Doc Frohmander wrote a good article in Street Rodder in maybe the 80s on rebuilding an early hydramatic. I used to be able to find it online, but it appears to have disappeared. In fact there was a site that archived a lot of Doc Frohmanders great articles. It had a lot of photos and also info on where to get parts. Maybe it is still online somewhere or maybe someone knows what issue it was in. Here's a link to a story about rebuilding the GM Hydramatics that Rolls Royce used in the early 50s. http://www.kda132.com/Technical/SectionF/Hydramatic2/Hydramatic2_1.html
So, can I ***ume that a 303 can handle 1/8" to use the entire rotating ***'y from a 324? Just thinking about trying a 1/8 bored 303 bare block with 56 heads, crank, pistons etc. Another question; the carnut spec chart shows big jumps in C/R from 53 through 56, This can't be just from the head changes if comparing a 303 piston diameter to a 324, but I see that there was a jump in some 55's models and all 56 324. Different head gaskets on the 55 lower vs higher 55 comp? Very confusing to me. Also, thanks to Jim394 for the hydramatic info. I will do some reading. <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=1><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top align=middle rowSpan=3>1953</TD><TD noWrap align=right>32,800</TD><TD noWrap>De Luxe 88</TD><TD align=right>V8</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>120</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>3514/3622</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>7.60x15</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>5 x 5</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>In Head</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>3 3/4 x 3 7/16</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>303.7</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>8.00</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>150 @ 3600</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>280 @ 1800</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>35-45</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>AC46-5</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>.030</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>.016</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>26-33</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>18736542</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>Slot</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>-12</TD></TR><TR><TD noWrap align=right>198,951</TD><TD noWrap>Super 88</TD><TD align=right>V8</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>120</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>3634/4080</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>7.60x15</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>5 x 5</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>In Head</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>3 3/4 x 3 7/16</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>303.7</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>8.00</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>165 @ 3600</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>284 @ 1800</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>35-45</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>AC46-5</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>.030</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>.016</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>26-33</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>18736542</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>Slot</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>-12</TD></TR><TR><TD noWrap align=right>100,330</TD><TD noWrap>98</TD><TD align=right>V8</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>124</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>3798/4459</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>8.00x15</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>5 x 5</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>In Head</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>3 3/4 x 3 7/16</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>303.7</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>7.50</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>165 @ 3600</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>284 @ 1800</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>35-45</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>AC46-5</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>.030</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>.016</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>26-33</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>18736542</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>Slot</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>-12</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top align=middle rowSpan=3>1954</TD><TD noWrap align=right>72,861</TD><TD noWrap>88</TD><TD align=right>V8</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>122</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>3684/3707</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>7.60x15</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>5 x 5</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>In Head</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>3 7/8 x 3 7/16</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>324.31</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>8.25</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>170 @ 4000</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>300 @ 2000</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>35-45</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>AC46-5</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>.030</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>.016</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>26-33</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>18736542</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>Slot</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>-12</TD></TR><TR><TD noWrap align=right>187,815</TD><TD noWrap>Super 88</TD><TD align=right>V8</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>122</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>3713/3985</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>7.60x15</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>5 x 5</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>In Head</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>3 7/8 x 3 7/16</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>324.31</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>8.25</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>185 @ 4000</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>300 @ 2000</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>35-45</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>AC46-5</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>.030</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>.016</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>26-33</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>18736542</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>Slot</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>-12</TD></TR><TR><TD noWrap align=right>93,375</TD><TD noWrap>98</TD><TD align=right>V8</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>126</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>3840/4159</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>8.00x15</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>5 x 5</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>In Head</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>3 7/8 x 3 7/16</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>324.31</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>8.25</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>185 @ 4000</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>300 @ 2000</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>35-45</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>AC46-5</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>.030</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>.016</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>26-33</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>18736542</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>Slot</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>-12</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top align=middle rowSpan=3>1955</TD><TD noWrap align=right>222,361</TD><TD noWrap>88</TD><TD align=right>V8</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>122</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>3690/3710</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>7.60x15</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>5 x 5</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>In Head</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>3 7/8 x 3 7/16</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>324.31</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>8.50</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>185 @ 4000</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>320 @ 