The slowest build I’ve ever done which started in 1986…… I’m writing this because I think it is time and to get some feedback. I’m sure there are others out there like me, so damn busy working on other peoples stuff that your own stuff get’s left behind. I have a small business that started out as a part-time venture, went full-time for over 25 years repairing and installing electronics and computer systems and now has gone to custom electronics. The problem is that I’m also partially disabled now and things are going to get done slowly because I need help when working on the car, money isn’t there, and I have to go for surgery again. In nut shell I was a mechanic, I am an electronics technologist and a computer analyst/programmer so I can build and fix a lot of things. I’ve been studying internal combustion engines for over 40 years, worked on or crew chiefed on several different cars of different makes of different performance levels. I also have been racing my street car a 1974 Pontiac Ventura Sprint which has a warmed over Olds 455 and TH400. The car came with a 7 rod Pontiac 400, no idea what happened to the original P-350. I’ve gotten my car to run very consistently between 12.74-12.79 (depending on weather) best 60’ of 1.63 at 3,850 Lbs. but, haven driven cars of up to 1,300 Hp my faithful Olds just doesn’t do it for me anymore. Now that I’m semi-retired I’m finally getting to work on my car again and have been collecting parts for it.

The biggest problem with Oldsmobile engines is the heads are particularly, restrictive air flow and are high swirl design B-K. My stock ‘G’ heads flow 232cfm@28” H2O which means the maximum capable Hp is 426 at the crank and about 340 at the wheels, no matter what else I do naturally aspirated. This is the same as a good set of stock HP SBC heads! So my plan is to document the performance changes of small valve (2”/1.62”) stock “G” heads to large valve (2.11”/1.68”) max ported “G” heads. Next will be the addition of a high output distributor-less ignition of my design and then MegaSquirt EFI. That will be it for playing with this motor. As for the car, I’ve only modified the rear suspension going from corporate 10 bolt 2.73 gears with mono-leaf to 4.10 gears, a posi unit, 5 leaf springs, and traction bars of my design, they’re similar to Assassins. I should have kept those mono-leafs though.

For the current level of where the car is now see my build post here My Current Build

I want to say right here right now; the reason you get your heads flowed is NOT to see how well you or someone else ported your heads but, to know how much air they can flow. The reason for this is so you don’t pull your hair out or waste a ton of money uselessly the amount of air they flow dictates how much Hp. the engine is allowed to make. I’ve tuned/worked on N/A to supercharged, mechanical to EFI, pump gas to nitro, GM, Ford, and Chrysler engines from 4 cylinders to V8’s and it always comes down to airflow. Even when using forced induction and nitrous the heads will limit the performance gain. Anyway because I have an extra 455 Olds engine, a 454 BBC, and 2 SBC’s (355 and 400) if I blow one up, I’ll just stick another bullet in it. I want 1,000 Hp or it blows, except the SBC’s they will be for the street when my daughter gets the car. So my plan is to finish the car as a prostreet car first because no matter which engine I use the car will survive, I hope. So that’s where the main money goes. The car will be back-halfed with a 4-link and with welded-in frame connectors and a 12 point roll cage.

Points of interest:

