74 Omega

Hello all,

I've got a 74 350 with HEI.
I'm looking for some sort of rev-limiter because I have let the revs get too high on occation. Ever since I had the shift kit and trany redone, when I really hammer on it, the shifts from 2nd to 3rd will occationally "pop" the tranny to neutral. and over rev. I was told the floor shifter linkage is alittle worn out and the detents are not as crisp as could be. I am looking to buy (soon) a B&M shifter to help with this. (I know just because I was told this does not make it true, so any ideas on this is also appreciated)
But would this also be something I should be looking for or is there something else.
http://store.summitracing.com/instru...ructions%2Epdf

Also, on the HEI note, it was installed before I got the car and the Coil is still there. Is this still needed? And what do I do with the wires on it if it is not needed?

Olds64

If your HEI was installed correctly then there is no reason to have an old style coil in the car. Disconnect the coil and make sure the car runs. If it does, then just take the coil out and cut the wires back at the wire loom. Or you can remove the whole wire all the way back to 12V ignition. Whoever installed your HEI did it the wrong way if they left the points coil there.

74 Omega

Thanks, I'll give it a try.
Any thoughts on the other stuff in the thread?

BILL DEMMER

you could also disconnect the old coil wires and tape them well, then tuck them out of sight, and remove the old coil.

you should really fix the shifter problem-not try to mask it. you can get the parts to tighten-up the linkage. if you drop the tranny pan, you can bend the arm that sets the detent tension, to increase it. i always do this on older trannys, to restore/improve the tension for positive "feel". your motor/tranny mounts might be an issue too.


bill

74 Omega

Thanks Bill,

I have newer motor mounts and the tranny mount is new. I thought the shifter detents were part of the external linkage. I wish the shop would have done your fix while it was apart.
I have a factory floor shifter and it feels pretty sloppy and when I look at all the parts of it they look somewhat worn to me.
So the only way to fix the "sloppiness/firm feel" (not real words I know, lol) is to drop the pan again?
Also I know nothing about the inside of a tranny, I am looking at my service manual and I cannot find the parts to bend/reshape you are refurring to. Do you have a picture of the parts?

Thanks
Dave

joe_padavano

Let me see if I have this right. You have a 74 Omega hatchback with a 350 Olds motor and a 4 spd?! COOOOOL!

Back to your problem. The shifter bolted to the floor instead of the tailshaft of the trans. I assume this trans is the stock Saginaw 4 spd. This arrangement isn't the best, since relative motion between the drivetrain and the floor will cause unintended motion between the shifter and the trans. Other cars (A-bodies, for example) bolt the shifter directly to the tailhousing of the trans to eliminate this problem. You may want to see if Hurst has a competion plus shifter for your car (look up an Nova instead of an Omega).

74 Omega

I could only wish it was a 4spd

Check out the link When the Mrs. doesn't Like the Oldsmobile My wife says "buy it as long as I can drive it". She can't ride the bike and she couldn't drive my 84 Firebird (307 OLDS w/ 5spd)

It is a TH350 factory floor shifter. It pops out of gear when I stomp on it. I was thinking it was the shifter but I am now not too sure.


Bill thinks it could be the above.

Here is more info on the shift isues
Trany work and B&M shift kit

Any thought on the original REV-LIMITER question?

joe_padavano

Unless the linkage is improperly adjusted and the trans is moving around when you accelerate (and you've already said the mounts are new) then it is almost impossible for this to be the shifter. Check the fluid level and filter condition, but this may indicate it's time to start saving for a new trans.

BILL DEMMER

the piece i'm talking about is inside the trans. it is retained by 1 bolt and has a roller on the end of it that rides on the detent arm. sorry, i don't have any pix on hand. in my '72 manual, it is called the detent roller and spring, fig 7-661. it is made of spring steel and can be bent a little to give more tension. that being said, you need to address the linkage issue first. as joe said, you may need to adjust the linkage/cable. is the shifter connected via cable or rod?

J-(Chicago)

MSD has a hei ignition module that has a rev limiter in it.
I found this out yesterday when it came with a bunch of strange electronics all over it
I guess they have a new line out.
I just cranked it up all the way and put it in.

74 Omega

Thanks for all your help.
It is connected via rod. It looks as though it has the rod going to the colunm area and an extra rod going to the floor shift area.
1st pic is the underside of the floor shifter
2nd pic is the floor shifter linkage to the tranny
3rd is where the floor, tranny and column shift all meet up.(foreground left side exhuast pipe)
And yes that is fliud leaking. I had a small leak before it went in and a bigger leak now that it came out
I should bring it back, I would think it should have been fixed while apart?

74 Omega

BTW,
I was able to remove coil and wire the HEI correctly.

Thanks

74 Omega

OK so I'm a dumb@ss
Tranny mount is new but motor mounts are not. So I figured for $20 bucks and a days worth of work, I will replace them. Here is the problem.
The mounts shown in my service book and the mounts from the auto shop are the same. The mounts under the car are not what is in the book. Does anyone know where these come from? Totaly different than what I got.
As you can see the rubber is attatched to the Frame mount on the new/book mounts, and rubber is on the motor on the ones in the car now
Black rubber on left side, Blue rubber on right side

J-(Chicago)

The old crusty ones look like the correct olds mounts.
Those black ones look like Trans-am Olds 403 mounts.
Go to your local parts store and order a pair of 307 mounts for any 80's cutlass or delta 88 and they should work for you. The only side you change is the motor side. the pads on the frame just leave them and re-use them.

joe_padavano

Not to rub it in, but look at the heading at the top of the page of the service manual, the part that says "L-6 engine". Those are the mounts for the Chevy L6 (and other Chevy V8s). As noted above, the 403 Trans Am also used these mounts with unique brackets that bolted to the block. Return the motor mounts you got and get the correct mounts for a 350 Olds in that Omega. Note that Advance Auto/Partsamerica and NAPA incorrectly show these Chevy mounts. This is not the first time these catalogs have been wrong.

Here's what you need:

http://www.partsamerica.com/ProductD...ype=27&PTSet=A

If you need to search by model, ask for the mounts for a 1975 Omega with the 260.

74 Omega

thanks Joe
I saw that too. But I did tell them at Advanced Auto I had a 350 . They know my car well...Like I said I'm a dumb@$$

Gotta love it...

dan2286

Another reason I love going to Auto Zone. I tell them I have an Olds 350 and they assume that it must be a Chevy. I doubt they even think that there is a difference between Olds and Chevy!!

J-(Chicago)

Summit is just as bad if not worse.
Every time I say OLDSMOBILE 350
and I always get at least 1 chevy part.

74 Omega

All done,
I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to replace the motor mounts. I am also surprised at how cheap the new mounts are. The old ones that came out look like heavy steel. The new ones I put in are made of my beer cans I finished last week and sent to CHINA.
Not too sure how long they will last, but I can replace them in about 1 1/2 hrs...

While I was under the hood and playing with the HEI, I decided to check the plugs, they were gapped wrong .040 my book says .080 for HEI so I picked up new plugs, made some nice new ACCEL wires (PITA) changed the fuel filter, oil & filter

BTW...3 or 4 good burn outs, and some hard acceleration, chirping gears...seems to stay put

J-(Chicago)

.040 is a better gap to run in my opinion.
The .080 gap was changed by Oldsmobile in a recall I believe.
I have been incorrect before, however.

BILL DEMMER

.050" is a nice gap to use on hei's.

74 Omega

Looks like I'll be pullin the plugs...again