Cadillac History 1931 V12

TheCadillac Series 370-A (a twelve cylinder) was similar to the 1930-31 V-16. except some bodies were built by Fisher, but all body interiors were built by Fleetwood. The coach sill was modified with a single molding on the splash shield. The battery was mounted in the right front fender. The hood was 100mm shorter than the V-16 and 127mm longer than the V-8. The instrument panel was similar to the V-8 panel. The headlights were 25mm smaller in diameter than the V-16 headlights. The dual rear lights were ball shaped like the V-8. The dual horns were slightly smaller than on the V-16.

The frame had divergent side rails like the Series 355. The rear springs were mounted under the frame rails. The front tread was the same as the V-8. The brakes had a vacuum assist which was operated only from the left manifold. The brake drums were 381mm. The sedans had two wheelbase sizes: 3556mm and 3632mm; but the semi-commercial unit had a 3861mm wheelbase.

The engine had dual intake silencers which were slightly smaller than the single unit on the V-8 and were positioned at the rear where the V-16 vacuum tanks were mounted. The carburetors were similar to the V-16, but they were reversed so that the air inlet was at the rear. A single vacuum tank was mounted on the center of the dash where the V-16 oil filter was mounted. The oil filter was mounted on the left side of the crankcase. The bore was 3mm larger than the V-16. The rear center main (number 3) takes the thrust. The exhaust manifolds had two sections rather than three. The spark plug wires came out the top of the distributor cap rather than the rear.