Picked up a 1965 oldsmoble jetstar, but the dealership wasn't sure what motor was in it? Can you tell by the pics? Is it a 330?



Thanks

 

Hard to say. I see electronic installed, air cleaner is wrong. I am guessing the engine may not be original. Get the casting numbers from the front of the block on the shelf behind the water pump. In this photo look at the base of the oil fill tube and under the upper radiator hose, that is where to look. post the numbers here and someone should be able to decipher.

 

Definitely not a 330 just from the picture.
I see HEI distributor and some emmissions stuff??
Looks like a 2bbl carb may be hiding under the air cleaner??
I'm gonna guess 307 before any other info is given about it...

 

Thanks for the replies guys! I'm a newbie in the olds world. So if I get the casting numbers off of the motor, that will be the easiest way to tell what motor it is?

 

The casting numbers is the easiest and fastest way. They are located on the shelf behind the water pump.

 

Post the casting numbers on this site and someone will tell you what the engine is

 

Betcha' it's a 350.

sb

 

My guess is late-70s 350, but you might get lucky and it be a 403. Then again you might be wayyyyyy unlucky and it be a 260, esp if there's a DualJet 2-barrel carb on it.

Get rid of that EGR intake and paint it gold, and non-Olds people would never know it's not a 330 with an HEI upgrade.

Good googely moogely, look at all the ROOM!

 

Found a number, does this ring a bell for anybody?

55751-2B

Also this was on the intake manifold
558916


Any help would be appreciated!


Thanks

 

I think it should read 557751.
Ouch it is a 260.
Larry

 

thats bad news!

Thanks for the info though, atleast I know whats under the hood

 

I forgot about the 260 V8??

 

Well, whoever put it in there probably got it for free. Any SBO can take its place and use the brackets/mounts/accessories etc. SO, it could be worse...

 

It was a forgettable engine!

Mmp. At least that heavy-*** 65 will work that 260 into an early grave, so you'll have a reason to pull it out.

Then again 260s have 350 bottom ends, so it may be harder to kill than you think.

 

What are my options as far as mounting a 330, or possibly a 442 engine? Will the mounting brackets line up?

 

All the SBO from 1964 to 1990 and the BBO from 1968 (?) to 1976 are the same extrenally. The BBo's are 2 inches taller than the SBO

The 330 I have will find it's way into a 1978-1985 Delta 88 (or 1978 to 1990 CC) soon

All the same mounting points and such, so since it's got an Olds already, it's an easy swap.

Sucks that it's got a 260, but it's also good, somebody could have put a SBC in there

 

My friend, you have a lot to learn about Oldsmobiles. I'm surprised nobody chastised you for asking if a 442 motor will fit. Olds never made an engine with 442 CI displacement. 442 was an option package in many years. The small block or SB engines were 260, 307, 330, 350 & 403 CI. Any of these long blocks will bolt in place of the 260 using all accesories. If you choose to go with the 330 you will need a different flywheel. The bolt pattern is different. The big block or BB engines were 400, 425 & 455 CI. Some parts are interchangable from SB to BB. Cam, rockers, timing chain, timing cover, cylinder heads, flexplates, exhaust manifolds, distributor, oil pan some motor mounts. Of course there are some oddballs in the mix. Early engines sometimes used a different lifter bore angle either 39 or 45 degrees. You cannot interchange cams between the two. Any engine can be made to fit in any car. It all depends on how much time and money you have. If your planning on building an engine from scratch, it will cost just about the same for a SB versuss a BB. If your engine still runs OK than I would look for a core engine to build up. I would recomend the BB. There is no replacement for displacement. If your going to try to find a salvage yard runner the 350 is the most plentiful. The 403 is a very powerful combo because of it's large bore & almost square stroke. Unfortunately the cylinder walls are very thin and the block has windowed main webs. This makes it weak for high performance applications. The best advice I can give you is to define your goals and do your research. Find a machinist that specializes in Oldsmobile engines. Save your money so you can build it right. I also think you should run what you have for now until you need more motor.

 

We have just missed a good opportunity for a raffle...

 

Thanks so much, that post was very informative! I defentially plan on keeping the 260 in for the summer and fall, and plan to build (with help) a motor during the winter. I think I may venture towards the BB route

What do you mean?

 

We could have had a raffle to guess what motor you had and the winner gets a weekend in Vegas...

 

ahh I see, i wanna go to vegas!



