What does this letter mean? Its on the front of the intake manifold on the sunk in part by the thermostat. Oh the letter "J" its on a 1969 455. Thanks.

 

Means you have the intake for a 69 W30. Here are the other casting numbers that should identify the manifold. - from the 'tech' section of this site.

 

"The 1968-9 "J" 4V intakes used a carb whose choke coil was 'divorced' or mounted in a cavity (sort of a divot) in the intake, rather than the round black choke coil mounted on the carb as later applications used. A divorced choke is a recess in the intake on the passenger side of the intake. This choke has a sort of squarely bent metal covering. This remote choke coil is about $95, so unless you need it for originality or can work your choke some other way [later model, hand, electric...] you might want to avoid using that manifold. It still makes a nice way to identify a 1968 to 1969 Olds engine. As long as its choke coil still works, no problem. " Source is www.442.com

 

Thanks all, more or less trying to id this engine more before i sell it or rebuild it. I was told it came out of a 69 Delta 88 custom & was a HC engine. So now i'm a bit confused not that it matters once i tear it down, but more for info of interest. If this a W-30 engine, did it come in a Delta 88 custom? I thought they just had the W-33's. thanks.

 

Its the identifying number of that manifold.
Letters for big blocks, numbers for small blocks, just like on the heads.

See:


"J 398662 '68-'69 400/455 Except Toro, incl. W-30 and 68 H/O."
OR from any other non-Toronado 4bbl 400 or 455 from '68 or '69.

- Eric

 

There is no reason to think this is a W-30 engine.

- Eric

 

Is the "J" intake one of the pieces that brings CRAZY $$$$$????

You really need to do some serious digging on the potential value of that intake before you start cutting loose of the motor, parts, etc.

Maybe I'm thinking of an intake that may be exclusive to '69 H/O's or something like that?? (maybe cast iron with the cast-in PCV boss at the front of the forward most water passage)

 

No, but if you're lucky, you can do better than the scrap value.

- Eric

 

Of course, it also means that you have an intake for EVERY OTHER BBO from 1968-1969 except Toro engines and the 69 H/O. The W-30 did not use a unique intake until the 1970 model year. There is nothing rare about this intake.

 

Have a "E" lettered 68 455 intake manifold #390390 cast iron with a circle wagon wheel symbol and "D1" stamped below the number.I believe it to be from a 1968 Toronado. It does have the divorced choke. Is there any value and does anyone need this manifold? I would really prefer this to go to a good home rather than scrap

 

Before anyone chimes in , I have also posted this in the parts for sale section.

 

Thanks Eric and Joe.

What's the super rare cast iron intake that the pre-70 owners look for??...it's a single 4 bbl intake.

 

Confirmed on 442.com. Manifold is off a 68 455 Toro. $20.00 plus shipping or if you live in western Washington state $20.00 plus 1 beer and a look at your Oldsmobile. Divorced choke and 2-1/8" hieght confirms as Toro. It will fit any 400/455 from 67-69 according to the site specs referenced.

 

I'm guessing you are referring to casting no. 405233, used only on the 1969 H/O.

 

i don't think that is right. i have a 390390 intake and it is not the low profile manifold. mine came from a 66 425 from a 98. they also came on the 67 442 400 engine. likely others also.

 

Here's a Toronado intake vs one for all other models. The Toro is rust colored, and the non-Toro has some blue paint on it still. You can see how the center is lower to fit under the Toronado hood. John

P2180153.jpg

P2180152.jpg

P2180151.jpg

 

THANKS ALL at least i wont feel bad now about using the manifold as a planter or something. One question though in rebuilding the 455 on a low budget, should i keep the stock q-jet from it & use a better manifold? I would like a little more hp & keep the torque the same. Again thanks i'm really on a budget & know not much of the 455's other than the oil pump should be upgraded when rebuilding. Most use is drive 3-4times a week with occasional street adrenalin use.

 

I think most (but not all) will agree that for a street tune, without forays into the 5,000 RPM range, the stock manifold is fine.

