This Nash Statesman Swaps in Big-Block Cadillac Power

The Nash Statesman was always served up with inline-6 power. It served the car fine enough, but owners were likely still daydreaming about more go under the hood. One owner clearly did because he had a Statesman restored and upgraded. Now, there’s a massive mill under the hood… 8.2 liters of Cadillac combustion bolted between the skirted front fenders should be enough to get this thing rolling a bit more quickly.

Hopefully, this one is making all of its 400 horsepower, which was the peak output for the monstrous engine. It should be close, at least, since the ad says it’s been rebuilt. A 700r4 transmission handles shifting duties while a 10-bolt GM rear end sits out back. The seller says the car has disc brakes up front, power steering, and even fresh tires.

This style of vehicle typically isn’t my jam, as I prefer stuff from the 60s on up. That said, I love a good sleeper, and a Nash Statesman with potentially 400-horsepower definitely gets my attention. The asking price is $25,000, and I have no clue if that’s a good or a bad price. It doesn’t seem crazy, but it also seems slightly high… what do you think?

The blue paint looks nice, the interior is clear, but the wheels need to go. That’s an easy fix, of course… well assuming it’s easy to get the tires off when you’re dealing with the skirted fenders. You can see the full listing on Craigslist here, and the car is located in Nevada.

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4 responses to “This Nash Statesman Swaps in Big-Block Cadillac Power”

  1. Duke Woolworth Avatar
    Duke Woolworth

    No problem getting at the wheels because the track was so narrow there was lots of room inside the quick to rot fenders. One of these taught me all I needed to know about understeer.

    1. Jeff Glucker Avatar
      Jeff Glucker

      Now imagine that understeer in this one!

  2. Batshitbox Avatar
    Batshitbox

    The Cadillac big block 500 only claimed 400 hp in the first year of production just before the unleaded malaise era started. Compression ratios, torque and horsepower ratings fell precipitously until the poor thing was too weak to carry itself around.

    Which, if you’re going to stuff it into a roller skate like the Nash is probably a good idea. Even in 1975 the big block put down 360 ft-lbs of torque, so I’d have a good look at the Nash’s frame before putting the pedal to the metal.

  3. OA5599 Avatar
    OA5599

    The power drop in the Cadillacs of that era stemmed from a compression drop, and later also the addition of a catalytic converter and reduction to single exhaust. Those can be easily remedied with a head swap and custom exhaust work.

    https://www.hotrod.com/how-to/1980-chevy-chevette-project-car-the-bad-seed/

    BTW, Cadillac used that same block for all displacements during that era. Even though it was the largest factory displacement engine used in a postwar passenger car (until the Viper a couple decades later) it wasn’t a “big block” because it didn’t have a “small block” counterpart.