Hot Rods Chevrolet/Oldsmobile 4 banger questions!

I'm trying to learn about prewar 4 cylinder stuff, as I'd like to build some sort of stripped down, minimalist speedster. I don't know anyone that has this stuff, everything I know is from reading. I'm looking at non-Ford stuff, just to be different. Looking at ~'28 Chev 4cylinders, a popular hop up is to adapt an Oldsmobile head. Trouble is, very little is written about these Oldsmobiles. I assume it's about the early 20's model 43A. My question is this, instead of finding and adapting the Olds head to the Chev block, what's the down side of just using the whole Olds 43a engine? is it weak? blow up prone?Difficult to find complete? Since I don't have anything, would I be ahead looking for a complete Olds 43A, rather than finding a Chev engine, AND finding the Olds head, AND adapting? Thanks!

 

Start with Does-anyone-have-info-on-olds-3-port-head-to-25-chev-block. The magazine article on Bob Rufi tells many of the Olds/Chev speed secrets (some of which have been superseded).
Some of the info is repeated in the 77 pages (!) of 1928-chevy-4cyl-motor. I don't remember if it discusses why they didn't just build the Olds.

 

Some people say that the two port 28 Chevy head will flow as well as the three port Olds. I know nothing about the Olds 43A. Might be hard to find. (By the way, you do not have to "adapt" the Olds head. Just put a head gasket on and bolt it down.)

 

Thanks guys, Just read the Rufi story. He was way ahead of his time!

 

Be aware that the rocker arms on the Olds head had no ratio; they were 1:1. The Chevy arms are 1.5:1, but will not bolt to the Olds head without modifications.

 

There is one coolant passage you need to drill, but other than that, the Olds head is a bolt on. Rockers are 1:1, so most folks mill down the rocker mounts and either make new mounts to use the '28 rockers (1.5:1) or make their own rockers as well.