I owned a 1970 Cutlass SX from '71 to' 74. Equipped with a 455 high compression engine, it was one of my favorite cars - comfortable and quick, a great car.

After the 1970 Cutlass SX, I had a '73 Delta 88 Convertible. It too had a 455, 4bbl engine, albeit low compression, it still ran strong. Another outstanding Oldsmobile.

Got a 73 toronado 455 with 66k original miles. Runs perfect..love this engine

I put a hotter cam in a 1974 Olds Rocket 350!! Had a buddy of mine "tweak" the carb (slightly larger metering rods on the Rochester), then had the machine shop port and polish the exhaust side of the heads (matched for the Hooker headers I was running) and had them install hardened valves and seats in the heads as well for unleaded gas!! I put in a double roller timing chain for strength and installed a 1/8" thick washer into the oil pump relief spring (to boost the oil pressure to something realistic, because Oldsmobiles are FAMOUS for low oil pressure) and last but not least I installed lifters that had a slightly higher profile in them as well!! The results to all my work was a motor that got near 400 horsepower, that would literally twist the leaf springs in the 1974 Oldsmobile Omega I owned (that I stuffed it in)!! I put in ladder bars a month after I installed the motor in the car!! The damn thing would do burn outs at 55 miles per hour, by kicking it back into second, and off the line it would literally lift the nose in the air!! Truth is I could have easily broken that 400HP limit had I had the money to buy the adjustable valve train kit (Kenne Bell used to make) and had I changed the pistons for flat tops!! The stock pistons in them have a pretty deep dish and only have about 9.5 to 1 compression ratio, and the Kenne Bell adjustable valve train kit meant I could have tinkered with the valves a bit more, BUT in 1983 the kit cost $3500 and it was out of my price range with a part time job working at a department store!! The only other things I could have done to the car was to install a shift kit which I regret now NOT doing!! BUT the car was fast as hell to start with! The Omega after all is the Oldsmobiles' "sister" to the Chevy Nova and they don't weigh a whole lot to start with!! But all this in mind I miss the hell out of that car, which my second wife FORCED ME TO SELL, then 10 years later we got a divorce.....should have done like my first wife (who I was with when I bought the car) and kept the car and got rid of her!!

Just got my hands on a beautiful 67" Cutlass with a rebuilt 68" rebuilt 350. It's a 3 speed and its like driving a boat. I absolutly love this car and I'm looking forward to evenings in the garage with it this summer. Thanks for making this video I've learned a lot today. 👍

We're coming up on 30 years since carb'd engines lost their mojo to the passage of time and technology improvements, but each of the examples still on the road today defy that fact every time they turn over and refuse to die. They're pieces of the past, and I think they deserve a little respect and care for the accomplishment. Thanks for the info and history lesson!

When I was a teenager, I had a 1978 Cutlass with the dog 260 engine in it. I replaced that engine with a 350 from a 1968 Cutlass. Car was a screamer & fun to drive. I eventually wrecked the car but I saved that engine. It’s been sitting in my dad’s garage for over 20 years.

Been driving the same 1970 Oldsmobile Cutlass 4 door sedan since 1995. Best car I have ever had. It's two years older than me. I hope I die before it does.

One may argue there is no Oldsmobile Big block and Small black. The designs are essentially the same except for the deck height. The W31 used #5 or #6 heads with the bigger valves installed. It seems the 5, 6, and 7 castings have the better flow characteristics and can be machined to fit big block valves. Up to 2.07" intake and 1.71" exhaust, as I have done to my #6 heads. The earlier blocks are stronger because they are not windowed and supposedly they have a higher nickle content. The machinist I used did say metal was much stronger than a comparable Chevy small block. he complained about it eating stones during the bore and honing process. Contrary to what many believe, the Oldsmobile 350 like to rev. They have a favorable over square bore and stroke. They will make torque early and and continue to make torque through out most of the rev range. It can be a very nice usable power-band. Properly modified it makes a great street/strip engine in a light car. Cons: I could have built two 383 Chevy small blocks for the price of one 355 Olds engine. There just aren't a whole lot of choices for internal parts. The factory nodular iron crank is strong but the Rods aren't. 403 Rods are a little better but they ad reciprocating weight. The heads must be set up for and adjustable valve train and not many available rocker arms will work for more 0.480 lift (I recommend Harland Sharp #5016). On the other hand the 455 is a great way to get a lot of cubic inches with out all the weight as it is much lighter than a Chevy 454.

I know it’s old but,first I’ve seen of it. THANK YOU for pointing out that “Rocket” was only a marketing technique. Owned a ‘69 442 with a transplanted 455 for several years and used to get that question about the “rocket” engines quite often. Along with the almost unnerving question of, “ Is that a real FOUR-FORTY-TWO?”

