I currently have a 350 in my '69 F85. I've been told it's a Rocket, but now I'm not sure. What's the difference?

In the meantime, I found a big block 455 out of a Buick that I'm considering as a replacement and I'm wondering if it's a good decision or not.

Am I devaluing the car by replacing my 350 with a non-Olds engine? Should I just upgrade the 350 instead?

I'm not racing. I just want a slight advantage on the street and I want to maintain the cars value since it is otherwise restored back to factory specs.

Thanks for whatever advice you might have.

 

Nothing. "Rocket" is a marketing term used to describe every single Olds V8 built since the first one in 1949. The fact that people still think it means something special is a testament to that marketing campaign.

The Buford motor is not a bolt-in. You'll need different motor and frame mounts, different accessory brackets, different exhaust, different wiring, etc. A far easier swap is to get a Olds 455, which is just about a bolt-in.

 

Thanks for the feedback. It's nice to finally understand the "Rocket" designation. And yes, I agree - it's one heckuva marketing campaign!

As for the Buford, I'm thinking I'll pass. I currently have a numbers matching car and I don't want to mess that up just for more horses when I could get more horses out of my 350 and and keep the Rocket marketing campaign going...

 

Keep the power train Oldsmobile and rebuild the 350 to W-31 spec's

 

Thanks, Rallye Kid. Thanks, Joe. This was REALLY helpful. The 350 stays and gets an upgrade.

 

Good thing you're sticking with the Olds engine.

If you put a Buick in you'd be a pariah in the Olds community and the Buick guys won't accept you either.......JK

 

phew! safe!

 

One thing about the Buford,it's a torque monster.

 

Certainly nothing wrong with a Buick engine, but like anything, unless you know what it came out of, may not be a powerful version. If you were ever to consider a different brand engine, would have to be a Chevy, as great parts availibility. Some here have done it, and claim it's no big deal. Personally I went went Olds 455, and as mentioned basically dropped right in. The numbers matching thing isn't a big deal, long as you hang on to the original engine. You can build your 350 pretty potent, but it will never have the street torque of a big block. Depends on how you want to spend your money. Keep in mind, once you start building on your 350, its no longer a factory engine anyway, so may be even a better idea to just swap it out.

 

OK, you kinda hit a sore spot there. Conventional wisdom equates long stroke motors with higher torque, yet the 455 Buford has a SHORTER stroke than a 455 Olds. Same thing when people compare the 350 Olds and 350 Chevy, claiming that the Olds is a "torque" motor. The 350 Olds has a SHORTER stroke and larger bore than the 350 Chebby.

 

I disgaree with that.

 

Joe - Shouldnt be a "sore spot" but i do agree with you, i never understood how the Buick was known as the torque monster when it had the shortest stroke and largest bore of GM's 4 main big blocks, you would think it would have the highest horsepower. I dont think the Buick can out-torque an Olds, I feel the Olds has the most torque of all 4 motors, however those Buicks are meeaann *****, wouldnt be afraid to put a Buick 455 against any similarly built big block out there, but i still dont think they can out-torque the Olds. Seems like a marketing strategy to me. Besides, the "torque monster" idea came from a 510tq rating vs the other 3's rating of 500tq, in my book 10tq doesnt make the difference between "decent" and "monster", and besides, those are just advertised outputs. I also always wondered what an Olds 350 would put up against a similarly built Chevy 350 in terms of hp/tq. Im sure intakes, heads, and cam design all contribute as well but itd be interesting to see if Olds really is "just a torque brand" as most outsiders insist.

droptopron - That'd be an oppinion first of all, and the idea was to give the "best of a bad situation". He's by no means saying drop a Chevy into the Olds he's just saying if you HAD too, or if you ever thought about it, the Chevy would be the way to go as its still GM and its cheaper and generally a better choice than say fitting a Pontiac or Mopar into a Cutlass