Technical Rocket Oldsmobile V8 Information Compiled

last Scout disc I tried did not fit,
all the critical dimensions were good, shaft diameter, spline count and overall disc diameter..
but the hub on the clutch would not fit in the flywheel recess.

 

Paul, do you know if the whole kit for a 88-94 Ford F Super Duty will fit to the og flywheel? Or is it just the clutch disc?

 

I buy the parts separate.

 

Ok, so you buy the Ford Clutch Disc. What kind of pressure plate do you use for this setup?

And what kind of throw out bearing?

 

My bad, I forgot about the Buick Syncromesh...yea the spline would be wrong. My 303 had a Ford 3 speed on it so I'm not sure where the pressure plate came from but it measured up perfectly to the '65 Ford I bought.

 

PURE GOLD! Thanks for posting that Speedy!

Paul, can you see my questions in the picture below?

 

you guys should start threads on your projects.

 

My early Olds starter solves your problem..... I have them in stock look.... only had a chromed pic handy



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I already did that

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...ine-for-my-55-olds-rocket-88-project.1020134/

Just thought that most of the Rocket related knowledge is exchanged here. I will update myproject thread real soon. Maybe I have some time to put that engine and trans in the car for a mock up at the weekend.

 

So is a 371 and a 394 balanced the same? Also does any one know if the caddy flywheel is zero balanced?

 

As far as i know 371 and 394 are externally balanced. But I'm not sure what that means exactly. In my case, using a manual 3speed, I'm pretty sure the flywheel and crank is balanced together. Not sure about the clutch assembly. I noticed some closed bores/holes in my pressure plate housing. Maybe it has something to do with that. If you're using a automatic transmission, I guess they had to balance the crank with the torque converter.

That`s the reason for me to got with the og manual for now. First plan was to mount my reworked 56 Jetaway behind the 371 but this won't work for long.

 

No, as the flywheels are different, ....and, there are two different 371's. one engine has the same general appearance as the older 324 engine, and the 1959-1960 371 looks more like the 394 engine.

Cadillac OHV8 standard shift were internal balanced, the last standard trans on Cad was 1953 I believe...That was 4 years before Olds started the external balance.

The front damper/pulley ass'y is also balanced/& specific to your 371. The clutch plate is zero balanced, but you may see signs of balancing, but it's not balanced "to the engine".
By the way, the standard trans (you?)posted above is not a "Buick" syncromesh as typed, it is an "Olds selector type trans"with the short open drive tail housing in that pic.

.
.

 

In the picture you posted, have a look closely at the starter next to the one you have questions about. The actuator arm has been cut, straightened and re-welded to eliminate the Z. The other piece is just cleaned up and missing the spring...

 

Sure, I just meant that the trans itself was built by Buick afaik. The trans in my pics is exactly the trans my 371 cui Olds was delivered with. Hopefully.

Thinking about the pressure plate housing it doesn't make sense to balance it with the other parts. This thing would be changed from time to time for sure. I was just wondering about the closed holes in my part.

 

For the 1957 Olds 371, the transmission was changed a bit. It had a larger diameter mainshaft (aka, tail shaft)...and the rear yoke for the U-joint was not a slip yoke like the previous years. It had a fixed yoke with a bolt screwed into the rear of the shaft.

 

Given my welding skills it would be easier for me to just make a new actuator arm. [emoji6]

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I didn't had the time to throw the engine and trans in my Olds. had to work on my VW Camper Bus and beside that I played around a bit with the trans. Figured out the lever position for each gear. Pull out the lever and push forward is reverse, pull out and back is 1st, push in and forward is 2nd and push in and pull back is 3rd.
Not shure what the small lever below is for. It is moving foward and backward when pushing and pulling the shiftlever in and out.



Cleaned all the grease out of the inside of the clutch housing



Bleed out the oil. Everything needs new seals anyway.



Removed the throwout bearing. Is it normal that there is only one spring to hold it in place?



Messed around with the bolts that came with it. Sadly one of the bolts to mount the flywheel is missing. Could be difficult to get that one over here.



