Hello,

I am in the process of doing a frame off on my fathers '72 Cutlass S. The car came with a 350 and we are in the process of building a light 'pro-touring' car with it. I already have the Edelbrock heads but after looking at the relative cost to upgrade to a 455 I think I will be swaying that way.

I have the original TH350 but I will be putting in a TKO 600 behind it anyway as well as new gears and drive shaft so yes I am aware of the cost of doing everything...the good thing is that everything I have bought so far is interchangeable.

My question is that I would like to start with a good quality 455 block and I wouldn't mind putting in one from 72 to match the car...is this a good year and before the Smog stuff? What is the easiest way to identify this block?

Also, what should a guy pay for motor like this from a yard or something? I have seen from $200 - $600.

Also, besides motor mounts, what else will we need to change? I already have the vintage air system bought so AC won't matter but I'm more worried about the radiator and core support...are those interchangeable? Also what about the rest of the brackets?

Thanks for the help!

Ben

 

the VIN stamp on the block is the surest way to peg the model year

32M100123 would be an example of the 1972 stamp

3= Olds
_2= 1972
__M= Lansing plant [other letters (or a "1"?) possible]
___100123 = a sample serial number I made up.

Much higher serial numbers like 500000+ or 600000+ would be a Toronado series, the best engines to be had, generally speaking.

here is a helpy photo showing where to spot that Block VIN stamp. Photo by others- thanks, others!

 

You do NOT need to change the motor mounts. Bolt the existing mounts to the 455 block and drop it onto the existing frame pads. Read the long-standing motor mount thread for why the factory used different mounts and why you don't need to. If you need to replace the current rubber mounts, use Anchor #2261s on the existing frame pads.