Allan R

Rob, I found this picture of a 1970 455 with the return line fuel pump for you

bainer1290

Got it thank you

bainer1290

Got the rear end bolted back up this weekend. Front end is all done also. Should have the engine soon...

Allan R

Hope you didn't torque your control arms yet. That needs to be done with the weight of the car on the suspension. Looks good so far. You didn't replace the brake lines, so they shouldn't leak (knock on wood). Did you install a new center brake hose or are you re-using the old one?

bainer1290

You bet left all the suspension loose until it was on the ground then torqued it there.

Replaced the brake hoses on both front calipers and the rear middle one also. Pretty much replacing everything that is rubber.

pfergy600

Sorry Allan, you asked me what year 455 engine was I rebuilding. It is from a 71 442, with "G" Heads , "F" Short Block (39602F) 461 CID, All Machined at United Speed World in Tampa.... 10:1 Compression, Forged Pistons, Rods re-sized, Ferrea stainless steel undercut valves, Proform HEI Distributor (66955), Edelbrock Aluminum Intake Manifold..

bainer1290

Nice looking engine

pfergy600

Thank you bainer, I like that Olds Blue paint. It is from Fusick's

bainer1290

A few questions about electric rad fans. Both my car and the parts car were missing the rad shroud & fan/clutch so I am thinking about doing an electric fan conversion. I have a good condition 3 row rad from the parts car so plan is to use it. I have seen a few other topics on 2000 Ford Windstar fans being a good fit, they are cheap and easy to find at auto wreckers so I like that too. Question is on the wiring. I see this rad temp kit at Summit, looks to be what I need:
http://www.summitracing.com/int/part...swfk/overview/

So will this control both fans?

Car does not have A/C anymore and I don't plan to do a manual override switch.

Allan R

Rob, just curious. Are you sure that rad is a 3 row? Just about all the ones I've seen up here (with 350's) had the 2 row rads. My car has a 2 row and I've been looking for a good condition 3 row to replace it. If I can't find one I'll have it re-cored, but the rad shops here want my left arm and right leg for that. Want to stay with the original brass/copper instead of going aluminum.

The Summit kit looks like it's straight forward, but at 180° I think the fans will be running all the time. Can you get one for 195 also?

Have you considered the option of a flex fan?

bainer1290

Hey Allan,

The parts car came with 2 rads, a 2 row (well used) and a 3 row (looks newer) I verified by looking in the fill spout.

I was wondering if the 180 would be too low...No option for 195 but there is also an adjustable t-stat relay setup maybe thats a better option? Adjustable up to 240, dual fan controller, radiator probe...

http://www.summitracing.com/dom/part...3647/overview/

What is a flex fan?

oldsmobiledave

Of course you are leak & pressure testing the rad BEFORE you put it in the car & fire up the new engine....RIGHT!.


If you were not planning on it DO IT.


If you need a contact for a good rad shop in Lethbridge PM me.

bainer1290

Hi Dave

You bet was going to have the rad checked out and cleaned before using. Who's the shop in Lethbridge?

Thanks

Allan R

Rob, a flex fan can have different blade shapes but they're basically like this:



The idea is that at low speed the fan blades pull air through the rad pretty much as a regular fan clutch system will. As the engine rpm increases though the blades (are flexible - hence the name) flatten out and basically the speed of the car forcing air through the rad is the effective cooling. When the car slows down, the fan blades revert back to their original shape and assist with cooling again. The theory of flex fan also is to reduce hp drain at higher rpm. I don't have one on my car because I want it to be stock parts.

bainer1290

I see, really the thought of doing the electric fan was just the ease of finding the parts and low cost. I don't have an oem shroud, fan or fan clutch as they were missign from both cars so I think the cost would endup being more than going electric. Granted I might need a bigger alternator for the electric fans but I was going to replace it anyways so.

The Flex Fan is another option though so thanks for sharing it.

Allan R

What size alt do you have? Is it the 37A? You could likely go with 55 or 63. I'm putting a lot of OEM options on my electrical, so I've already upgraded to 63 (highest that Olds used in 72 IIRC) and it's an external DN plug type. If you go with an upgraded Alt that has higher capacity, that will likely need an adapter for your system. I think the new alternators are all SI plugs and internally regulated. They're more effective than the DN series especially at lower rpms.

bainer1290

Good to know I will have to take a look at the alternator to see I think I have 2 one from the parts car and one from the actual 455 when I got it. The parts car had lots of newer parts on it as I think it had an in depth rebuild about 10 or so years ago so it could be a newer one on there. Will have to check next time I start digging in that corner of the garage where all those parts are stacked, need to clean some of it out haha.

