Technical Rocket Oldsmobile V8 Information Compiled

I am sure that tony could help you out....Goatroper02 on here. he is in OH

 

all 324 pans should be the same

 

Since this thread is here, anyone have a good balancer for a 303? I bought a complete motor for 300$ but the darned crank pulley is gone..

 

Tony has rebuilt units available

 

Is it completely shot or just bent up. I have one from a 55 that has some dents. I can dig it out and take a pic tomorrow if need be.


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What a great old thread. I pulled it up to check something in the OP and read all the way through finding answers to questions I hadn't thought of yet.
My ' 56 324 is just about done at the machine shop. I'll be bringing the heads home tomorrow to do a little bowl blending, CC-ing and port matching prior to final assembly.
I have a couple of questions;
1a. We bored it to 4" (345 cu. in.) and are using the NOS Jahns pop-up pistons I've had for years. Should I use '57 head gaskets? I'm afraid the '56 gaskets will hang over the edge of the bore. Neither I nor the machine shop have any lying around to check with.
(b) Does anyone have current info on what thicknesses are available? (please don't say call Tony, I bought my stuff from him and he's so busy these days I don't want to waste his time on the phone)
2. What if any oil pump mods would be advisable? I have several pumps and two of them look brand new. I'd like to get the oil pressure right the first time and not have to pull the pan to boost it.

Also, I have an Engle 151 cam that looks brand new, anyone know what the specs are? It has 2" journals and fits '56-58. Just wondering if it's a street cam or a top fuel grind. Thanks.

 

I just pulled a few head gaskets out to check,

laying the 324 head gaskets over the 371 gaskets show there should be no issue with oil or water passages not lining up.
head bolts of course line up on all early Olds engines.
(I would use the 371 gaskets to match your over bore)

measuring thicknesses on new un-installed gaskets:
'54-'56 Best .058 copper sandwich
'57-'58 Victor .062 steel sandwich
'57 McCord .045 steel shim style (high compression)
'57 GM .042 steel shim style (high compression)

I would just make sure the oil pump meets stock specs

can't answer the cam question,
if it were mine I'd take it to a cam grinder to have it profiled

 

Thanks for the info Paul. I've always loved the early Olds engines and a few years back I got a whole collection of neat stuff from a guy in a labor trade. I was kind of slowly building up a 324, slowly due to the fact that I didn't have the car I wanted to put it in. Well, last week I got the car, a real '28 Ford roadster on a real '32 frame so it will be full-speed-ahead from here.
What kind of oil pressure have your engines typically shown? Thanks again

 

Bc...my 324 is running 4 inch 371 pistons with #10 heads. At warm idle 40-45 and at rpm it runs around 60. those pop ups will really increase your compression so with shaving and decking be sure to check for interference with those valves.

 

mine usually run a bit lower at warm idle, about 30 or so, but 60 or so warm at cruising speed.

 

Tony sells a new oil pressure relief spring that will give you the pressure you are looking for. I have bought a couple of them from him. They are not expensive.

 

Those sound like good numbers for a mild street engine. Next time I call Tony I'll ask him about the spring, thanks.
Now I'm wondering about the old crankshaft/pilot bearing thing. All my stuff is currently at the machine shop so I should let him know pretty soon. Anyone have pictures of the two types of crank flanges. I thought they would be a good addition to this thread. Anyway, I'm pretty sure mine is drilled for the old cast iron Hydramatic (it has a counterbore that looks about 1 1/4"D and about a 5/8" or 3/4"D center hole) but since I've never seen an un-drilled crank I'm not positive. I wonder because I was helping when the Jetaway was removed from this engine a few years ago, not a cast iron hydro.
I have a B&M Hydro I hope to use, if it doesn't work, I have a rebuilt stock hydro, if that doesn't work I'm also setting up to use a T5. Anything additional needed (crank-wise) to hook up the T5 - like trim the input shaft and make a pilot bearing?
I would have mocked all this stuff up but since I got it as a basket case with no rings, bearings or lifters, etc, I haven't had all the stuff in the same place at the same time - if you know what I mean.
Thanks again.

 

Oldsmar, Florida is only a few miles from my home and it was named I believe after the founder of Oldsmobile because he owned a home there from years ago.

Jimbo

 

Here's a picture of my '56 Olds crank flange. Anyone have pictures of the other variations they can post?
I still need to know what I need to do to run the T5 behind the old Olds.....

 

Your crank is drilled for a pilot bushing, the Hydro also requires a pilot bushing. If you decide to run the T-5 you may have to make a correct pilot bushing or perhaps Tony @ Ross racing will have one. If you end up making one make sure you use oilite bronze because it self lubricating.

 

Ross racing may have your answer

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Tony's got them. He had one for my 303. What bell housing are you using?


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I have a few questions for the Oldsmobile experts on this board. The 34 Chevy I Purchased has a Oldsmobile engine in it, block #577476-4 1/8 with #22 heads. On the list of head numbers in this thread they jump right by the #22 head. Does anybody have any information on that head? Also is there anyway to tell what year the engine is?

Thanks

Pat

 

What is the stamped number on the small pad above the center exhaust ports?

Looks like a '62 394
For what it's worth the Starfire engines were red

 

Nothing is stamped on the pad above the center exhaust ports

 

Check the other side

 

No numbers on either side At the center pad

 

interesting,
what is the date code at the rear of the block near where you found the casting number?
it will be a smaller three digit number.

 

Engine number # located under the distributor
245
CFD
577476-4 1/8
1

 

That engine was probably a G.M. factory replacement , they did not stamp those as they were purchased over the counter. I ran into the same thing when I restored the Olds engine for the Orange Crate. Bob Tindle had purchased the engine new fron the Olds dealership in 1960. It also had no I.D. stampings.

 

Block cast 1962, 45th week

 

Cool,
Thank you!
Pat

 

So, to recap, Keepat's engine, based on the date code, wud have been built in Nov '62 for the '63 model year. If the red paint was factory, it wud be a Starfire, high compression, 4 barrel, 394ci, 345hp engine. Correct?

 

I believe it's a '62 394.
All the '63 and '64 394s I've seen had aluminum water pump housings and #23 heads.

 

Correct 63/64 had aluminum timing cover. 62 and earlier had the cast iron cover

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