Questions for you guys before i buy a BBO

[shaks 442 clone]

block casting number is 396021F

heads are 411 783 J

what am i looking at is this a worth while project?

will i be happy with the power if i just do a stock rebuild with a cam in it?

how difficult of a swap is this in a 70 cutlass?

where can i get mounts if this engine doesnt have them (also i lost mine off my olds 350 that blew up a piston)

and feel free to give me any advice you think neccesary

oh yah one more thing will 1970 SBO heads work on this BBO? The 455 is supposed to be out of a full size olds the seller is not sure exactly what though.

[don71]

That could be any year 455 from 73-76. You know its a low compression smogger engine but it will be tons better than your 350 ever was.

Worthwhile? I don't know....if its complete from carb to pan with exhaust manifolds and accessorys, then yea. I would want a complete package so you don't have to hunt peices and parts.

This is an easy swap. It drops right in like the 350 you had as long as you use the small block engine mounts. The frame mounts are fine as they are, don't move them. You can get new engine mounts from most any auto parts store. Ok..maybe they won't be in stock but they can order them, They'll be an import part, probably made in india.

Don't even think about putting your 1970 SBO heads on this engine. Concentrate on finding a machinest in your area you can work with.

[shaks 442 clone]

Originally Posted by don71

That could be any year 455 from 73-76. You know its a low compression smogger engine but it will be tons better than your 350 ever was.

Worthwhile? I don't know....if its complete from carb to pan with exhaust manifolds and accessorys, then yea. I would want a complete package so you don't have to hunt peices and parts.

This is an easy swap. It drops right in like the 350 you had as long as you use the small block engine mounts. The frame mounts are fine as they are, don't move them. You can get new engine mounts from most any auto parts store. Ok..maybe they won't be in stock but they can order them, They'll be an import part, probably made in india.

Don't even think about putting your 1970 SBO heads on this engine. Concentrate on finding a machinest in your area you can work with.

yes its complete from top to bottom excluding carb and distributor and i didnt ask about exhaust manifolds but they make headers for that

i will be doing all the machine work

cant i just replace the dish pistons with flat tops to recover some lost compression?

will there be valve clearance issues with flat top or even dome top pistons?

also will gasket matching and porting out the exhaust ports help these heads or are they a lost cause?

also will the distributor out of a 70 350 SBO work in this BBO

[don71]

Thats great that you can do the machine work.

Yes, your piston choice will effect compression. If it was me, I would want to run on pump gas. What exactly is your goal with engine?

Valve to piston clearance should allways be checked. Its not a problem on stock rebuilds like you mentioned in your first post. Domed pistons? Your not going to need anything like that.

If I had a good set of J head cores I would use them and do just what you are wanting to do. I don't think they are a lost cause. Gasket match, sure. Unshroud the valves and work the exhaust side. Even if you had a better set of factory heads, we would still be having this discussion. Were allways looking for improvement..right?

Yes you can use the small block distributor in your big block. It will work as is, but you should have it curved or tuned to your new build.

[64Rocket]

Are you going to tear the engine down? If so, I would deck the block close to zero deck and mill the 80cc head chamber down to 72 to 75 cc's. Should bring the compression up. If the block does not need an over bore, use the stock pistons. The "J" heads need some work, but would work fine on your street car. The motor mounts for your car are the ones to use. Don't worry about the year of the 455. Almost every thing from you 350 will work on the 455. The 350 heads will fit, but not worth the effort. You will have to use big block manifolds for an "A" body car, or the headers like you said.
PM me if you need more info.

Gene
Gene's OLDSMOBILE only

[Olds64]

The TRW 2323F pistons are good aftermarket forged pistons. If you are going to buy aftermarket pistons I suggest those.

[shaks 442 clone]

Originally Posted by 64Rocket

Are you going to tear the engine down? If so, I would deck the block close to zero deck and mill the 80cc head chamber down to 72 to 75 cc's. Should bring the compression up. If the block does not need an over bore, use the stock pistons. The "J" heads need some work, but would work fine on your street car. The motor mounts for your car are the ones to use. Don't worry about the year of the 455. Almost every thing from you 350 will work on the 455. The 350 heads will fit, but not worth the effort. You will have to use big block manifolds for an "A" body car, or the headers like you said.
PM me if you need more info.