• Shock loading breaks things; this can be anything from suspension to engine parts, so you either have to use HD parts or back it off, because of my budget I guess I’ll be backing it of. Engine knock from too much timing will be my worst enemy and MUST be controlled. Engine knock is the sound of all the clearance of the bearings suddenly being taken up because the engine is trying to turn backwards (shock loading). Detonation (ping) also shock loading, I can control with octane, sparkplugs (heat range), and inter-coolers.
• Cylinder pressure is what creates the majority of torque but, it can if too high burst/crack cylinders.
• High RPM costs money but, makes Hp. Experience tells me that I can only afford to spin the engine to 6,000 maybe 6,500 rpm. To spin it to 7,000 rpm the cost goes up by 50%, to do 7,000 rpm the cost doubles, nuts to that. Custom light weight pistons and rods are very expensive, not to mention the need for a billet crank and girdle.
• The use of an ‘N’ crank. I’ve done some research into this and found some interesting things. Mark (RIP) of twin turbo fame showed that it can be done for short bursts at <6,000 rpm but, I don’t think it would make ¼ mile passes. Joe Mondello did an 800 Hp build using a cryogenic treated ‘N’ crank with great success. The research I found on cryogenic treating is very interesting. When metal is frozen it shrinks (of course) and at very low temperatures (-200°F) the pressure from shrinking is so high that the metal is actually forged. The metal that showed the least improvement was aluminum and the best was nodular iron. Aluminum was the least because of its ability to bounce back. Nodular iron was the best because the carbon/graphite crystalline structure was transformed into a material about half way into a diamond crystalline structure producing a very strong glue like structure along with realigning the grain structure of the iron found in forged steel. The tinsel strength of the nodular iron was increased by 100% after a 24hr treatment followed by a 2hr (-100°F) stress relief treatment to something similar to forged steel. Problem is that the forging process is in all directions so the crank is shrunk by up to 0.010” including making it shorter making it necessary to be machined, not a major problem unless the block is done alone, think bore-to-bore centers and height. Will it work? I’d like to find out.
• Here in Canada because of the dollar exchange the cost of parts increases by 35% so the use of just a Rocket block is a $7,500 expense. I like Oldsmobile but, not that much when I can get a HP BBC block for $5,000 CDN and I know it can take 1,500 Hp.
• Turbo-charging works the best because of the back-pressure which keeps the rods loaded and helps the rods to pull the pistons down on the intake stroke. Almost all the broken rods I’ve seen and documented by others is when the rod pulls down on the piston on the intake stroke. There is a overlap between the exhaust pressure and the boost pressure. The turbos I have, have a 2:1 ratio, so to make 15 lbs boost I need a 30 psi exhaust pressure, this is similar for all turbos. Superchargers generally don’t have the overlapping pressure of turbos and nitrous does shock loading.
• Connecting rods have far more strength under compressive forces than tensile strength (Pulling).
• Oil pressure is just as important as volume IMHO and experience. With high cylinder pressures there is added load on the bearings think hundreds if not thousands of psi, wide bearings are better than narrow but a smaller diameter has lower angular velocity.
• Windage tray but no crank scraper because of the turbos I want oil on the cylinder walls and underside of the pistons but, I don’t want to put in oil squirts unless I have to. Besides I’ll be getting the tops of the pistons coated.

Ray

 

So my planned build is:

Car as mentioned and to make 1,000 Hp reliably for ¼ mile passes, I hope.

Tranny – TH400 manual valve body with t/brake and 3,500 stall convertor.

Rear Suspension – I have a 79 Lincoln 9” rear-end with disc brakes that needs to be shortened and setup for a 4-link, not sure of the gear ratio yet, a spool, Hoosier 33.0x16.5x15S** D06 slicks on 15x15 rims because I’ll be using a 3 speed TH400 and we have some small town races on airport runways, it’s kind of like no prep racing. And dual adjustable shocks and I’m not sure on the street tires.

Front Suspension - MOOG-656 front springs, High Energy Poly bushings, and single adjust shocks, will probably end up with something of lighter weight.

Engine parts I have:

- Twin Cummins 6.7L turbos at either 7(street) or 15(track) psi boost.

- O2 sensors, controllers, and gauges.

- 2 pyrometer sensors

- Q45 80mm throttle body with secondary traction control throttle plate.

- Lunati 74777 Dual Valve Springs, 1.460" O.D., .700" I.D., 155@1.850" - 420@1.250", Rate 441#pi, Coil Bind 1.195"

***CAM***

-Bullet Billet H-Roller Custom Grind for T/Turbo BBO 4-7 Swap

OL 302/308 HR114.5+3.5

INTAKE MASTER (HR302/375B) AND EXHAUST MASTER (HR308/375)

DUR @ 050 (246/251) AND LIFT WITH YOUR 1.60 ROCKERS WILL BE (.600/.600)

LSA 114.5 AND DEGREE IN THE ENGINE AT 111

ALSO THIS HR WILL BE GROUND ON A 318600 CORE THAT IS A 4-7 SWAP FIRING ORDER.

THANKS AGAIN, MARK



Cam Card:

Intake Exhaust

Duration @0.050" 246 251

Lobe Lift 0.375B" 0.375"

Separation 114.5 Open Close Open Close

Timing Events: 0.50" 12 54 63.5 7.5

Duration at 0.006" 302 308

Gross Valve Lift 0.600" 0.600"

Degree Intake lobe to 111

'A'FO



Master Adv 050 200 Lift Lash Type

HR302/375B 302 246 166 .3750 .000 .000 CRA

HR308/375 308 251 168 .3750 .000 .000 CRA

Lobe Type explanation:

• The first letter is either "C" for a conventional shaped nose on the lobe, or "D" for a dwell nose. Dwell lobes are often used when there is a lift rule, such as NHRA stock classes. Dwell lobes are usually not well suited for higher RPM applications.

