I feel for George landis I've been reading his thread,well since I got my 400 e back A valve spring broke, oil presser been low since the rebuild 0 to 10 psi
The builder said that's fine,I was driving it sept 3 rd the engine started to tap Its done it before but this time a lifter collapse same cyl front pass side number one I think,anyway my guy who but the engine in called CME Richard and they are telling him, It's a new problem so the crap hits the fan Botton line they are sending them a new oil pump and lifters ,they got 2 lifters the other day 5 qt of oil , gaskets,the pump came today ,I talk to the guy doing the work on it he's a good friend so I told him this is not going to fix the problem something make it collapse,they are paying him for doing it after a bunch of crap,So what do you guys think of this crap,I can't take anymore of this so I'm going to get a 350 cutlass maybe 70s and sell this I will ever get what I put in this car but My health can't deal with this,I just want a good driver plus a automatic This will be a good car for someone who does there own work I used to but Copd and other ailments limited me ,
Thanks for listening to me bitch
Steve

 

Sorry about your health and the misfortunate experience with your engine builder. I too feel for George also. Sometimes things just happen, it could be related to the builder, parts, or a combination of the two. This why engine blueprinting came to be many years ago. You can just copy anothers successful build with the same parts and clearances.
Hopefully all will work out for you and George.

 

I can't count how many horror stories I've read about Olds engines that just aren't what you think they will be.
It's stories like this that have hindered my decision making for a couple years now. It seems you get what you pay for with these Olds engines.
I guess that's why I see more LS engines at the car shows. Its a shame really.
I hope things get worked out for you both.
Sorry to hear about your health, wish you all the best .

 

Honestly I was debating on doing the LS swap, mostly because of the horror stories. Local guys can't build it right and didn't know who to go with in olds community. Just too much shady business.
Decided to have Mark (Cutlassefi) build my 463. Don't regret it one bit. Mark is a man of his word and the engine is a beast.

Sorry to hear about your health and I sincerely hope everything works out for you man.

 

My fist rebuild cost 8k second was 3,200 I should of put a lbs in before all this crap happen
Steve

 

[QUOTE=70cutty;861888]Honestly I was debating on doing the LS swap, mostly because of the horror stories. Local guys can't build it right and didn't know who to go with in olds community. Just too much shady business.
Decided to have Mark (Cutlassefi) build my 463. Don't regret it one bit. Mark is a man of his word and the engine is a beast.

I agree totally, Mark helps out so many on this forum. I wish I could get the numbers together for one of his builds. I've been throwing money at all other area's in my 76. Eventually I will need to make my mind up one way or the other.

 

Im sorry to hear about your health. This is why i dont trust anyone to touch my stuff and build my own . Sadly it seems to be a theme in the olds community . I wish i was closer and could help IM sure the olds community can step in and help if you reached out. Hate to see a guy down on his luck when the hobby should be something thats enjoyed and fun .

 

Thanks guys I have to let the guy change the lifter and oil pump and take it from there,Why is it so hard to build a olds ,my car before this was a 57 Chevy 2 drht I bought a jasper 355 with a rv cam never had a problem tilla guy ran into my house in 09 and totaled it
We will see what happens
I keep you posted Steve

This was the aftermath It don't look that bad but the frame was twisted,cowl bent sorry for posting a Chevy on the site

 

Ouch, awesome looking car. And I'm sure it ran well. I can't tell you how many issues I have had owning Oldsmobiles for 30 some years. But I like them

 

I always loved the olds but this 57 I had for 12 years it was mint
I really like the 74 olds salon my brother had a new one it was a beauty maron w/white int buckets 350 rocket engine
Oh well

 

i have a 455 that i had built at CME, same as sammie... it's still sitting in my carport... didn't want to install it after seeing sammie having so many issues... i don't trust to put it in and waste a lot of my time - i already had to replace the galley plug because they didn't put the right one in with the .040 dizzy oil hole
i bet they put the wrong one in sammie's too

went with cutlassefi who built me a different motor, should have it soon
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...515829&page=26


good luck!

 

Oh now I know why my engine isn't done yet Naphtali! Your in my way lol! Can't wait for mine from Mark too!

 

LOL, yeah Mark told me he had to move mine out of his shop, is getting in his (your?) way soon Ralph, very soon...

 

Well, both of you need to get a move on. I have one in line also. Not sure which is holding up the others though. Mine should be done in a couple more weeks. Absolutely on pins and needles waiting for the dyno run. Hoping for 500 hp and many more lbs of torque.

 

Most of the build issues come from the big bearing and heavy component BBO. The issue most 350 Olds guys have is too tight of valve guides on rebuild, another thing chebby builders get wrong. The 70's Olds 350 was a much better engine than the chebby 350. You can still find them at near give away prices still in great running condition. The 455 especially seems to be much harder to build right.

 

I dont know why most people dont build their own engines? Just have the machine shop do the boring and the crank machining and the head rebuilding the stuff that has to be done in a machine shop and assemble the rest yourself with forums like this and books that are out there theres no reason not to build your own with the money your paying a machinist or some high school shop student working after class to assemble your engine you could buy the few specialty tools you need to it ( torque wrench, ring compressor etc.) And then at least you have some connection with your project other then compairing which engine builder built your engine or why it failed or took so long to get done and best of all if you have a problem on the road or at the track youll probably know how to fix it, its like when i remodeled my kitchen im not a carpenter and i didnt want to wait on one so i bought the tools and did it myself and i probably saved a ton of money but best of all if the sink falls threw the floor i know where to go look for it

 

haha! We are all in the same boat and Mark is rowing!!!! I'm hoping for a solid 550 but am hoping for more! Looking for 600lb ft+ of torque! I can't wait for the dyno!

