It's official I'm an oldsmobile owner just bought a 72 cutlass convertible my first classic always wanted one finally saved up enough and came across a decent deal took me years and I finally did it. It's in pieces, doesn't start and its in rough shape. I decoded the vin and it's a 455 according to the vin but I haven't verified the block .
vin 3j67u2m
Anyone have advice on my new journey with my car?
I want to keep it original 455 if it's numbers matching but from my brief research 455s are expensive to build and not alot of people have expertise in building an olds. I'm not mechanically knowledgeable I would say a novice, I can change sparks plugs basic tune ups but never rebuilt an engine. I'm located in socal tried calling Bernard mondello I hear he's good with these engines but no answer.
Should I stroke the 455 or ls swap?
Gas is expensive right now but it'll be a weekend crusier.

 

Welcome to the site, post some pictures of your project. The best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time. Read, ask questions, make a plan for each project to get the car completed.

 

 

It sounds like you are car proud! Good luck with your project and hope you are on the road soon.

 

More so grateful and appreciative I used to just fantasize and day dream about driving a cutlass convertible for so long to finally own one is like a good dream come true.

 

No need to stroke a 455, and ls swapping is sacreligious . A basic rebuild is equivalent to any other engine.

 

Welcome, looks like a ambitus project but definitely do-able.

 

Welcome, definitely a cool Olds! Ask questions and we'll help you with your project.

 

Good luck with your project, looks better than what I started with.

 

Congratulations, you are about to embark on the journey of a lifetime! It may look rough but it's not much different than any other car that needs paint and an interior , suspension work etc. They often just look better but need as much work. First thing is to buy a Chassis Service Manual or CSM it will answer many question you have while working on it. Buy and original copy not a reprint or cd there garbage. Contact HairyOlds on this site for one. Take your time and do it right one thing at a time.
Steve

 

I want more power everyone I spoke to said the 455 has a bunch of torque so should I keep it factory rebuild or bore it over some

 

A U code convertible is a fairly rare car, if you LS swap it, you void the reason for being a collector car.
You will have to get your block checked by an engine machinist to determine whether it needs an overbore. If the cylinders arent worn or tapered, keep it standard,
if not, do the minimum overbore to make it right for rebuilding.
Always remember, a mild 455 will easily make 400hp and 500lb/ft of torque.
A 5.3 LS wont come close unless you add a power adder.
If you step up to a 6.2 or bigger LS, the cost goes up exponentially.
Take your time, build that 455, repair the cars body and interior. And have a cool car thats going up in value.
Good luck

 

^^^Now that makes sense.^^^

 

Welcome! I hope you keep it all Olds, however your money, your choice.

 

I didn't know U convertibles we're rare I thought they were a dime a dozen. I thought only the 442 was rare. If I stroke the 455 will that decrease the value of the vehicle? I'm keeping it original if the motor is salvageable I just want to do burn outs and a little spirited driving on occasion. Hence wanting it to have a little more performance.

 

I don’t think you realize the burnout potential of a stock stroke 455 that has 500+ lb-ft of torque. There is no need to stroke it unless you are building a race car.

 

This makes perfect sense. A 455 does have gobs of torque.

What do you drive daily ? You really have no idea how much power a 455 has.

X 2

 

I daily a Chevy 5.7 vortec it gets up and go , cant imagine what 500 ft lbs of torque feels like.

 

Imagine your truck roasting the tires all the way across an intersection, and then barking the tires into 2nd. Thats 455 power

 

So here's some more pics of the engine

 

Ga heads are these bad?

Ga heads are these bad?

 

That motor has plenty of street cruising power. When you start modifying you start to lose drivability. Maybe go to a 323 or 342 posi reared. That should give you a nice seat of the pants feel but no loss of drivability.

 

Have you tried to start the engine yet?

 

No, those are good and can be made even better by installing larger valves (I'm assuming yours have small valves from the factory). They are the correct heads for a 1972 455 engine.