I have an Olds 303 engine that is installed in a vintage dragster I purchased. The engine is missing a lot of parts internally. I purchased a good core that needs overhauling. I have no experiance with an Olds engine. Are there any manuals for this engine available? Can an early Chevy engine manual be used? All help will be appreciated in getting this piece of history back on the track.
Rebuild the core using an Oldsmobile manual. The Chevrolet manual is for a Chevrolet! Would you use a refridgerator manual to rebuild a stove? Not trying to bust your chops,Ask a lot of questions and I am sure the power of the H.A.M.B. will guide you.
I guess it was asking a lot to mix apples and oranges. I just thought maybe the early GM V8's shared alot of similarity.
I have found online a factory service manual for the entire car. In looking at the index it was hard to determine how extensive the engine chapter got into. I may just have to bite the bullet and buy it.
The factory manual is very comprehensive. You will find that a lot of pages are devoted to the hydramatic, which was a relatively new animal then. Though the manual suggests that you use "tool # 4567739" to do some job, I have never had a problem using the universal tools available for other cars. My guess is that you can get a used manual for about $40-60. It can save you more than that.......
Hey Hotrod Rick, About 11 years ago, I purchased a new reprint of the "1950-51 Oldsmobile Shop Manual" for $65.00 from Kanter Auto Products in Boonton, NJ. Their website is www.kanter.com. This manual is about 1-1/2" thick and 8-1/2" x 11" in size and spiral-bound for ease of use on the workbench. Info. is very complete and detailed and should answer many of your rebuild questions. Kanter also carries many of the parts used in a total stock rebuild. But if you're thinking of a Hot Rocket that smokes the tires, give Tony at Ross Racing Engines in Niles, OH. a call. Ross builds bullets like that all year long AND they are H.A.M.B. members! Before you order the manual or make your calls, be sure you have accurately pinned down the year which your block was first manufactured. The info. to do that is listed in an Olds tech. article on this very website. Or if you'd prefer, give us the block number and one of us Olds guys can look it up for you and post the results. Either way, you've got a great engine that makes lots of torque and horsepower and is COOL to hear and look at. Keep us posted and good luck! mr50s
check this out. http://www.442.com/oldsfaq/ofe303.htm i have a 53 olds with the 303 4 barrel. its a fun engine....and seems like the hardest part for rebuilding would be finding parts...if its NOS you are looking for then kanter and/ or fusick www.fusick.com would be good places to start. these engines have lots of history to them,...and im amazed everytime i read about them here and on the interweb. good luck!!
I know this thread is a little old. I will be rebuilding a 303 soon and agree with all of the above plus watch Ebay and Hemmings. Don't forget H.A.M.B. cl***ifieds. Even Google and local Craigslist searches turn up suprises. A word of caution, I am hearing is that there is an internal plug in the oil circuit on early Rocket V's that machine shops overlook reinstalling. If it is missing, there is no oil pressure to certain areas and the engine fails quickly.
Yep, that is the best way to know exactly what steps you need to do on the engine. They usually cover every step in the operation and it reads as if they don't ***ume that the mechanic automatically knows what is going on. Figure out what year the engine is and usually you can find a manual on Ebay if you don't have a swapmeet coming up close by. it looks like you can get one for about 40 bucks on Ebay. Be careful as there are several that only are for the AC or transmission that are about 10 bucks that aren't any good to you.
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