Was hoping to hear more about the hi compression 330 that makes 310hp at the crank factory with 10:1 compression! Also the only olds small block with steel forged crank. Its like the forgotten step child of the olds engines. I have 65 cutty drop top with one in it, a few bolt ons switched to true dual exhaust. This winter I'm pulling the #2 heads, porting them, doing bigger valves and upgrading to adjustable roller rockers plus a bigger cam. 110 lobe, 223/236 @ .050, .510/.523. After that I'll get it dyno'd and post a vid to show people what these things can do!

i love the 455 rocket engines had a 1969 cutlass 455 4 speed it was sweet

My experience with v-8 Olds engines. I have never blown one up, I have owned numerous 260-307-350-403-400-455, maybe 30 total olds v-8s. My very first choice for MPG and power is the 400, it was in a '68 Vista Cruiser and later I put it in a '70 Cutlass averaged 15MPG and amazing power at any RPM. even better than all the 455s including the '71 factory boat engine that I put in a '72 GMC pickup. Olds made two versions of the 400CI engine, first was '65-'67 and later '68-'69

Thanks for the Oldsmobile video, I have an eliminator jet boat with the 455 Olds motor, 1973 model.

Great discussion. I've been an Olds guy for 30+ years. You can get great torque out of these motors and you can easily double power output from stock if you're willing to spend the dough and have some skills. The last one I built, a 350, came from a rusted out 72 wagon. It's been in two cars and is waiting for number three patiently in my garage. A word of advice: if you uncork it so it can really breath, pay some attention to the bottom end. When they're stock, you'll run them out of oil above 6000 RPM and they *will* let go.

That engine has roller cam which does NOT have to be broken in. Just douse it well with fresh oil, slide it in and button it up. DON'T use assembly lube because the lifters won't The heads you want off the earlier 307 are number 5A. They HAVE to come from a 307 because the valves on 350/403 heads might hit the cylinder sides. You in a good position to do this stuff, hope you decide to.

I agree, I call mine cutlass or Black Betty cause I hear that ram jam song in my head when I get in it🤣

I have a 350 out of a 72 delta 88 that was cannibalized except for the engine, it was all that was left. I pulled out the dipstick and it was clean so I traded a wrecked s10 for it. that was 17 years ago and I still have the engine. I put it in an Olds I had before we even knew if it ran. 1st crank it started right up and after getting the timing right I've never had to do anything but routine stuff. they are bulletproof as I've drove this car like I stole it! sadly the car itself isn't doing so well, time and rust has taken its toll and it's time to take it out and put it in a better car. I will keep my engine until I die!

I just bought olds 403 for my 66 olds 88 2 door coupe. I love Oldsmobile moters

I have owned 88s, Cutlasses, 442s and now a 2001 Aurora 4.0. All great!

I love them. They are another unsung powerhouse. They weren’t particularly high Rpm, but they made massive amounts of low end torque. Oldsmobile’s motto was, “Horsepower sells cars while Torque wins races.” A good engine to build is the Olds 5.7 they are race tough, durable, and easily converted to run gas by changing cylinder heads. They have thick walls that allow for boring them out, and accept big engine crankshafts. the only downside is that ALL olds V8’s have oiling problems. Research will provide the answer to fix that. Then, if you build correctly, they live forever compared to Stock SmallBlock Chevy’s factory blocks made of cheaper cast iron.

Whats up Tyler. You make some amazing videos. I rebuilt my 1979 olds carburetor from watching your video. Saved 220 bucks. Appreciate it. I have a 1979 olds 350 bored out 30 over with an edelbrock performance plus cam and performer intake. Having trouble finding a better set of heads; the 3A heads are garbage. Once I find a better set of heads and a nice rear end, it will get nice gains. It won't beat mustangs or camaros but it will be fun to drive. Later oldsmobile 350 blocks are hard to beef up. The 1970 350 rated at 320 horses is probably only pushing out 260 horses net; power was measured in gross horses in 1970.

thanks for the info Tyler, I'm a Mopar guy but also a fan of BOP V-8s, , Rockets, nailheads, etc, old Caddys(pre Northstar),some Chevs, small block Fords even, Cheers from Calgary, Alberta, in Canada

The Olds "Rocket" engine was the first massed produced overhead valve V8. In it's day it was the fastest production engine in America.

