tomm455

I have a 74 Omega that I am transplanting a 68 455 Toronado engine into.
Does anyone know of headers that will work with this application?

Oldsguy

I drove a '74 or maybe '73 Omega with a 455 in it once. Lots of torquey response with that big mill in a little car. The car needed new front end bushings and tie rod ends so it was almost scary. I didn't notice what kind of headers were on the engine, but I think that the 455 was an option at least one of the years of production although I might be wrong about that. Either way, that doesn't verify that headers would be marketed for that combination anyway. I don't think I have ever seen anyone list headers to fit a 455 in the Omega but that doesn't mean there are not some that fit. There is a guy over at R.O.P. that has an Omega with a built big block in it, in fact I think there is something in his moniker about that, like "73Omega" or "455Omega" or something similar, you might go over there and ask him. Good luck.

tomm455

What or who is R.O.P?
To be honest the car is actually a 74 Ventura but they are all just Nova's when you boil it down. It is a 31,000 mile original car baught from the widow of the original owner with almost no rust. Its Gold (very faded with a little oxidation showing through) and a classic 70's tan plaid bench seat interior and dog dish Pontiac hubcaps. I have a master power front disk conversion kit to replace the factory 4 wheel drum manual set up. Yes every stop is currently a panic stop. I plan to go through the front end during the process and put in a proper set of front springs. Eventually it will go to a more full race set up and the Olds motor will get replaced with a Pontiac 455. At that point (eventually usually means decades) the Olds will go into an as yet determined lucky olds body Cutlass A body, an Omega or perhaps a G body Cutlass. I think the Ventura good looks combined with Olds big block power will make one spectacular and different street sleeper combo. It will be a real hoot to suck the paint off a Jap buzz bomb in an old lady cay. I am hoping headers for a different application will fit since this will help in my long term plan of another swap. Why put an Olds motor in a Pontiac? Why the hell not! All you guys running a 455 know what I mean. And how lame would it be to use another Chevy! Yuk! If anyone knows of a site with an Omega build up I would love to see it for ideas. Also any sited detailing a 455 STREET build up with dyno results would be appriciated. I know there are full tilt set ups with alluminum heads etc. but this is going to be on a budget. Anyone who gets Jealos easily dont read the following.
Once again why an Olds 455? I just happen to have 4 of them, all 68 Toro engins and two of them feature a FORGRD STEEL CRANK! One was thrown in for free when I purchased a pair of 454 Chevys for $900. The rest were pulled from a local bone yard that were within days of meeting the crusher. Puchasing them was an act of humanitarionism. They would have been lost forever to the world despite languishin in that bone yard for 20+ years. The completeness of two make them an excelent candidate for an inexpensive rebuild. All have big valve C casting heads and the early high nickle blocks. A rocket Poncho! Two of the supposedly "lesser" GM's uniting to conquer.

texasred

www.realoldspower.com

And I thought his nick was "NotaNova"...but I couldn't find it. *shrug*

Ask at ROP and you'll find someone that has BTDT (Been There, Done That).

C.J.

Oldsguy

C.J. you know I think you are right, but I can't remember either. I am sure he is still around though as he seemed to be a regular. About the Poncho with a Rocket, Why not? I agree with you about that one. Sounds like a good idea and best of luck to you. Keep us posted huh?

tomm455

Is it possible to use a set of small block olds headers on a big block? I don't have a SBO for comparison but since the difference between the two is a raised seck I thought it could be an option. Are there any Shorty headers available for an Olds? I haven't found ant yet but that could also solve a few problems. I seem to remember Hooker offering a set of 455 Olds headers for a Firebird, presumably for a 403 upgrade. Sinde the F-Body and X-body share a common subframe it seems these might be compatible. It seemed to be such a no brainer idea for a swap, power to weight that there must be somthing that works without too much fab work. Strait pipe out the hood?

78 omega 468

Trying to get motor mounts and frame mounts to do V/6 to Olds 455 swap. I was told on another web site you can use 1968-1972 A body ( cutlass 442) headers. Supposedly a bolt in with no more problems than using them in the A body. You mentioned that the F and X body share the same front sub frame. Does anyone know if a 1978 Camaro rear is a bolt in swap for a 1978 Omega

78 omega 468

Oh yea have to be for a big block A body. The small block headers on the big block hit sub frame and floor pan.

bammax

We had a '74 Omega for a bit. The subframe on the front is the same one as an early Camaro which means that Camaro chassis parts can be used. The Olds 455 never came in a F or X body though so it doesn't help much. The A body also shared much of the same stuff which means that A body mounts for a 455 car could be used as well as the headers. Then connect them to a nice Nova dual exhaust and you'll be all set. After that expect to run some aftermarket or at least Camaro front disks to stop the new found power.

joe_padavano

Several problems with these posts. First, the original thread has been dead for nearly FOUR YEARS!!!

Second, the original thread was about a 74 Omega. The new question, while not specifying the year of the car, was posted by someone with screen name "78 omega 468". That and the fact that he's talking about swapping a V6 (which was not available in the 73-74 Omegas) for a 455 would lead one to believe he's asking about a 1978 Omega (hint: telling us the year of the car would help next time). This is significant because the 73-74 Omegas are completely different from the 75-79 cars. The 73-74 cars use a subframe and suspension that is similar to that under the first gen F-body cars and is rear steer. THe 75-79 Omegas use a subframe and suspension that is similar to that under the SECOND gen F-body cars and is FRONT steer. Headers, motor mounts, etc are completely different.

The good news is that any headers that fit a 455 in a second gen Firebird will also work here. You can either use the motor mounts from a 260 Olds in an Omega or from a 403 Firebird. These mounts are completely different. The 260 mounts are conventional metal frame brackets with rubber motor mounts. The Firebird used rubber frame mounts with metal brackets bolted to the block. Either way works and puts the motor in exactly the same place.

78 omega 468

Sorry Joe just found this site. I asked a lot of questions on 442.com when I started building my 69 442. You were the one that normally answered my questions. Yes it is a 78 Omega. The reason I posted on this old post was I did a search for Omega. I will start a new post now. Any chance that you could get the frame and motor mounts for the Omega with a 260 or 403 Trans am other than a upullit yard. I have been to everyone in the southern states with no luck. Thanks for your past help as well as now.

joe_padavano

The 403 Trans Am brackets are available from Pontiac specialty vendors. The T/A used the Chevy-style rubber clamshell frame mounts (still available from any parts store) with special metal brackets that bolt to the block.

78 omega 468

Thanks Joe, I will google search for a pontiac vendor.