Here’s the latest episode in Hagerty’s series of Redline Rebuild time-lapse engine overhauls: the 1957 Cadillac 365 CID V8.

We were pleased that Hagerty chose the 1949-1962 Cadillac V8 for the most recent installment of Redline Rebuild, its clever video series that features greatly speeded-up engine overhauls through the magic of time-lapse photography. (We wish we could do an engine rebuild in 10 minutes or less.) As the first modern overhead-valve V8 introduced by the U.S. auto industry after World War II—with Oldsmobile close on its heels—the Caddy is of special historical importance, as we see it. It’s useful and instructive to see the engine’s construction details up close.

Displacing 331 cubic inches in its original 1949 form, the Cadillac V8 grew to 365 cubic inches in 1956 and 390 CID in 1959. And while the Cadillac has many similarities to all the General Motors V8s that were follow, there are interesting differences as well. The cooling passages between the left and right cylinder heads were not joined in the intake manifold but instead, there was a separate bolt-on coolant manifold that also housed the thermostat. And while the heads resemble the small-block Chevy V8 on the intake side, the exhaust side is another story with only three exhaust ports per bank, as the center cylinders are conjoined. This restrictive exhaust layout was no doubt a limiting factor in high-performance use, yet the engine was popular with hot rodders all through the ’50s. All these fun details can be seen in the video below.