Well we finally got my olds running good enough to make a p*** down the road, and the news is not good. The trans is FUBAR. It shifted up to 2nd once, after it down shifted back to first it wouldn't go back into second. I kinda should have known there was a problem when the trans had very very fresh fluid in it when i first bought it. So heres the question what do i do? Im pretty sure a rebuild will be over a grand, an adapter kit to put a 350 0r 400 behind the 394 is nearly 900 bucks. But i also have an interesting option available. In the up coming week im pulling the 350 from my dads blazer. He is reusing the heads, but ill have a good bottom end that really just needs to be rehoned and reringed, im confident the smoking is due to ****ty ring install. An idiot built that motor. I actually got in a serious argument with him about him saying it didnt matter how the rings went on the pistons because they rotate in the cylinder, WTF. I have a super nice set of powerpack heads i can toss on it. Im pretty sure a buddy has a 400 he will let me have, or horse trade for. I hired a new guy last week and he is supposedly a really good fabricator. So i can see how he is at scratchbuilt motor mounts. So im thinking i can put a 350 with a 400 trans behind it for the cost of some metal, some rings, and the cost of driveshaft modifications ($200-$300 total) So what do i do? I really hate to pull the 394 because i finally got it running right, not to mention ive dropped a good lil bit of dough on it ($400 or so) Plus it might be a lil lame to run a SBC in a big block car.
same trouble with my 53caddy adapta's for 331's aint cheep id hate to runa sbc but you cant beat how cheap they are and you can rebuild the things at a 7/11. honestly i would drop the 350 in it so you can have fun with it and drive it, save up for yooour adapter, if you were to put a sbc in you'd have a 400 for yoour adapter/394 setup. just my 2 cents.
The power pack heads might have some pretty small chambers on them and may be too much compression when installed on a 350.....not to mention the valves are small. I'd shop for an adapter and a cheap turbo350 and keep the cool motor in the car. You've already invested time/money in that direction.....I say go with the 394.
I thought the same thing about the PP heads but im pretty sure this motor has dished pistons. Valves are smaller, but its hard to beat free.
I say stay with the 394 but it's not my coin. you have to decide whats best for you. If you do the swap I would keep the 394 and trans and save some money until you have enough to do the rebuild and swap it back. I am in the same boat on my 55 Olds, bad trans but I do have a 350/350 sitting in the garage but I really want the 324 to stay in it.
WHOA BIG FELLA, don't throw out the baby with the bathwater. That ****** may not be FUBARed. Do some searching on here and you will find tons of info to help you diagnose your problem. Those transmissions also have some adjustments that may need to be made. Take your time and do some research. You may end up saving lots of $$$ and will still have a very traditional and desireable powertrain. Those 394's are exceptional engines. WWWAAAAAAYYYYYYYY better than any sbc.
I was going to ask this question also. Does your Olds still have the dual range Hydramatic? If so, they do need adjusted correctly to shift right. If mine is even a little low on fluid it won't shift right either.
KEEP the olds! Like mentioned above, spend some time to diagnose the problem before you yank the trans. I'm coughing up slightly less $$$ for a Wilcap adapter for the 292 Y-block my dad wants to run. The choice was Y-block and build a cruise-o-matic or FMX or spend the money on an adapter and run a th350 trans you can literally get anywhere. Once you put the bowtie in, you will be just like every other "street rod" at the drive-in. Good luck.
If you haven't got one, find an old Chiltons, or Motors book for your year. They are available from anywhere between $20 and$50 on e-bay and other places. Worlds of info on adjustments etc. My slim jim Hydro in the '63 Pontiac I owned for several years was acting up and a two minute adjustment fixed the problem. Some of those old automatics were very particular about having everything adjusted correctly.
At least have the ****** checked out first,I am a diehard Chevy man but you got an OLDS,stick with what you like,which seems to be what you"ve got.good luck with the ******.
Try makkcotransmissionparts.com, or call them @ 1-877-916-2526 I've got alot rebuild books from them, and when I've talked to them on the phone they're up on anything you can throw at them. Not gonna say they're the end all, but they helped me out. I believe they're based in Alabama, but the parts and books I got from them made it out here to Fresno within a couple of days after talking to them. Keep what you got, and just learn... so you can teach the rest with your trials and tribulations, er... experience.
I had the same symptoms in my hydro (55 Olds dual range) a thrust washer went bad and metal filings plugged up the governor. Did you say you dropped the oil pan? Were there metal filings in the oil? Pull the side cover off and remove the valve body and governor housing ( half a dozen or so bolts )and see if there's any debris in there. Check the bore in the governor housing for scoring. If you find anything like this then you will need and overhaul since the whole transmission would have been contaminated with filings. If the oil is clean then try some adjustments.
Ill try to get the pan pulled tomorrow if i get a chance, we tore down the carb and cleaned it today and cleaned the points so im really not gonna loose the olds if i can help it.
KEEP THE OLDS!! There is alot of stuff that has to be changed to put a small block chevy in there ( modern olds too ) The Olds ****** was good enough for 50 years, why mess with a good thing. there are people out there that can rebuild it (if the adjusting thing doesn't cure it). I have seen those old fellas take alot of abuse.
Put in the SBC so you can be different just like everybody else... didja ever think how boring the world would be if every woman was the same? Keep the Olds an quit trying to justify the Chevy....with all due respect.
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