The Redline Rebuild master generally looks forward to the work week. The day Davin anticipates most keenly, however, is teardown day. This week, the Cadillac 365 gets torn down so that Davin can see just what he’s getting into with this oddball V-8.

“Tearing into a new project is always exciting for me,” says Davin about the greasy Cadillac. “It’s during this time that I learn the small differences between the various engines we rebuild. Those details are what keep me coming back to the engine stand.”

Davin spots the first oddity in this engine’s design before he even begins taking it apart. The water pump has a radical design compared to a standard small-block GM product: Each cylinder head, along with the transmission, gets its own dedicated feed. Davin hasn’t seen those long hoses that run under the intake manifold to cool the transmission before—but this probably won’t be his last encounter with them.

An engine’s unique touches are fun to think about … until it’s time to order parts for the rebuild. Davin is most worried about sourcing the pistons and piston rings—the last thing he wants is another Buick straight-eight scenario on his hands. Custom pistons are relatively easy to source; the rings, however, are not so straightforward. Now that the Caddy V-8 is torn down and he’s had a look at everything, Davin will start flipping catalog pages and dialing up suppliers to evaluate his options.

If you want to see how Davin solves the piston-ring problem, be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel.