rocketraider

Cheap. Plentiful. Aftermarket support. Those are the ONLY reasons they're popular. The SBC in itself is not an exceptional engine, no matter what anyone says. The fact there's so much aftermarket made to improve it speaks for that.

But is that YOUR build? or what you READ someone did?

I have an Olds 350 with nearly 160k on it that neither burns nor leaks oil, runs quiet and will move a 4200 lb wagon down the road smartly. It's not babied and all it's had is a water pump. That's not reliable?

Judging from original poster's link to the car owner, that's what he's going for. Looks to me like he's gonna be part of the same old same old.

May we then assume you're going to put a Chevrolet drivetrain in the highlighted car?


Here's the bottom line and lowest common denominator. This is an Oldsmobile forum. You want to put a Chevrolet engine in your Oldsmobile? your car, your money, waste it if you wish. But don't expect any support from me, and if they'll admit it, most other users of this forum. Same as you wouldn't expect Chevrolet forum readers to welcome or support questions about putting a BBO in a Chevelle- which, incidentally, I wouldn't agree with either.

hsckris

Maybe its not an exceptional engine. When did I say that? I'm pretty sure I didn't. Personally, if I was going to go Chevy, I'd go with an LS series. That is an exceptional engine, no matter what anyone says.

Not once did I say Olds was or was not reliable. Reread if you don't believe me. All I said was SBC is reliable & cheap. I clearly stated I read an article about this engine.

As I said, some people don't care. Some people just want a car they can enjoy. Fact is, we don't know what the customer wants.



You can assume whatever you want, but of course you know what they say about that. At this point I haven't torn down the Rocket 350 that is in it so I don't know its status. My plan is to keep it if possible. If not, I'll explore my optinos.


Sorry, but you have gone WAY BEYOND not showing "support." That is why I called you out to begin with, that is why I continue to call you out. You still have yet to answer this simple statement:

Allan R

Sorry to hear about the shooting....not something that anyone would want.

I'm also glad to hear you're open to all the muscle cars. Even though I'm an Oldsmobile fan at heart, I appreciate the design and culture associated with the other cars of the era. Some of the resto mods I see are a little off for my taste, but that's just me. BTW, I really like the way the car looks in that high gloss black, and the stance looks perfect. (Wheels are a matter of personal choice and opinion; and I'm sure you'd get lots of that, so I'll keep mine to myself)

Hope you don't mind this observation: I copied the pic of the Cutlass in the news article and tried to expand it, because something looked out of place. The body style on the 71 that's in the picture does not appear to be a Cutlass Supreme (from what I can see), it's body style looks to be that of a Cutlass S (or sport) model (style 3387 in Olds talk). The roof line and side windows are very distinctive. This is also a very easy to make mistake for many who don't know the different models Olds had of the Cutlass back in 1971. I'm sure you can check out the web for comparison shots. I thought it might be of interest for registration and insurance reasons.

Hope your project turns out to Mr. Foley's satisfaction. Nice to see that someone out there is dedicated to the customer. Love to see how it turns out when you're finished. Hope you can post the results. We do love to see pics of projects from start to finish.

PS: would you mind posting a link of the A body forum so I can check it out? Best regards, Al

f-85

"You can assume whatever you want, but of course you know what they say about that. At this point I haven't torn down the Rocket 350 that is in it so I don't know its status. My plan is to keep it if possible. If not, I'll explore my optinos."

CHEVY GUY!

rocketraider

Quote:

We are all part of the same hobby, there is no reason we can't just enjoy our cars.

Well, let's see. I'm in AACA, VCCA, POCI, OCA and five of its chapters, NAOC, Hurst/OCA, and two local multi-marque clubs. I've owned every GM brand but Cadillac (and that's coming), as well as several Ford products and even a couple of Japanese cars. I'd say that marks me as pretty accepting of about any car, though my preference is Oldsmobiles. I didn't see a need to put a Chevrolet engine in any of the non-Chevrolets, or to put a non-Chevy engine in the Chevrolets.

I don't like the idea of non-marque engines in any car when it is done under the false mantra of "improved driveability/reliability". Those drivetrains were reliable and driveable in their time and no reason they can't be now. You won't change my opinion, so quit trying to justify and defend the Chevrolet engine swap.

I really could not care less what you do with your own car. If you like it and are satisfied with the workmanship, great. Just don't expect everyone to embrace what you do with it, or to hold back an opinion, because I won't.

Warhead

BTW, I just lack patience now.
Oldsguy is right, this is not ROP.
Go over there and ask this question. Your asking this question here, tells me that you have NOTHING better to do, than to stir shyt. If you wanted a real honest answer, you need to ask Chevy specific people, like on a Chevy website. They will have 10 times the experience because they have done the job that many times more than us.
But you already know that.

We need a new forum for these people.

hsckris

Like I said before, assume what you want. I personally have no brand loyalty. I could care less, except I do dislike a couple of specific brands.

If "explore my options" somehow makes me "chevy guy," I think you need to learn what reading comprehension means.

As I said, you've gone WAY BEYOND not showing support, and you have no justifiable reason for doing so. Call it what you want, but I call a spade a spade and have been doing so the entire time.

In case you forgot or missed it, I've also said since the beginning that I generally don't support hybrid builds either. That doesn't mean I'm going to hate on somebody for doing it. It is called maturity, maybe you should try it sometime.

gearheads78

Sounds like we have a similar thought process

f-85

[QUOTE=hsckris;55484]Like I said before, assume what you want. I personally have no brand loyalty. I could care less, except I do dislike a couple of specific brands.

Keep in mind this is Classicoldsmobile.com! Not chevypowered.com, oldcars.com, runwhatugot.com, or icantfindanoldsengine.com. Most of the guys here just love Oldsmobiles! They own more Oldsmobiles then any other brands together. So when someone posts on here about putting a chevy in a classic Olds, it just makes some sick to their stomach.


BTW i still think your a chevy guy!

ent72olds

What do you guys think about olds motors in buicks and caddys in the 80's. I've owned a couple. Best running cars I've had. Couldn't kill 'em! But they still said BUICK or Cadillac on the trunk...

442much

The fellow is doing this for his customer. Dropping a Chevy engine in anything does have its positive points. Parts are easier to find and cheap. Chev engines are a dime a dozen so they are easy to find (compared with a 455 Olds) , the aftermarket parts market caters to the Chev and Ford engine more than others and the parts are cheap, again compared with Olds parts. And, if the original parts are not available, chances are that someone else makes it for that application. So I can see the reasoning behind the swap.

That being said, I Personally would not put a Chevy engine in an Olds or anything but a Chevy. Heck, I won't even put Japanese, French or British tires on my American car. My reasoning tells me that if I buy an Olds, it because I want an Olds. I had a Corvette that I was considering an engine change. Some guys in our local Olds club told me to drop a 455 in it. There was no way I was dropping a 455 Olds engine in the Vette. A 454 was more likely. I sold the Vette so it never came to be. But as some have said here, it's HIS car, he can do whatever he wants with it.

That's my $0.02

daves62

imho these type of engine swap threads all end up the same. They start out small then we get annoyed by the fact that a perfectly good olds is going to be shamed by having a Chevy or a ford or what ever dropped into it . The fact is at least its not rusting behind a barn. I don't like it but it is there car to do as they please. Lets not forget you can always buy the car later at a reduced price and return it to its former glory.

My first love will always be my Oldsmobile. I have although owned many brands both foreign and domestic and have many great memories of them as well. I thought that was the point of the hobby the enjoyment of cars

MN71W30

I remember how pi$$ed off my Dad was when he bought a 75 Olds and found out it had a factory installed Pontiac engine. He sold the car ASAP

442much

I remember the old days (in Canada) when Pontiac's had Chev engines. My dad had a 1968 Grande Parisienne (Bonneville) with a 327 Chev engine. I later got the car.

rocketraider

As do I. Where's that "support" you keep prattling about?


Explain in detail to me and everyone else here why you consider it so important that I show support for something which I do not agree with or appreciate.


If I do not appreciate or agree with what is being done, that is all the justification I need to not support it. I do not appreciate or agree with installing a Chevrolet engine in an Oldsmobile that was not originally equipped with one. I don't give a damn what you or anyone else thinks of that.

Something tells me you also think every car on a showfield should automatically get a trophy just for showing up.

rocketraider

I'm waiting, hoss. You're in the same time zone I am...

hsckris

Perhaps when you learn to read...

Not once did I say you need to show support. I said you went way beyond not showing support, which was a direct response to your wording from your post. While you may be able to justify your reason for hating the swap, you cannot justify the reason you feel the need to repeatedly post your disapproval (especially in the manner you have choosen to do so) as it only causes problems and dissuades people from this site, Oldsmobiles, and the hobby in general.

Again, it is unnecessary and you have no justifiable reason for doing so. As I said before, I'm not going to hate on somebody for doing a hybrid swap whether I do or do not agree with it. Again, it is called maturity, maybe you should try it sometime.

Wow. E-thug much?
I'm done with this thread. Your ignorance and immaturity are astounding.

88 coupe

Does anyone else appreciate this one, as much as I do?

Norm

captjim

We discuss the whole "Crate motor" thing at the shop on a regular basis. The simple fact is that it is easier to get a fully assembled ready to run engine than the time consuming process of building a custom engine. Often times the custom built engine is better and usually ends up being about the same price. But, it is more complicated and takes more time. The hot-rodders used to be our primary business, but it now is more hard core racers and stock stuff. The Summits and etc of the world do very well with their crate engine sales. Guys look at them and say "for $3500 I can get a 350 HP 383 ready to run." It is easy to understand. If there were 455 Olds engines available, they might sell, but the demand just isn't there.

On another note, I just swapped my 355 Olds into our 71 Skylark. I wanted to keep it Buick, but SBB parts are few and expensive. I had this proven great running 355 sitting on a stand. It seemed insane to spend $2000 on the Buick 350 to get the exact same results as the Olds I already had, just so I could say it is all Buick.
100_0712.jpg

rocketraider

The implication was and is there. You still haven't said why you think it is necessary or important for me to support it.

Only when necessary.

