PLEASE HELP!, just got my first 88

[chip_gikey]

Ok so i just traded my 77 ford maverick to my step dad for his 63 dynamic 88 holiday. It has 53k on it and perfect interior and body, no rust or dents or anything, its in primer but its getting a paint job in a month. basically im trying to find out as much info about this year and model, and this car in general as possible. Does anyone know if there is a website or something where you can look up what your vin means, like what motor and all the other specs, thank you for all the help.

[Oldsguy]

When I married my wife in '75 she drove a '74 Maverick, nice cars. But a '63 Holiday is a lot nicer. Good deal for you! There are people on here that can help with your vin, just post it and one of us can let you know. Welcome to our site.

[chip_gikey]

Oh yeah thats another question i have. This car says holiday on the roof, and when i looked up book value it asked if it was a holiday or not, But for some reason i can never find any mention in any of these posts about holiday/non holiday 88's. Is there a diffrence between a dynamic 88 holiday, and a dynamic 88? Just curious thanks again for any help you have.

[Oldsguy]

http://classicoldsmobile.com/forums/...ody-style.html

lots of discussions about holiday and/or what it means, the above is an example.

[chip_gikey]

Ok now i see, thank you very much, also, what all can i do thats relatively inexpensive, likea few hundred bucks, to make this bad boy a little faster. How hard is it to find a 4 barrel for the 394 in it do you know, or does anybody. Thanks

[Oldsguy]

Talk to olds64, he might have a lead on something, ya never know.....

[chip_gikey]

Also one question someone may or may not know, im sure someone should im just not that mechanically inclined. http://www.442.com/tech/50sengidspecs.html at the bottom of the page under "note 1" it is saying how much the horse power is with the 2 bbl and 4 bbl but then it also lists "3-2bbls". Does that mean you can put a six pack on the 394s?!? If anyone has any information on the possibilities of the six pack please let me know because i would be interested in trying it. Thanks

[Oldsguy]

That would be the tri-carb option. There is another post about that here someplace, I think for a 303 but the same idea just a smaller engine.

[joe_padavano]

Originally Posted by Oldsguy

That would be the tri-carb option. There is another post about that here someplace, I think for a 303 but the same idea just a smaller engine.

The J2 manifold won't bolt to a 394. There are a large number of aftermarket multi-carb intakes available, however. Saw a bunch of them at Hershey yesterday.

[novice57]

Did all olds engines come with certain carbs signifying it's displacement.I'm just wondering because i have a 57 super88 v8 w/4 bbl and wondering if that setup only came on certain engines like 303's or 394's because i still can't read my block id?

[88 coupe]

'57

Originally Posted by chip_gikey

........ "note 1" it is saying ........

3 x 2 carbs in "Note 1" refers to the J-2 option on the 371, in '57 - '58 only.

Originally Posted by chip_gikey

........ Does that mean you can put a six pack on the 394 ........

"Six Pack" is the name Chrysler used for their own 3 x 2 setups.

Originally Posted by Oldsguy

That would be the tri-carb option ........

Tri-Carb was '66 Olds only.

Originally Posted by Oldsguy

........ I think for a 303 ........

Only 2 barrels from '49 - '51. From '52 on, 2 or 4 on all 303, 324, and 394s.

Originally Posted by chip_gikey

........ Does that mean you can ........

Aftermarket is a different story. New Offenhauser 2 x 4 manifolds for 394, are still available at Offyparts.com, or for used stuff, you can try the H.A.M.B. board.

Norm

[chip_gikey]

ok, i checked out the site an this was what they had for the 63 with the 394, what exactly is this lol. Is it like 2, 4 barrel carbs?? i dont quite understand. i am just looking to put a bigger carb on my 394, id prefer to go even bigger than 4 barrel, could someone please explain to me what this is and how its used and anyhting else i would need to buy. thank you very much. http://www.offyparts.com/product_inf...fdb2f87164cd51

[Olds64]

Yes, that is a DUAL QUAD intake (ie. two four barrel carbs). You might want to post some info on what you want to do with your project before deciding to buy this manifold. I am sure alot of people could give you some good leads.

Personally, I wouldn't purchase this manifold unless I already knew where I could get ahold of an aftermarket cam for my 394 (I have looked and I don't know of a supplier). Just because you slap a high speed intake and huge carb on an engine doesn't mean it will use it effectively.

