Hey guys, I could use some advice. I am rebuilding an old HEI distributor given to me by a mentor and after cleaning it up I notice it seems like there is corrosion on the gear. Should I be worried about this and is there any way to correct it?

 

I think that is just old sludge, not corrosion. I'd take a wire brush to it. It should come right off

 

x2

 

Thanks, guys. Just hit it with a wire handbrush and it came right off. Lookin great!

 

Jolly,
In your cardomain page, you stop in '09. Are you going to update.
Or do you have update pic's??

Gene

 

Sorry! I have been so busy with work and moving I hadn't updated my page. I actually have a bunch from the engine build. I will get to work on it this week!

 

looks like the parkerizing got a little dry in spots and rust started, no worries-run it. i'd oil the bushings with engine oil before dropping it in, let it run up the shaft for a couple of minutes to soak the felt washer.


bill

 

Updated cardomain!

 

nice bit of pics. had to replace the roof on mine too. had a local guy do it. His wasn't as pretty as the work on yours, but I was darned happy with it. didn't take much filler to make it look like it never happened. Had some of the same rust as yours, cowl under the windshield, floors, and trunk. Not sure bout the quarters yet, this is being done section at a time so I can enjoy it too.

 

My "problem" was that they already replaced the quarters...badly, haha. There were rivets all over.

 

Jolly, do you have a build thread on here? You should

Also, do you have specs for your engine? Cam? Compression? I read that you were expecting 600HP?

 

Here is the cam paper. Compression is 10.25:1.
Eh I am just a newbie learnin the ropes. Probably not good enough for a real build thread, haha.

 

Nah man, just what you did at car domain you can do here...you'd be fine. We love pictures here, and numbers, and ideas...you get the idea lol!

That cam looks pretty wicked and is gonna make some noise Are you heads ported?

 

Yes, they flowed them out and ported them, cleaned em up. The cam is gonna be pretty damn cranky, I am excited to hear it! Going to try and dyno it next month in Vegas.

 

That is gonna be one sick puppy! Very nice! I made 500 on out of the box Edelbrocks...you should fair quite nicely

 

I read through alot of your posts, and I am a big fan of your year's body style. I still got some heads left, I would like to put together another mild 455 and get a 72 442.

 

I just built a mild 455 for my convertible...that one is going to be my cruiser lol! What are your plans for the '68? Dragstrip? Or cruiser?

 

More cruiser but I would like to hit the dragstrip for bragging rights once in a while. Going to try and make it handle a little better as well. Wanted the motor streetable. Rick from Accurate wanted to build me a full on nasty drag motor, but the other guys slowed him down, haha. He was just excited to build an Olds 455. All people bring him are Ford 302's and Chevy 350's. Says he never gets to work on off-brand stuff.

 

If that thing makes close to what you're expecting you're going to have a fairly nasty drag motor as it is. If you make 600 HP you should expect low 11's or high 10's with the right suspension.

Better to scale your builder back than to have to drag him along to build more engine. I went through the same thing with Nickens Racing Engines...they build Pro-Stock engines, and my Oldsmobile 455's lol!

 

What kind of rearend do you have? That and the transmission is what I am looking at next? Speaking of, what tranny do you have? I am trying a 700R4 so I can do powertour and dragweek.

 

I have a '72 Corporate 10 bolt with 3.42 Richmond gears and an Auburn Posi. I built this rearend in 1997 for my 1st Cutlass and since it was sitting on the garage floor I swapped it into the silver car. It's a strong rearend, has bolt in axles, and should hold up to 10's.

I am supposed to be running a 3.90 gear with my setup but the car is knocking on 11.50's and it's not going to get a cage. So, for fear of going faster I think I might keep the 3.42's so I don't sacrifice cruising...which leads me to the TH400.

I have a manual valve body TH400 with a 3,000 stall converter. Although it isn't an overdrive, it's the strongest transmission you're going to find. I know 700R4's can be beefed up but I don't know how well it's going to survive behind a 600 Hp BBO...I guess time will tell.

I want to install a gear vendor unit behind my TH400 but that's a low priority. It is, however, the most durable way to get an overdrive transmission for a high HP car.

 

I still have the 12-bolt Type O rearend and I would like to keep it with the car but I have heard good and bad things about it. Summit also recommended Moser rear axles since they couldn't find any sort of off the shelf units. Thinking about 3.73 Posi for a mix of cruising and dragging.
Problem I have with the GearVendors is its roughly $2k on top of the transmission price. The guy at the shop who my friend has been going for years, says he could build a 700R4 to survive behind a 600 + hp motor for $1800-2000. Only issue is the BOP adapters, which Summit sells but still, seems to be shady.

 

The gear vendor is about $2K but it can handle 1200 HP and when you put it on a newly, albeit stock, rebuilt TH400 they are still stronger than a 700R4. And you already have a BOP bellhousing.

As far as the O-type rear ends, you should talk to Brian Trick about having one beefed up for your car. That way you can keep its originality while helping it cope with the power you're putting down. Moser axles, motive gears, and a detroit locker (if they make one for an O-type) and you'll have a bullet proof rear end.

 

Is Brian Trick a guy onthe forum or does he have a business online? Sounds like what you mentioned is what I am aiming for.

 

Ok, new questions guys before I seal this up. Looks like I have some corrosion under the weights. Is this an issue? Ideas on cleaning it off?

 

Yes, 507Olds...send him a PM and tell him I gave you his name. He'll set you up.

That is the cleanest, prettiest distributor I've ever seen. I wouldn't touch a thing.

 

My buddy was helping teach me the polishing wheel...did I mention he has OCD? Haha

Thanks for the help with Brian, I will drop him a line!

 

With the "O" rear end, there is NO 3.73 gears. You have 3.42 or you jump to 3.90. If you want 3.73 you need to get a 12 bolt "C" rear end.

Gene

 

Another option is a 71-72 Corporate 10 bolt. They are strong and have a wide range of gear ratios. Brian builds these rear ends as well...he may be able to set you up with one cheaper than a 12 bolt, IDK.

 

i'd leave it be, it won't hurt anything. cleaning it off would have more risk of hurting than helping.


bill