As are your arrogance and self-righteousness. You've shown your own ignorance and immaturity, nay, naivete', by coming on here beating the drum for the Chevy-into-Olds swap and then having the nerve to be surprised when people didn't like the idea.

In case you haven't considered it (and it's pretty obvious you haven't), the proposal to install a Chevrolet engine in an Oldsmobile is an insult to a lot of people here, and I'm one of them. The "It's all GM" excuse doesn't cut it.

Which is probably your smartest move and best option, because looking thru your other posts, I can't see where you've contributed any technical knowledge, sales/service information, Oldsmobile tribal knowledge- in other words, anything really useful. Even your car show picture thread was >70% Chevrolets, and if you had taken time to do a little research, you'd know that the vast majority of the 3547 Rallye 350s built were on the "S" platform.

Hey, you're the one who decided to take the attack to a personal level.

Now go play with your Christmas toys. Bet you got some Transformers, didn't you?

gearhead1218

Come on, play nice people.
Everyone has their own opinion of how they like to see things. Expression of their opinion is a right we have been provided with here on this forum. Let's not abuse that right.

We're all here for the satisfaction of our "CARCAIN" habit. So let's just get our fix for the day and be happy.

okie88

Sorry to dredge up an old thread, but while going through Craigslist, I came across this !!!, and thought of this thread. When did they start making Oldsmobile valve covers for Big Block Chevy's !?!?!?!?
http://oklahomacity.craigslist.org/pts/970961005.html

gearhead1218

GM sold them as an application for the Olds DRCE engine. Yes a BBC based engine.

Jokers69

They sort of remind me of the cheesey "panhead" covers for the evo harley engine. Yes you too can complete the charade with these finely crafted period assys...

joe_padavano

Well, the DRCE was a little different. It was developed by Warren Johnson with the support of Olds specifically for Olds-bodied Pro Stock racers. The architecture is based on the BBC, but there are a lot of differences. Unique block and heads (the block even came with a BOP bellhousing bolt pattern originally).

On the other hand, the "fauxsobile" valve covers that make your center bolt SBC look like an early Olds V8 make my stomach turn.

Jokers69

Those are the ones I was thinking of, I saw a set on a street rod at a show a couple years ago..

Oldsguy

I have thought that it would be nice to have some of those that fit a modern Olds V8 like the 350s, 400s, 403s, 425s, and 455s. It would kind of pay homage to the earlier V8s, and would be a nice way to organize the plug wires too.

Jokers69

better watch it, we may get on trouble from the thread police, it seems we may have changed the subject...

J-(Chicago)

Yeah......The Cowboys SUCKED this year.

Jeff_Keryk

Chevy engines are cheaper to build and buy. But installing one in an Oldsey will be very expensive because none of the parts interchange (and the car's value is reduced). Some things just aren't right.

DennisG.

And we are fond of our Oldsmobiles as well. Not just the body style but the actual power train itself. 98% of this board is dedicated to Oldsmobile enthusiests. Not hacks or hot rodders talking > American motor culture < bs. Go over to a Mopar board and tell them you want to put a Chevy motor in your Mopar or better yet tell them you want to put an AMC motor in it. Afterall it is a Mopar. And see what they say. Bet it won't be too darn positive. I understand and respect you have a customer wanting you to put a chevy motor in it. But you need to understand that you cannot come to a board dedicated to Oldsmobiles and honestly expect a cheerfull and warm reception. Just as I would not if I went to a Mopar board asking about putting in an AMC engine.

DennisG.

That 9 LB's of boost says it all. It would have been nothing special without that. And I betcha you could build a bb Olds for $2500.00, add that same 9 LB's of boost to it and gone just as fast.

Fummins

Old thread, new reply...my buddy GAVE me me a built 454 crate motor out of his Camaro, maybe 10k miles on it. Am I putting it in my Cutlass? Damn staraight, cant afford not to....

gearheads78

I have now moved the whole thread to the proper section. When this was started we did not have a swap section.

oldsguybry

Well .... When I first joined this site I did not think much about these sort of things ( Chevy motor in a Olds or vise versus ) but now that I've been here a couple years I have changed my ways , and these swaps are starting to get on my nerves too . I have to agree to a certain degree that an Chevy motor should stay in a chevy , and a Olds motor should stay in a Olds

Aceshigh

Wow......
Lots of hatin goin on 4 years ago.....

Best thing to do is stay out of the Non-Olds section that doesn't entertain your interests then.

Good luck and enjoy it.
There's plenty of enthusiasts who aren't walking hard on's who can assist you.

oldsguybry

I had a feeling I'd hear from you Aces . i have no problem with you , and that's why I said I don't agree with it to a CERTAIN degree. Replacing old school with modern technology doesn't bother me , but replacing old school with another old school motor from a different brand does a bit . Maybe it don't make sense to some or all for that matter , but that was the feeling I get about it . To me it would make more sense to modernize it since you could not get a modern Olds motor in the later days anyhow .

oldsguybry

lol it just goes to show you how dumb I am . I didn't realize this thread was so old

Redog

Then trade your Cutlass for a Chevelle

/end thread

Fummins

Funny guy.