OK...so it's been about 3 years since I sold my '82 Cutlass Calais and thought I was out of the Olds circle...but of course I couldn't be dragged away too long. So now I'm sitting here looking at my '85 t-top and started thinking about what I wanted to do for an engine build-up. I remember about 6 years ago reading about taking a 350 Olds diesel block and turning it into a 451. Does anybody know what I'm talking about? Everything I look for online is a dead end. Any help would be useful...even if it's proving that I pulled this from the confines of my mind as a high school senior. Thanks!

 

You would be better off going with a stock Olds 455. Or you could build a SBO 350 or 403. All three of those engines are great without doing alot of machining.

 

Could this be what you saw? I linked to the Olds wiki first, the other one is the older version of the article that can be found here.

The knowledgable people who wrote that section say it really isn't worth it in most cases, Olds64 knows his stuff too.

http://www.oldsmobilewiki.com/index....:Diesel_Engine

http://tech.classicoldsmobile.com/25.shtml

 

How much power are you looking to make? Big power olds motors benifit with diesel block but there is a lot of expence to do it right. If you are only talking 500-600HP then you are better off $$ wise to just build something more main stream.

 

im looking to make around 500...i've got a '69 350 block right now (high nickel content) that I've had for quite a few years now. I was hoping for something that is different than the everyday run of the mill '85 Cutlass. But definitely a lot more work (and money) than I'm looking to spend. Thanks guys!

 

Mondello used to sell kits for the diesel block for up to 454 cubes. Not sure if they do anymore. 434 seems to be a popular size now days. My 425 was made with ease. It just hurt the pocketbook..........LOL.

 

yeah i'm definitely not looking to break the pocketbook...the wedding this upcoming summer and buying a house are going to do that one good enough for me . thanks for letting me know i wasn't imagining the 451 and putting any ideas of doing it in the next 20 years out of my head .