oldsmobiledave

Don's Radiators Ltd

3220 12 Ave N, Lethbridge, AB T1H 5V1 403-329-6969


He did the rad in my race car. Never a problem with it since.

bainer1290

Thanks Dave

bainer1290

Got the Hurst shifter mounted, went with a Promatic 2, fits really nice, used the mount from the original shifter. Only thing I don;t like is the hole around the shifter arm as its not as wide as the original. Going to try to replace it with some sort of colored plexi then I will also make the gear indicator line up correctly as it is a bit off as is.

bainer1290

Polished and lightly ported the heads, didn't open them up too much just wanted to clean them up. Smoothed out most of the valve lips and uneven casting in the valve pockets, then flattened the air bumps, and gasket matched the intake ports. Not sure if it will do much but it looks purdy!

Engine should be done in a few weeks then I can install cam and bolt on heads. I got my cam kit from cutlassefi (Mark) he's a great guy to deal with if you ever need a cam.

Next is the Th400 rebuild.

bainer1290

What are these connectors for, I think the first is the a/c blower resistor but I am lost for the other? Trying to get the wiring sorted out and ready for when the engine is done. Thanks

And since I have an a/c delete I assume I delete the a/c resistor too so how would I wire it up so I can have a regular fan and heat?

Allan R

The first one is the AC Resistor connector. The second one looks a lot like it's the connection for the external voltage regulator.

re: ac resistor? You still need a resistor for the heater fan control. There are differences between an AC and heater car. For AC the resistor is mounted in the engine compartment. On a heater car, the resistor is mounted to the top plenum of the heater box. Different resistors and connectors on both. If you kept the heater components off your parts car it's an easy swap. If you didn't, you will likely need that AC box you posted a pic of earlier. The blower fan is part of both units, and right now you have no blower fan for the car. There's a great pictorial of this setup in the 72 Assembly Manual in section 12. Voltage regulator on P130, Heater andAC components start on P160

bainer1290

Thanks Allan!!

cdrod

Just to add a second confirmation to the connector pics, the second pic has the correct wire colors for an external voltage regulator (blue, red, white & brown). I confirmed with the '72 Chassis manual. I like your suspension detailing, I'm working on my front suspension right so I have really studied your pics. Are those red bushings a poly-type? Which brand to you go with?

Rodney

bainer1290

Thanks Rodney.

Yes all of my bushings are poly, I went with an Energy Suspension kit came with all the bushings to do the front and rear. Only part not included was the front sway bar mount bushings, but it did come with the end links for the front sway.

bainer1290

Just to confirm my setup I left the a/c heater core/distribution box in the car, so using the vacuum setup. I do have the non-a/c heater box with the resistor in it, but looks to be a 3 pin different configuration as compared to the a/c one. I did not install the non-a/c heater core/box as it has a different mounting pattern and hole in the firewall. The a/c box was out of the car when I got it. Can I use the non-a/c resistor or do I need the a/c style one?

And for the alternator I was planning to install a larger 140amp as I am going with electric fans, this alternator has an internal regulator so I assume the regulator is not needed for that connector and I would need to modify some of the wiring?

Thanks again

bainer1290

Well decided to fill the exhaust crossovers and exhaust center dividers. Used ZA12 zinc alloy and was able to melt it on a Coleman propane bbq then pour in, takes about 30 minutes to melt but pretty easy to use other than that. It cuts a little easier that the cast for porting the bowls etc. They say doing this gets about 15-20hp, keeps the intake cooler and makes the headers perform better. We'll find out.

Allan R

What's the melt temperature? You know there are Thornton "junior" that have this exact configuration for SBO and they're cast iron? My only concern is whether that divider you put in there will stay solid.

Have a look at this It's what Olds should have done with their 350 dual exhaust applications instead of just plugging the crossover tube. Only thing is, since Olds never made these, they are branded with Thornton's name. What you're attempting to do is 'sort of' like this, except you also have that crossover dump tube.

bainer1290

I believe the melting temp is around 800F. Here's a few more pics of the center divider, should not move with the slots plus its angled as it goes into the head. I copied this divider method from 67 Cutlass Freak in another thread, I can't take the credit

Yes that's the idea with the divider, I am using headers so they will be 4 separate ports. Lots of info out there that says the crossover and divider connecting the two center exhaust bowls is bad. Only good that comes from the crossover is heat to the carb in winter (which us Canucks get) but I won't be driving this in the winter so...

bainer1290

Found this diagram for the voltage regulator removal. All the factory wiring appears to be intact so should be good to just jump the pins on the regulator with a few spade connectors. Also ordered up a a/c blower resistor will mount it in the a/c delete box close to the blower for flow.

bainer1290

Well the transmission is almost done, rebuilder said the core looks good but it was defenitely worn out so good think I went with a full red alto rebuild. I had picked up a used B&M 400000 2,200-2,600 stall was supposed to be lightly used but I am having second thoughts on it, might be better to just get a new one instead of risking it.

