I'm installing a 455 rocket in a 57 Olds, and can't find a manifold to clear the stock steering box. Whats next? different steering box, rack and pinion, Who has done this swap. P.S. I don't want to move the motor over if I can possibly help it. come on guys, help a guy out! thanks, Bowtie...
I've heard of guys swapping the W-motors (348/409) into tri-five Chevrolet cars, and using stock manifolds by recessing the steering box into the frame. Is that a possibility in a 57 Olds? Butch/56sedandelivery.
headers come to mind, not hard to build with some U and J bends and a flange. Some times the engine was offset a little bit. You can tell everyone that it is a performance mod to offset your weight at the track if you must have an excuse.
Sorry no help for solution, but a picture might help everyone give you more options. This is the stock setup for reference. The 57 exhaust that had to go forward and over because of steering and master cylinder.
was common to often use 2 p***enger side manifolds when swapping in the olds engines into other cars and routing exhaust under the front sump. maybe that may be the solution for swapping the later rocket in the 57 olds.
Can you put a Saginaw 605 box on these like you can on the Pontiacs and maybe do some U-joint gymnastics to get the steering around the manifolds? On a Pontiac frame it's just about a bolt on, two holes need to be added to make it work. But the Olds I know is different, if anything more like a Buick.
The steering gears on these cars are very large... I have seen some guys move the engine over 1 inch to help clear the steering gear... I have some CAAD drawings someone was kind enough to send me of how they did theirs if you would like them. Just PM me for them. A 605 style can be mounted with a little work and makes a LOT of room under the hood. I believe it might require a little clearancing of the frame to make it fit, and it almost bolts right up. There are a couple minor rag joint shenanigans required I think, but its not anything that should be prohibitive. There is a guy on E BAY that sells 605 steering gears that he says bolt right in to 56-58 oldsmobile's, You ought to check that out. If I remember right they are a quicker ratio as well. If its anything like my 55, which it very well might not be, the master cylinder won't interfere with the exhaust. Good luck with the project. Take pictures if you can and post them, there is not a lot of info out there on this one yet.
Yep, and don't think of it as being a half *** way of doing it. Just look at how the Mopar Engineer's got the Elephant to fit in they're engine bays. You can clearly see the engine setting more to the right and on a slight angle as well.
That is good to know. Now that I think of it, moving the engine over will also buy you clearance if you want to install a firewall mounted booster setup... It will add a bit more room between the valve cover and the brake booster. I will be doing mine soon (with a 394), seems like it might be tight...
Olds made what some call an "Industrial " exhaust manifold set, not sure why they call it that........maybe it was used on equipment of some sort, but it tucks tight to the block on the drivers side. Some years ago we swapped a 455 into a buddies 60 Olds and ran into the same situation on the drivers side. We hit the junkyards and found some that were pretty tight, and as I recall, they were from a Tornado. Even at that we had to m***age the left side one a little to clearance it around the steering box. You might also look at motorhome manifolds, if you can find them, I think they were pretty compact too. Don
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