I'm a Ford guy, so I cant just look at an Olds engine and tell you exactly what it is. My friend has a 72 Cutlass. He says it has an original "rocket" engine but doesn't know the displacement. Is there an easy way to just look at the engine and know which it is? Or are all the Olds blocks the same? He wants an Edelbrock intake manifold for it. I just want to make sure he orders the right one.
I'd bet looking up the engine code should tell him. With that said.... My old age will kick in now and I must admit its been 30 yrs since I played with olds and I don't remember where the code is !! I think on the front of the block under head seam.
For a question like this, the internet is your friend, I looked up "Oldsmobile engine identification" and found a number of charts that will give you the information you're looking for, also, check out the engine identification videos so you'll know where the information is located on the engine block..
Olds 350 1972 ^^^^^ Olds 455 1972 looks like the easiest is the oil filler neck. I am pretty sure that they were different blocks and the only '72 350s I have ever seen stock were 2 bbl motors. That don't mean they didn't come with a 4 bbl I have just never seen one.
455 is wider than a 350. Intake or block casting number would be a simple non-Olds-guy way to quickly figure it out.
Yeah, they all look the same. Check between the intake and water pump. Casting number should be there.
This is a '68 455 Easier to identify from this angle. It is a rocket! NASA's likely gets better mileage though.
Don't know much about them other than the 425 that the previous owner put in a 64 Chevelle two door wagon I had many years ago, what a dog that thing was, car had a Muncie 4 speed and a 4.11 twelve bolt also, it revved to 5 grand and said "I give".
Easiest way I know is to measure the width of the intake manifold. If it’s about 14” it is a 455. Oh, and @porknbeaner , I had a ‘73 Cutlass, 350 4 bbl, factory 4 speed. Four barrel 350 Oldsmobiles were never unusual even in the smog years.
Ok, I made a mistake on my last post. I tried to edit and made is worse. . . . Crispy looking engine is 70 455 The other is early 70s 455 Pictures for information purposes only as we know pre 1965 only on this site. Also note Oldsmobile made a 330, 400, 425, 430ci and they are also tough to differentiate from one another. Check your numbers on the front pad above the water pump
Back in the day the 350 and 400 were gold and the 455 blue, not very scientific but depending on how original it is. I don't recall a lot 455's in a cutlass only 442's and wagons.
330-350 were gold, and had a number left of the #1 spark plug. tall decks had a letter left of the number one spark plug. tall decks were red till???'72 maybe then the 455's were blue. The 400 was bronze NOT GOLD! So what color is it? and is it a number or a letter......
I recall that 455 has a taller deck height (approx. 1") to a 350, similar to differences between a 351W and 302W along with a wider intake manifold (approx 2"). SBO & BBO heads are interchangeable however valve sizes are different. Here's an engine decoder that may assist. https://oldsjunction.classicoldsmobile.com/oldsfaq/ofblk.htm
Funny I seldom saw them and was tuning to augment my wages in the smog years. I guess it could be that back then most people who owned stick shift 4 barrel cars tuned their own.
Might want to get a copy of this so you can familiarize yourself with whats what......... Look on Amazon
Thanks everybody. We’ve narrowed it down to 350 block from 1970. Now to identify the heads. Does anyone know what ratio the rocker arms are supposed to be? 1.5 or 1.6 ?