Looking at a 71 455 to buy and wondering what i should watch for.

i'm told it was running when pulled from a 71 delmont about 20 years ago but was pushing some blue. In storage since then. G heads on it and the correct qjet carb.

Rings and good refresh expected at the very least. Planning to put into my 71 cutlass s with th350.

Anything I should be aware of or cautious about?

 

The last Delmont 88 was made in 1968. In 1971, it would have been a Delta 88, 98, or Toronado that had this engine.

 

Ok...not sweating that part. Seller is a retired mechanic but not an olds expert. He had planned to put it in a cutlass he had at the time. ..but sold the car before he got to it so the donor model recollection could be inaccurate.

He said he checked the casting numbers to confirm the year...of course i forgot to get them myself.

 

Cool. Actually, I need to be careful about what I said. If it came from a '71 full-size Olds, it would have been one of the three I mentioned.

 

I'd say that is a strong candidate.

My engine is basically the same. Pulled from 1971 98 years ago and a refresh/simple overhaul has provided me lots of years and fun.

 

X2^^^. Can you get a TH400 for out behind?

 

I'll have to keep looking for a TH400. Will the TH350 do fine with it as long as I don't build the 455 up (yet)?

Asking price on the engine is $350 US which seems to be a good deal from what I can tell.

 

$350.00? It would already be in my garage!

 

Carb to pan for 350!? I'd buy it for that even if it turned out to be a paperwight

 

I did. :-)

Now i need to get it into my toyota sienna and drive 6 hours!

 

Stamped number on the block is 31X111774 which I'm reading as:

3 = Oldsmobile
1 = 1971 YOM
X = Kansas Plant
The remaining 6 numbers from the donor car's VIN.

Not that it's important (I don't think), but does that give enough info to figure out what the donor car was? I'm thinking he may have heard "Delta" but remembered Delmont.

I'll get the casting number off it later.

 

So...got the engine home, and yes I shouldn't have been quite so excited that I didn't check things a bit closer. But what's done is done and overall I'm still stoked to have my hands on it. These engines don't pop up here on the island too often that I've seen.

The crank will turn maybe a 1/4" in each direction, then hit hard up on something. Pulling the plugs doesn't help.

There's signs of water in the intake but I took that to be from the rain over the last couple days with the engine sitting outside in the swap meet. Most of the plugs look good except one with some obvious moisture damage.

I knew I was going to be tearing the engine down anyhow, but I'm curious what sort of things might be causing this and what I should be watching for. I encountered this once on an aircooled VW engine and it was caused by a spun thrust bearing hitting up on it's dowel. Is there something similar in these engines?

 

That problem could range from rusty bores to broken parts. Try some lube like wd40 or whatever you have in the spark plug holes. Let it soak and try again.

You might have to pull the heads sooner than later. Good luck.

 

Have same problem on a small 4cyl one time, could rotate it just a little forward and back..the valves was stuck, took of the head and the engine rotate great.

Post pics of it when you can, we love pics dosn't we?

 

Planning on pulling the heads off this weekend and hoping I'll find a couple valves frozen open causing the clearance issue.

Aiming to do a fairly stock rebuild with a few upgrades and open to suggestions. The car will be an evening/weekend cruiser so I don't need dragstrip performance (nor will my budget support that!). Goal is reliability, drivability and solid power.

Engine is an F casting with G heads. No idea what crank is in it yet, and will have to wait until I get things opened up and talk to the machine shop before I'll know what the bore will be. From what I'm seeing so far I suspect the engine hasn't been opened up before but obviously I'll know for sure soon enough.

For intake I'll be searching for an Edelbrock Performer. I've got the correct QJet for the engine - will this carb work with the Performer?
I'm thinking a W30 cam but need to learn more. Not worried about high RPM performance but need good low and mid range response. Assuming there are several grinds covered by the W30 term, is there something specific I should watch for?

Exhaust manifolds will be the stock ones that came on the engine. My understanding is that the '71 big car manifolds are interchangeable with the Cutlass body and will fit in my '71 Cutlass S just fine. I don't intend to run headers.

Pending a chat with the machinist, the heads will be rebuilt stock with three angle valve machining. No plans to port or otherwise modify them at this point.

Not sure on what compression ratio to aim for yet. Premium around here is generally 92 Octane but I'll talk to the machinist on that too. I suspect something around 9:1?

I had a good chat with a local fellow who has plenty of performance Olds experience and learned a lot from him. One of his recommendations was to get a higher capacity oil pan - any suggestions on what to look for there (manufacturer, specs, etc)?

Meanwhile elsewhere in the car...will my current (probably original) radiator provide enough cooling or should I be looking for something better?

When I do the swap, I'll pull the TH350 and get it freshened up with a shift kit. Eventually I'll get a posi in the rear as well.

Looking forward to thoughts, suggestions and comments about the build and anything else I should be considering when doing this upgrade.

Oh yes, and photos of course!

 

Why not run headers? Just dont want to modify the exhaust?

I'm looking at doing a 455 myself so can't wait to see how this goes. Hope the block isnt damaged for $350 but if not I'm very jealous!!

 

Headers can introduce problems of their own including leaks, fitment and heat issues. For my application and from what I've read about them I don't think the benefits outweigh the disadvantages.

The rest of the exhaust will be dual mufflers with a crossover. I haven't looked at what mufflers to go with yet, something with a good sound of course and probably an X crossover vice H style.

