Now it is widely known that the 56 and earlier Olds has a smaller lifter bore than the 57 and later Olds blocks. Now the problem is if you are going a route where you are going to use a roller cam, how does the Olds engine novice figure out what to do if he got ahold of a good roller cam for his 56 or earlier block? (note, as stated in many techs on here the 56 324, though it has the same lifter bore as its predecessors, has a larger bearing journal). 90% of the advice given is to use late Olds/Pontiac roller lifters or small block Chevrolet lifters. Now in todays massive aftermarket and all sorts of crazy modifications possible, I found that it is near impossible to find the stock lifter size for the early Olds, and that is attributed to the fact that A) it is a not commonly given spec and B) the aftermarket is flooded with more than a handfull of lifter diameters just for the small block Chevy. So, to help in this confusion to those who may be wondering... -Stock lifter bore size for Olds 303 to 1956 324 ci engines is .842. This is the same as stock 265-400 ci small block Chevrolets (possibly the same as some big blocks as well). To aid in the search and put the guys you are talking to over the phone who may not know early Olds' a rest, the .842 lifters came in all 1968 and up engines (except the 307) and all 330's, non-toronado D-block 425's, and possibly the 1965 442 (B-block 400). -Stock lifter bore size for 1956 and later Olds blocks is .921, which is the same as E and G block 400's, '66-7 Toronado 425's. Some '66-7 non-Toronado blocks. Late 307's and 350DX diesels used .921's in roller form. I know a little of this may have been said previously, but not in nearly enough detail to really help in a hunt, so i thought i would throw it out there to help expedite someones search. Suppliers: Engle- Chevy and late Olds lifters available in a wide variety Isky- Chevy and late Olds lifters available in a wide variety Mondello- Late Olds lifters available in both sizes Comp Cams - Chevy lifters available in a wide variety to fit .842 (may have lifters for the late Olds as well) etc. etc. etc. a quick search of aftermarket parts suppliers will give you the answer your looking for. Mondello can supply solid roller lifters for about $450, Isky quoted anywhere between $500 and over $700 depending on the application (street, race, or anywhere inbetween). I also talked to Engle but was quickly referred to Mondello. But armed with this info, you should find no shortage of possibilities in your search for performance lifters for your early olds! P.S.- If you have a very rare cam and lifter set up (like my Engle solid roller) and it came with the later .921's, check with your local machine shop to see if they do boring of lifter bores, i'm toying with that idea and am talking to a reputable local machine shop, stay tuned for pricing as compared to the price for new lifters. -Jr
Being a true, died in the wool, modern Olds fan, I want to add there are other suppliers of olds lifters that are not near as expensive, nor as hard to deal with, as Mondello. Unless you are dealing directly with Joe's shop in Tennessee, you are going to get another sales person that is sometimes not very customer friendly. He can be downright obtuse about some things and by no means is an Olds expert. If you want to buy from real Oldsmobile high performance people. PM me. I am not a dealer nor associated with any vendors in any way. Just like to clue folks in to the best deals.
yes, tony (goatroper) at Ross Racing can supply either size as well. But for purposes outside of built motors, for example those who may still be using a stock or reground hydraulic cam and the hydraulic lifters, knowing these sizes and crossreferenced applications will help as you can probably go to NAPA and still get these lifters in these sizes (albeit from a different make and model possibly) alot faster than from a performance company. Atleast that was half the purpose for this technical post.
Tennessee??? on their website is said Paso Robles and had an 805 (ventura county) area code! hahaha crazy, must be like a business office down in calif.?
Yeah that was confusing except the old /OLDS parts ; ) I am shocked Engle referred you to Moneydello . You should be able to find .842 roller lifters for under $400 . The problem you may run into is the lifter spaceing so the tie bars may not work from a late model . I dont think this would be an issue but the reason the .842 lifters do not all interchange is the oiling groove. I believe boring lifter bores is expensive if the shop can do it . We talked about this not long ago but I forgot the figures
I'll simplify this as much as I can without bashing them , Knowledgeable Olds people do NOT use them .
yea i more than likely would NOT have gone with them. just really haven't heard enough good about them to overtake the good i have heard of other companies. i have yet to call Comp-Cams though and see what they have to offer.
I think Comp run like $370 for a set . Crane used to make the roller lifters also but are on stand still till S+S reorganises them I didn't mention earlier since I had to look up the # since he doesn't have a web site , but Dave Smith is the man in High Performance Olds ,his wife Karen is very sweet too . Dave Smith Engineering 25078 Road 196 Exeter, CA 93221 559-562-3500 Fax:559-562-0100
i have heard that name before. i'm in class at the moment watching some movie called "Jesus Camp" lol anyways, is he the same guy from Exeter Auto that does all the Offy stuff?
I do not know if Dave does a lot of Offy stuff, he is a very good machinest and engine builder though, built and designed some Olds racing products and I believe instrumental in the DRCE devolupment . Ran 7.67 with a SB olds in 82
Joe has moved his portion of the business (porting school and other training) to Tennessee. His son-in-law still has the Paso Robles portion. The machining operations are also in Tenn as well as some sales. I don't recall what city, but if you do business with them, you are dealing with Joe himself. No one recommends the other business anymore.
ahhhh i see. hmm i'm struggling to remember WHERE or from who i have heard the name before! its gonna bother the hell outa me know!
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