2000</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>35-45</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>AC44-5</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>.030</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>.016</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>26-33</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>18736542</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>Slot</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>-12</TD></TR><TR><TD noWrap align=right>242,192</TD><TD noWrap>Super 88</TD><TD align=right>V8</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>122</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>3755/3795</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>7.60x15</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>5 x 5</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>In Head</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>3 7/8 x 3 7/16</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>324.31</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>8.50</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>202 @ 4000</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>332 @ 2000</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>35-45</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>AC44-5</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>.030</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>.016</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>26-33</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>18736542</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>Slot</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>-12</TD></TR><TR><TD noWrap align=right>118,626</TD><TD noWrap>98</TD><TD align=right>V8</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>126</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>3805/3890</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>8.00x15</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>5 x 5</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>In Head</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>3 7/8 x 3 7/16</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>324.31</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>8.50</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>202 @ 4000</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>332 @ 2000</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>35-45</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>AC44-5</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>.030</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>.016</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>26-33</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>18736542</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>Slot</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>-12</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top align=middle rowSpan=4>1956</TD><TD noWrap align=right rowSpan=2>216,019</TD><TD noWrap>88</TD><TD align=right>V8</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>122</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>3705/3776</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>7.60x15</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>5 x 5</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>In Head</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>3 7/8 x 3 7/16</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>324.31</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>9.25</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>230 @ 4400</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>340 @ 2400</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>35-45</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>AC44</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>.030</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>.016</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>26-33</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>18736542</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>Slot</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>-12</TD></TR><TR><TD noWrap>88 4Bar Carb</TD><TD align=right>V8</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>122</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>3705/3776</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>7.60x15</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>5 x 5</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>In Head</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>3 7/8 x 3 7/16</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>324.31</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>9.25</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>240 @ 4400</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>350 @ 2800</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>35-45</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>AC44</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>.030</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>.016</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>26-33</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>18736542</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>Slot</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>-12</TD></TR><TR><TD noWrap align=right>179,000</TD><TD noWrap>Super 88</TD><TD align=right>V8</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>122</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>3835/3947</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>7.60x15</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>5 x 5</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>In Head</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>3 7/8 x 3 7/16</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>324.31</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>9.25</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>240 @ 4400</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>350 @ 2800</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>35-45</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>AC44</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>.030</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>.016</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>26-33</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>18736542</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>Slot</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>-12</TD></TR><TR><TD noWrap align=right>90,439</TD><TD noWrap>98</TD><TD align=right>V8</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>126</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>3978/4107</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>8.00x15</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>5 x 5</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>In Head</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>3 7/8 x 3 7/16</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>324.31</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>9.25</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>240 @ 4400</TD><TD noWrap align=middle>350 @ 2800</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
yea thanks from both of us. I still have to break down and get a manual. I had one that I coppied the hydro section from but it was a '57 manual and didn't have the info that I need. so back to the search. Paul sent me a link to manuals for sale. I'll no doubt use it.
a 401 nail head came factory with 435 ft lbs of torque... as for the j-2, cool factor by all means but you could sell the j-2 intake with carbs for about the price it would cost you to build a 401... But I am piss poor so I look at everything in terms of bang for my buck, actually Im lying I love stove bolts and the only thing you can get more worthless than that is a flathead seriously though, I think the 401 would be pretty whoop ***, find you a switch pitch trans to go behind it or even put a manual behind it and a tri 5 or early 9", I would say and mid/late 50's olds/poncho but once again $ would be a deterent for me as you would have to narrow it and if your narrowing it why not rebuild it while your there. I once again openly admit that I dont know for certain but seems that there are a billion 9" so narrowing/rebuilding one would stand to be cheaper? and like my boy scooter said, as light as that car is if you're just running bias plys you'll never hook up anyway so don't worry about having a super built rear... oh and as for the 401's dig around on cl or in your local j/y there is bound to be one out there on the cheap, I bought one for a friend a couple years ago for $200 and it still turned over. I think they are 60-64? is that correct guys? I have always heard from a power stand point to not bother with the frist gen nail heads though, the 322's and 364's. shoot Z-man a pm, he is a wealth of knowledge on nail heads and switch pitch trans.
I actually had a 364 when I was in high school that was pretty stout. But it was not stock. It ended up in a model 40 coupe when I was done with it. I thik if stock is the way you are going and torue is on the wish list I would still lean toward the 394, they made 445 stock out of the box. But I am just not a nailhead fan. Not to say that I think they are lame or wrong just not what I prefer personally.
I dig, I like rockets too I was just saying for cheap sake and I am not hating on the 322's or 364's its more that the 401 is more bang for buck in terms of power.
