Chopper

Hi there!

Hopefully I'm about to become the owner of a 1966 Oldsmobile 442.

The car I'm looking at looks to be a good example but the seller says it has a 455 engine in it which he openly admits is not the original engine.

The problem is it looks like the original to me. It is painted bronze and looks the same (only from an external visual look and I have very little experience in this so please forgive me if I'm obviously wrong)!

Here is a pic of the engine if that helps..

If it isn't the original engine wouldit hurt the value too much to think about buying it in your opinions? It does only have the two speed auto which probably won't get the best out of the 455..

Thanks in advance!

Rusty Boltz

By looking at the front of the engine just above the water pump facing up, you will see a series of numbers followed by a letter. This is the ID of the engine and if you post that number someone here will be able to tell you what the engine is. Also, there is a letter code near the forward exhaust port on the heads which will ID them too. The 66' 442 should have had a 400 in it, but if the 455 is an early one, it won't kill the value of the car but it would be about 25%- 30% less valuable than if it had the original engine. 66s are fairly uncommon so it will appreciate still. Good luck!

aliensatemybuick

As long as you know what yuo are getting when you buy it, and factor that into the price you are willing to pay, you probably can't go too wrong. Looks like that car has a dual master cylinder (not orignal for '66) and also the air cleaner snout faces towards the driver's side, which I THINK is a piece from an air conditioned (or maybe California emmisions?) car. Those last two are small issues, as long as you like the car (and many will agree that originality be damned when it comes to the factory original single master cylinder).

As for the jetaway trans, it didn't make the most out of the original motor either!

gearheads78

Put a TH400 in it and drive it. You can make personal changes and not have to worry about its. Good luck now lets see the rest of it. 66 is the best year you know

joe_padavano

The 400 and 455 are externally identical, so they would look the same except for the detailed casting numbers. The substantive differences are the internal bore and stroke.

Chopper

Here's the rest of it!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?ai...1&id=710403642

Thanks for the advice everybody! I'm going to have a think on it and make my mind up.. Not an easy decision but it's a lovely car. Needs a bit of welding to the underside in the trunk area, the horn needs fixing to pass its MOT (road safety test here in the UK) and the upholstery needs sorting out a bit, especially the driver's seat.

Asking price is about £7,750..

Oldsmaniac

The thing I noticed and is a dead give-away is the oil filler tube and cap...change that back to 66 vintage and only those in the know would be able to detect the change. The 66 400 in 66 should be an E block with B heads.

Chopper

Nice to know that I can get it looking stock if nothing else.. Thanks!

I don't want to mislead anyone of course but I also don't want to be frowned upon as if it was me that ripped the original engine out every time someone looks under the bonnet..

By the way.. Your post count just hit 442

Anyone know why the 455 would be bronze?

Oldsmaniac

Well I guess my post count wont be 442 for long, the 455 was painted bronze to give the appearance of a 400 since that was the 400 color in 66....For an original 400 engine/block to have survived in a musclecar for 40 plus years is a feat in itself and most will understand all the conditions that could have taken place to cause the original 400 to be replaced......at least they did not put a smallblock or worse a Chevy engine in there.....The car will be very enjoyable with the 455!

Chopper

Yeah.. On closer inspection the bronze paint doesn't look like it was done in the factory...

Don't get me wrong.. I'm not complaining that it has a bigger engine in it or anything but this is my first ever muscle car purchase and all my research so far has told me that numbers matching is a big deal.

As is said above though, as long as I know it's not the original engine and am paying a lower price accordingly then it's not a big deal I suppose!

Chopper

As far as fitting a TH400 goes, what length of TH400 tail shaft does it need on a '66 442 and is there anything else I need to be aware of e.g. will any TH400 do or should I be trying to match t to the 455? Reading up on it I see there are three different lengths available.

I won't be able to do it myself but I imagine it's not too hard for a qualified mechanic to do if I get the parts needed (I'm a total novice but I'm signing up for a mechanics course in an effort to take care of the car myself long term).

Bluevista

Hey Chopper,
If you decide to get the car get an Olds factory service manual and it will tell you how to do most of that stuff in pretty easy to understand terms.
A transmission is one of the easier jobs to do IMO if it's just R & R. A trans jack really comes in handy, you can rent them here.
When I was younger and slightly less stupid I would put them on my belly and lift into position using belly power and a good exhale then manhandle it in.
It makes you strong like bull, especially the early cast iron units.

Allan

Chopper

I bet it does! I think I may need some heavy duty machinery. My belly lifting days are over I think

wmachine

You don't need to go with a TH400, the TH350 would hold up pretty good under less than severe applications and should be a direct bolt-in. And you can even keep your shifter setup. Just cut another notch in the plate to make another detent. There should be barely enough slot length in the top plate to get in "down" into 1st gear.

Lady72nRob71

Allan, do you have a picture to back that up? I will not believe it until I see it.

(Okay I know you would not make that up, but it would be really amazing to see!) I never even heard of anyone doing that before!

How much does a tranny weigh, anyway? Such as a TH350 or 400??

Jamesbo

At the risk of bein somewhat redundant,

Although most member of this board know, 99% of the people in the world wouldn't know the difference.

People ask me [about my 69 H/O] "What is that a GTO"
and about my 442. "Oh that's got 442 horse power right?"

Oddly enough most people recognize and remember the Vista Cruiser.

lemoldsnut

I guess I will insert my input also. I have a 67 442 convertible. I pulled the original 400 and I am saving it for value reasons. but, lets face it. They run like crap on todays less than potent fuel. They suffer damage from todays fuel. So, why not put a motor in that can be made to look correct and yet perform as well as you can get away with today and still live with this crappy fuel? I put a 69 2 barrel 455 motor in mine and put the original intake and carb on with a points distributor with pertronix and the correct oil fill tube and stickers. It has C heads and to most it is a 400. Except it runs well due to lower compression and yet will smoke the tires or go like a bat out of hell if you hook up. Plus if I get too stupid and hurt the motor it is not a 442 original motor that I am hurting. Just makes sense to me if you are going to drive and enjoy it. If you are looking for a concourse car that is different. Keep up the hobby and enjoy it. Be safe! Larry

mugzilla

The two speed trans has less drag and could possibly turn a better time in the 1/4 mile ...