my dads giving me his 1990 cadillac eldorado since he doesent drive it much anymore. 4.5l. i have a few questions about upgrades in the future. first, i read on here that you cant just replace a bose HU with a aftermarket one without some kind of adapter harness or replacing the speakers and wiring. is this also true with the standard eldy tape deck? i will run new speaker wires in the near future when i get new speakers, but for now i have everything i need except new speakers to run a decent setup. new sony hu, 2 12" lightning audio subs, 800w 4ch alpine amp, 400w pioneer 4ch amp. second, what kind of upgrades can be done on this engine? somebody on here mentioned a allante intake would boost HP 20+. would any wiring or anything concerning the computer need to be changed? also would it be possible to swap in a newer northstar? or would it be more trouble than its worth? i really like this car and plan to keep it for a long time to come. so im thinking a few years down the line if i do any engine swapping. i just collecting info right now. but if i could swap on a allante intake or anything else with minor modifications and get a decent hp and torque gain i would go for that in the near future. any recommendations are welcome and appreciated.
thanks,
John

 

hey man you can hook up your aftermarket deck right in the place it just take a bit longer to identify the speakers without the wireharness adapter, you can do the by taking the old hu off and stripping the wires finding all the powers and grounds and than with the speakers wires left take a 9 volt battery and touch two of the wires together and a fuzzy noise from the speaker will sound and you can fide the speaker that way and put the new hu speaker wire connected to that and go all the way around, if you are going with a new system like you said and you want bass and all that it would be best to replace deck, and speakers, and the wires you will have better sound good luck

 

I install car stereos and electronics for extra money so i already have alot of spare parts including a adapter that will work. i wont cut the stock harness, i dont like to. i will probably just run new speaker wires now and then add new speakers as i can afford it. that way i wont have to pull the HU back out again when i do. i am excellent with wiring and adjusting the sound but i have always lacked in the routing of wires, like where to run them. im very unorganized. lol
thanks,
John

 

BOSE speakers are NOT speakers but AMP units with a speaker. each BOSE unit has its own AMP feed by the pre-amp under the dash. keep that in mind when you are cutting the wires.

Allante .. yes, that will give you some boost.

Nortstar? NO .. dont even think about it. If your 4500 died, not even then. Get a complete Allante 4500 then.

not much detail on the car ..

if it was me, i do the next two:
- change the coolante yesterday,
- add a bottle of LUCAS to the transmission

enjoy the car ...
.

 

For power gains, start looking for the Allante intake now, it may take some time. Also the 454 GMC/Chevy Truck Throttle body is also a good addition to that intake add a open element breather and depending on your tolerance for noise switch to low restriction exhaustsystem. You will have better than 200 HP and closing in on 300 lb ft of torque. (245 regular to 270 Allante stock) The code Y Northstar makes 300 lb ft of torque and as other have said forget that swap.

Another torque boost would come from using the 4.9 crank for a longer stroke thereby giving you a displacement of 4.9. I venture to say that all these mods would give you close to 275 HP and over 300 lb. ft torque. Hmmm sounds like a Northstar spec.

 

thanks guys. a few more questions and ill leave yall alone. first, this is a high mileage engine but is still in very good condition and taken very good care of, if i swap on the allante intake and a 454 TB whats the chances of doing damage to the bottom end by changing the top end and making that extra power? secondly, what kind computer or wiring changes, if any will need to be made if i swap on the allante intake and 454 TB?
thanks again,
John

 

I read your post about wanting to produce more hp and torque from your engine.Don't forget that you're talking about a very heavy car with front wheel drive.If you're planning on driving it hard too much torque could damage the drivetrain.I own a '95 Eldorado with the 300 hp northstar.I accidently throttled too hard once on damp roads and caused the wheels to spin.When they grabbed I damaged the cv joints.