If you want an aftermarket carb I would suggest an Edelbrock square bore. I used the 700 cfm Edelbrock on my 394 for a short time and it ran excellent. It was just difficult to set it up properly with the transmission (since our cars have the mechanical throttle valve set up). Also, be aware that a multi carb set up requries a complicated throttle linkage and may not work with the mechanical throttle valve on the Slim Jim transmission. If you are unfamilar with cars and new to the hobby I would not suggest a multi carb set up.

[J-(Chicago)]

Yeah. It would be sweet to have 6 carburetors and only have one in use though. Kinda like a good bluff in poker.

[Oldsguy]

Carburetors are an "on demand" device, meaning they only provide as much cfm as the engine will draw depending on mechanics like intake manifold porting, head porting, cylinder bore and stroke, exhaust efficiency. You could put a 6,000 (if they made one) cfm carb on your engine but it won't flow more than the rest of the engine is able.

[chip_gikey]

Ok thanks i appreciate all the help, and yes i know next to nothing about mechanics. Ill probably stray away from it i was just curious. I would however like to put a 4 barrel on it if it wouldnt be too much work. My step-dad knows a decent amount as far as working on cars goes, and i have lots of friends of the family who are pretty much redneck mechanics who know what their doing, i live in southeast ohio so it seems like everyone and their brother can work on cars What all would i have to do in order to upgrade to a 4 barrel, any parts i might need, where and what kind of carb is the best for me. Its a 394 in my 63 dynamic 88, also the motor is painted like a light green, maybe turqoiuse, which from my understanding means its the low compression 394. Im just trying to get an idea of how hard/how much work and how expensive itll be to switch before i bring up the subject to my mom/step-dad, seeing as they try to dictate what i do with my car even though i pay for it. Thanks again in advance, im glad i found this site.

[Olds64]

Chip, if your engine is green it might be a 371. The 371 and 394 are essentially the same engine, they just have different measurements internally.

Changing to a 4 barrle carburetor wouldn't be too hard, you just need to find a 4 barrle intake manifold and carburetor to put on your car. The hard part will be finding aftermarket parts for your car. If you can locate an old salvage yard and scrounge around you might be able to find a 98 with a 4 barrle intake and carb.

I sugges you get some casting numbers off of your engine and post them on the website. This will allow the guys to verify what engine you have. You can look for a casting number on the 394 / 371 on the heads right above the center port on the exhaust manifolds. There will also be a large number stamped on the heads next to the front spark plug on the passenger side, and the rear spark plug on the driver's side.

If you find a 4 barrle intake and carb it will be easy to put on as long as you are handy with a wrench. Let us know what you find!

[chip_gikey]

Ok here are the numbers i found on my motor and please bare with my terminology becuse i dont exactly know the "correct" terms for some of the parts of the engine. The number i found on the passenger side in front of the first spark plug and on the drivers side beind the last spark plug is 23.The number i found on the passengers side under the spark plugs an inch or 2 is 587510 RH. And i also found this number in between the second and third spark plugs on the drivers side, it was on this little plate thing that had a bolt going through it into the green long pan thing that runs along the top of the motor on both sides, its H 143781 L. Thanks for the help.

[88 coupe]

Originally Posted by Olds64

........ The 371 and 394 are essentially the same engine ........

371 is, essentially, the same engine as a 303/324. Like the 400/425/455 vs 330/350, the only difference is a higher deck.

Like the late V8s, anything not related to the deck height will interchange.

394 is a different engine, starting with a different casting. It used a wider bore spacing to accommodate the increase from 4" to 4⅛".

Nothing (except the oil and water pump) interchanges between 371 and 394.

Norm

[chip_gikey]

So does anyone have any idea on what these numbers mean? I did a little research but couldnt match my numbers up to anything, any help would be greatly appreciated. If i cant find someone to respond to it on here i might my the numbers a seperate thread all together.

[Olds64]

371 is, essentially, the same engine as a 303/324.

I stand corrected.

The number i found on the passenger side in front of the first spark plug and on the drivers side beind the last spark plug is 23.

Chip, my heads also have a number 23 stamped on them. Once I opened up my Oldsmobile book and looked in the engine ID section I found that your engine is a low compression 394 (8.75:1) Sorry for the mistake. The Dynamic 88s came with the 2 barrle carb as standard equipment. The H # L number is the engine identificaiton number indicating what number your engine was on the production line.

[chip_gikey]

Thanks olds i appreciate it. I thought it was a 394 and i was told it was one by some other people but when i found out it was possible that it was a 371 i was kinda wondering if i had been lied to lol. Im getting the paint job done next week sometime, but heres some pics of it as it is right now. Ill update them after i get it painted.

