My 1970 Oldsmobile Cutlass S

Olds 307 and 403

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Oct 4, 2018
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Melville, Saskatchewan
The new headlight plastic surrounds and bezels came in. A PIA for my Wife to pick up from RPM, couldn't go in and only accepted cash or an Etransfer. Two hours later she had them🤔. I also had to get a couple of new speed nuts for the bezel screws. Yes the passenger side fell off driving around town due to the broken down plastic🤗.
Before
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After
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Olds 307 and 403

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Oct 4, 2018
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Melville, Saskatchewan
Pretty sure I have a line on a good 403. With my 65cc #6 heads with the 2.07" intake valve, bowls opened with upgraded springs with .042" Felpro gaskets should be right at 9 to 1. I also have the 204/214 cam and double roller timing set. I already have all the gaskets as well. I also received all my 2.5" stainless exhaust parts to work with the full length stainless headers. Yes, these are straight through, Flowmaster stainless mufflers. I still plan on some assembly of the 358 after picking up, gasketingz head swapping, painting and installing the 403 first.
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Olds 307 and 403

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So I went and got the 403, very clean on the outside. I also got the short tail 350 on it for $400. He let me take any of the parts. I took the 6 blade clutch fan and triple pulleys. I also got a very nice trans dust cover. The intake and carb aren't stock for this motor. It is off his 79 Custom Cruiser wagon that had a carb fire. Fairly minor, the carb looks salvageable for a rebuild. The guy mentioned he was told the 4A heads were rebuilt. The main caps are marked with yellow dots, pretty sure the whole thing was apart at some point. The timing chain was also replaced. I pulled all the caps to get the rope rear main seal out. The bearings look decent. I am going to use the Canton pan and pickup with the purple spring in the Melling high volume oil pump. Then clean and install the 204/214 cam in the same spot, since I degreed it in the 350. Then clean and install the #6 heads with 2.07" intake valves and the Performer intake. I will also install the new stainless exhaust.
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Olds 307 and 403

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Oct 4, 2018
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Melville, Saskatchewan
It looks like this motor came from a 1977 Buick orginally. I cleaned everything up and painted VHT Gold Engine Metallic on the 62 and 64cc, what they actually measured #6 heads and the Performer intake. I painted the Serpentine accessories VHT Black Engine Metallic. The Anchor 2261 motor mounts fit perfectly, torqued to 80 ft/lbs. The piston I measured was .025" in the hole. That means I will be just over 9 to 1 compression with the .042" Felpro head gaskets. I need to bend a new fuel line from the pump to carb, I have NiCopper 3/8" line to use. I will get the 350 out, make sure the 204/214 cam looks OK from it and put it in the same place. I may just clean up one of the stock oil pans and save the Canton pan and pick up for new motor, still deciding. It would mean another Melling High volume oil pump and drive shaft for the new motor, not the end of the world. I do want to make sure everything fits with the full length Stainless headers. I realize that will require moving the brake proportioning valve. I also will install the new Powermaster starter. Although the red no name mini has worked perfectly.
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Olds 307 and 403

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I pulled down the knocking 350, it spun the #1 rod bearing. I kept the block and main caps, the rest is trash. The 204/214 cam still looks great and the lifters easily came out. I installed the cam, straight up on the unknown double roller timing set in the 403 where it was in the 350, since I degreed it. I used the oil pump that was in the 403, a Melling 22F. I cleaned up the already Gold 350 pan, there were a lot of metal in the bottom, lucky the cam survived. I already installed the AMC 252 neoprene rear main, I installed the upgraded Felpro pan gaskets already coated in rubber, just Optimum Black on the lip seals and corners. I put the shields on both motor mounts. Also Felpro timing cover and fuel pump gaskets, both sides lightly coated in Optimum Black along with a new front seal. I decided to put both shields back on the motor mounts and torque them to 80 foot pounds. The flex plate that came with the 403 and balancer back on. The short block will get dropped in tomorrow then the #6 heads and the Performer intake which I stole the restricted heater hose outlet off the #17 307 intake to save the heater core.
 
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Olds 307 and 403

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The passenger side fit nearly perfect with these . The frustrating driver's side header will need heat and maybe a big vise to move that tube away from the motor mount. For now, the shorties and the 2.5 X pipe exhaust is going back on. Heads are torqued, valve train back together and torqued, intake on with Optimum Black on the rails and around both sides of the shim side gaskets. Aviation sealant is around the intake ports. Sanderson's are put on with Optimum Grey, since they don't use gaskets. I will work on it little bits to try and get it running by next weekend.
 

Olds 307 and 403

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So I took the day off and put everything back in under the hood basically just secure the fans from underneath, torque converter bolts, new Powermaster starter and exhaust. I even threw on a filter and primed the oil system. The 1/2 cordless Ryobi drill was smoking after a couple minutes but I got oil to the rockers. I was surprised by how dark the Lucas Hot Rod oil is.
 
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Olds 307 and 403

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I got the cooling fan wiring zip tied up. The torque converter bolts are in, new Powermaster mini starter and dust shield on and the exhaust head pipes hooked up. Just the back half of the exhaust and fluids, hook up the battery and Vroom!
 
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Olds 307 and 403

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Well, I did some full throttle tests of this 403. I smell burnt tires😁. Plenty of torque, half throttle will spin the tires. It is running at about 11.5 AFR at wide open throttle. Supposedly the max torque AFR, I believe it.
 