 

The reason I didn't build my own is due to the fact that I have nobody around here that works/machines Olds engines. Would you take your stuff to a guy that only does Chevy, Ford and some Mopars? I think not! I went to Mark Remmel (Cutlassefi) because of his reputation in the Olds engine field. I would rather pay good money to have it done right the first time than have my engine parts machined wrong or not *** well and the me put it together to find out something is wrong. Then where do I try and figure out who screwed it up? Me or them? I went to UTI 18 years ago and I no longer work in the field anymore. Chances are I'm out of practice and am perfectly happy having an olds specialist do the work!

 

A confident machinist can machine stuff to your specs no matter what is is olds engines just require different clearences then chevy or Buick as long as you know what to tell him to machine your good ive used the same machinist for years but he passed away now his son took over so ill see what that brings i have a block being bored now, i dont have the option of having mark or one of the otbers to do my engine living in north central montana but to me thats the fun part of the hobbie is building my own engines and transmissions

 

Well I'm basically in the same boat as you. I live in vermont and Mark is in Florida. As long as I'm getting a good product from him I don't care where he lives. It's like ordering from summit or jegs! I may have him machine an engine in the future, then send all the parts to me and I'll build it with my son. It doesn't bother me that I didn't build my engine but I do get where you are coming from!

 

I have to mail order pretty much all my parts I'm a machinist for the railroad so I have access to mills and lathes so that saves some money I build custom Harleys on occasion too so the internet is a wealth of information for me I have to take my hat off to these builders like Mark for the research they do and ill definitely buy a cam from Mark when the time comes, but some of the info thats on the net or in books you have to take with a grain of salt like bearing clearances and oil restrictors but ive been around enough to know whats bull and whats not, the olds im working on now will be my second one it was either the 455 olds or a 496 chevy build so I chose the olds because its going in a 66 chevy truck and I thought the 496 was a little expensive and might be too much for that old truck and if i ever went to sell it I wouldnt want to let the 496 go with it and I think the olds is a little more street friendly

 

I live in Bay Area CA and the reason I had Mark build mine is because of:
1 thousands of threads here about fresh built engines with problems
2 I would rather pay little extra for shipping and what not for a peace of mind knowing that one of the most (Olds)knowledgable guys built it.
3 I have 3 little kids and a demanding job and no time to be dicking around with something I have never done just to screw it up and do it all over.
4 Couldn't afford to do it twice so it had to be right first time around.

Don't get me wrong I do everything else my self, wiring, suspension, etc. I swapped the engine with my 2 sons who are 5 and 9 years old. Engine building is something I will try when i have more time on my hands.

Mark built my engine carb to pan with dyno (which I highly recommend to anybody that's building an engine or having it built), it came to me pretty much tuned and ready to go. That alone is worth the money.
When I step on the gas, there is no stumble, no hesitation, no hiccups, just the spinning of tires as they are desperately trying to gain traction. The engine doesn't knock, it doesn't run hot, it doesn't shake, it doesn't make strange noises. It runs nice and smooth.

That being said, if I had to do it all over again I would go with Mark again.
Mark is the man, he is a man of his word and stands behind his product.

 

How do you like those Procomp heads? it seems everywhere you ask about them it turns into a political discussion, the numbers for your engine look great

 

Very well put! I second this!

 

any updates?

 

Yes they changed the lifter and oil pump, runs fine pressure still screwed up won't go over 35 psi, so they are sending a pressure ref valve to change it ,you were Right about the dizzy plug it's fixed now,I was thinking of changing rear end gears but I got to get this oil pressure right ,I have had it. With this bull,I was thinking of going to Mecum in Jan in Kissimmee Fl but the cost is. Too much in this market they are not going for 20 ,25 If you lucky, I will try to. Trade it for a small block,Automatic
Thanks guys
Steve

 

sorry you are discouraged, but a 455 engine built right for your car, is cheaper than anything at Mecum, plus the percentage you have to pay etc. etc. at the auction...

what did they charge you for your engine?

i went with cutlassefi, he built my 455 for me, just waiting to get it, give him a shout

the engine i got from them, it's still sitting in the bag in my garage, replaced the dizzy plug with the right one, but i do not know the clearances they used on the mains/rods... they used the factory range of clearances which can be +/- a few thousandths, not very precise machining
but i used stock factory high comp pistons, high volume oil pump, bullet cam, all new parts except the crank, and rods so it isn't just a stock replacement

if i don't sell it, i'll keep it for a spare just in case.

 

I believe it was 3,500
Steve

 

you can come get this other one from me for 2000.00 if you want it so i can buy some aluminum heads LOL

http://www.cmengines.com/Engines/Dyn...9/Default.aspx

it is the middle one they built for me

if you want all the details let me know

 

Thanks but this one I have to fix yours might not be no better Ill keep it in mind
Steve

 

LOL i hear ya, like i said it still has the break in oil in it, so it's newly rebuilt