 

You are venturing into what I did for my car 20 some years ago.

A quadrajet should fit a performer, I'm using a Torker.

Go mild on the cam. Forget W-30 anything for now. Let the machinist and you figure this out later. I would shoot for 9:1 for now and let the final figure fall where you guys decide depending on your goals, and what the engine really needs for repair.

Manifolds- I had the one side welded/capped off for duals at a welding shop. You can always do headers later on, I know how you feel, on that subject...been there and back twice.

The radiator shouldn't be a problem for now, you can deal with that later if it becomes a problem.

Concentrate on the best block assembly you and your budget can get now. Build on top of that that later.

You and your old 350 are gonna crap your pants on the power a 455 will make. You're gonna like this. But will your wallet like it? Have fun .

 

Yeah, forget about a W-30 cam if you want low and mid-range. There are plenty of cam profiles that will give lots of power with a max RPM range around 5000.

9:1 is probably a good initial target, but compression ratio should depend upon the cam since it is the cylinder pressure that dictates what octane rating is needed. Engines with the same static compression ratio but different cam timing events will have different cylinder pressures.

 

So would y'all recommend using a 442 spec cam for this? I'm asking because I'm doing the same build.

 

I don't know what "442 spec cam" means as there were so may different grinds depending upon the year, AT or MT, AC or no-AC, etc.

I would recommend figuring out what your intended use is (easy cruiser, weekend drag strip, daily driver, etc), what rear gears you will use, etc. then folks will have more knowledge to give a recommendation.

 

I'm in the middle of the same build. started w/a 1971 455. Had to clean the crank up 30 under, went with Eagle rods and Icon 9:1 pistons. Edelbrock alum heads re-tuned by Bernard Mondello (His father was the Oldsmobile engine GURU FOREVER!!!). The reason I mention this is because Bernard knows as much as anyone about the 455" engine and can and will give you advice on your build. While he is a super nice guy, he also is in the business of selling equipment for same. I purchased a larger oil pan, sleeved push-rods, etc. from him. He is in Southern California. Phone-(951) 371-2718. mondellorace@earthlink.com. Best of luck with your build. (I'm a Canuck too) in Calif.

 

That I'd pay to see and would even supply the extra sawsall blades.
A big block 455 in a Toyota Sienna
That was a joke I knew what he meant.
Carry on

 

 

 

great score clay, have you started pulling it apart yet? ive got a 425 here with a stuck cam, but the pistons are all free. no cam chain on of course. curious what you found. my guess is stuck valves

 

I'll probably start pulling it apart later tomorrow afternoon or Sunday if you feel like stopping by.

Going up to tour the "Shine On" automotive coating shop in Nanaimo tomorrow morning...let me know if you want to jump on the bus for that one...leaving Java World at 9:15 Saturday.

 

Ok , if not a W30 cam, then will a 1970 442 cam ( automatic , with air ) be a good choice? Hope I have added enough information.
Is there a better choice for today?

 

Yes, I think so. Camshaft technology has come a long way in the last 45 years, so a modern grind will perform better than a 45 year old factory grind.

 

i aggree, technology today has fine tuned cam science. and for the cost why not custom grind one.

let me know how the shop tour goes Clay, with this great weather the wife has me booked this weekend. ill try to get away sunday maybe

 

It may be more than you want to spend but I'd go with a nice hydraulic Roller! You don't have to go wild and it wouldn't require a break in( which can go south on a flat tapped cam in a hurry!) and a set of roller rockers. Mark Remmel (CutlassEFI) could set you up no doubt!

 

Leaning very strongly towards a roller cam after hearing some horror stories about breakin failures with flat tappet cams.

Pulled the heads off tonight, one cylinder in each side had at least a bit of water in them. I can rotate the crank further now, but it looks like #6 is still kinda stuck. It didn't move at all at first, but now it at least budges a bit and all the other pistons are moving.

Seems to be at the bottom of the stroke which I'm assuming is why I can turn the crank some.

Soaking in WD40 now, and I'm hoping that will be the last nasty surprise in there. Still have to flip the engine and pull the oilpan.

 

Success! Broke the last piston free and the crank turns fully and freely now :-)

 

good news clay, im no expert, but those pistons appear to be the low compression ones? are you goin to keep it all year specific? or are a set of C heads in your future?

 

I'm not worried about being year specific...the block being a '71 is just coincidence and was never part of my search criteria. Not that I was really looking...

Couldn't find any guides for piston identification but one thread I found said the two notches indicate a factory low compression piston. So you're probably right on that.

I was figuring I'd be needing new pistons anyhow, and depending on what the machinist says about the block I may need to go .30 over and get them regardless. I haven't given any thought to changing up the heads and I'm not sure how much I'd gain by going to C heads...if I could find any affordable ones. Got a pair? :-D

 

why yes, yes i do have a set. they are from my spare 425. could be persuaded im sure

 

Maybe you should bring them 'round when you come to have a look at the engine and swill a coupla brew. Heading down to Victoria this afternoon but most any evening this week or next weekend could work.

 

did u ever find good 71 cutlass s grills

 

this week works for me , what time are you home??

 

@cpcbuckshot - Not yet, replied to your PM

@stan - I'm usually home just after 5 pm. Thursday's no good as I'll be at Javaworld with the cruisers