What would be a good quality but budget friendly converter around the 2,400 stall range? Car is going to be around 425hp/500tq if you are wondering on power.

bainer1290

Transmission is back, looks really good, put a red alto kit in it and a Transgo 400-1&2. Looking at ordering a converter from Freak Show Performance out of Texas. Lots of good feedback from this company for their converters and they have good prices.

Got the carb back rebuild from Carb Rebuilders out of Ontario. The guy that rebuilt it seemed to know his stuff gave him my specs and he jetted it according to that and also opened up the idle circuit to better match my cam. He went with 77 jets, 55p rods, cv sec rods and blocked the air channels. I had him add a electric choke since I have the Performer intake.

Installed the blower resistor and started labeling all the electrical. Ran a new 8 gauge alternator feed and will continue it from the horn relay to the battery. Hopefully all this puts me a few steps ahead so when I get the engine ready to install I will have everything mostly ready...

bainer1290

Also now have 95% of the interior done, tach and triple gauges mounted and wired. Got the windshield installed and also had them remove and re-install the back window as the seal was probably past its life. I cleaned and painted the pinch welds for both windows before they re-installed just to take care of any potential rust but both were in really good shape with only a few areas with surface rust.

I will paint the whole car but not until next year or the following one as that will be a big cost and I spent my budget and then some on the build thus far!

bainer1290

Well getting closer think I am going to order up a Hughes GM25BPO-400BP stall, that was the one they recommended when I contacted them. Sounds like it is a good blend between performance and drive-ability which is what I want.

This car was originally a Turbo 350, now that I am going TH400 I realize the parking brake cables need to be changed and the kickdown switch needs to be added. I see there is a kickdown kit that also has the trigger on the carb then it runs a cable to a control box on the trans, anyone used this type or have any advice?

I also have the stock Olds350/Turbo350 driveshaft which I think will need to be shortened what is the amount that needs to be taken off of it now that I will have a 455/TH400?

oldsmobiledave

Your T400 is a long tail shaft version which was never used in an A body. Your T350 uses a different yoke than what you need now so you will need a new yoke and shaft. Go see Steve and Jess over @ Performance Powertrain for your trans and driveshaft needs.

If you can swap out your tail shaft to the correct short version I have several driveshafts that will bolt right into your car including a large diameter tube version from DSI in Calgary. It was in my car when I had the original 8.5" rear end still in the car. I also have a used low mi 11" 2800 stall converter that I ran in one of my 1980 442s in a T400 behind a 455. PM me if interested in anything I have.

bainer1290

Thanks for the info Dave, yes you are correct it is a long tail shaft 9".

I had done some reading prior to having it rebuilt and it seems the preference is the short tail but some have used the long tail they just shortened the driveshaft more, which I need to shorten it either way so not sure what the difference really is? I guess the pinon angle would be slightly different but they also mentioned there were shorter trans mounts available if it started going through u joints. The other point made was people that add a Gear Vendor to their TH400 will have an even shorter driveshaft so how do they adjust it?

Here's a few pics. You can see the TH400 yoke is much larger.

bainer1290

So more on driveshaft length, a TH400 uses a 54.5" driveshaft. The TH350 is 0.75" longer. So thinking I will need to have a length that is 49.5" accounting for my long tailshaft which is 9" compared to the standard shortshaft being 4". I will confirm by measuring once the engine and trans is dropped in but from what I have read I think this is where it will be.

bainer1290

Finally got the black plexi in to make the next shifter slider/cover. The blue had a big hole from the stock shifter so did not like that. Turned out pretty good fits nicely and slides well, broke the first one trying to get it in there, was smarter the second time around good thing I bought extra.

bainer1290

Well getting closer, got the rad cleaned, tested and painted. You can see how the windstar fans fit, perfect size.

Got the 15 slot rims all polished, tires mounted/balanced and the center caps installed. Still waiting on the ET lugs got the nice rusty acorn ones on there just holiding them together. Went with 275/60's on the rear, they fit well.

Also got the Freskshow Performance converter, came painted purple not sure I am a fan of that color but you won't see it anyways haha

Also got the Pypes 3" dual exhaust planning to get the rear parts of it mounted while I am waiting on the engine, should have it in the next week or so...