Full race 303 olds rocket built in 1958...AND I FOUND IT!!!

I found this Olds 303 Rocket that was built in 1958. Taken out in 1963 for a hot rod project the guy sold, then he stuck it in his garage hidden away in the back........until I got it yestarday. I bought it from the man who built it, It was origonally in his 46 ford coupe until he took it out in 63 and put a corvette engine in it, he still has the car but wont sell it. this engine has solid lifters, a isky cam, mag spark ignition and the dual point distributer with the origonal cap, and its been bored out a quarter of an inch! He still has all the paper work on it, he has to give that all to me still, he also couldnt find the intake, it had tri power, dual fours, then a single four. He is going to look through all his stuff and give me all three of those intakes if he can find them. I took the vally cover off to check to see if it really was built, and sure enough it has a huge cam in it and solid lifters. He also custom made those motor mounts to bolt in the stock location of the 46 frame. I even got another set of heads he gave me that he put bigger valves in that he had machined in 1967 that he never put on and they are still wrapped in 1967 newspaper! After all the machine work was done to the engine he painted it red in 58 and high lighted the oldsmobile rocket letters on the valve covers in white. The adapter plate and starter he all had machined in california to fit a top loader, and I got all that stuff too. So heres some pics of a real piece of hot rod history.

 

What a *****'n SCORE and story, .....

 

NICE FIND!!
A Quarter inch overbore on a 303 gives you 324 inches & was a real commom overbore then. Good chance it has stock 55 pistons , again very commonly done at the time.

I bored a bunch of Olds a quarter over when I worked in an engine rebuilders when I was 19 or 20. Got to where I could kick one out in under an hour.

 

Nice find want to sell it.. hehe

 

Nice score!!

 

Well, since I know what you paid for that little gem, if you ever sell it you should immediately have several bullets manually inserted directly into your skull.

You need to track down and A body and frame and get to work building that dream car of yours now that you have the motor you've ALWAYS talked about, finally!

Vance

 

Fire that ***** up & YouTube it, please! I would to hear it run.

 

Hey Stephen,

No hard feelings...but you totally ****!

Wasn't it just last week or maybe the week before that you found a super deal on a totally complete two door '55 Imperial with the 354 hemi still in it?

If I were you I would run out and but a lottery ticket or two...sum*****.

Nice score...again

Thor

 

Thor, this guy is one of my friends, and don't you think that some of that luck would p*** off on to others? Not a chance! This cat runs into this **** on a daily basis. I'm not kidding. I'll bet almost every day I get at one cell call from him, 'hey man guess what I found?' and off he goes... It's really funny. Every now and then he comes across something that he doesn't really need and he'll p*** it along, but never like that Rocket or a Hemi... I'm kidding really. Stevo is a great friend and he's always there when I need him, maybe a little late, but he's always got a great story as to why!!!

Vance

 

Thanks vance, I guess its time I tell about what else came with my engine, a 33 dodge pickup cab 3 doors, 4 fenders, bed, and i think is a 34 ford rear window garnish molding that Vance will probably end up with. That olds rocket is in that picture sitting in the bed of my ugly brown and tan ( with orange factory pin stripe for style) ford in the bed of my 33 dodge truck covered up by a bunch of stuff. It was squatting pretty good, but i got it all in there!

 

WHAT!? Garnish molding? I was told at the Indy GG show swap meet that there wernt no more left in the world!!! WHOLEY MACKREL!!! I guess that feller was was wrong.

See, that Stevo is and all right guy!

Vance

 

Great find. Hey I think somebody makes a kit to adapt SBC valve covers so you can get rid of those ugly Olds Rockets.

 

I think that .125 bore gets a 303 to 324. If you do a 324 with a .125 bore takes it to 346". Then you use 371 Olds pistons on the stock rods. I plan on doing this to my 1950 303 motor.

 

Well, it is really clean inside and free, but even so Im going to tear it apart and throw new bearings and rings in it, and check for cracks. Then ill get a cool 6 deuce set up and fire it up.

 

does it have adjustable rockers or pushrods?! i got a full race motor also, i got jahns pop tops on mine though!!!!

 

Man, not to mention the luck on the engine, i've been looking all over and checking ebay all the time for a 33 dodge pickup project..

 

Sweeeeeeet!

 

cool find Stephen

 

The rockers are adjustible yes

 

This guy wouldn't have run this and still running another in a g***er style 46-7-8 Ford Coupe is he? Saw one at GGs Indy a few years back. Man it sounded great! ----Fire Suit Phil----- is his name?

Great score BTW

 

good find sounds like when I found a nos 364 nailhead stuff like that is drying up so get it when you can good luck hope that motor makes its way back to the race track

 

very, very cool.

nice find man.

 

I love olds, I dont have one, but I would love one. make sure to post pictures when you have it all together.

 

damn thats one hell of a find! wanna sell one of those intakes?

 

Primo score man !!

Rat

 

Are you serious!!!

 

Hell no!!!

 

I stand corrected -- a .125 bore is 324 in a 303 & a 1/8 bore is actually what I was thinking of even tho I said 1/4 . Don't think I ever dared to try a 303 a quarter over ---thats a BUNCH-O-Bore !!

 

cool! What brand is that starter housing? Did it include the oil filter block-off?

 

If you actually use this motor I have a stick setup for it but I am not going to give it away so someone can make a buck on it but its available if its needed. Jeff