I tried to remove the throw out lever without any success. Didn't want to break something so I just pulled a bit on it and then leave it alone to ask someone how to do it right. How do I have to do that?

And I measured the distance between the bolt holes (86,7 mm) for the pressure plate and the diameter of the output shaft (29,6 mm), which shows 16 splines



I found someone with a Mustang pressure plate to sell over here. Just try to get some measurements from him to make sure it is usable for me.

 

The small lever changes the shift gate. TOB are available here from NAPA and others. Those retainer springs are very hard to find in good shape. don't forget that there is a front face gasket on the tranny. Gasket kits are available from Best Gasket. Someone on here may have bolts for the flywheel. I most likely do but I am moving and everything is in storage.

 

Got it, if you're using the og shift linkage you can change the shift gate by moving the shifter sideways in neutral and pulling or pushing the small lever in a forward-backward direction. I'm wondering how they did it with aftermarket floor shifter conversions.

Do I need two of these retainer springs?

 

Back then, the cheaper aftermarket shifters only used the side lever, but the more complicated, expensive ones, used both levers to get the normal shifting pattern.
.

 

yes on the two retainers.

here is an Ansen shifter. Notice the front vertical arm connected to the small lever. A spring was usually used from that vertical arm to keep pressure on it for smoother shifting. Moving the shifter thru the neutral gate to the left would move the vertical arm changing the tranny gate, if memory serves me correctly.

 

The Ansen setup is a hot ticket. Clean package.

@Godsmobile, I haven't forgotten about you. Hoping to snap some pictures tonight and will PM you.

In the meantime, dug these up from one of my albums. I know they're posted elsewhere (and most likely in this thread as well), but...

One of my NOS Drag Fast shifters for Olds selector shift transmissions




The Foxcraft shifter that was on my Olds selector shift when I got it. (I don't think the linkage is set up correctly in this picture.)

 

Thank you guys for all the cool pics. I get an idea now how everything could work.

I was searching the local classifieds hunting for a 1965and up Mustang clutch. Found two kits available here and contacted the sellers. They measured the distance between the bolt holes in the pressure plate for mounting it to the flywheel for me. Both of them replied that it is around 80 mm on point. That will definitely not work with my flywheel. This is what one of the sellers sent me:



Since the clutch disc will also not fit, I'm really interested in the info about an alternative part like the pressure plate from that Ford F Super Duty Diesel mentioned above. If someone knows something, please share your knowledge with me.

 

I've been watching you guys discuss all this really nice info on Olds engines for a long time. My Hilborn FI unit is marked 303-0-8 and have been told it fits the Olds 303. It also fits a Lincoln 368. Someone told me a while back that not all 303 intakes fit all 303's. Is this true?

 

I do not believe that is true. Gary

 

Posted this on my build thread but thought I'd share it here in case anyone is interested. Just found a NOS cam for my 56 Olds engine. Pretty excited about it. Won't get it in for a while but gotta pick up the parts when they come along.
Here is the scoop on the cam according to a tech at Isky.
-Cam was ground 3rd quarter of 1977
-9P is the code for the guy who was running the grinder that day
-08 means 108 degree lobe centerline
-56 is the machine it was ground on
-282 Hyd is obviously the grind 282 degree duration for hydraulic lifters
-601 is the cam blank for the 56-58 Olds

I figured it was ground after 1969 since it shows up in that catalog

Here is the page from the 69 catalog


Also bought a repop cam tag. It has the newer address not the old Inglewood or Culver City ones but it is close and most won't know the difference. I guess in all fairness it is where this cam was born anyway.

 

I like it.

 

Great find! I'd be liking it for sure.

 

I have a custom camshaft in my 303, now I'll have to measure for pushrods with an adjustable pushrod length checker.
Found some guides online but they all describe it with the small block type roller rockers (marking the valve tip, turning over, adjust per marking on the tip) but not for shaft rockers like the ones on the Rocket Olds.
Hope you guys understand what I mean. Does anyone have some hints on measuring the length? Thanks

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@Arkas, My notes say .040" or 1mm lifter preload on hydraulic lifters.
Sou you would just measure the length with your tool and than add 1mm to it to get your push rod length.