442dreamer

Okay gentleman need some of your informed opinions. So I have a 1970 455 from a rusted out Olds 98 of the same year that has been sitting for 18 years. I would love to be able to put this in my 72 Olds and drive off into the sunset with 360 hp and 500 lbs of torque instead of the low comp 350 I have right now.

Of course that 455 sitting there for 18 years will have taken away much of that power. So do I save my money and do a complete rebuild over the next year or two, or just throw it in the 72 w/ a tune up, new plugs, and a carb rebuild? I'm a college boy so money is always tight, but I spend it on that car whenever I got it. If I did choose the rebuild route I would stick to mainly stock, just make sure to get good machine work. I'd probably add a few bolt ons like headers and an intake manifold eventually.

Also, the 455 has 88,000 and apparently ran fine when parked. Me and my Dad were messing with it some about a year ago and it did turn over. So, opinions. Is it best to be patient, save money, and go for a proper rebuild? Or just do some work on it and just get it running?

MDchanic

If it were me, and the engine's already out of the car, I'd open up the bottom end and have a look at the bearings, put in new shells if you think it needs 'em, have a look at the bottom parts of the cylinders, go through the various seals and gaskets, change the timing gears and chain, rebuild the carb., and run it until it NEEDS a rebuild. I would NOT pull the heads, because you'll never find a set of shim head gaskets like the factory used, and you'll loose about 0.5:1 on your compression ratio with modern gaskets, which are taller (unless you want to drop the compression a bit because of concerns about gas...).

If it looks good inside, mileage isn't excessive, and it ran well before, why mess with it?

- Eric

2blu442

As a college student it sounds like you'll not have the funds to do a complete rebuild on the 455. So I agree with Eric, don't tear everything apart. If you do odds are it will sit in pieces until your out of school and have a good enough paycheck to do it right. How many years will that be? What's the odds parts/bolts/etc. get lost or misplaced? Yes, I vote for the cleanup and inspect what you can without pulling the heads. If it looks OK run it! You can always come back in a few years to do the complete rebuild. John

svnt442

And if it's your only driver then I would for sure put the 350 in the corner of the garage just in case the 455 dies on you so you can at least drive the car while you go through the 455.

442dreamer

Yeah I've been definitely leaning towards that direction for awhile. As a young guy without a lengthy experience with these cars I think I often underestimate their longevity and durability if they've been well maintained. So hopefully with a little work it can be running great. And to avoid a rebuild in the meantime would definitely be better for my budget.

So now what do I need to do to get this thing into running shape exactly?

oldcutlass

I recommend pulling the heads and get a mild valve job and replace valve guide seals. Hone the cylinders, put rings and bearing inserts in. I would replace the oil pump, fuel pump, timing set, water pump, and get the carb rebuilt. I would replace cap, rotor, wires and plugs.

You can install shim gaskets and not lose compression.

If you do all this yourself, it should run about $1100.00, since your engine is still fine you can take your time and save your money!

rustyroger

If the engine is still in the '98 you could try firing it up to see how or if it runs before undertaking swapping motors.
Before firing it up I would pull the distributor and wind over the oil pump drive to get some lube round the bearings, also I would pull the plugs and squirt in some WD40 or similar so the rings are not scraping dry bores.

You can fire it up if it out of the car but make sure you have plenty of bracing round it and don't give it much throttle.

A compression tester and mechanical oil pressure gauge at this stage will help you decide if it is worth just swapping engines or it needs more work.
Like Eric said, change the seals -particularly the rope seal on the rear main- as I would take a bet they will have dried and hardened by now.

Check out the transmission as well, the 350 in your current car won't live long behind a 455 if you use the extra power and torque.

Roger.

MDchanic

I had been under the impression that the only way to get the original steel shim gaskets was to have a friend with a horde of them.

Are they still available?

- Eric

442dreamer

Yeah that's another thing I was concerned about. The 455 comes with a th400, what would be the best way of going about getting that back into running shape? Also, will the th400 match up with the drive shaft in my Cutlass with no issues?

oldcutlass

There are aftermarket shim gaskets available I believe through Mondello or other Olds performance houses! The T400 will probably cost somewhere between $200 - 400 dollars for a trans shop to go thru it! The drive shaft will be different for the T400, you can take one of the drive shafts and have it modified to fit.

MDchanic

The thinnest in Mondello's catalogue is 0.028"

The thinest in BTR's is 0.027"

If I recall, the OEM ones were 0.014" or 0.016"

That 0.012" difference amounts to nearly 3cc's. Not huge, but remember that the difference between a 6cc dish and a 14cc dish is the difference between 10.25:1 and 9:1 in a factory motor.

- Eric

BosMobile

Hey man,sounds like you have a complete 98'.I'f so ,do your best to get that car running & driving.I also advise doing a compression test.I't sounds complex ,but it,s quite easy.I'm preaty sure you can borrow the compresion gauge from autozone.You pay for it,or put it on a card ,when you return it ,you get your money back.Do some research on your results,this will give you a starting point as to this engines real condition.You should definatly use the 400 tranny,if it's ok.Smell the fluid ,if it smells burnt[youll know]Which i doudt ,since it,s in a 98'.Most of the time that model of car would have babyied,probally by an older person.Oil changed regular,ect...I'd bet you have a "tire fryer"just wait ing for it's day in the sun!Google "compression check".The only confussing part about this test is, usally. trying to figure out when #1 piston is at TDC.{top dead center}Pull #1 plug {left frt cyclinder}Place a rag in the plug hole,#1,Turn engine over by use of the crank bolt.When the rag pops out, very audible.Your close to TDC on the compression stroke.Good luck,i,m a true OLDS believer,ands it,s dang hard to kill a 455,or 400 tranny! power on !Later,BO

oldcutlass

Try this place for gaskets! A few years back they were available here!!

Gasket City:
http://www.gasketcity.com/

Run to Rund

I'd do a valve job, new valve seals, maybe new valve springs to match a nice camshaft change. The shop will almost certainly recommend resurfacing the heads, and taking .010-.015" off them will result in getting near the same compression when you put in modern, better sealing head gaskets. The shims are great until rust gets to them from the coolant, etc. It is good the check the bearings, but if one looks bad, the connecting rod, etc. may also be bad (egg shaped), so rather than replace them, I'd use the bearings as indicators whether to button it up and run it, or to rebuild it. The "freeze" plugs may be rusted from inside, and replacing them now could be a good idea. Again, check everything, and it is easy to get into some money because "there is no end to concern."