Any thoughts on the Oldsmobile 425? Will any parts interchange with other big block Olds motors? Is anyone running one?
they fucking rock. direct interchange with 400 and 455. and they have a steel crank. I have 2, and won't part with either one.
I have two too. I was told one was a '64 and one a '67. The '64 is complete, and the '67 is only missing heads. Got them both for a hundred bucks! I have big plans for them! Are yours in running cars?
Any Olds big block is good. Plenty of torque. The 425 and early 400's will rev very quick due to the long rod and short stroke. The forged crank is good too. All big block heads, intakes, exhaust, etc... are interchangable. Some will say it costs more to build an Olds, but that's not true. It might take a while to find a shop with Olds experience, but the search is worth it. Of all Olds motors, the 425 is my favorite too.
there are a few cool intakes etc for them. the numbers will be on the top driver's side right behind the waterpump. what heads are on the one in question?
Sweet intakes!!! I like the tunnelram! I'm planning on sticking this in an old 5 window and want the tallest, baddest intake with the loudest ear splitting pipes. I want an ignorant bastard rod when I'm done! Just found the #s. Above the water pump = 389244D Heads = B
good engine! that's the big car engine '66-'67, possibly even from a toronado which had a little extra power...depends on the original paint color to know that one, hope it's blue info on the heads follows... B 389395 80cc 2.000, 2.072" int. 1.625" exh. 1966 400/425's. Toronado and 442 heads had the larger 2.072" intake valves. Shallow spring seats. No hard exhaust seats. RH head will have the engine ID stamped into the front. First to use the one piece aluminum rocker pivots with 5/16" mounting bolts. Some early ones used the 3 piece rocker arm pivots with studs. The big valve "B" heads with the -1 casting number are somewhat unique. As of 22 Apr 66 the head castings wore the -1 after the number. Looking at the build time of the 66 W-30 cars being June of 66 the later date codes on the heads would be correct for these cars. I've been told that this was a running change or update for the heads. Jim Stohlman gave me the correct skinny on these. The L-69 (Tri-carb) cars were available in late December 1965. Therefore these cars should have regular "B" heads. Not -1's. The W-30's will ALL have -1 heads due to their late build date. ALL 66 W-30's were build on the Lansing line in one production run. Build dates of these cars should be around 6180 (meaning 1966, 180th day) or so. Therefore, all of them will wear the -1 heads. So did all the other cars that year. The heads I've got are date coded for the 137th and the 138th day of 1966. Meaning these were in the window of the 90 days prior to all the 66 W-30's being nuilt. What I'm getting at is that the later the date codes the better they are for the W-30's. So far one of the latest date codes on a -1 "B" head is around 6150. There could be later, but this is the latest we've noted. Remember that for most restorations the acceptable dates for parts being installed on the car is a MAX of 90 days prior to the build date of the car. Anything farther out than that would require extensive documentation.
425 and 455 parts interchange i thought the 400 was a differnt animal tho. i ran a 68 385 hp one in a 75 gutlass some years back. lots of torque but it wouldnt rev much past 4500. also a big prob i had was spark knock due to 10.5:1 factory compression. unless they gone out of business, MONDELLO used to have hi-po olds stuff...also i hated the stock aluminum rocker stands...
The original color of the engine seems to have been a burnt orange reddish color. Where would the -1 be? I'm gonna go check for it now. Mondello I think is still in business. I checked out there site earlier today.
red means non-hipo but still a nice respectable engine. the -1 would be right after the "B" if i remember right. jetmek-all bog block olds (400, 425, 455) can interchange accessories, intakes etc. don't buy from mondello...lynn's an idiot and the quality fucking SUCKS now. you want good parts, start with Terry Frisch aka Mr. Olds or olds performance products
the 118 is just a number that was used to track the castings within the foundry/factory. nice on the big valve heads though. you got ya a fun engine right there!
Sweet!!! Not bad for a 17 yr old kid with $100, huh! Do you know the hp and torque ratings for this bad boy? Any common mods you can do to spice it up? I'm planning on a heavy cam and a tunnelram or blower, after a complete bare block rebuild. Any pics of any in a hot rod? I love how ridiculously wide these things are!
stock brake hp was 385 and tq was 500ish...depending on drivetrain that's about 300hp and 400tq at the wheels. plenty to move a little car
What about tranny and bellhousing options? It's gotta be a stick and it needs to be period correct (late '60s or older).
being that it's a big car engine it's probably got a flexplate which means you'll need a flywheel to run that manual. there were a couple muncie options for the 4 speeds and you can get adapters for countless others. just realize with that kind of torque you're going to need some tough parts if you want it to ever hook up or you'll scatter little bits of metal everywhere your first hard launch...
There was no flexplate or anything with it. I'm definately gonna get the toughest parts I can find cause I drive as if it was a race to everyplace I am going! Thanks for all your help! You guys are awesome! Bob Galet
check your lifter bank angle befoere purchasing a cam, yours is probably a 45 degree unless its out of 66,67 toronado there is 45 degree, not a big deal, just need to verify this and let your cam supplier know, dont let a non old guy tell you different, most cam grinder such as crane , comp cam , etc are aware of this 39 degree is the most common and is what you get if you dont tell them check your lifter size also...... .921 .842 most common 425 is externally balanced, so harmonic balacer, flexplate,flywheel does not interchange blocks will interchange 425 and 455 , same size bore , pistons do not due to pin height lots of parts avilailable for these like was mentioned earlier RED FLAG = mondello plenty of reputable olds suppliers out there
That's what I was gonna say! Bellhousing is standard B.O.P.- but you might have to have a pilot bearing hole drilled in the crank. (standard transmission cranks had one, auto's did not) no biggie, any machine shop can do it. re-working the oiling system is a really good idea. kits are availible, and your machinist should charge about 40 bucks to do it while the motor is apart. in the picture with the tunnel ram...see those pretty rocker arms? you are gonna need them if you run a cam with much lift over stock. they're pricey, but they rock. don't cheap out on a water pump.that's a whole lot of cast Iron to keep cooled off. don't buy a timing gear, buy a double roller chain...trust me on this one. holler if you need any parts...I have sources for alot of stuff.
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