1st thing was to get the car stripped down and ready to cut the frame for the straight axle front clip.
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/1956-oldsmobile-gasser.650058/page-2 tons of pics here. You’ll find lots of odd full size cars people claim “they never raced cars like that” http://georgeklass.net/gassers.html
I’d have gladly traded projects with you. The ‘56 Olds hardtop is a dream car of mine. This Special could be sacrificed for the cause.
This 56 was far to gone for a nice street build. All floorboard braces were gone. A&B pillars have rot in them. I think the hood and trunk lid are the best 2 parts on the car.
This could be really cool! How about some details? What drivetrain? Expected weight? Which class (A/ B/ C/ D/)?
We're hoping to get it down to B/G weight. With a 122" wheel base she is a big gal. As for the engine. It will be a small block Olds running Batten heads. For now the trans will be a old Doug Nash 4+1. That's about all I can give as far as the engine and trans. I'm still quite a few months off before I start the engine build.
Pardon my lack of Oldsmobile knowledge, but I didn’t realize that Olds engines came in the small block and big block variants. I know most of the displacements, but have not studied them. As much as I love Fords and Small Block Chevrolets, I think running Olds power is way cool.
Against a lightweight TNT Falcon, no less Go for it Saturn! I'm a FoMoCo guy all the way but I love the SEGA races and people that stand out w/ something different Will be a treat to watch you run the big Olds. Joe
The small block Olds came out in 1964. The displacement was at 330. In 65 Olds offered the big block in 400ci. I'm not sure but the 425 came out that same yr. I do know the 425 was offered in 66. Both engines big and small share the same bore spacing. They also share the same cam tunnel and main center line. Both engines share same camshaft timing sets and lower gasket sets.
Thanks, Joe! We've been working on this car for a yr now. I'm shooting to have it going by the end of next season, but I'm in dire need of a billionaire that wants to be a millionaire's sponsership!!
I hear ya. B/G is very competitive. Going to need help to run up front. Good luck from Po' Boy Joe Joe
If anyone sees something and wants a explanation. Let me know. I'm 55 and very tech illiterate. I'll do my best to answer or get better pics.
The SB has a lower deck height ..therefore a narrower intake. The heads will physically interchange..big and small.
I seem to remember that the hot setup back in the day was to take the worst engine from the late 70’s (Olds 350 Diesel) and convert it into a fire breathing gas drag motor! I think the rods in those motors were almost indestructible and the first “long” rod engines built.
My 'guess' would be.........considering the high-tech super sticky track prep of today, huge engine set-back to gain traction is not needed any more!....8" should be fine. (8" is REAL FINE in other instances!!) IMHO......you are starting off with a LOT of weight that needs to be removed. Look for ANY way to reduce the weight. Light weight is cheaper than huge HP/torque.(I forget the formula for every pound you reduce the = in HP) B/G is very competitive (as stated above). Unless you have some mighty deep pockets a "WINNER" will be rare but fun galore with all the other entries! I would guess the lower gasser classes may be a little less expen$ive but.... competition is tough in ANY SEGA classes. (that's what makes it so much fun for the fans AND teams!!! I'll be looking fer ya. 6sally6
We're doing what we can to get the the weight off this car. We scaled the car before we started disassembling. It was at 3760 without the front bumper. I'm thinking with a 420 ci engine it will put us at weight, but if we ever drop cubic inches. It will be hard lose the extra weight. Now if we can find someone to work with us on fiberglass...it would help!