A 1970 Cadillac is extravagant elegance at the maximum. They are large, they are brash, they are opulent and they have a large presence. Not in the 1970s manner where what you drove espoused your social status, potential wealth and maybe your illicit dealings, but in genuine physical sizing. You don’t get much bigger than a 1970 Caddy without needing a CDL license with a limo certificate. Yank Tank, Road Barge, Land Yacht…yep, every last one of those terms is fully appropriate for the D-body. So is “gas hog”…a 472 cubic inch V8 will drink like you wouldn’t believe, and if you wanted to be frugal you could step down to the 429 cubic incher. At least it wasn’t the 500ci V8, right?
Cadillacs were symbols of wealth, power and social status…so who in the hell left this 1970 Sedan de Ville in a field, left to sink into the mud under it’s own weight for over twenty years? That’s right…about the time I was finishing up my last little bit of high school, this Caddy was parked out in the field and left to the elements for decades. Derek bought this car and has finally decided to go pick it up. Here’s hoping it runs…he managed to break his truck while unearthing this barge, so it’s the only way he’ll make the drive home!
Last year for the Caddy 429 was 1967. In 1970, Calais, deVille, etc got the 472 as the only choice. Eldo’s got the 500.
Should have let it lie in its muddy grave.
Those 472’s are great torque monsters. I have seen them dropped into Camaros, Novas and 1/2 ton pick ups. The factory intake manifold is very restrictive due to the low height of the Cadillac hoods. Make sure that you swap it out for an Edelbrock intake and you are good to go.