You are correct on all accounts. You still find running 401s all the time for sale. You very seldom find a running 394. Even when I was a kid the 394 in good getting down the highway mode was getting hard to come by, unless you bought the whole car. I just wanted to throw the 364 out there. It is work to make any nailhead run better than they do from the factory. To build a 364 that would run with a stock HY-PO 401 would be a crazy investment.
401s were availabe from '59-'66 but, if you get the choice, take a '64-'66 engine, since a TH400 will bolt to them with no modification or special parts necessary (although it has to be a nailhead pattern TH400).
Yes, I have bored a 303 block to 3 7/8 and used standard bore 324 pistons in it with no problems, including no overheating. The .25 ratio compression increas from '53 to '54 could be explained by the .125 bore increase, ***uming the same combustion chamber size, but I don't know about the increases for the later 324s. I've got a pair of #10 '56 heads but have never CCed them to get an accurate picture of their size. In my experience, a lot of the factory c.r. ratings were pulled straight out of someone's ***; most of the early to mid '60s 327s that were rated at 10.5 are really 9.7.
I have ran across a couple of nailheads and there is also a stock 455 in our local paper with I believe it said 370 hp and 510 on torque for 650 bucks, but it's a 70 model and really wanted to stay with the early motors for the "time frame" and besides, I am just looking for something to drive around.....that 455 would make it a true rocket and raise the tire bills up, alot of tourqe with that one! The week before I bought the car, there was a running 364 and trans with 70k on them for 400 bucks,,,,,seemed like a decent deal.
The 510 pound feet sounds a little steep to me. I could be wrong but it sounds a little on the high side. The thing that you will want to remember with the 364 is "variable pitch dynaflow." They are a hard ****** to break but when they are broken they are a hard ****** to repair. Remember this is comming from a guy that says its not majic its just nutz n bolts. Here is the deal you will know when the right engine ****** combo comes along. Just don't get in a hurry. When my 394 came along I called the wife at work and said, "Hey sweetie do we have X dollars?" She said "NO!!!" then she said, "What for?" I told her and she said, "do you have his phone number?" I said,"no" and she said, "Hang up and start typing." and hung the phone up.
when it comes to planning a project what I do is to gather lots of stuff into a pile and try to imagine a combination of some of those parts that looks a little like what I may have had in mind. of course by the time I get close to having enough parts to envision one car, there are almost enough parts to see another slightly different car come together, so I collect more parts and start putting that one together, the pattern repeats until I have several partially ***embled cars around, so many that real progress on any one of them slows way down, then I start selling some of them off, usually at a substantial loss, but hey, it keeps me busy and sometimes I even get one together enough to actualy drive.
I keep a collection of stuff that looks like it may suite my current project. The stuff that isn't going to work out gets peddled to by something else that might work. Doesn't work as well as getting the correct stuff to start with but I get new stuff more than any other way.. I have had a problem with one project, I can't decide what to use for an engine. I finally settled on the Olds for that project. I hope it is a good permanent decision and was a good one. I'll let you know next week.
A gearhead old friend just stopped by when I was pulling the 324 out. I asked him about the 1/8" overbore and he said I was nuts; too thin of a wall that will end up wavy later, and overheat possibilities. He was basing that on an early drag 283 that he has. So, I told him that most likely a 303 would maybe have thicker walls than the 324 that he was looking at, down through the water holes. I feel better knowing someone on here did it. I was going to go though DON_WOWs posts tonight looking for info. ...and yes, I know that not all blocks will have the same lack of core shift, so it is not guaranteed.
The is an old phrase, something like: "go early, young man". Get an early Olds, we need more Olds nuts here
Advice is advice, be it concerning what movie to see, what restaurant to eat at, or how far you can bore your 303 Olds.....I say it's okay, and someone else says it isn't. I must say, however, that I find your friend's view on it a bit skewed..... basing how far you can bore a 303 Olds on how far you can bore a 283 Chevy sounds like the sort of logic I usually attribute to my ex-wife. I based my opinion on actual 303 experience. Not that I'd recommend it after 60 years of corrosion, but I've read of some hardy souls in the early '50s that bored their 303s out to four inches---that's a .250 inch overbore---and then proceeded to strap a GMC blower on top of it. add some nitro to the mix, and run it to the limit.