Do you guys think this is worth getting?
330 ci
http://kansascity.craigslist.org/pts/1770533122.html

Assuming it's in decent shape?

 

Here is a 350:

http://kansascity.craigslist.org/pts/1721543940.html

Here is a 455 (I think it is overpriced without a transmission):

http://kansascity.craigslist.org/pts/1714257082.html

Here is another 350:

http://kansascity.craigslist.org/pts/1694331279.html

 

Thanks for the links

Would I be alright running this motor in my 65 jetstar, it should bolt up, assuming that's what it originally had in it.

http://kansascity.craigslist.org/pts/1770533122.html

Any pro's or Con's on this transmission

 

I don't think you would have any troubles. The TH 350 is a great transmission. Unfortunately, I don't know much about the 330. I think it was available in 1965.

 

Well, I'm glad we got that clarified. I thought he wanted you to raffle off the 260

 

I think I found me a project motor, to replace this 260

http://kansascity.craigslist.org/pts/1754065991.html

"i have a rebuilt 403 short block for sale. it has new clevite rod and main bearings. new trw piston rings and new cam bearings. has all new brass freeze plugs too. the motor is standard bore and standard on the crank as well. it needs a timing chain camshaft and oil pump to finish up to a complete motor. i have the heads, but they needs the valves redone i also have the intake its the factory 4bbl iron intake. they only made these motors for 3 years and are very hard to find. i am asking 300 cash for the engine as i have more than that in parts already. call or text me with questions and or offers. 816-392-7890 i have a oil pan to go with it also. comes with new engine stamd as well. thanks"

 

I'd still go through it and depending on what you want to put into it get a set of early 350 heads (5,6,7,7A) to bump up the compression ratio if the pistons and bores are still in good shape.

 

Are you talking about bumping the compression on the 403? I'd like to gain as much performance as I can for the $ but I don't want to build a drag racer or anything.

 

Yes I am. The 4A heads have 80cc chambers and with the huge dish of the stock 403 pistons yield about 7.8:1 compression. You can get that up considerably with the early heads and still not need anything more than premium gas. The only thing you'll need to do would be to open up the head bolt holes due to them being for 7/16 bolts and the 403 having ½" head bolts. The dowel pins are also slightly larger on the 403 from what I understand, but that should be simple for the shop to take care of.

 

If he used stock style pistons, use the above mentioned heads to get a reasonable compression ratio. You will be happy with the 403 that way. Get a basic cam for it and the difference between the 260 and that will blow you away!

If he spent big $$$$ on high compression pistons ( I doubt it if he is selling it for $300) then the 4A heads will be fine. With the 4As and stock style pistons compression will be lucky to in the 8:1 range.

If I was up there I would have picked up that 403 already, for that price. I just bought a core motor for $150 and will end up with a couple of grand into it by time I even start bolting it together.

sb

 

Oldsguy lives in Lee's Scummit, MO.

 

Is that his motor or something?

 

No, I just noticed that the engine was in Lee's Summit. Just a comment.

 

Awesome! Maybe I'll run into him at a local car show or something

 

too bad Oldsmobile didn't

 

Just for info: Jetstar 88 was made from 1964-66 and ALL came with the 330CI Engine.
According to the Casting Number 557751 the 260ci Engine

260
A smaller 260 cu in (4.3 l) V8 was produced in 1975 by decreasing the bore to just 3.5 in (89 mm). This was the first powerplant to use the smaller Rochester Dualjet two-barrel carburetor; all 260s used it. Production of the 260 V8 ended in 1982 when the 307 became the only gasoline V8 in Oldsmobile's line.

The 260 was designed for economy and it was the first engine option above the 3.8L Buick V6 standard in many Oldsmobile models by the late 1970s. While the 260s were not very powerful compared to the larger 350 and 403 V8s, fuel economy was almost as good as the base V6. Compared to the V6, the 260 was also smoother-running, and far more durable.

Most 260s were coupled to the Turbo Hydramatic 200. A 5-speed manual transmission was also available with some 260-equipped vehicles.

Applications:

1975–1977 Pontiac Ventura, Pontiac Le Mans, Oldsmobile Omega, and Buick Skylark
1975–1982 Oldsmobile Cutlass

LV8
The LV8 was a 260-cubic-inch (4.3 L) version produced from 1975 to 1982. It produced just 105 hp (78 kW) and 205 lb·ft (278 N·m).