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Olds 307 and 403

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So since I installed the 403, my Qjet was very lean at idle and part throttle. I am shocked it actually idled and drove so well. No bogs or hick ups at all. I went maybe a 1/4 turn on the idle mixture screws and one turn out on the APT. Much better no longer 15 to 16 at idle and no more 16 to 17 part throttle. Now 14's at idle and maybe 15 at part throttle. The full throttle AFR is still 11 to 11.5 even with the leaner AY secondary rods from the CV rods. I currently have a G hanger on there. I may try my V hanger, which should lean it out considerably. I will test😁 and report back.
 
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Olds 307 and 403

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Actually the leanest hanger I have is a P. With the leaner AY rods and the P hanger, very high 11's to 12.28 full throttle AFR. Perfect.
 
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Olds 307 and 403

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My Wife's eyes were bugging her so she didn't want to go fishing on our local Reservoir😱. So I finally installed the Inline Tube direct replacement throttle cable. It fit as stock. I liked the aftermarket locking clip, so I used it over their hair pin clip. I also didn't use the rubber grommet and center tube. The cable sits on the large in piece on this 78 403 800 cfm Qjet. I added two extra washers on top of the one included, so it can't slip off the larger portion closer the linkage edge.
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Olds 307 and 403

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Oct 4, 2018
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Melville, Saskatchewan
This arrived. It looks really well made. I like the idea of a pan mounted dipstick. Canton having that option is just another reason to run one.
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Olds 307 and 403

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Still waiting on the second machine shop for the 358. I picked this up months back, not cheap from Monzaz. A high quality Yukon posi to go with the 3.08 gears that got a while back. The Stainless Chinese passenger side header fit perfectly. The drivers side hit the mount. I tried a couple of hits with a big sledge hammer, barely left a dent. I tried heating and a come along, nope. My Daughter's Boyfriend thought of this. Used long bolts and exhaust clamp ends with heat, the tube should be moved enough to clear the motor mount. I also removed most of the dent in the collector with heat and a tail pipe expander. More to come soon.
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Before
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Olds 307 and 403

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Oct 4, 2018
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Melville, Saskatchewan
So, I set up my 350 block with a number 8 head and a used Felpro head gasket and the original 70 motor mount. I pryed the tube as much as possible, still hit the mount unfortunately. So heat and a hammer and it barely fit. I will use a factory motor mount heat shield, I have two somewhere. I will use on both sides. Not ideal but not the first set of hammered headers. They are extremely well made, not thin metal and decent Stainless. Here is the before and after on the collector dent, quite a bit better.

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Olds 307 and 403

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Melville, Saskatchewan
So now that it is officially Winter, well has been for nearly a month, time to work on the Cutlass. I swept snow off the 70 and the rest melted off, warmed up this week. Before more snow could fall, into the garage it goes. I got all the fluids drained from the engine and trans. I am going to pull both. The trans is getting a CK pump, CK's improved GN servo, shift kit and all new seals, including a new 4L60E filter in the deep aluminium pan for the 2004R. The 3rd use of the Edelbrock Performer cam was not the charm, at least one lobe is gone. The 403 has decent compression, 150 to 160 psi. The oil pressure is on the lower side, bearings were so so but the crank looked really good. I will probably go with another 204/214 cam or similarly mild flat tappet with a minimum 112 LSA, new standard rod and main bearings. I flushed the 73 Oldsmobile valve covers until no more blasting grit came out of the baffles. When the 350 comes back from machine shop jail, I want this motor for 88 to 95 Chev/GM 4x4 to run the factory TBI and should run OK on 87 with the lazy sbc timing curve. I would probably like the open loop parameters modified to run better cold. So the Performer intake will stay on this motor, idle to 4500 rpm is the target. I finished paying Cutlassefi for my RPM EFI conversion, injectors and the rest of the parts. He is dropping off the new Sanderson headers to be coated. I am pulling off this current exhaust with half rotten, 15 year old coated Sanderson headers. Since I got the drivers side full length header clearanced, the Stainless headers, cats, pipes and straight through Flowmaster mufflers also Stainless in 2.5" will ho in, no crossover pipe for now. Current has a compact X pipe. The Dynomax Superturbo mufflers are too quiet for my liking, these should be a bit more aggressive. I will start tearing it all out over the next few weeks. Once the motor and trans is done then I will get new bearings from Monzaz and the used 3.08 gears and pricy Yukon posi installed in the Type O rear.
 

Olds 307 and 403

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Oct 4, 2018
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Melville, Saskatchewan
The exhaust, 2004R transmission and driveshaft is out.
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Olds 307 and 403

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Oct 4, 2018
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Melville, Saskatchewan
I thought the cam had a flat lobe, nope. All look OK including the lifters that have normal wear, came out easily and turn easily in the bores. I will be swapping a couple of rocker arms and bridges, if need be, play in a couple. I will be swapping in new rod and main bearings with a new standard volume oil pump with the purple spring, drive and pick up. Then onto the 2004R upgrades.
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Olds 307 and 403

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Oct 4, 2018
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Melville, Saskatchewan
Well the passenger side of the non adjustable rocker arms bolted on with no excessive play. Number 3 and 5 on the drivers side took some fussing around. I switched bridges and swapped rocker arms side to side on #5. No more excessive play, even after rotating the cam. I put the stiffer spring pinkish or purple spring in place of the green spring in the new regular volume oil pump. Not only higher but more stable pressure throughout. I had to hammer the new pickup to achieve the proper position. A used Melling oil pump and pick up, had the same bend as a stock removed pump and pickup off the 403, so I copied them. The new Autotech oil pump, is a rebadged Melling with the new clicking pump gears. Not sure why Melling changed them. Here is the before and after on the oil pan. I will take more pics tomorrow oil the assembled oil pump and the current main bearings. The new standard rod and main bearings should be here Monday, NOS Ebay, super cheap, just over $125 CAD shipped. More than good enough for this 403.
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