THE oldsmobile rocket 303 324 371 394 post to end all other posts, (lasalle related )

Bought a nice Accel electronic Distributer for my 394 from GMC Bubba. Looking brand new!!
He can help out with Mallory conversions, too for a resonable Price!!
He can help you out with everything you need!!

 

Ive got a normal Olds Distributor,bought set of point and condenser and a new Dizzy Cap for about $30.00.
Sure it will send a spark down the line,to get my Olds motor back to life.

 

Does anybody make(or have) an adapter to put a J2 on a 394 ?
I have the j2 already and would like to use it in my 1960 Dynamic 88 Fiesta wagon
also I have a few complete 1960 394, one with factory stick in a super 88 Fiesta wagon. and the parts cars to match, all 1960 Olds

thanx

 

easiest way would probably be to use the Offenhauser 394 3x2 manifold with the J2 carbs.

as you know the problem with using the stock '57-'58 iron manifold on the later motor is that with the deck height change it would require spacers to get even the bolts to align
and the ports on the 394 heads are larger than the 371 ports on the stock manifold

 

Custom v/c spacers made from a big ol' hunk of aluminum:





I just had the mating surface on the Offy covers milled flat; it was amazing how bad they were.

 

I thought it would be cool to make my own finned Alley covers.As I didn't want to spend all the time knocking out all the dents and then getting the Old ones balsted and priming and rubbing etc to get to paint.
Wow I got an old set of pressed metal covers,spent hours restoring them.For me that is not the road I wanted to go down.

So I machined up with a router a finned section to Bog onto the Top of my old metal covers.Then I had to thicken up the sides to be able to sand cast anything the Metal has to be around 4 or 5mm thick to flow threw.

With all this extra metal thichness they are now a bit heavier than the old tin ones but I got somehting that I wanted.

The only thing I didnt allow for was the extra Alley in the fins made the Rocker Covers bend.So I had to get them Milled Flat.

Well to my amazement,it cost me $100 each to get a one of cast.Then $100 each to get them Dialled in and then Milled flat.Well that makes them cost me $400.00.Woooops didn't think it would blow out to that.

Got to be happy with that though,I still like lookin at them.Its made the Motor look heaps better.
Got to have finned everything on your Hot Rod,for that Nostalgic look.

 

Hello:

Please validate.

As we know for model years 1959 and 1960 OLDS offered both the 371 and 394 concurannatly. It is believed the 394 block accepts a .125 overbore easily with plently of remaining wall thickness.

1) Is the 371 block during only these two years actually an "UNDERBORED" 394 block?

2) If so, the Cylinder Wall Thickness will be equal to a standard 4.125 bore 394 when the subject 1959/60 4.00 inch bore 371 block is bored .125 over?

3) Did the 1964 ULTRA HIGH COMPRESSION 394 block have any special features over the other 1964 394 Blocks such as thicker walls? If so, please list.

Thank You!

 

Hi guys, this is a great thread ...thanks to all. I have a question for those with much more knowledge than me. I don't know if I have missed it in the thread, so I apologise in advance if I have. I have a '56 324 with and Edelbrock 3x2 intake and it needs a freshen up. My question is that I have a pair of #10 heads that I would like to use.....what problems if any will I encounter by using them? I am guessing I will need to use the '56 intake gaskets and maybe port match the intake. Which head gaskets do I need to use, and will all the coolant / oil passages line up? Thanks guys....I really appreciate all your input! Keith from down under.

 

the #10 heads are 1956 324, they will bolt up fine.
use all 324 gaskets.

 

Thanks for such a quick reply Paul....it's nice to be able to lean on the experts

 

quick question. i have a 1960 394 with a hydromatic. my questions are...how do you check trans fluid? in park or neutral? running? then on the kickdown linkage does it rotate clockwise or counter when hooked up?

 

hello all ive got a 56 rocket 324 and im not fond of the stock hydra-matic that sits behind it is there any easy tranny swaps to rid myself of this. thanks guys any help of info would be great!