OK dislexia is a *****. I thought you said we need more Old Nutz on here and I was going to say what there are not enough of us already? Here is the dilema F&J more olds nuts means less olds stuff for those of us that already exist. But yes more Rocket Heads is a good thing when all is said and done. Someone one needs to make a rock 'n' roll song about an olds powered rod.
I have already set my sights in that direction, not saying one is better one is worse......I just really think that the olds has alot of history behind them and they do look so cool dressed up with the right parts, but then again most do.................but this originally started as a 394 thread and has went all the way back to the 303, which i have read all these posts and have found some very intersting and educating reads. As for the 303.....after seeing the one that paul had on the engine test stand with the lasalle trans with olds tailshaft, I would settle mighty fine for what he had put together there. I have kind of looked at this simular to building a house.....if you want bigger, add on....I am really locked down on the olds for now being it a 303 or what comes down the line, I figure to get it running and on the road is the big part and then finding a running 394 or core and then building the "final engine" is kind of the route I plan to head, because there are many dollars that will get spent between the radiator and the tail lights....meaning there is a whole car to be built in between the fron and the back. 303, 324, 371......"394" I think any of the above will look good in the model A. I guess another thing I have really paid alot of attention to is when I hit a show, I look what they are running for power and how common......there was a little local get together last friday night here and a guy had a 27 T coupe with a 318 dodge.....now there is something you don't see alot, at least not around here. You guys also mention about gathering parts and then later if you find that certain thing that fits better.......keep me in mind if you decide to move some of your old inventory? You guys have some good knowledge and I am taking it all in!! That 455 that was here for sale, said it was a 70 model.....with the torque they had down, i thought that seemed high for a factory built motor also.
Benno..not to sideline the early olds tread but the 69-70 Olds 455s were indeed 510 LB FT of torque,,,wild eh? I had a 69 delta royale 88 coupe with a 455...weighed a little less than the queen mary and would smoke the tires as long as you'd hold the pedal down. I once pegged the 120 MPH speedo to see how fast it'd go and it was still accelerating. I let off when I ran outta straight road. That said, in the 60s I ran 324s in my 55 Olds super 88 sedan [202 HP] and my 56, 98 convertible [240 HP] ..both stock 4 barrel engines with a single exhaust on the '55 and duals on the 56. The 55 had a slant-pan ****** and the 56 had the terrible late-style hydro. One day we raced both cars against each other in the 1/4 mile...the 55 charged out to a lead and held it against the heavier 56 all the way through. The last 100 feet or so I was gaining on the 55 with my 56 but I needed a lot more room to catch it.. Olds ****** choice is HUGE! Stick with a slant pan if you can.. OOH, OOH... I almost forgot this: One day I was driving the 55 sedan and raced a high school buddy with his folks' 1960 Olds super 88 with a 394 automatic. After beating the 56 I thought I'd be able to stomp this HUGE 60 olds fordoor. He came smoking off the line and pulled me all the way through the 1/4..just kept getting smaller and smaller! That day I started a respect for the 394 Olds engine.
Rocky I would have never guessed that was correct. I bought a 70 Delta from a fella that hit a tree just because it had a 455 in it. That was one helluva car. So help me with this, in '56 they still built the slan pan right? I don't want to dump cash on a manual and not have the info I need. mndodge Usually if I need to sell something I have to get a certain amount to make something happen. You are just better off to come by here and dig the next time you are in town. I may need what you find but if I don't you may very well get in cheap.
Those stories sound all too familiar. Rockets are fun and so are the slant pans. The only drawback for OLDS slant pans is the 2nd and 3rd gear ratios are too far apart, therefore you lose big time RPMS, and that is where the compe***ion gets you. But if you have a 55 or 56 Pontiac slant pan the ratios are much closer, thus less RPM DROPOFF on that 2nd to 3rd shift. Aside from the controlled coupling taking the place of the front clutch of the slant pan, the transmissions are not far apart with functionality. In fact the DC hydro has a lower 1st than OLDS slantpan, and the 2nd, 3rd, gear ratios are closer to each other too. The controlled coupling is the stinker of that transmission, but with enough bottom end torque such as 371 and 394's have, you can put up a good race. (Now if you crank up the mainline pressure to fill the controlled coupling faster, then you have a race!) My 59 Dynamic 88 with DC hydro is a mover! But one day it will get a slant pan, no doubt about it! WHO CARES IF THE "P" in the shift quadrant indicator doesn't do anything, we are not here to park, just race!
