Dapokan

Looking for recommendations for rebuilding 455. I have found a couple of kits but I am looking for second opinions and which parts I should use. I want it to have a modest boost in power but nothing crazy. I am a highschool student so I'm thinking of doing most of the assembly/disassembly myself to save some costs. Last year when we changed the pilot there was about a palmful of metal shavings in the oil filter if that changes anything.

matt69olds

Whatever your budget is, double it! These things always cost more than expected!! Find a machinist your comfortable with, find someone who is either familiar with the Olds engine, or won’t argue with the way it needs to be machined. Oldsmobile’s are not chevys, and won’t last long built with the Chevy way. The need extra bearing clearance. If they aren’t machined and assembled with the needed clearance, the engine will do it for you, and save all the debris conveniently in the oil filter.

Build the short block stout, don’t cut corners. Heads and other bolt-ons are easy to change as the budget allows. But that way of thinking only works if the bottom end stays together!!!

cutlassefi

x2.

oldcutlass

The amount of machining required will determine what parts are needed.

matt69olds

Buy the lightest pistons possible, don’t cheap out. Cheap aftermarket pistons will be heavy, and will sit too low in the bore, killing compression. Spend the money on quality pistons, lighter pistons will help keep the bottom end together. That will require a rebalance, but as I stated earlier, build the short block stout. As long as the short block stays together, and well sealed, top end components are easily upgraded later.

brownbomber77

Is the motor still running with decent oil pressure or is this a preemptive build?

Dapokan

The motor runs and the pressure light goes off once it has turned over a few times. I was more thinking of doing it to make sure everything is still good health and gain some power at the same time. I have yet to take it apart or even get it out of the car so I'm looking for recommendations for parts and some tips at the moment.

OLDSter Ralph

Its summer time. Drive it and enjoy it now. What body do you have the 455 in ? What carburetor do you have ? (2 barrel ? 4 barrel ?) What year engine ?

Dapokan

It's in a 1969 delta 88 with a quadrajet 4 barrel in it. I dont have school in the summer and that's why I was considering doing it now.

oldcutlass

Why not just start it in the Delta and see how it runs. You can do a compression test and give it tune using all the old parts.

sysmg

I wouldn't do a rebuild with your budget and experience. I would do a good tune up, upgrade to dual exhaust, and perhaps add a better coil and a pertronix points replacement. This will get the car running a bit better than stock and the pertronix and coil will help with a more stable spark/timing. Maybe replace the air filter with a K&N.

cutlassefi

Waste of money. Did a back to back vs a paper filter on a 500hp build. No change, none.

oldcutlass

A points replacement is just that, it won't make it run any better than with points, you just won't have to mess with points.

OLDSter Ralph

You have a very big, heavy body.....probably about 4500 pounds. Just tune up the car and enjoy it. Maybe add dual exhaust and have a Quadrajet specialist go through the carb.
All that HEI stuff is just a headache you don't need. Save your money. From all the threads on here about diagnosing ignition problems, its HEI things. You have to carry spare HEI parts to swap if you have problems. Stay with the points, you know when things are going bad and adjust the dwell. Many years ago I had a 400 E that would spin 7000 RPM's and I had points set. I used a newer "hot coil" because the old one went bad. Your car won't make anymore horsepower with HEI or go any faster.
......Just my two cents worth.

sysmg

Thanks for the info. You've got such great real world experience.

sysmg

My experience is that unless you have high performance points there is some jitter at higher RPM (spring on non performance points don't follow the cam accurately) with points that doesn't exist with optical.

brownbomber77

Yep. Start here. Get yourself an Excel spreadsheet and start listing parts. One column for the part description, one column for the part number, and one column for the price from Summit. Every part, gasket, machining...etc. With a car that old, don't forget regular maintenance parts, too like brakes, fuel lines, and suspension components. The more precise the plan, the better. Also, maybe consider getting a core engine so you can machine that one and still enjoy the car. Reduces down time on the car, too.

Tedd Thompson

Hay guys remember high school, remember budget. The PO hasn't mentioned where he is on the budget thing and how about that hand full of shavings in the filter? They went through something to get to the filter and came out from something on its way to there. My guess from afar is that the engine is toast for the long haul and probably the short haul also.

Not to rain on someones parade but I see nothing but a money layout on a very heavy car that won't be worth much more than what you started with. That being said I'm one who rebuilt a 53 four door Hudson in high school auto shop for my daily driver. I got a lot of experience but not much love from my fellow students there though.

Weigh your options carefully because once you start it's hard to recover much of anything till you are done or fire sale broke..... Good luck on your adventure..... Tedd

73aussie455

the comments about the heavy delta and just a damn good tune are the best ones. honestly, no point in going too far with a build in that b body. does it really need it?
if the thing runs, run it until it doesnt. then pull it out and find a good running replacement and put that in. bet you could find a good running 455 over there for the price of a nice set of shiny new pistons. now you have one to rebuild properly in your own time and that nice delta to cruise.

If it runs just drive it, i doubt your going to be running it at the track (insert why here) and those old deltas are probably the best looking ones. enjoy the looks it pulls as you're cruisin around. drop the whole thing a couple inches for added effect.

there will be plenty of time to rebuild it later when it needs some love and you do live in the land of parts a plenty. lucky you!

some sage advice above in regards to add a twin exhaust but use your existing manifolds, 2 1/4" is stock for duals and probably what is best. have a guru tune the 4v quadrajet and turn the aircleaner top upside down or put a free flowing aircleaner on. get the trans serviced/ adjusted, keep the oil + filter changes regular and enjoy.
or.. do what i did and dump a crap load of money into a 455 that was perfectly ok in a 4500lb car because i was excited to do it. the urges wear off, be patient.