67 Cutlass Freak

Good luck with your Olds build. I hope you can spank some Chebbys. Here's a good thread over on HPO about Radrcr a circle track driver from Texas. He's got some real good info in there-
http://highperformanceolds.com/phpbb...php?f=1&t=2245

I would be real careful with the filling and porting. Depending on your class rules, you might get DQ'd. I think the 330 steel crank would be stronger for you than the 403. Check out this thread about oiling system modifications-
http://72.22.90.30/phpBB2/viewtopic....=oiling+system

Lars

so you can run headers?

krooser

Thanks for the link... I wasted most of the AM reading all 17 pages... this guy has determination. And deeper pockets than I do.

Reading the posts makes me all the more determined to run stock Olds rods rather than Chi-Com connecting rod shaped objects. Most Chi-Com stuff is junk...IMHO. I will limit my rpm's and take advantage of the SBO's torque. Did that with my Ford 351-C's years ago.... used 2 BBl heads and always pulled the SBC's off the corners.

We have similar rules as they have at the track where that other guy runs... but we are cast iron in and out... lots of cheating going on there. For all the $$$ those SBC guys spend they have follow the leader racing for the most part. How can you win if everybody runs the same chassis (G body) with the same SBC engine?

Dirt track racing brings even more unknowns to the table... track condition's, luck of the draw for starting spots, etc. It's always fun.

I spent over 20 years in the sport as a driver, builder, sponsor, PR guy, announcer and promoter. Wore a lot of hats... but I haven't driven since '87.... my son and I will share driving duties. The car we have is a G body with Malibu tin but I'm calling it a Pontiac Lemans... couldn't bear to race a Chevy!

krooser

Cast iron in and out... lots of Brezinski cheater manifolds out there @ $900.00 and up....

Lars

if i were to start racing again i would make a spacer and install some divided bbo manifolds on a sbo. i used to race asphalt 1/4 mile low bank track in shakopee mn. After i figured it all out my $600 350 could spin 6700 rpm till the valves floated, ran it for 3 years like that, keept up with the big boys and came in 2nd once. i didn't have all that big dollar stuf in there.

krooser

Low buck cars are the bread and butter of local stock car racing.... lots more of them then big dollar teams. They bring spectators with 'em and are very important to the show.

krooser

School me on this BBO manifold set-up....

Lars

well bbo devided X,Y,Z manifolds don't fit on a sbo, the pass side hits the oil filter mount the drivers side may hits the starter. i would make a spacer so they would bolt on and not hit the motor components. They have bigger exhaust outlets.

krooser

I could relocate the oil filter... will a mini-starter clear?

On second thought I have to think about two things... first this engine will be lucky to hit the 350HP mark so bigger exhaust manifolds would probably not help. Second... I have to run with a maximum 2" exhaust outlet from the manifolds thru the mufflers... again big manifolds won't help I don't think.

krooser

Took a couple pix a few days ago...

Got some of my old porting stuff out of the tool box. There's a pic of the Ford 351-C piston on death row waiting to give up it's aluminum to fill the exhaust crossover. And a pic of the 403 rods and pistons I got gratis...

krooser

Here's an update...

Not much has happened. I have decided to scrap my plans for a fancy build with Brand X rods, light pistons, massaged heads, etc and am going to build this motor with a $1,000.00 budget.

I just bought a set of E400 stock cast pistons off of Fleabay for $140.00. My local machine shop will deck the block and bore/hone for those cheapy pistons. I bought some SI stainless valves for the #4 heads and will do a 3 angle valve job. The valve guides were knurled sometime in the past (hold down the laughter!) so the guides may actually have to be honed for a better fit (looser). And may just use the same valve springs that came with this engine. Although I don't know what brand they are I checked them and they spec out at 290# open and 110# on the seat (this thing had a Comp 252H in it). I can always shim 'em up a little. We will resurface the heads to try to get about a 62cc chamber and shoot for a 11.5 to 12.0 to 1 compression ratio... that will give me plenty of snot off the corners. With a 6200 RPM gear I should be OK down the chute.

I'm also going to find a set of edge orifice juice lifters and may not spend the jack for restricted Smith Bros. pushrods. I will be using my Camcraft cam that I had ground a few months ago... 238/234 @.050, .491 lift w/1.6's, 109 lobe separation, 103 CL intake/115 CL exhaust.

