The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The HiPo Shop Olds 455 for the win

Just scored an olds 455 out of an 75 gmc RV with 60k on it. I know there's not too much info on here about this swap. I looked high and low through this an olds forums trying to find an answer to the age old question a out cam swap. Anyone had anyluck with anything in particular? I'm swapping I to a 1950 3600. Already has the mustang 2 front end and 8.8 rear with 3.73 gears. I'd honestly like to learn particulars about different cams but I'm not sure anyone will walk me through step by step what everything means. So, for now just some suggestions on a mild can. I do like the lopey idle and I'm probably going to keep it mostly stock. Currently have the j heads running 8.5:1 compression. Not looking for a 900 hp car to go to the strip but, would still love some get up and go (maybe race the occasional import at the stop light haha).

Get ready to do some CPR on your checkbook- - - - -go fast stuff for Olds engines is scarce and expensive. If you put enough cam into it to get an idle lope, you'll also need to increase the compression, use a torque converter with a higher stall speed, and probably run lower gears in the rear end. Low speed and midrange performance will suck like a Dyson vacuum cleaner. It's simpler and a lot less expensive to pull a couple of spark plug wires when you want the fenders to shake at a stoplight.

If you're determined to build a hotrod, and you don't mind spending some money, try this: Run a Speed-Pro CS198R camshaft (300/310 degree duration and .496/.520 lift) and the appropriate lifters and valve springs, and install flat top pistons instead of the dish-top original equipment ones. One way to do this without going to an expensive custom piston is to use a .030" oversize Pontiac 400 piston (Speed-Pro L2262F30), which has a flat top, and bore the Olds engine .025" oversize. The Pontiac piston has the same wrist pin size and is very close to the Olds piston in compression height and weight so no rebalancing of the rotating assembly should be required. You can build a pretty good-performing 455 Olds engine for somewhere in the $4K to $5K range.
Jerry

A bone stock Olds 455 will twist your frame so much you will be able to see the bed move up in the rear view mirror when you stomp the go pedal.
I would put it in the truck and drive it before I did any changes.
Carl

Once you get in the 450+ cubic inch range one is thinking torque instead of horsepower. We have swapped a 455 Buick and both a 472 Cadillac and a 500 Cad into AD's but the only 455 Olds I recall went into a 51 Ford pickup. Also a 455 Pontiac into a 48-50 Ford pickup. What you will find is in a pickup the tires that fit inside the fenders ( 10" ) will go up in smoke in any gear at under 30mph. A no weight on the rear truck has it's limitations and if you do rear frame and fender modifications to use a very wide tire the truck is helpless on wet pavement. A very shallow rear gear (mid 2.00 range) will help to pull some of the beasts teeth but IF you break tires loose with a shallow gear you REALLY make smoke. As far as Olds speed parts go the bible is Mondello. Has everything including advice.

That's probably the best advice I've heard yet. Honestly makes the most sense. I'm new at engine rebuilds as is. Although I'm not scared of a challenge I think that just seeing how it runs stock first is my best be and I can change things from there.

The reason I'm going with the 3.73 gearing is because from all my research I know that it works best with the muncie 4 speed. I already know about the crank shaft on the 455 no being drilled for manual set up. I plan on either drilling for clearance or just buying the manual crank shaft and getting everything re balanced.

Still haven't figured out why people prefer drilling stock instead of spend the $300 on a manual crank. Maybe I'm missing something.

Either way I think finding wngine mods that will fit my particular set up is obvious. So maybe running it stock for a while and see where I think it will need work is a good start before getting balls deep into a ridiculous build that may or may not work well with my set up.

A few years a go I saw a truck that had been front clipped with a Cutlass frame and was sporting a 455. The owner did a great job, looked like it belonged there. 2 thumbs up from me. The 3600 trucks have very stout frames to begin with. As long as all the cross bracing hasn't been cut out, it should more than do the job you're looking for.

Tight,

Here's the first in a series of articles that builds your Olds 455 then follows up with builds of 455 Buick and Pontiacs:

https://www.hotrod.com/articles/455ci-engines/

You'll probably find the discussion of advances in cylinder head and camshaft design interesting. I've only bought one set of Edelbrock aluminum heads for a street rod build but I was impressed with the quality of the port, bowl and combustion chamber machining. As the article points out the power potential is in the heads so why not start out with some good ones instead of investing in trying to improve a decades old, hopelessly obsolete design?

From what I find the GMC motorhomes offered the 455 in 1975 and the HP is around 190 and torque is around 350. No doubt at a lower rpm than a sbc. I would have to think that your 455 would be a smooth low end powerful engine. I take you have a turbo 400 trans. It should easily handle low 3' s in a rear gear. Not as a drag truck tho.

I have a 70 442 -- yea 360 hp and 500 ft of torque and 3.55 gear --- and I did add an OD trans. It does not care, made it a real 442 -- kinda-- and really like the OD.