[59-59-59]

Originally Posted by 88 coupe

Nothing (except the oil and water pump) interchanges between 371 and 394.

Norm

If it is the SAME YEAR 371 or 394 (59 -64) practically everything interchanges except pistons and rings due to different bores. Yes, 57 -58 371 will not interchange with later 394's except water pump, oil pump and possibly the lifters (I am not positive on the lifters)

[88 coupe]

Starting in '59, there was a second 371 that was based on the 394. That explains a lot.

Thanks for the clarification.

Norm

[Oldsguy]

Chip, I LIKE your car! Nice interior, with very good stainless and chrome and the wheel is in great shape. Is that a semi gloss or flat black, and did you do it? Your bumpers are in great shape too. Nice find.

[chip_gikey]

Thanks oldsguy! She is a beauty i agree. As far as the semi gloss or flat black, im not sure. To be completely honest i am not even 100% positive i know what your talking about but im guessing you mean the color of the car. If thats what you mean than im not sure i know the person i got it from had it sanded down and primered to be ready for paint. Also i could just not mention it and let it slide but i cant because im an honest man lol. The rear bumper has a couple small dents in it and theres a spot on the left part of the bumper and a spot on the right part of the bumper that has like a hole rusted through so we put this shiny tape stuff over it but if your not close it looks just like bumper. I think i remember hearing that some kind of lights or reflectors or something go where the holes are now but i cant remember. But thats all there is wrong with her. The paint is just around the corner, i can barely wait. More pics to come. After paint i gotta find a way to clean up under the hood a little, kind of a mess in there

[chip_gikey]

Ok so heres the deal, its at the guys house whos painting it. I shelled out 200 bucks for him to sand and paint the top, just to be sure i like the color and all before he does the rest. So i took it to his house 3 days ago. The only problem is he does his work outside. He sanded down the top the first day and was gonna start on it but it started rainging And it has been raining here non stop ever since then So im waiting around like a child on christmas morning who woke up too early. These past days have been literally dragging on, plus i go to college so every day is even worse because i have to come in and do math and write papers or makes sauces and stocks (culinary major) and let me tell you id rather be admiring my car and working on it than making hollandaise sauce lol. I guess patience is a virtue so i should just shut up and wait patiently. Im getting a great deal on this job too! He had some paint left over that he didnt need and he needs money so for a small amount of money, $700, hes going to sand the top, wet sand the body cause its already been sanded and primered, remove the trim! (which i found hard to believe for only $700) and paint it. The color is a darker blue, very very close to the original color, with metal flakes in it. Looks like blue head on but when you see it at an angle or in the sun its sparkly. I hope it turns out great. well as soon as it gets done, whenever that happens, ill post some pics............fu**ing mother nature

[jeffrey]

It all takes time, Chip, if you want to be a Doctor you gotta have patience, or more aptly, "You know what they say about a watched pot........". I like you're car and good luck. Jeff

[chip_gikey]

Thanks jeff im trying to have patience. Im sure itll be worth the wait. I guess id rather it take time and look good than be done quickly and look like crap.

[dharlett]

Ok Chip, I'm going to let you in on a little secret... Since you live in Southeast Ohio, Stop on over to Millfield sometime and I'll let you take a peak at my 3 '64 dynamic 88s. I might even have an extra 4bbl intake that I'm not using. Also, Oak's Machine Shop in Logan is extremely fair priced and could rework the heads on your engine (port, hardened seats for unleaded fuel etc...). He can probably get you a new cam as well. He built a wicked Ford 302 for me and he's going to be working on my 70 SX 455 this winter.
If you want to stop by, just get in touch with me through Private Message and I'll get you my address.

Best of Luck,

Dan

[edj1993]

Chip, I have had my 63 Super 88for only a couple of months, but the previous owner put an edelbrock 4-barrel on it and it runs and shifts beautifully. The intake manifold looks stock, but I dont know that to be a fact.. Mark

[edj1993]

I just bought my first hobby car-a'63 Super 88 2-dr holiday.. I love it but it has a couple of issues-- one being tht it is blowing oil out of the breather cap at the front of the engine. I havent run a compression check yet but the car runs great with lots of power.. My car has had the engine rebuilt with an edelbrock 4-bbl, which seems to be a great carb for this car, but the original air cleaner will not fit the new carb.. Would like to hear from other '63 olds 88 owners. I am in Indiana.. Mark