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i picked up up a freshly built 455 that was built for a speed boat.
i bought it cheap and am planning on throwing it into a 1953 olds 88.
im gonna sell the intake, tunnel ram, dual carb set up, KN air filters and the iron heads replace them.
i was looking at Mondello aluminum heads and intake set up. Supposedly it’s a great set up that makes more power than the standard Edelbrock head intake combo.
I have heard that some members have had bad experiences with Mondello builds recently.
my question is; are the heads they sell any good? Can I trust their head quality despite some of their engine builds being wonky? Motor as it currently sits. Current setup pre build
Dealing with Mondello in Paso Robles is like playing roulette, or worse.
I offer a similar head, as do others. Don't buy from Mondello, you'll regret it.
Dealing with Mondello in Paso Robles is like playing roulette, or worse.
I offer a similar head, as do others. Don't buy from Mondello, you'll regret it.
I was just reading another thread and people seem to really love your builds. Do you have a website I can check out? I’m gonna be buying parts hopefully sometime next week I’m thinking.
It is going to take a lot of work to get that engine to fit in a 53 Olds. The 53 uses a single mount on the front then mounts on each side of the front of the transmission. This is pretty much the opposite of what the 455 used. The drivers side manifold will hit the steering box so you have to offset the engine. It can be done but requires lots of fabrication. Just a heads up.
It is going to take a lot of work to get that engine to fit in a 53 Olds. The 53 uses a single mount on the front then mounts on each side of the front of the transmission. This is pretty much the opposite of what the 455 used. The drivers side manifold will hit the steering box so you have to offset the engine. It can be done but requires lots of fabrication. Just a heads up.
yeah, it’s gonna be a hell of a project but I think it will be worth it in the end. I’m hoping to put it on an Art Morrison chassis. I just got the quote back from them today and I’m getting ready to pull the trigger.
All emblems in great condition. Every single piece of trim is there and in good shape! Not a single **** or switch missing
Art Morrison chassis (imo) will be very pricey. This isn't a Tri-five Chevy. I think I would start comparing the wheelbase to find a similar wheelbase such as a 80s G-body, B-body etc. Engine would bolt up and more modern handling at a fraction of the cost. Still a lot of fabricating. Jmo. Good luck and keep us informed.
One other question. Inquiring minds want to know, how much was the quote. No problem if you don't want to say. I've seen the Tri-five Chevrolet prices but those chassis are Art Morrison's bread and butter.
I was just reading another thread and people seem to really love your builds. Do you have a website I can check out? I’m gonna be buying parts hopefully sometime next week I’m thinking.
newoldsperformance.com
It’s still in development but you’ll get the idea. Pm me here as well if you like, happy to help.
One other question. Inquiring minds want to know, how much was the quote. No problem if you don't want to say. I've seen the Tri-five Chevrolet prices but those chassis are Art Morrison's bread and butter.
the online catalogue has prices on it that are actually legit.
they quoted me about 17k plus shipping. It’s basically a roller minus the tires. Has updated sport ifs, 4 wheel 12 inch wilwood brakes, Ford 9 inch rear end with gears. Rack and pinion, triangulated 4 bar etc
you basically are just fitting the car. For that price you get everything under the car from bumper to bumper.
looking at the quote, they are charging me similar prices as summit-racing.com would if I would have bought comparable parts. That’s nice they aren’t marking up those parts. I know they are buying a ton of stuff at a discount but still it’s good to know that they aren’t price gouging. So it’s about 10k or so in just parts and then 7k or so for the actual frame.
eiher way I’m gonna be in the car for the parts so I’m really only looking at 7k jump. Their is a ton of labor being saved though and in the end you’d have a great handling car.
i dunno theirs a lot of pros and cons. I’m still going back and forth. They have shown themselves to be a very honest and transparent company.
