Technical "will it run" '63 Olds 394

Thanks, Paul. And that was with used rings. Seems to be a worth while task.

 

Where is Anthony? Heck... I'd drive it...

 

That little puff of blue smoke may simply be a matter of just needing new intake valve seals. Worse case scenario might be badly worn valve guides, if you're really that concerned about it.

 

ha! thanks Jeff

 

Gotta love the low budget build most folks would have kept on stepping over that engine. Glad you took the time to save it. Joe

 

Good save! Fun thread.
Like you, I did the same with a ‘55 324 a while back. It sat for years, was irresistibly cheap, but came back to life quickly and runs great. Unfortunately, when you raise the rpm to around 2000, there’s a light tapping sound noticeable above the open exhaust. Unlike you, I’ve resisted the urge to tear into it at this point. I might just have to make a stab at fixing it. Wish it was a 394.

 

First time I ever heard of a 394 (that I recall anyway) was last week. My golf buddy telling stories of his brother and his beat up old 63 Olds Catalina out dragging many "hot cars" of the day. Whaaaaa? So I looked it up and sure as shit it had high compression and great HP and tq. Who knew? Then Friday at the GNRS in the suede palace saw a trio of traditional hot rods with Olds engines. Huh. Then today this post.
Good on ya, nice save. Tasty runner to drop into whatever comes along. Well done!

 

Cool

 

the '63 Catalina was a good lookin car, with the available dual quad 421 and 4 speed I'll bet it was a blast to drive, but it wasn't an Olds, it was a Pontiac

 

I never thought I'd get old enough to see errors like this made in public, but I was wrong.

 

engine run stand control panel coming together.
couldn't find a working vintage water temperature gauge in my pile that matched, but swap meet season is approaching quickly so I hope to replace this one soon.
I also couldn't find a decent throttle lever, the T handle push pull cable will have to do.
only one toggle will be connected on this engine, that for the electric fan, the others are for future use, electric fuel pump and magneto kill switch or whatever.
a few more things will or may get included, resistor for points, regulator for charging..

anyway, it should be done enough to verify function today.

 

Ah hell I've made much worse errors than this in public. Don't know Olds cars at all, virtually no exposure to them. Growing up in the '70s around here, no love for Olds. As mentioned hadn't even heard of a 394. Checked with golf buddy - he says it was a Starfire.

 

My comment was more about my age than your knowledge.

 

For those that are not aware of the Olds/Cad/Buick/Pontiac engines places in Hot Rod history, you might want to spend a bit of time studying up if your gonna be on a traditional Hot Rod message board....just sayin!

 

ha! it's all good, we are all here to learn.

 

short clip, showing run stand control panel soaking up some of this famous northwest liquid sunshine..

 

“Will it run” boy howdy! Cool and thanks
Dan

 

He'll yeah... screw putting that in a car. I would leave it around as is.

 

funny, I've sold a couple ongoing project cars and complete engines to buyers that said that was their plan.
just something to have in the shop.
and at least one near finished project car that the buyer said he was buying for the parts.
I think that's where I am with this one, it's an organized pile of parts, a complete set of missing parts to something I don't have yet.

 

I watched that video last night. It sounds good.

 

I believe it was a Peerless Faucet TV commercial.. this couple brings a faucet to a house builder and tells him to design a house around it.

 

Very cool! I appreciate you doing this and documenting the process. As mentioned, it seems so many folks think we have to spend a fortune at times to enjoy this hobby. This pretty much proves that you can have an old running engine for next to nothing.

 

Excellent save, thanks for the documentation! Love the effort and showing a cost effective and time effective way to bring a paperweight back to life.

My take on some of the comments: the opinion is not wrong, but it is a bit too gatekeeping for my tastes. Open conversations is how we all learn, and accelerate that learning. When someone is too afraid to say they don’t know the difference between every make/model/engine combo,
Etc., that’s not great for learning and participating in the hobby. Don’t want to hijack this thread, mods feel free to delete if this is too much. Thank you.

 

That is dedication right there.

Nice save/refresh on the Olds. A little time, money, and some parts clean up usually yields good results, as you showed.

 

Awesome Job Paul! Just read through this whole thread. Such a good save and what a fun project. I brought home a flathead a couple weeks ago and tried to fire it up in my trailer. Thanks for posting this- I love Olds motors-

the engine run stand is killer!
Tuck