mike74442

I need a grille and miscellaneous parts anyone know a good site to buy parts? I can barely find anything for my 74'. Also I have a chevy 350 but got offered a 68' olds 455 not sure what I should put in my car. I just started messing with it if you couldn't tell.

Fun71

Uh, no decision on the engine. Use the '68 455 for sure! It's a direct bolt-in whereas the Chevy engine will require a bit of modification to get everything installed correctly.

mike74442

Also I need to buy heads for the 455 I heard js were crap so which ones should I be looking for?

Fun71

Depends upon what your overall plans for the engine and car are. For a daily driver with a mild cam the J heads would be probably be OK. Have some porting done and they would be better. If you're doing a hot street/strip setup then there are much better choices.

mike74442

I need a fast car I'm 21 so it would be nice to have a decent amount of hp under the hood...or a lot haha. I'm going to check out the 455 Saturday I guess we'll see if it's legit I'll keep you posted thanks for the advice it's helpful when you're just getting started.

Fun71

We're talking about a 455 so forget about horsepower and start thinking about torque. 455s can make unbelievable amounts of torque at moderate RPM levels, and that torque is what will get you moving.

mike74442

Hell ya so are there certain things I should do to to give it that extra little push?

Fun71

Start a post in the Engine / Big Blocks forum and you will likely get a lot of advice on how to build it.

Allan R

Most parts for 74 Cutlass models (includes 442 BTW) are just not reproduced, so donor cars are what you're looking for.

More guys on this site have pre 73 cars so the pickings here may be slim. Not to say there aren't some 73 - 77s. Have you considered checking out the 73-77 Forums body Forums? Most likely they will have a handle on those parts more than we will.

I'd go with the 455 for the same reasons Ken mentioned. If you decide to go with a Chevy 350, please be sure you discuss it in the "Non Olds Powered" section of this site. There are some members who find the concept of Chevy in Olds offensive.

As far as heads, if you have a 68 455, the heads are just fine. Why would you change them?? The 68 455 is casting 396021F and the heads should be C heads with CFD castings 394548 above the spark plugs.

If the engine doesn't have heads, one of the choices I'd suggest is the 71/72 heads (G, or GA). Both have hardened valve seats and good flow.

You didn't mention what your budget is, and the description of a 'fast car' won't help those in the engine building. They'll want to know more details, so maybe a good idea to ponder exactly what you want before you ask them? Driver? Street racer? Strip car?? Anyway - just my 2¢ to try and help you along.

mike74442

You guys are awesome. I had the guy send me the casting number a couple minutes ago actually so I know he wasn't trying to sell me something different. As for a budget I don't have tons saved but I can spend about 700 a month and still be comfortable. I just want it to be a fast street car I don't have it in me to turn it into a strip car. He said he doesn't have heads so I'm gonna have to go shopping. I do need a grille it's plastic though so I don't know if I can make one almost everything else I can have someone fabricate I guess the search begins.

Allan R

Yeah, starting in 72 just about all the front ends changed to plastic grilles. The header panel on your car should also be fibreglass instead of metal IIRC. If you can swing saving 700/month I'd start a project account and build from that. Wait till you have the inventory of parts needed and $$ for the engine build so it's not so overwhelming.

You might also start a search for 74 442 grills on evilbay.

Another option: This site has a Parts Wanted section - suggest you post your needs there. Don't forget to specify where they have to be shipped to also (generically - like what state you're in). If you get a serious answer you can always correspond with the member through PM after that.