Art Morrison chassis (imo) will be very pricey. This isn't a Tri-five Chevy. I think I would start comparing the wheelbase to find a similar wheelbase such as a 80s G-body, B-body etc. Engine would bolt up and more modern handling at a fraction of the cost. Still a lot of fabricating. Jmo. Good luck and keep us informed.
living out out here in San Diego it’s hard to find g bodies. They are pretty popular out here and everything sells for decent prices. I figure once I pay for the donor car I’ll still have a lot of suspension and brake parts that I’ll need to buy and swap in. Then fitting the car...it would be a huge pain.
the pre made chasis are a lot more affordable than I thought. Especially since I’m trying to kinda go the pro touring style and was planning on replacing everything under the car anyways.
you are right though, probably would save me at least 5k if I went that way
art Morrison has done a ton of tri 5s and I think that the Oldsmobile has better style and would be amazing to see done.
We we all love Oldsmobile’s here and I like the idea of having one resto moded to that exceptional level.
we will see though, I’m pricing everyThing out from multiple companies and really crunching the numbers.
im gonna start blowing the car apart and doing more research.
Greek,
Seems to me that you would be better off selling the engine you have and starting fresh. You are already going to use different heads. You will more than likely have to change the camshaft if it is for a drag boat like it looks. Might also have very high compression pistons in it which you will also have to change ? I would think you could get more for it as a complete engine than you ever will parting it out.
Personally I love the 53 ! Too many G bodies around.
Greek,
Seems to me that you would be better off selling the engine you have and starting fresh. You are already going to use different heads. You will more than likely have to change the camshaft if it is for a drag boat like it looks. Might also have very high compression pistons in it which you will also have to change ? I would think you could get more for it as a complete engine than you ever will parting it out.
Personally I love the 53 ! Too many G bodies around.
Just my opinion,
i took the heads off and was surprised to find that it has decent pistons but not dome tops or anything too wild. Thr heads have had some serious work done to them, I have no idea if I’ll be able to get away with using them. Seems like the build was on the mild side. The motors heading over to a shop in oceanside and I’ll weigh my options. I bought the motor for $750 so I’m not too deep into it at least considering all the parts I got with it.
thats awesome you have a 53. What route did you go with it? Do you have photos or a thread? I’d love to see the process from someone who already built the car. It would probably save me some busted knuckles lol every car has its quirks
Looks like an SRP piston or similar. With an 83cc chamber you’re at 10.5:1 or better. However with aluminum heads that still streetable. Let me know if you’re moving forward, happy to help.
Try the Roadster shop for a chassis. I was there 2 weeks ago and got a tour of the facility and it is top notch. They have multiple levels of chassis’s to choose from. I am seriously thinking about them when i find the 55 I’m looking for.
Try the Roadster shop for a chassis. I was there 2 weeks ago and got a tour of the facility and it is top notch. They have multiple levels of chassis’s to choose from. I am seriously thinking about them when i find the 55 I’m looking for.
thank you, I hadn’t tried them yet. I have quotes from Scott’s and art Morrison but not roadster shop yet.
did they seem like pretty competent guys when you visited?
All of their frames are built on a jig. The welds looked amazing, the facility was clean and well organized. It was misting when we got there and they had a truck with steel getting delivered and their crew was wiping all the steel down to get the moisture off. That tells me they care about what they build. They had around 40 frames completed awaiting shipment it was very cool to see. As far as price they start at 12,500, and go up from there depending what your needs are. Also their labor rate is 90 bucks an hour which i thought was very reasonable considering the level of talent they have. I asked about a chassis for a 55 olds and the owner told me they have most production cars on cad file for dimensions. They will be getting my money that’s for sure.
All of their frames are built on a jig. The welds looked amazing, the facility was clean and well organized. It was misting when we got there and they had a truck with steel getting delivered and their crew was wiping all the steel down to get the moisture off. That tells me they care about what they build. They had around 40 frames completed awaiting shipment it was very cool to see. As far as price they start at 12,500, and go up from there depending what your needs are. Also their labor rate is 90 bucks an hour which i thought was very reasonable considering the level of talent they have. I asked about a chassis for a 55 olds and the owner told me they have most production cars on cad file for dimensions. They will be getting my money that’s for sure.
that sounds pretty good to me. I’ll try to get a quote today hopefully.
I spoke to someone at the roadster shop today. The roadster shop is actually the most expensive quote thus far. I’m surprised they even came in over Art Morrison.
so far I’m really liking the art Morrison stuff. Their Instagram shows their work and it’s pretty top notch.
October 4th, 2018, 04:08 PM
