i have a 68 tornado 455 steel crank motor that before long i wanna put a 4 or 6 speed behind. however ive read a couple places that say tornado blocks do not have the appropriate holes tapped on the block to put a manual tranny behind. what do i need to look for on my block. its in my closet so i can pull it out to see if any one has thoughts

 

I've heard that some blocks are not drilled for the clutch linkage but everyone I've seen was and I've looked at several dozen blocks. There needs to be a threaded hole just above the starter where the ball threads into the side of the block for the Z-Bar. Look to see if that's there. If your unclear where it's at I can take some pictures for you on Saturday. John

 

on the left side of the block there is a small circle milled with a tapped hole. it sits just about the the lower alignment dowell. is this it? maybe a 7/16 or 3/8 bolt

 

I'm 99% sure a 455 block-period has the same holes and 2 alignment pins for the bell housing to fit and bolt up. But the back of the crank needs to be machined to a install the pilot bearing for the input shaft on the manual transmission. However there are special fit pilot bearing specific and available from a few of our sponsors if you choose not to have a machine shop drill out of the back of the crank. I have that bearing in my 461 for 2 years no problem at all.

 

i do want a 4 speed. we just had a 50.00 th400 we rebuilt put in. still waiting for a drive shaft for now. i was just told that tornado blocks were automatics so they werent casted with the 4 speed points

 

Here's a 350 motor, but it would be the same. Look just to the right of the exhaust manifold, just above the starter, just below and to the right of the freeze plug in the head. Yes, its a round machined flat spot maybe the size of a half dollar. It has a threaded hole in the center of it. That's where the stud with the ball on it is threaded in. I may have a picture with this stud in the block, I'll keep looking. John


P1010875.jpg

 

that would be it. thans alot guys. i was hoping . i got this long block for 100.00 and then figured out it was a steel cranked, c head motor.... i tried to sell it for the longest time for 200 but no one wanted it. then i found out that the cranks is worth a grand and the heads 400 or so . so now i have a new motor going for the cutlass.

 

talk about some nice guys. within 5 minutes i had the answer to what i had been wondering for almost 6 months

 

Congrats on finding a nice motor for your car! The cranks are hard to find, but the last couple I saw sell went for $600-800 and the C heads are $150-250 so the prices you got may be top dollar prices if someone is really wanting that item. They are nice parts and would work well in your car. Unless your going to race it though you might consider selling the crank and with that money buying a nodular cast iron one and some other parts for your rebuild. I'm suggesting that as the nodular would be fine for a street driven car and you really wouldn't see the benifit of a steel crank unless you were racing it. My 2 cents for what it's worth, but whatever you decide have fun with your car! John

 

ive never built an olds motor other than the factory rebuild in my car 350... so i dont know what to do. ive always had bbc , so im in uncharted territory right now

 

Well, decide what you want to use the car for. Daily driver, sunny day fun car, combination street strip? Then consider how much you can spend and how long your willing to take rebuilding your car. Then evaluate how much you want to spend going through it. How much for the engine, interior, paint, etc. Lots of things to consider, but a couple of the pitfalls to avoid is building the engine for the race track and trying to use it as a daily driver. Or dismantling the car, letting it sit for a long time, then loosing interest in the project. Just some thoughts, but you might want to create a post to discuss your thoughts on what you want to do with your car. John

 

The last few years of 455 production saw some blocks that did not have the hole tapped for the ball stud, but a 1968 block certainly has it tapped.

 

Be sure to get a really good shop to boree the crank so the hole is dead centered for the pilot bearing. With a pre-70 or so crank, the counterbore in an AT crank is shallow and you have the option of boring it .55" deep for a Chevy bushing which has more bearing surface and a nice rounded entry (Dorman 690-014). The Olds part is 690-023, or Bower BCA 7109 bearing. Where are you? I know an excellent shop in Las Vegas, NV (Kells Automotive).

 

I think they stopped putting the tapped hole in 1976 and up, the boss is there but it is not drilled and tapped,

 

thanks for all the help. im pretty sure the cutlass is gonna be a driver more than anything. i am sending my 4.10s back for 3.42s and a 2000 stall. im not going real wild. more durability than anything. if i want fast i would have put my procharger motor in. but id rather be able to get in start it up easy and turn the ac on. while smokin some mush tanks and cooking some rice. pretty easy with a 455 from what i hear

 

1976 WAS the last year of 455 production.

 

I have a 68 Toro in my 64, I had to drill out the crank (tough sob!) as only 4 sped cars had drilled cranks.
Have a machine shop do it.