This is 442BRO.COM website. He's a guy about 50 miles from me. We're about the same age and I remember him racing his 1965 442 at Skyline Dragstrip 1969 early 1970s. I was in to Chevrolets back then. Seems like his site has been dormant for a few years. Anyway, lots of good information for all Oldsmobile even though it is especially good for 1965 442's.
Lot of Olds info
- Thread starter Kennybill
- Start date
Olds 307 and 403
Well-known member
Yeah, dumb. Those 283's and 327's shifting @ 7,500 rpms, no oiling problems, cheap speed parts. I had a 348 and a couple of 409s and one 396/425 hp. Never spun a bearing in a Chevrolet. I bought my Son a 1975 Cutlass and that's how I fell down the rabbit hole.
Olds 307 and 403
Well-known member
I never had much to do with the early ones, my Ex BIL blew up the 327, it was fast, in his 70 Chevelle, couldn't kill the 75 Olds 350 in our Cutlass, no matter how hard he tried. Other BIL blew up 2 Olds 455's in his 79 1/2 ton, could not kill the Olds 350, he tried. The mid 70's sbc's were junk compared to the Olds 350 from the same time. Only SBO I spun rod bearings revving a 403 to 5500 with an unbalanced 307 crank. I never saw the sbc as a reliable motor that lacked low end torque, have 0 interest in them. I can still find original really good running Olds 350's from the 70's, sbc's, no. Why did you switch?
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I bought my Son a nice G-Body, bad V6 with a 2:56 one wheelie peelie in the early 90s. I found a 455 "TORNADO" engine. Yes, Tornado engine. We'd had a big tornado some years before. Local small junk yard had this engine buried in a old school bus. I knew the yard owner for decades. He told me an Oldsmobile full size station wagon had been picked up an thrown threw the brick wall of a strip Plaza. We dug it out, I knew nothing about Olds. It was a J-headed 455. I rebuilt with just new rings, bearings and hand lapped the valves with new springs. a "hi-volume" oil pump, a Comps Cam cam and lifters. 260 H I believe. 456/.456. I put a Preformer with a better Quadrajet and Saturday night special converter. Broke in the camshaft, everything was good. Car ran suprisingly well. My Son had fun with it. It lit up the "tire" till it shifted. All was good for a couple months. I found a 4:10 posi and installed. It really woke it up. About 10 days later my Son came home and said the engine was making a "chirp." I pulled the engine and #5 rod bearing was spun. Hmmm, all brands of engines have weak points. I'd seen a small ad in a car magazine for "Mondello Oldsmobile" I called the phone #. Joe answered the phone. I explained the problem then I asked a dumb question. I asked "do Olds have an oiling problem?" Joe said, "DO THEY HAVE AN OILING PROBLEM? F*CKING A, THEY'VE GOT AN OILING PROBLEM!" Then he said something like, buy my book if you don't want to have spun bearings. I bought the book. Restrictors, notched rods, yada yada. In hind sight I believe everything was fine till the 4:10 rearend plus high volume pump with stock pan. Who knows, maybe he over rev'd it. My Son didn't really like working on cars plus I bought a 1994 Olds Ciera for when he went to College. "RABBIT HOLE"
