like the 460, that would get terrible gas mileage, and since I want this to be a daily driver, I don't think that would work out for me.

So opinion wise, should I try for EFI, or do you think I could settle for carbouration? I'd like to do EFI, but my budget is about a grand for the motor/drive train because I still need to redo the entire enterior (which I was considering applying for sponsorships to do). My other quesiton is are there specific engine years that I should be looking for since i'm striving for maximum HP/torque with reasonable gas mileage? I'd really like to have something pretty gutsy, but still get 20-26mpg freeway.

Am I dreaming?

[caddydaddy]

That engine would have been a Cadillac 500. That was the largest Cad engine ever made.
With a budget of a grand, you don't have much to work with. If fuel spendings are your major concern, maybe you should get a newer more fuel efficient car until you can fix the Caddy up the way you want it. It's still a 4,500 pound car, so you'd be lucky to get 20 MPG with it.

[XNC]

It has to weigh more than 4500 lbs, because my current '95 chrysler LHS weighs in at 4350 and gets 35mpg. Admittedly it's a v6, but regardless..

[caddydaddy]

Originally Posted by XNC

It has to weigh more than 4500 lbs, because my current '95 chrysler LHS weighs in at 4350 and gets 35mpg. Admittedly it's a v6, but regardless..

4,460 is the listed weight for the 1966 Coupe Deville. And you're comparing apples to oranges! A 40 year old car that was not designed in a computer controlled wind tunnel vs. one that is, isn't going to get good fuel mileage. Plus the Cadillac has a carbureted V-8 and a 3 speed transmission.
Really, at best, you'd be lucky to EVER get much over 20 MPG even by upgrading to a modern powertrain.

[XNC]

Oh yeah, I know that. I know that the caddy is not much more than a brick, so i knew i wouldn't be able to get very good mileage to begin with, I just wanted to know if anybody had any suggestions for a motor that would get me decent mileage as well as being at least moderately gutsy.

[caddydaddy]

I would suggest a fuel injected small block Chevy. But with your budget, a used one would be pushing it.