I have came to the conclusion that the rebuild 250 that came with the car was not cutting it powerwise and really want it to be a stoplight dragcar. i know where there is a 1969 olds 98 which is all orig but it an absolute rust bucket. and thought to myself,"hey, i could buy one of the biggest gm engines and slap it in mty car instead of wasting thousands on a crappy non dohc/sohc and just see if i can get a 455 olds " from what the web says it should be a olds 455 and ready to see if he can sell but want to know if theres a possibility for it to bolt up to my saginaw 3 speed and what mods or parts do i have to outfitt or buy for the absolute mojnster of a car to come alive
Welcome to the HAMB. Although a first generation C10 does fit the HAMB pre'65 guidelines I'm not sure you necessarily fit the hot rod/custom mold. Maybe. Good luck with your build. Are you talking this?
Brod where are you from? How about some photo's of your truck, the 455 is an excellent choice and std. shift parts are available. If it is the stock 3spd Saginaw trans, I wouldn't use it. The trans behind the 455 is a turbo 400 a great trans. If you want 3 pedals then go with a later 3.4 or 5 Spd. Pat
I Don't think you will regret this swap...fairly easy.....not sure if you will be happy with the 3 speed due gearing, but it will get you around....you will need a bop bellhousing. I have considered doing this swap to my67....
You will need a different trans Flywheel clutch and adapter to what ever heavy trans you use. Then comes a drive shaft motor mounts and exhaust. It will be fun but a lot of work if you are up to it .
You should be able to use the mounts for the C10 that used the 350 Olds Diesel. If you keep the turbo 400 it will be a lot simpler and cheaper to do the swap. I say that because you will need a BOP (Buick,Olds, Pontiac) stick bellhousing, A 455 stick flywheel and most likely a pressure plate or clutch kit. Those three pieces will cost more than the rust bucket 98 did. It's not as hard a swap as putting the 500 cad in my 71 GMC by a long shot.
Anyone remember the old truck in the flick "a small town in texas"? It supposedly had a 427 in it and was set up for hauling 'shine.
is that like this one? but seriously folks....we need to know what year truck he has....to tell how difficult the swap would be. Or if it's even on topic here. Keep the TH400 behind the engine from the olds. Make sure what engine it is first, of course.
Ha! That's that old red and white chevy I sold Benno and he made it fly! I once had a 69 Olds with a 455 and a 400 turbo as a daily driver. I was happy with the performance of the big barge. Headers, bigger carb would have helped it a lot. It would crack 120 MPH easily stock.
Should be a pretty easy swap....sort of....the parking brake crossmember is in the way of the th400, and you'll have to make up some motor mounts as the Chevy mounts are not quite in the same place. although as mentioned, might be able to use the 73-87 type mounts, and get the engine brackets from a (very hard to find now) 350 diesel truck from the late 70s.
The 455 is a torque monster in stock form so it will do well in a truck...except the rear tire problems. This swap, as with many swaps, depends alot on you. Do you have the necessary tools, equipment, space to work and the skillset to make it happen? IMO this is not in the category of difficult swaps but, it is not a bolt-in. As has been said, the 3-spd won't last long so look for something else. GM used the NP A-833 in 3+1 form in 1/2 T trucks and vans in late 70's early 80's and they don't seem to command big money.
The NP A833 is a good choice, but can be harder to find (depending on where you live), and you want to look for one that has the Chevy/GM bellhousing bolt pattern, NOT the Mopar pattern.
I would keep the T400, lot easier to swap than converting to stick. Plus the donor Olds already has the trans and saves money vs buying all the bellhousing/flywheel/clutch parts. Use the driveshaft yoke and maybe the driveshaft (with shortening) from the Olds. As to the swap, I would look at the Olds donor engine mounts and see if they can be used or tweaked to work. Agree the Olds diesel mounts would be great if you can find them. The 455 Olds will fit in that truck, just need to do a little work to make it happen. The Olds trans crossmember may even be an option to use for the T400.
I run a Mondello 455 in my olds, what a rocket! A stump puller too. Can't see how you could go wrong. Make sure you have good U joints and hardened axles if you build that motor.
To add forget the stock 3 speed and the stock drive shaft neither will handle the torque from the 455 olds We use to do a lot of swaps by cutting the frame side brackets from the donor bolting them to the engine and hanging in place on the hoist and lining the trans and drive shaft up to see of there was a spot to start welding .
Another vote for going with the th400, 500 ft pounds stock with those monsters, I had one in a Hurst/Olds that baby could hall the mail !
The stock 3 speed is most likely a Muncie 318; a 455 Old's will turn it into scrap will quick and easy. The true Saginaw did't come out until 66 and then only in passenger cars; they were hit and miss in trucks as those used both after 66. If the Old's has a TH-400, then use it; you'll regret if you don't. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
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