I have a 1972 W-30 442. It does not have the original 1972 motor but it has a 1973-74 toronado motor that replaced the original back in 1974 after the previous owner blew it up.

I had the same mishap with the present motor, yes, I blew it up....... I need to either rebuild it or find a 1972 block & build that.

My question is: Should I search out a 1972 Block & build it & what would the difference be between a 1972 block & my present block 1973-74.... Other than mine being blown of coarse. What I'm looking for is Internal Information. The 1972 Block should be a whole different animal, correct? Thank you for any info provided.

 

its the exact same. As long as its an Olds 455 the block will be the exact same. Some people argue different materials being used and such and they say that makes them lighter/heavier or weaker/stronger but all that has been disproven. Its all the same thing. For 72' you'd be looking for Ga heads (i actually have a complete 72' 455). The pistons will be lower compression but thats an easy remedy.

What exactly did you "blow up"? Did you drop a valve? Break a rod? Send a rod through the block?
It could even be as simple as a spun bearing, these motors are notorious for that with their bad oiling. If thats the case you could rebuild yours pretty easily. Tear it apart, replace the bearings, have the crank turned (if it needs it), put it all back together and youre back on the road. Id suggest working on the oiling system while its apart though to prevent it from happening again

 

Same block, as far as I know, other than the casting numbers.

What did you do to yours?

- Eric

 

check the Portland Ore. craigslist cars for sale , specifically Oldsmobile. I saw a car for sale with I think a 68 Toro 455 and TH400 transmission for $500.00 a couple of days ago. I would have bought myself if I had the room to store.

 

Some late 455 blocks don't have the boss and tapped hole for a clutch Z bar ball stud. Otherwise, all are OK.

 

A chance for me to learn something, what on earth is a clutch Z bar ball stud?, what is it for?, where is it?.

Roger.

 

The Z-bar is the clutch actuating pivot.
It's a round bar about a foot long (if I recall from the last time I held one) with flat stock projections about 6" off of each end in opposite directions (a Z shape).
The rod from the clutch pedal attaches to the end of one projection and the rod to the clutch lever on the bellhousing attaches to the other. The ends of the shaft attach to ball pivots, one on the frame, and one on the block (except those later blocks don't have the attaching point for the pivot).
The pivot in question would be the equivalent of #9 in the bottom picture.

These pictures are not Olds (sorry, my Olds is an A/T), but they give you the idea:








- Eric

 

Thanks Eric, I learned a little more today.

Last time I saw anything like that was on an old tractor. I don't recall it being called a Z bar, in fact I don't recall what the term for it is over here.

Roger.

 

Sorry for not posting in a few days. I see my thread has been hi-jacked, Just kidding. Yes, Z-Bar is present on my car obviously because it's a 4 speed.

Back to the motor. What happened, well, I don't know yet.......... It has had low oil pressure since I've owned it so I'm assuming that's what caused the motor to pop. And by Pop, I mean, it now has a very noisy rod knock which gets louder at 1500rpm's and only get's louder with higher the RPM's go.

OK OK, it didn't just pop on it's own......... I was playing, racing, going fast........ You know...... So, now the motor comes out & get's rebuilt........ I'm guessing I'm going to use the same block...... Thankfully, nothing went through the block, it's all internal. We'll see once it's out. That's about it for now. Thanks for the info & input.

 

Sounds like a spun bearing to me. Honestly, as long as you dont run it anymore, you can probly get away with getting the crank turned and replacing the bearings

 

Honestly, the motor was coming out this winter anyway, rear main seal has been slowly leaking oil & we planned to replace it & as you know, the best way is to pull the motor when you don't have a lift to drop the tranny......... Anyway, we'll see what happens in the months to come. If I think of it, I'll keep this thread updated on what we end up doing & putting in. Wish us luck!

 

Reminds of a joke (true story... I was there)
A guy walks into a repair shop to get an estimate on a new catalytic converter.
Says to the guy behind the counter "hey, I blew my cat in my car."
Guy behind the counter say's "I'm pretty sure that's illegal in this state."

 

Well while youre replacing the rear main seal make sure to do it with the Ford 460 seal, apparently its way better than the Olds and fits right in, actually easier to install than the Olds also

 

Has anyone else heard of using the Ford 460 rear seal in place of the olds? Just wondering cuz it's the first time I've heard that. Thanks

 

Yep, fits right in. Used it on both my 455 builds.

 

Bill Trovato's got as nice piece about it here between 0:11 and 3:20.

- Eric