• The second letter is either "R" (RPM) for lobes suited for higher RPM applications or motors with numerically high rocker ratios, or "T" (Torque)for lobes suited for lower RPM or motors with numerically low rocker ratios.

• The third letter is either "S" for symmetrical lobes (opening and closing ramps the same), or "A" for asymmetrical lobes (opening and closing ramps different). Asymmetrical lobes usually have a slower closing rate to help prevent valve bounce.

**********End of Cam stuff

- Hydraulic Roller lifters Body Seat Oil Band Oil Band Wheel

MaxpeedingRODS Application Diameter Height Height Width Diameter

Hydraulic Roller lifters 0.841" 2.336" 1.222" 0.407" 0.700"

These have a 0.300” higher seat height than stock flat hydraulic ones and are similar in design to Lunati, Comp Cams, and other street performance designs. The oiling groove is smaller than most others and have a similar oiling relief to the oiling hole inlet (see pics). These are very similar in design to Crane lifters, very similar, hey I don’t need a set of $1,200 Morel lifters.

- Assault 7/16” 1.6:1 Aluminum roller rockers, not to happy with the location of the oiling holes and may re-drill them.

- 7/16” studs

- 2 sets of 32lb injectors (used).

- 69 F0 block, sonic check shows enough material for a 0.125” overbore.

- Electric water pump drive.

- Electric oil pump for turbos, at a steady 35 psi and a closed system.

Things that need to be done or bought:

- Twin front mounted ice water-to-air intercoolers.

- 3” turbo piping
- 4" exhaust down pipes

- Not sure if I’m going with turbo headers or just logs, I hope for headers. Money concern and fitment though.

- Triple pass aluminum rad.

- Custom length chromoly pushrods, heavy wall 5/16” or standard 3/8”.

- M&J girdle

- Cryo “N” crank or billet Scat crank, 4.5” stroke, money again is limiting factor.

- Clevite H-Series Main Bearings MS-804H half groove or Speed-Pro Competition Series Main Bearings 108M ¾ groove. Most likely the Speed-Pro.

- GRP or Other aluminum 7” narrowed BBC rod with ARP 2000 bolts. Or perhaps even K1 BBC 7.00” H beam rods.

- ½” ARP head studs.

- Cryo the block, hummm not sure on this one. If the crank shrinks and the block shrinks, they should line up?

- Either custom 9.0:1 4.250” pistons or 9.2:1 Ford 427 4.250” flat top pistons.

- Fill the block to the water inlets with “BASF-masterflow-885-gs” a metalized epoxy used in NASCAR.

- Bore block 0.125” over bore. That’s 0.0625” over stock per side and get the rest of it squared up.

- ARP main studs

- Zero gap top rings

- Not sure if I’m going with a Cloye’s timing chain or timing gears (quiet).

- Fluid Dampener.

- Canton oil pan.

- Plug the oil by-pass.

- Small electric vacuum evac system for crankcase.

- Oil tank for turbo oil

- Engine oil cooler system.

- Bigger alternator and relocate to lower driver’s side.

- Front & mid plates boat style.

- Windage tray

- Dual blow-off valves

- Dual waste gates

- Electronic waste gate controls that I’ll build.

- Rack & pinion steering mod.

- Fibreglass hood, bumpers, doors, and trunk lid.

- Aluminum upholstered seats and mounts

- Plus a bunch of gauges, wiring, pipe, hoses, fuel pressure regulator, dual electric fuel pumps, filters, 5 point harness belts, and so on and so on.

- Eventually I’ll get a pair of aluminum heads just not sure which ones yet.

- Custom EFI intake manifold that I’ll make myself, either aluminum or carbon fiber, until then I’ll just use my Torker intake.

- SFI flex plate, flex plate shield, and tranny shield.

Cost $15,000 to $20,000, depending on how much I can do myself, yikes!

The next big question is when all this is going to take place, a very big question. It most likely will take over the next 2-3 years to complete. My friends tell me to forget the Olds and go with the BBC but, everyone has a belly button and I like to be different because I am different. Besides I’m the only one at the track with an Olds engine. There is an outside chance if I can rent some shop space cheap enough I’ll get into anodizing, powder coating, cryogenic metal treatment, manufacture my Striker traction bars, and also still make my racing electronics. I’m hoping to take the spare block to the machine shop in January to get that started on but, I still need to get my girdle from Smitty of M&J Proformance, if my next royalty check is big enough. Well I just had surgery again so I’ll be down for another 6-8 weeks, sucks to be me. Oh did I miss anything, does my plan sound good?

Ray




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