You'll get more argument about this, but I'd also go with the QuadraJet - time tested, simple, and cheap, with good mileage and performance if set up right.

- Eric

 

I agree with Eric, if your on a budget keep the stock intake and carb. These came from the factory with hp ratings around 360-375 and torque close to 500 ft pounds. A stock engine will still give you plenty of grunt. If you want more snap off the line check to see what gears you have in the rear end. Then when you can afford it change those to 3.23-3.42's. John

 

Sounds good, now would i get a bit more if i port matched the intake & heads? They would be "C" heads. Also thinking of going with headers with 2.5's on dual chamber pipes, nothing fancy just minor surface tinkering. Thanks for all & any opinions. Erick.

 

Jensen, mine looks exactly like the rusted one in your picture. I will try to post a picture. The 2 1/8 " height also identifies it as a Toro manifold according to the chart on 442.com. I have a person interested in purchasing this for $20.00 . I am just trying to be sure I identify the manifold correctly for the purchaser. I asked for input on Identifying this manifold 5 days ago and got zero responses. That is why I went to 442.com to try and i.D. the manifold. The number 390390 I D.'s as a " 1966-1967 400 - 455 " including 4- V W-30, other Big Block Olds EXCEPT Toro up to 68-69. And than the confusing verbage down below reads "If it measures 2-1/8" it is for Toronado.Well, mine measures 2 1/8 ". And what adds to my confusion is when I bought the motor from a very knowledgible frenid of mine who has 6 oldsmobiles and 30 years of parts in his two garages, he stated that he pulled the motor from a 1968 Toronado 20 years ago. And another FYI: the motor came with the Toronado exhaust manifolds, crossover pipe and choke which I gave to a guy I met who owns a 68 Toronado.
This manifold was bead blasted and painted red and used on my car for less than 500 miles on the rebuilt motor, I pulled it to fix a oil leak and decided to go with a aluminum intake mainly to shave weight, so whomever buys it for $20.00, if they need a manifold I think it is a good deal.
Thanks for your response Jensen. I find it funny that after 5 days I only got one response to help answer my question, yet looking at todays general discussion posts, there is a post about grammar and spelling which instantly recieved 20 responses. Go figure

 

you may have gotten a better response if you started a new thread on it. as for the intake. maybe the toro had the same number but low profile? i would have thought they would have used a differant number for the toro. i had one from a 69 toro and it was not the 390390.

 

Dster - not sure what you're all riled up about.
RadarLove posted a question about J intakes. It was answered quickly.
Then in the midst of it, you posted a question about E intakes.
People who were interested in the J Intake question had stopped tuning in, as the question had been answered.
People who were interested in E intakes never looked because the thread wasn't about E intakes, so of course there wasn't a pile-on to answer your question, which, in fact, you were able to answer yourself with a few minutes of searching.

Finally, pictures help.
If you've got a nice, painted Toro intake, why not post a picture? It would be easy for others to recognize (ie: those people who haven't committed all those numbers to memory), and you'd have an answer quickly.

At least you write clearly...

- Eric

 

Thanks for the response Eric. I am not really mad about this, but I did post a new thread about this in the for sale section, 1 response. I failed to mention that on the last post. My quirky sense of humor made me post that rant, I wasn't trying to offend just thought it odd about the discrepancy in the amount of posts recieved. Grammar question trumped car question. I will have to take a picture of the manifold and post it again as I can't seem to find the file I stored the picture on. At this point the manifold is taking up space in the garage. I am hoping someone local needs it as shipping costs are prohibitive. You are not one of them, but it seems that people on this site take offense to sarcasm. I enjoy the sarcastic tones of people like Jaunty, for instance. Hope this explains my demeanor more clearly. Have great day / night in Maine.

 

I believe that is the intake I need for installing 455 in 81 Cutlass. DO you still have it?

 

I still have it. Are you close to Seattle WA.? The shipping costs are way more than what the manifold is worth.