The Goodguys 2026 Grand Prize Giveaway ’40 Ford Coupe Gets a Supercharged Vintage Cadillac Built by Ross Racing Engines
The heart of any project vehicle is its engine, and the Goodguys 2026 Grand Prize Giveaway ’40 Ford is getting a heartbeat that’s a little more special than most. We typically rely on new crate engines for our giveaway cars, but the moonshine-runnin’ theme of this coupe called for something a little more old-school. Builder Ben York at Roseville Rod & Custom wondered what a hot rodder in the ’50s might have put under the hood of a sleeper-style ’40 Ford, and he a came up with the perfect idea: a vintage Cadillac V8.
Cadillac was one of the first American auto manufacturers to offer a production overhead-valve V8 after World War II. Introduced in 1949, the Cadillac 331c.i. V8 featured a skirtless block, rear-mount distributor, shaft-mounted rocker arms, and hydraulic lifters. Hot rodders quickly discovered the engine’s performance potential, especially when it was swapped into a lighter car like a prewar Ford. The same basic engine grew through the 1950s, with a 365c.i. offering beginning in 1956 and a 390c.i. version introduced in 1959 that generated 345-horsepower with Tri-power carburetion.
For the Giveaway ’40 Ford engine, Goodguys turned to the best vintage engine builder we know: Tony Lombardi at Ross Racing Engines. Tony has been building winning racing and hot rod engines for decades and specializes in vintage V8s like Oldsmobiles, Cadillacs, Buicks, and Chrysler Hemis, in addition to more common small- and big-block Chevys. Tony quickly jumped on board with the idea of building us a supercharged Cadillac for our project and was also able to supply most of the parts for the engine, in addition to his skilled labor for the precision assembly. With an engine like this, very few parts are simple off-the-shelf bolt-ons, so having an experienced builder like Tony was crucial.
Tony started with a seasoned 390c.i. block from his personal stash, which was line honed, decked, bored, and treated to additional custom machining processes. It was fitted with a forged original crankshaft that was offset ground and nitrided. Summit Racing supplied parts like the Speed Pro main and rod bearings, Melling oil pump, and Eagle H-beam connecting rods, which were also custom machined by Tony. The Ross Racing forged aluminum pistons were fitted with Total Seal rings, while Dura-Bond cam bearings went in before the custom-ground Ross hydraulic roller camshaft. A Rollmaster roller timing chain assembly and ATI Super Damper were also part of the assembly.
The rebuilt Cadillac heads were fitted with Manley stainless steel valves, Isky valve springs, and Comp Ultra Pro Magnum roller rockers, which are actuated by hydraulic roller lifters from Howards Cams and chromoly pushrods. They were topped with custom billet valve covers that are machined at Ross Racing Engines and resemble vintage stamped steel originals for a classic look.
To top the engine, which now boasts a displacement of 410c.i., Tony supplied a vintage Cragar blower manifold and a GMC 4-71 supercharger. The blower is completely rebuilt and uses billet front drive pieces and related components from Ross Racing. It was topped with custom EFI throttle bodies from Autotrend EFI that are modeled after vintage Stromberg carbs.
After initial break-in on the dyno at Ross Racing Engines, builder Ben York worked with Dave Ehrlich from Autotrend on finalizing the EFI setup and tuning in the car, which relies on a variety of support items from Holley and MSD. This includes a Holley HP ECU (electronic control unit) as the “brains” of the fuel injection, plus a variety of sensors, wiring, and other components to complete and connect the system. Cory Taulbert was called on to modify an MSD Chevy distributor to fit the Cadillac. It’s supported by an MSD ignition box and coil. A Powermaster PowerGEN alternator will help keep things charged.
Another key component that came from Ross Racing Engines was the transmission adapter plate, which will allow us to use a Tremec TKX five-speed transmission behind the blown Cadillac V8. The transmission and support components (clutch, etc.) came from American Powertrain, a company with a vast array of transmissions, kits, packages, and support components to install Tremec manual transmissions in all kinds of vintage rides.
As you’ll see in the accompanying photos, this blown Cadillac came together beautifully, like the centerpiece it’s destined to be in this car. We’re certain it will run as strong as it looks, and can’t wait to get it out on the road and listen to that blower whine!
Did you miss part of the build process of the Goodguys 2026 Grand Prize Giveaway ’40 Ford? Check out Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 or Part 5 of the 1940 Ford Build.
Photos: Roseville Rod & Custom, Ross Racing Engines