The intake will be a stock #17 (with a 1" adaptor) for some tracks with a Carter 625 or 750 AFB or a Holley 4412 on an Edelbrock Performer intake (to fit the rules). I was going to use a Holley Street Dominator since the one on my last 351 Ford worked so well but I got a smokin' deal on the Edelbrock from a member here on the forum.

Not sure on exhaust since I now have two different sets of rules to contend with... headers at six tracks and cast iron at three others. I plan on doing some barnstorming so I won't race at the same joint each week.

I'll use the 403 crank and rods I got FREE from a local Pontiac guy and I will even reuse the nearly new rod bearings that came with the assembly... why spend $$$ when you don't have to? I'd like to balance my own pistons and rods... maybe polish the beams and shot peen 'em in my blast cabinet.

The stock Melling oil pump I have is perfect so that will be reused. I may shim the spring, replace the cotter key retainer with a roll pin and fab my own 1/4" thick end plate (an old Indian trick). Maybe even enlarge the stock oil pick-up tube...

We'll dress it up with some old non-name aluminum valve covers with tig welded breathers on the left side... paint it all flat black to stay on the DL and see how it works...

Now I will have to buy a burette for checking my chamber cc's, find a good valve spring checker, secure a scale for weighing the pistons and rods and buy the stuff I need to balance the rods. I'll send that super strong 403 crank out to get balanced...

Should be fun... now back to my oiling system mods...

olds 307 and 403

It is a shame that 330 crank has issues. I would weld or sleeve and replace the key way. I have two of those weak grey iron cranks, sick of them taking up space, damaged anyways.

krooser

I'm waiting to hear from my crank guy... he sez he can weld it but can't guarantee the bolt hole won't shrink from the heat. I have a machine shop that could re-tap it it.

This is an old time shop but the owner is new. I think he wants to ask the former owner how to do it...

The dirt tracks located closest to me changed their rules for 2013 and now allow Victor intakes, roller rockers and headers... now a guy needs to spend another $1,000 to try to stay competitive. Lots of guys are upset with this deal. Then one promoter sez he may sanction these street stocks and move 'em up to a higher class next year... where you need $1800 worth of fancy shocks and even MORE HP to compete. Wrong move IMHO.

Now I am going to open a 1/3 mile fairground's track 12 miles from my hometown. It's the same joint where I run my Rumblefest Traditional Hot Rod Show. We will open in late May. The street stocks will be my top class... so I had to rewrite MY rules to allow these cars from the tracks with the new rules to run. They will actually be my bread and butter racers. I have two pavement tracks close by, too. These guys run a cast intake/exhaust with a .420 hyd. cam rule. And the WISSOTA cars are 100 miles north and run about the same stuff...

I plan on barnstorming with this old car I have... run different tracks every week... I have always like to travel to other tracks. My son will get some seat time in it plus some of my old buddies I raced with 30 years ago will get a shot behind the wheel if they choose to... gotta start more making memories before I assume room temperature.

65B01Delta

If you need a 330 crank, I have one.

krooser

Thanks for the offer but I now have a spare.I'm trying to quit my old habits of acquiring parts and squirreling them away... at one time I had 18 Ford Flatheads here in my shop. I sold them and started buying early Hemis.... I only have 5 of those!

65B01Delta

Understand.. I'm trying to do the same thing, quit hoarding. Good luck with you build.

krooser

Thanks.

67 Cutlass Freak

I also think the 330 crank would be a better choice for you. I have an old banged up set of headers off a 403 that I would donate to your cause. If you can get away with some bowl work on those heads, you really should do it. I recomend you put together a list of some stuff you may need and post it in the wanted section. There's a lot of helpful folks on here that might want to sponsor your Olds as long as you keep it Olds. You may want to look into a Canton circle track oil pan as well. Keep us posted.

krooser

A Canton or C-line pan is high on my list. If those are short headers I'd be interested... can't use long tubes as they get too banged up on the dirt.

Don't want to do any head work... it's illegal and I don't want to be torn down and be found to be cheatin' since I MAY be racing against guys that also race at my own track...

krooser

I got some shop time in today with my buddy's son helping me out.

