I'm in Helena, Mt and have a 72 442 with a 350 that I want to rebuild but I'm having difficulties finding a good mechanic in this area to do the rebuild. Does anyone have a good recommendation for a shop that understands Olds motors and is good at it ? I am willing to take it to Spokane, Wa if need be as I go there often. My dad bought the car new and handed it down. I dont plan on a stock rebuild so I want to juice it up a bit for street and still burn pump gas. I just had the transmission rebuilt and have been working on the interior but the motor is next in line. thanks for any suggestions.

 

Obviously this site is the wrong place for rebuild mechanic recommendations as no response has been received. As I'm new to posting perhaps I posted in the wrong forum. Let me know if I need to redirect my inquiry.

 

Rebuilding because of a problem or just want to rebuild? Asking because in addition to the time and expense problems can arise from doing a rebuild.
A leakdown test can tell a lot about engine condition. If the overall condition is good it could be awakened without removing the engine with a camshaft and performance tuning to the carb, distributor and exhaust.
Good luck!!!

 

Keep in mind that the compression is kinda low on a stock 72 for a big cam and to raise compression will require a piston change. You better have someone who knows what he's doing.

 

Or...



The lack of response could mean that there aren't many members here who live in your area, and fewer still with a recommendation. Many of us here also prefer to build our own motors, so we can't exactly provide a recommendation.



Bottom line is that shops with good Oldsmobile experience are few and far between. Most of them are located where the population density is high enough to support making a profit. That's typically along the east coast and in Calif.

 

you can build it yourself , buy the right tools, learn and have the machinist do what you need and check his work. That's my usual answer. building these engines aint hard. you just need to take your time and be thorough and check everything. The books and info are out there. no reason why the weekend warrior couldn't build a 350-400 hp sbo. I know many backyard dudes building 10 sec BBO's out of their garages with farmed out machine work.

 

I built this 355 SBO with many used parts and hand me downs. This is not a street engine but will be over 400 HP. Done at home for the most part . My last SBO which I regretfully sold was a pump gas iron headed 355 that ran bottom 12's in the 1/4 mile and was a great street engine. very basic build. Nothing special. Just #6 heads with big valves, Flat top speed pro pistons, Basic machine work , a well paired cam to the combo along with tq. converter and gear and it ran great. It would regularly make the 100+ mile round trip to the dragstrip along with racing.

 

Thanks everyone for the good advice. Dad had the motor serviced regularly but it has 180,000 so i believe it needs a rebuild. I don't feel comfortable attempting it by myself. (heeding Hammerdrop's advice) I would feel better to have someone do the work that knows what they are doing other than me screwing it up and then dealing with the fix or fixes to get it right. I looked at the website oldsrocketparts.com and see they have rebuild kits. Is this a good place to start ?

 

Some of there stuff is good, some is questionable. The best pistons, Mahle 10cc for your 72 350 are the pistons offered by Cutlassefi, Mark Remmel on this site. He can provide you with parts and advice on the whole build. Email at Fastone01@hotmail.com.

 

A good place to start is to find someone competent to do the work. Start by asking around in your area. Contacting Culassefi would be someone to contact also ! ! !
Until the engine is out and taken apart, you won't know what you need. Patience can be a good thing.
........Just my two cents worth