If your 455 runs like it is supposed to I would keep the 3.73's and invest in an OD trans.

Unfortunately I can't afford the aluminum heads. But I found a bunch of better flowing iron heads in my area on the cheap. From what I've found if I switch say "f" heads for example, the. I could run a cam kit with 220 duration and .005 lift, aluminum intake and matching carb. I think that should give me enough rumble and remain on pump gas.

I think that the cam swap will help me on the lower end. So I can keep the trans and not have to dive into cylinders.

As I stated to begin, I'm not trying to race, nor am I looking for huge hp numbers.(yet) I honestly probably wont be driving on the highway all that much to make an od trans necessary. But, TBD with time.

Hmmmmm- - - - -220 degrees of duration, and valve lift equal to a couple of strands of hair? Will the engine run at all with that kind of camshaft? Factory cams have around 250 degrees duration or a little more. Who sells a cam like that? Don't bother calling Mondello for advice- - - - -the guy is an arrogant donkeyhole who thinks the only way to build an Olds engine is to buy all your parts from him.
Jerry

Sorry that was suppose to say .500 but here's wht I've found. As I said I'm new at engine builds Jerry. There A LOT of info to retain.

Lunati Voodoo Cam and Lifter Kits 10510702LK.

Carl is right. I would try it out before spending a lot of money. Back in the 70's I owned an 1970 Oldsmobile Delta 88 4 door with a 455 2 barrel. This was a big heavy car. I could ruin a set of tires in no time. At the same time, my parents had a 1971 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight with the 455 4 barrel. The 98 was the Oldsmobile version of the Cadillac. As big and heavy as my 88 was the 98 was huge. With the 4 barrel carb I was able to scream down a straight away. You didn't want to take too many sharp corners though.

Lunati is a pretty good cam, but I'm going to agree with everybody else- - - - -the engine in stock trim has more power than you'll ever be able to put to the road with it in a stovebolt pickup, unless you plan to keep the bed filled to the top with gravel all the time. Just drop the thing in "as is" and put a pretty decent set of rear tires on with as wide a tread as you can manage without modifying the fenders. I'd also agree with doing a front frame graft from an Olds Cutlass or something similar instead of going with some sort of hotrod IFS system. You'll have a steering and suspension system that actually works, and the engine will be a drop-in fit on the motor mounts. Check out the track width- - - -any Olds frame that the 455 fits might be too wide for a Stovebolt. A 1970's Chevy Nova front frame clip might be a better choice, even if you have to tweak the motor mounts a little.
Jerry

Thank you Jerry that's why I came here was for specific 3600 conversion answers. I appreciate everyone's help. Seeing as I wouldn't have the money right away anyways I think the stock route is a good way to start!

Joe Mondello passed in 2010. His company is still in business. Yes, he did get a bit snarky in his old age, but you've got to respect his engine performance accomplishments.

68ironhead,

Thank you for posting that about Joe Mondello's accomplishments. It's beyond astonishing to me that he is vilified on this forum. Joe was a legend in Southern California drag racing in the 1960s. His cylinder head porting skills were considered the best there was. Campaigning a 1937 Fiat driven by Sush Matsubara in the AA Fuel Altered class they were the first in that class into the 8 second range and then the first into the 7 second range. Here's the Chevy powered Fiat they did that in:

http://racersreunion.com/mel-newton/gallery/69867/mondello-matsubara-fiat-aafa-irwindale

As I recall their best was something like 7.24 seconds and 215 MPH. That was Top Fuel like performance in an Altered Coupe. Drag racing of that era featuring home built creations in a variety of classes was vastly more interesting that the corporate sponsored million dollar top fuel, pro stock and pro stock motorcycle classes of today. and "races" that are over in less than 4 seconds.

Can you imagine what it must have been like piloting that short wheelbase, engine at eye level, 2000 horse power vehicle? Wow, those were definitely "manly men" !

Yar;

Speaking of "manly men"; I'll never, ever forget Wild Willie Borsch in the "Winged Express" AA/FA. That guy was absolutely fearless. The car was so ill handling that fellow racers sometimes refused to race with him. There are many famous photos of him. My two favorites are the wild sideways one handed burnouts and a wheel stand going through the lights at 200+ MPH. Those were the days.

SimS

I ran a 455 for a while, I started with a 4 speed muncie tranny ( the 455 didn't like it much), and then a TH400 that it really liked.

Sometime my brain goes into neutral and even though I remember hot rod swaps I tend to forget restorations. Several years ago we did a 70 442 that had the W30 option. The 455 pulled strong even in the mid-range, 40 t0 70mph, where ones with less torque often fall down. Impressive car even though I'm sure it scaled in at over 4000#'s. The graphics cost $600 IIRC, almost as much as the TransAm Hood Eagle.

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