I massaged the rear main bearing cap's oil passage making it nice and smooth... My helper polished the oil pump passage that delivers the oil to the main cap. Then we filed the oil pump mating surface to be sure it was smooth and flat.

I'd like to shim the relief spring to raise the oil pressure just a bit... not sure how much to shim it... any advice would be welcome. I'd like to run about 65 lbs. of pressure at 6200-6500 rpm's.

I'm also thinking of tapping the oil filter inlet and outlet to accept an AN fitting so I can use a remote filter. I don't like the right turn the oil has to deal with in the filter adaptor.

I set a couple of main bearing halves into the block so I could lay the crank into the block just for haha's... found something I don't like. The front main oil passage to the main bearing is restricted by a poorly drilled oil passage... about a 1/16" corner obstructs the oil hole on the bearing halve. I have a very good article about oil system mods for Mopar small blocks... I plan on using some of these mods on the 330... one of them is to enlarge the #1 main bearing oil passage and machining a slotted oil hole on the upper bearing halve to allow more oil from the 3 galleries that are part of that oil system.

Tomorrow I plan on going to get a few parts for the build...

krooser

Took a road trip today and picked up a few parts for the rebuild.

Got some Comp guide plates for 5/16" pushrods, Comp 3/8" rocker studs, a valve spring height gauge, a Moroso degree wheel, some basic umbrella valve seals, a box of Comp valve spring shims, timing set and a couple other small things.

Ordered a Professional Products balancer from Jeg's.

I stopped by one of the local machine shops and got the pistons pressed off the 403 rods I have for the engine. Took all of 10 minutes and he did 'em while I waited... charged me $10.00... not bad.

Tonite we cleaned up the rods in the parts washer, deburred the oil holes in the block for the mains with a small carbide burr and, just for ha-ha's, checked the installed height of two valves... 1.850. Close... no cigar.

Still have to fill the exhaust crossovers and get the heads resurfaced and the valves seats ground.

Waiting for the USPS to deliver some valve covers and a used Edelbrock intake...

The +.030 403 pistons in photo #3 may be for sale... low mileage. Cheap...

krooser

The Fleabay pistons arrived today...NAPA brand NOS E400 standard bore cast... budget specials. I'll probably use some decent rings. I have gapless rings in my Hemi... might do those in the Olds.

krooser

So my new Chinesium crank dampner showed up... I just hope the 6500 RPM limit doesn't go out the window at 6501!!!

krooser

It's been awhile since my last update... I haven't been doing much on the build since I have been on the road quite a bit... still going broke but at a slower pace!!!

So I got my ebay E400 pistons ($140.00).... and a set of FM main bearings ($12.50) and some cast iron rings ($32.50)... plus my $20.00 aluminum valve covers showed up as well as my $50.00 Edelbrock Performer intake.

I had a chance to start polishing the rod beams and I sand blasted the old chrome off of the valve covers since I need to machine a couple holes into the tops and heli-arc two breathers onto the covers. My buddy and I set-up the heads in his mill and we machined off the rocker stud pads the thickness of the pushrod guide plates and enlarged the pushrod holes to 9/16", too.

I also welded up the EGR and choke stuff on the manifold plus I filled in the exhaust heat riser passages. More to come soon as I will finally take the block and heads back to the machine shop next week for some head and block work.

The stock car goes to the frame shop on Monday to get the frame pulled back as straight as they can... this old girl has been in plenty of stock car fights on Saturday nights so I don't expect the frame to be perfect... I was going to replace the front stub in my shop at home but I just don't have the time. With our busy trucking season coming up, and my new stock car racing promoters gig on Thursday nights, I just don't have the time to do the job myself so off it goes to the body shop. I have 300' of concrete wall to install at the track plus fencing, a remodeling job to do on the concession stand, a pit area that needs a wall and fencing plus a new road... all this takes a lot of time.

The good thing is I won't be on the road this summer more than two or three days per week... I like being home lots more than working.

krooser

More pix... thanks to Nate (blown394 olds) for the great deal on the intake and valve covers...

65B01Delta

Just wondering how your 330 turned out ?

krooser

The heads are done... no time right now to do anymore with it. I'll have to get back to it in the fall...