Hot Rods Olds Rocket engine with crazy work done

Internally it looks great !

 

I wonder if Ed has any history on that grind?

 

Here's a pic of my 55 Desoto automatic mid plate. Looks the same to me. They sure used a strange combination on that transmission adaptation.

 

It's called hot rodding. There was a time when you couldn't open a catalog and order race parts. You actually had to do your own trial and error. True hot rodding is sadly dead!! And we're supposed to be "real" hot rodders. Lol

 

There is a ton of wacky work in this one. I totally love it. Backyard engineering for sure.

Some of the work done here would have been deemed mostly moot by today's aftermarket availability. Now instead of milling off the back of the block, welding on makeshift stanchions, and using an adapter to a different brand bell housing in order to run a decent stick transmission, there are common bells to adapt the early Olds to a 4 speed, 5 speed or even T56, or you could take a more traditional path an use a simple plate to early Ford, or use a Olds bell and use a Lasalle. There are no shortage of options of using a stick behind an early Olds. I wish the same could be said for an automatic, which is still a significant dilemma to this day.

The wild workmanship on the intake also highlights the fact that still to this day there is not any aftermarket, 4 barrel aluminum intake for the Olds Rocket of any iteration, whether it be a 303-324 based engine, a 371, or later 394. If you want to run a 4 barrel, your only option is a factory intake. Beyond that, it's multiple carbs only. This has always struck me odd with these engines. I feel like an aluminum 4 barrel intake is one of the most basic of speed parts. Add to the fact that for at least half of the time the Olds V8 was around, there were performance 4 barrel carburetors available, but in the 73 years since the 303 came out, nobody has ever offered that speed part. Seems bonkers to me.

I'm not sure of the rational about the external water lines, especially since it looks like they retained the water crossover in the intake. Maybe it was just an experiment.

Very cool stuff here. Love it

 

After having raced Ak Miller's El Caballo for many years, it would be real interesting to see this critter put back together and see how it performs. The Caballo originally had a 303 which was out to about 380 cubes. I opted to use a 371, which is basically the same, with some bore to bring it up a little. Ak and Ed reground the original cam in both cases. Neither mill was radical, but both went like hell.
It would be great to see this puppy running in something !!!

 

Such a wild set up. With the valley pan cut out looks almost like a pontiac valley I wonder if that's what he was trying for

 

So crazy and cool!

 

Everything looks pretty good except one cylinder has some surface rust but no pitting hopefully clean up and be good to go.

 

Does any one have info on the cam that came out of it. Says Super Full revmaster 4 j-33 no guarantee?

 

There is something about a j-3359 and j-303 in my 62 Isky catalog

 

Revmaster, not remastered.

 

Your right I don’t know why I thought it said remaster thanks.

 

Your index finger looks highly modified too!!

 

Wild engine adjustable rocker arms 20 bucks a peace I'll take eight please.

 

Just another reason why the HAMB is awesome. Such a great thread. Looking forward to following this.

 

I think the cam might be that J-3359 in your catalog. Here’s some more photos of the heads and cam.

 

Man, I can't wait to see this beast brought to life. The amount of sweat and ingenuity poured into that block, to me that is what Hotrodding is all about.

 

Any updates?