 

Can anybody tell me what the width of a earlier rocket valve cover is?
I've got a '56 324 and it measures about 20-3/16 x 5-1/2". I was watching a set of Edmunds finned covers on the Bay for a '55-'57.
Question was asked about size. 19-15/16 x 4-15/16 was the answer. Are the earlier covers for the #7 and #8 heads that size? I really wanted them, but hesitated. Still sold for $266. I would have thought more.

 

The Edmunds covers fit '49-'56 heads without modification.

 

The stock tin Olds cover is made different at the gasket flange. It has a wide gasket surface and also has the small bent-over lip to keep the gasket from slipping outwards.


The Edmunds cover has a marginal gasket surface without that extra lip to hold the gasket, so yes it is smaller both directions.

$266 eh? Well, I guess the local investor guy,that a friend knows, was correct: He said last fall:"don't buy anything this year, because next year, they'll be giving it away" Those Edmunds were bringing over twice that price on the rare occasions they showed up at auction several years ago.


I would like to know what is different when trying to put them on a 57 to 58? Is the bolt pattern wrong? or?

 

the bolt pattern is the same for all the two bolt covers
it is the rail that the gasket sits on that is longer but only by about 5/16"
to compensate for the longer rocker shafts,
the covers should still just work

 

Damn! I easily would have went $325. I was leary of buying wall art if they didn't fit. Did I already say Damn!

 

Thanks for the info. I think Heathen would be correct then, in saying up to 56 for Edmunds, because I really don't think the skimpy edge could handle 5/16" more. They are really lacking in material at the edges, and you need to be careful to get the gasket fitting good on a 324.

 

Also, the rocker arm shaft stands changed in '57, and I think that the ends needed a bit more clearance; I've seen 3 or 4 pairs of aluminum covers that were run on '57-'58 heads that had clearance ditches ground in each end so as to miss the shaft/stands.

 

where did you order the oil bypass so i can get on to relocate my oil filther;it's hitting my headder's

 

Now thats some great oldsmobile stuff,made for some great reading!!

 

use your wayback machine

 

...and if you've got one that works, get ahold of me before you go----I've got a long list of items I'd like you to pick up for me.

 

I got one for a 394 from Tony at Ross. He probably has the earlier ones also.

 

Hey Paul,I am running my Beehive Remote Oil filter on the firewall. What is the thread size and hose size of the pipes coming out of the 1957 OLDS 371 where the External Oil filter bolts on.

Like if I was going to run the OIL BYPASS as pictured earlier.

 

Yesterday, I picked up a '53 303 that another rodder removed from his car to replace with a freshly rebuilt 303. It came out of a '32 coupe that had sat in a building for over forty years, and it had an odd looking standard shift flywheel bolted to it. When I got it home, I figured out that it was a '40s Olds flathead six flywheel. It's got the "wagon wheel" symbol cast on the backside that was indicative of Olds castings in those days, and has a BB imbedded in the flywheel for ignition timing purposes (like 216/235 Chevies did). It is the same diameter as the V8 flywheel and has 145 starter teeth like the 'wheel used on '49-'53 303s, but is not as thick. It looks like it was originally drilled for a diaphragm or borg&beck pressure plate, but has been redrilled for the long style pressure plate that the V8s used. I've wondered about flywheel interchange between the six and V8, but never had a six cylinder flywheel for comparison. This could come in handy, as it's probably easier to come up with a stick flywheel from a '40s Olds six than for the V8.

 

Heathen,

That does sound like a 6-cylinder flywheel. The flywheel from a Model 76 Olds will fit on the Rocket cranks and mesh properly with the starter. It used to be much easier to find those flywheels than one from a V8. I am not sure that is still true. Not many of the Model 76's from the forties have been saved.

 

Maybe not, but if anyone sees the carcass of a '40s Olds six lying in a boneyard, it may be worth pulling the flywheel.

 

I should publish the casting number off of it in case someone spies one in a pile of flywheels somewhere. I'll look at it tonight.

 

The casting number on the back of the flywheel is 411203.