Olds69442w30

Hello,
The engine that came with the car (1970 442) is not original to the car. The engine is a 396021F block and the stamp on the block is "38M208726." It has "C" heads

Below is what I've deciphered from the casting numbers.
3 - Olds Block
8 - Mfg date = 1968
M - Assembled in Lansing, MI
208726 - Original Vehicle S/N

From what I've read, it sounds like C heads are the ideal ones to have.

I intend to rebuild the engine and heads but my question is if there is anything I should watch out for? This is my first rebuild so I'm just trying to evaluate all my options. Are these blocks pretty resilient? Does anyone have an engine shop they'd recommend in the Southern California area? I'm willing to spend a little bit of money for performance parts but not sure where I would get the most bang for my buck.

Any guidance is appreciated
Thank You

joe_padavano

Congrats. A 1968 455 with C heads is an excellent starting point. The biggest thing to be aware of is the need for the machine shop to properly set the height of the valve stem tips when doing a valve job. There is a special Kent Moore tool for this, but a reputable shop can use other means. Unfortunately many Chevy-centric shops don't pay attention to this since the adjustable rockers on a Chevy make this a less critical measurement. The non-adjustable valvetrain on an Olds is not forgiving here. Good luck.

DZAUTO

In addition to what has been mentioned above, Comp cams has a kit to convert the NON-adjustability of factory Olds rockers to adjustable (including screw-in studs and guide plates), much like they are on Chevy engines. I've added this adjustable rocker arm kit to the heads on my 455 and it is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much nicer to be able to adjust them. I don't know why Olds did not do this to begin with, but they didn't. I've commented on this before and been severely chastised about it (and I don't understand why). Oh well, I guess some people are just not flexible to doing things a different way.