generally aimed at the #1 piston and that some of the newer Cadillacs up here have a second block heater at the other end of the engine. How does this compare to the W123?
Single one centered in the water jacket. Does a fab job, and it's not a V-X so there's a lot less thermal isolation from one corner to the other.
a summer day without the heater. Maybe I should've been plugged in the whole year round?
Depends on how much you like changing block heaters when they burn out. (As they will, eventually.) -- Jim