First, I am basically a Chevy guy, I have rebuilt several Chevy engines both small block and big block for my own cars with 100% success, but that was years ago, now I am going to rebuild the 330 that is in my Vista, it's just tired, it burns a little oil and has a good bit of blow-by. So, since I haven't built an Olds engine I thought I would buy a book on rebuilding Oldsmobile engines so I would know how to adjust the valves and install the rear main seal correctly along with a few other things. I have built Pontiac engines where you just torque down the rocker nuts so I want to do this correctly. I found a book on e-bay called how to rebuild Oldsmobile engine's so I ordered it. The book came in the mail today, I start looking through it, I turn to the page for adjusting the valves and it says to assemble the rocker assemblies with no details, what a rip, it touches very briefly on tightening down the rocker nuts. Lucky for me I bought a Chassis Service manual back when I bought the car, it has all the details that I need.

 

Get a factory service manual. The Olds rockers are designed to just torque them down, assuming you have stock parts.

 

What year 330? 1964 with #1 heads use rocker arm shafts. Late 64 thru 1967 with #2, #3 or #4 heads use cast aluminum bridges to hold the rocker arms in place. Some replacements use a pivot and strap design which works, but I've had issues with the steel strap twisting and deflecting when torquing those.

Either is a torque to spec assembly; lifters are hydraulic and for most part self-adjusting when assembled and torqued correctly.

Sometimes if you mill too much off the head to true it you may get into pushrod length issues. Olds heads have little to do with compression ratios. CR is changed with pistons.

There are several noted Oldsmobile engine builders here on CO. Their builds make guaranteed power, not promises.

And I can promise if you try to build an Oldsmobile engine the same way as a Chevrolet you will be disappointed with the results.

 

This is why I am here and also why I bought that useless book. This is a 67 330 engine. Im not looking for 400 hp, just want a decent running engine with a little torque, this a pretty heavy car, it needs all I can get.

 

Well that is odd seeing as how Olds engines don't have rocker nuts. They use bolts, not a nut on a stud like some other brands.

 

Well, technically, the one-year-only 1965 heads used 3/8" studs with nuts.

Ironically, these were still just torqued down, not adjustable.

 

Lucky for me I bought a Chassis Service manual back when I bought the car, it has all the details that I need.

Since you received a chassis service manual with the car, why did you even buy the other book?

 

One other difference between Olds and Chevy valvetrain is in the valves.
When grinding valves and seats, some material should be removed from the end of the valve stem so that the correct valve stem height is maintained.
Make sure your machinist understands this.

 

I like to gather all the info that I can when I'm doing something new.

 

In all honesty, a service manual and this forum will serve 99.9% of your needs. There are some very knowledgeable people here.

People today have it made. Before the internet, you either had figure things out on your own, or find someone who knows something about what your trying to do. Now you can look things up on YouTube, join a forum, look something up on the internet, etc.

Now the biggest hassle is separating the ones who know what they are talking about, verses the one who THINK they know.

 

The dangerous thing about Chilton's and Haynes and Motors is that they were of the mindset that they could condense factory information way down by getting rid of superfluous stuff. Problem is, none of it is superfluous, and those warnings telling you what not to do or you'll break the car were removed, and a lot of people broke cars. Those publishers didn't care as they weren't liable for you borking your car, or a customer's car, whereas you could come back on the factory for errors in factory documents as they were the OEM.

So, those manuals are dangerous because they tell your powerful information, but not the whole story.

 

I hate Haynes and Chilton books, for just the reason Koda mentioned. They are probably ok for 60-early 70 cars and trucks, but much newer than that there entirely too many options and variations to be covered in any detail.

 

Haynes and Chilton's are simply put.....better than nothing.

 

Still have my old Haynes manuals. They were British, so there are some hilarious descriptors - such as bonnet, windscreen, and spanner thrown in, at times.

 

Actually, they weren't "thrown in", that was the terminology used in Britain. "Drop top" is another British term and a few people here use it.

 

And how about adjusting the "tickover", before you change the tyres on the al-yoo-MIN- ee-um wheels.