Gene
Gene's OLDSMOBILE only

how do i find out what zero deck is? is the a starting point that you measure down to?

my goals with the car are to rebuild it with new bearings and gaskets get the compression back up to normal/performance levels between 9 and 10 to 1 hopefully

im sure i will be happy with the power the engine will make with the extra compression and re worked heads

im not sure if i want to sell my cutlass or not but im sure it will be worth more with a big block in it

[88 coupe]

Originally Posted by shaks 442 clone

how do i find out what zero deck is? ........

When, at TDC (top dead center) the piston top is at the same height as the deck of the block.

Originally Posted by shaks 442 clone

........ my goals with the car are to rebuild it with new bearings and gaskets ........

New pistons, rings, and a reground crank?

Originally Posted by shaks 442 clone

........ between 9 and 10 to 1 ........

9.5 is between 9 and 10. Is that what you are looking for?

Norm

[shaks 442 clone]

Originally Posted by 88 coupe

When, at TDC (top dead center) the piston top is at the same height as the deck of the block.


New pistons, rings, and a reground crank?


9.5 is between 9 and 10. Is that what you are looking for?

Norm

oh man not 88 coupe haha just joking

are you sure you don't get piston to valve clearance problems when you deck a block, mill the heads .60, and put flat top pistons in there (probably would be a good idea to find some flat tops with notches for the valve)

i was going to look at the crank and see if i could polish the imperfections out with some emery cloth beofre i sent it out to get ground

and 9.5 would be a good number for the compression, but does anyone have an idea what the compression would be with all that milling to the block and heads and the flat top pistons?

also if i mill the heads .60 do i have to mill the intake sides of the heads also to get them straight with the intake also? thats what my teacher is saying but he also says its a pain in the butt to set the lathe up for that, what do you guys think?

[Olds64]

I don't suggest zero decking the block if you are doing a "stock" rebuild.

Use a true bar and feeler gauges and see how warpped your deck is. Then mill the deck accordingly. If you do this you won't have to worry about altering the intake manfiold. Plus, with a good set of aftermarket pistons (or the stock cast ones in a rebuild kit) you will have adequate compression for a strong street engine.

[88 coupe]

Originally Posted by shaks 442 clone

........ are you sure you don't get piston to valve clearance problems when you deck a block, mill the heads .60 ........

Depends which cam profile is used.

Originally Posted by shaks 442 clone

........ and put flat top pistons in there ........

If you use flat tops, you will not need to deck your block. If you need to deck it, you are using the wrong pistons.

Originally Posted by shaks 442 clone

........ and see if i could polish the imperfections out with some emery cloth before i sent it out to get ground ........

Crank polishing can be tricky, and is best left to the crank grinder.

Originally Posted by shaks 442 clone

........ 9.5 would be a good number for the compression .........

Using this calculator, assuming your engine is still at factory specifications, and your only changes are,

Originally Posted by Olds64

TRW 2323F pistons ........

and a .028" head gasket, your compression ratio will be 9.32:1.

If you take .015" off the heads, you should be at about 9.55:1.

But, your chamber volume, piston to deck, and deck height, cannot be verified until you take the engine apart. When you have the actual numbers, we will be able to "fine tune" your specs.

Originally Posted by shaks 442 clone

........ if i mill the heads .60 do i have to mill the intake sides of the heads also to get them straight with the intake ........

No. You could simply "port match" them instead.

Norm

[shaks 442 clone]

good deals are to good to last as usual

the guy sold the engine over night for 100 bucks im so mad right now my buddy couldnt come through with his pick up until the weekend

now im stuck looking at an overpriced 350 olds

heres a link to it
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/pts/850614638.html

heres the new link he dropped the price
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/pts/853483432.html

im thinking of offering him 200 without the carb or headers already have those from my other olds 350 that i scrapped

[88 coupe]

When you do get one, we can start over.

The process is the same, whether it's a Yugo or a Lamborghini, the only difference is the numbers.

Norm