Hello everyone,

I guess I should start my first message off with a hello. I have a 68 olds 442 with the original 400 and th400. Had it since 1996 and am the third owner of the car. I'll be going through the expensive process of restoring the car as it is starting to leak everywhere! I live in the Phoenix area so any suggestions on who to go to, or recommendations will be appreciated. I have been looking around and I guess I have been out of the game for a while as things got really expensive!

Anyway nice to meet you all!

Chris Sparks

 

Welcome to the site, we do like pictures. Depending on whats leaking you may consider doing some of the things yourself.

 

Well the only pictures I have is of better days with my car. It now looks pretty dire.

I don't wrench on my car any more. Since getting diabetes I don't have the energy nor do I have space to work on the car.

It is leaking mainly tranny fluid (from the reddish color). I am leaking a little from the oil filter area. With 135000+ miles, it is time. This will be my one and final rebuild as I won't be able to afford to do it again.

Chris...

 

Welcome , and , you are certainly at the right place .
I'm at the final stages of a complete frame off body restoration of a 1 owner / pure stock 1967 Cutlass Supreme Holiday Coupe , 442 . It is being done in Salina KS . I thought I could save some dollars doing it in a smaller town . Next time I might re think it .
I could walk you into Hot Rods by Hoots , really nice family Hot Rod shop .
Easy to talk to Son , Father , and Grandfather all work in the shop .
Another choice would be Tony's Rocket Garage . 602 - 743 - 5217
Tony Serritella , works on many of the Oldsmobiles you will see on display @ the Pavillion's on Saturday nights .
Both choices are good . PM me or email : jimi2ma@gmail.com . Happy to discuss or help evaluate any choices you have to make ..
And , great luck with all of your choices , it sounds like you have a car for life in your family .. Cheers , JT

 

Hey, Chris.

FYI to all, Chris is another graduate of the old Chubecto Olds Mail Listserver that was active back in the 90s. Good to see another familiar face here.

 

Hey Joe! I am now at the point in my 442 ownership to start working on my restoration. I remember you mentioning that I should chuck my 400 and put a 455 in it. I still want to control the costs on this rebuild and maybe there are resuable things I can use off my 400, like exhaust manifolds, heads, brackets, etc?

chris

 

The only substantive difference between your 400 and a 455 is the block and pistons, due to the larger bore. Everything else was the same - crank, rods, intake, water pump, flexplate, etc, etc. The 1968-69 455s used the same C-casting heads as your 400, and since yours came from a 442, they already have the large valves. The exhaust manifolds need to fit the chassis, not the engine, so your current manifolds would also be used on a 455. Of course, the 1968 exhaust manifolds do not flow as well as the 1969-72 W/Z manifolds, so I'd suggest changing to those, but your current ones will work.

How you proceed is up to you. Pistons typically get replaced as part of a rebuild. You can probably source a good 455 bare block for about $100-$200. Machine work and parts to assemble this motor will likely run in the $3000-$5000 range, depending on how much you far you want to go. As an alternative, you might be able to find a rebuilt, low-mileage 455 for less, but you might have to look for a while to find the right motor.

 

OPIG is offering an exhaust manifold which flows better so I am guessing that is a adequate replacement, so I don't have to hunt e-bay or the junk yards? I have hooker headers but I am probably not going to use them.

So to ask a dumb question... Trying to keep it original with the 400 that is in it is probably not something I should do? I know from the past that everyone hated this engine but frankly being the eternal optimist, I would think it can be made to run better than stock. Or am I delusional and I should just suck it out and get a 455 and call it a day?

I was quoted $7000-$8000 to redo my current 400 with stock parts and felt that it was a bit pricey. I have seen a complete 455 out there for $3500 so it makes me wonder.

Chris

 

Chris,

The only BBO manifolds I see on the OPGI website are repros of the early open-log manifolds or the later W/Z manifolds. The latter will bolt to your motor (either 400 or 455) and will flow better than stock, but not as well as headers.

The 400-455 decision is up to you. You can always store the original 400 and run the 455 for now. That will likely be less expensive in the long run. The 455 swap is completely bolt-in and reversible later.

 

A fellow AZ Olds Club member has a '68 with the 400 and he is quite pleased with its performance for a street/cruise car. I think most folks ditch the 400 in favor of the 455 because it's the same cost to rebuild either of them and you get more performance for your money with the 455.

 

You can have your 400 block sonic tested to see how thick the cylinder walls are. Then you will know how much you can bore the cylinders. The 400's are under square, If you can get a good bore it might be ok, however the 455 is probably the better choice. It seems some guys have successfully bored the 400's to get the bore size closer to the stroke. If your hell bent on keeping it original try the sonic test and see where your at, go from there.

 

The car will almost certainly always be worth more with original parts intact.

"Numbers matching" and all that rot.

The G400 was darn near adequate when new and remains so today. If you are not racing or maximizing the car's potential, why not stick with the original parts? If the VIN stamp on the 400 block matches the car I recommend using that block or storing it to stay with the car. If not, then might as well put whatever is handy in there. How about a nice 425? From a 66-67 Toro.

It may not even need pistons and a bore. It sounds like minor leaks are the complaint. Is the 8k for just engine and trans, or paint, bodywork, suspension, etc. also? A friend got a job to redo a Corvette for $18k and the engine, trans and diff were already done. The 18 large covers body and paint, frame and suspension, brakes, interior as needed, and labor.

Yes, it is hellaciously expensive, especially if you insist on all new NOS factory parts. If you can make do with std issue but great quality parts such as MOOG suspension and whatnot, huge savings can be realized.

 

cant wait to see your progress. I need to see pics!!

 

I have had both the 400, and 455 in the past, and I have no complaints with either engine.

 

Sorry for the late response. I never get any email notifications from this site.

Never thought about that but that could work as well.

8k included a stock rebuild with new parts and a cleanup of the engine bay and painting i think. Didn't not include the tranny or rear diff.

I have all the suspension stuff done, 4 disc brakes. I just need to get the drive train in order and then some paint.

chris