"Rocky I would have never guessed that was correct. I bought a 70 Delta from a fella that hit a tree just because it had a 455 in it. That was one helluva car. So help me with this, in '56 they still built the slan pan right? I don't want to dump cash on a manual and not have the info I need" In '56, Olds and Pontiacs used both a slant-pan in the cheaper versions of both Olds and Pontiacs and the jetaways and "better" hydros in the heavier 98s, some 88s and star chiefs. I'm told the 56 slant-pan hydros had an extra clutch-pac in them over the 55 and earlier slant pans. I ran a stock 56 slant-pan hydro in this 56 Pontiac chieftain [cheapie two door hardtop] behind a punched-out, cammed-up 389 Pontiac engine. Was a terror until after about 10,000 miles it began to slip a bit and take longer between shifts. A guy in town when I was in high school drove a 56 Olds super 88 hardtop with the early slant-pan and the 240 HP 324 engine...was very strong!
Ok, I just got the 56 motor and trans out today, and seperated. Here is the slant pan, but sitting flat. so it does not look slanted I am sure this motor was untouched for 25-30 years going by how much trash and dirt had coverd the motor over time. Someone worked their tail off and spent money on it, then gave up? I have NOT cleaned these pistons!..and look at the brand new lifters. New headgaskets and intake/exhaust manifold gaskets. The exhaust manifold gaskets were installed wrong; 2 of the bigger middle port gaskets on one side and 3 smaller end gaskets on the other. There are black soot blowby marks on the two that did not fit the ports, so I am starting to think they thought the noise was lifters again? I say that because the last thing they did was pull the right side rocker shaft and pushrods and loosened the left side. That is why the bores have no rust; all 16 valves were shut. I pulled #1 rod cap and the center main cap; The crank is mint so far, no grooves or scores.
F&J.... I may have overlooked it a page or two back, but what are your plans for that motor and trans combo?
It would be a spare for my 32. The 55 324 with the edmunds intake is just a stocker. The Edmunds intakes were made for 303's not 324, so the intake runners on the Edmunds are very small. The small runners should be good for the twin carbs that are not progressive, because small runners will increase the intake velocity. That should make these carbs better at lower rpm's for drivability. But it sure won't be high perfornance. So..I have a nice NOS Crower hyd cam.. and a J2 setup machined for a 324, so I want a hotter motor I can swap in less than a day. I really like tri-powers, and the cam I have should work great with the bigger runners and slightly better 56 #10 heads. That's my story for now Now, back to Olds goodies; 303 intakes have smaller ports, but many of the coolest intakes were 303, not 324 size ports. So, you can run a 303 intake on a bigger port 324 or 371, if you use an adapter plate. The plate uses a 324 gasket on the head side, and a 303 gasket on the manifold side. You use a thin adapter for the 324 swap, and a thicker one for 57/58 371. Thicker because the 57/58 heads are spead more. Here's some pics. -adapter plates made by me on my $75 horizontal milling machine. I got the aluminum plates at the local metal recycle place. Cost $2.00 cash - you can see the 324 gasket has much larger ports. These plates are needed so that the 303 intake can cover the head ports without leaking. - also a pic of the early 371 (57/58) with the earlier, low rise version of the 303 Edmunds. You might be able to see that these plates are 1/4" thick. My 324 plates are around 1/8". That 371 is likely hurting at high rpm's, but it looks cool. The carbs are Stromberg Aerotypes. ..oh, and while it is OK to run the smaller intake on a bigger port, you really should not run a larger runner intake on a 303 head. It will be too much of an abrupt change where the intake runner meets that tiny port. Some guys get around this by blend-grinding the head port to smooth the transition. You just need to do that before the heads are cleaned and rebuilt.
I really like the look of that set up, that is my exact plan is to run a 2x2 or 3x2 setup, it just has the look to me and one day maybe change to a 2x4 setup but for driving around I have heard that 3x2 setup is the cat's ***, just has it all!!
Yes, a 3x2 progressive is a great working setup. Interesting that "Pete" was running a four- 2 barrels on his coupe with a 324, but switched back to the Edmunds 2x2 because the 4x2 was not working out. I don't know which setup was on the car on the trip from Boston area to Bonneville. ...and to think, some hambers keep saying run a SBC, rather than an Olds, if you want to go on a trip. Sheesh...
The Jalopy Journal
