[Olds64]

I don't know of any specific book that lists ALL the part numbers for an Oldsmobile for a given year. If I were in your friend's shoes I would just rebuild the engine that he damaged (if it can be rebuilt).

Don't forget that the factory HP and torque numbers weren't much more than advertising. I am not sure how Oldsmobile calculated them; however, most people here will warn you to be wary of those numbers.

I suggest you just rebuild the engine in the car with a stock rebuild kit. You might want to put higher compression pistons and a mild aftermarket cam in it.

As far as heads go, the best factory heads you can get for a 455 are either E castings (I have heard they are quite rare), or C castings (easily found on most older full sized Oldsmobiles). Truth be told, I have heard that all of the BBO heads flowed pretty well except the Js. And supposedley they only fall off at about 3500 rpm.

You can get aftermarket Edelbrock heads for your BBO. I haven't heard anything spectacular about them though; aside from the fact that they are overpriced for a street car.

Finally, I haven't heard of aftermarket maincaps for an Oldsmobile. You won't even have to worry about that if you are just building a stock or mild street engine.