Those were the most innovated V8 engine GM ever made, they innovated nearly all the electronic senses used on today's GM engines were first tested on Oldsmobile engines in the late 70,s and it was the most durable V8 engine GM ever made.

love my olds! 307 y. had it for years. developed a coolant leak at intake flange. read up a little, fixed leak and port matched and cut the atomizer under the carb about 50 percent and polished it, then set 26 btdc. and got good gains in throttle and rpms. it is a 307 y but it acts like a chevy 350 with all the reliability. also opened up the breather and put in a low temp thermostat. only thing is it doesnt like to sit in traffic, it burps a little coolant.

I've got an 81 Olds 98 4 dr Diesel. It's underpowered, but I get 18 mpg in town and 28 mpg on the hwy. great video.

Love your video, I have been Oldsmobile life long I watched the video all through and I was impressed by how much you actually know! That said I am able to tell you a little about what I know, rocket mfg ran casting for olds until 1977 and then olds took over casting and replace the 455 with a huge bore small block (4.351") and windows in the main Webb (why?!) Sadly not enough bore space for 360 deg. Cool so th Siamese bore and windows in the main webb would be the killer

I only had two engines a 307 and a smog era 350 from the rocket corporation, both were not prime performance prepared engines but both I miss them dearly for they always run when I needed them. My best friend has a fun 394 hi comp that is unrestored and takes lead-sub to run. That lives up to the rocket name.

You are so right! My 81 Cutlass with the 260 has been a daily driver since new. Its a beater, and the body and interior are not pretty, but the damn thing still gets me to work every day lol. 344,000 miles now. Ive had lots of external repairs but internally still stock. Even outlasted the 350 transmission.

Nice info! I have a 1973 delta 88 with 33000 miles!

Very nicely done with lots of great info! Thank you for posting!

In 1970 I think if I remember correctly Olds added rotating valves on the Tornado engines.

No discussion on Olds 425 engine? Or bolting in Big block in place of small block?

any more tips from the old timers are greatly appreciated. thanks

If the motor still had its original steel shim head gaskets when you pulled the original heads and replaced them with new fel pro's that threw off the valve train geometry because the factory head gaskets i think are around 0.015 in thickness and the fel pro's are 0.040 thick. plus if the heads were milled for resurfacing or to gain a little compression custom length push rods would be in order.

I built up a Oldsmobile 307 V8, I used a early 80s block with the better flowing 5A cylinder heads, a mild comp cams camshaft, aluminum high rise intake manifold, long tube headers, holley 750 cfm carburetor, stock crank, rods, pistons, stock bore. That engine was very reliable.

My dad got a 455 Olds out of a Toranado and put it in his 80' Trans Am, He said it used to shred tires at 110km/h in third. 15 years ago he ripped it out and built it up to a level that i'm unsure of(It has the big heads and some other things from what I can remember), clearly the stock trans wasnt going to hold so he got a muncie 4 speed and had an adapter built so it would bolt up. Sad to say that life got in the way and the engine sits in my shop on a stand, it has never even been flashed. I told him that one day we will build something out of it(the car is pretty rotten afters sitting bare frame on lawn for 15 years).

Had a 79 ninety eight with a 403 - what a great engine. Had a 80 delta 88 with a 307 -beautiful. But the craziest was a 69 two door delta 88 with a 455 two barrel. That thing never lost a race in the year I owned in high school back in 77. I could lay a strip of rubber almost as long as I wanted and it was stock. Dual-pitch stator I guess?

this video helped a lot thanks!! ive got an 81 307. I'm trying to make a 307hp 307ci

I had a olds f85 cutlass convertible with a 330 cid with a Q jet carb on it. It was a helluva lotta fun and women loved it!

Oldsmobile V8s have a non-adjustable valve train so when you change the heads you have to check your push rod length making sure that they are the proper length to get the correct valve train geometry. Otherwise you will have valve train issues. If the heads were milled you can either place shims under the rocker arm bridges or have custom length push rods made to get the valve train geometry correct.

remember POBC. Pontiac, olds, buick, cadilac. almost everything is interchangable

I've swapped many 350 or 455 engine in 79 and on Olds Diesel V8's. Made happy own of former diesel powered GM cars. The gas engine loved the diesel transmission gearing and shift points.

Cutty? Man, that name really burns my ass too. I'd rather hear the word "gutless" than cutty. As if the Olds engine being called the Rocket isn't cool enough, they also go and paint it gold ! Been an Olds junkie since 1979. I've had a 86 442 since 1987, put a 68 Olds 350 in it back in 1988. .030 forged flat tops, #6 heads, Crane hyd flat tappet cam with 230/234 deg dur @.050, Perf RPM intake , Holley 650 DP, HEI, mechanical fuel pump/ 18" mechanical flex fan, 10" TCI converter and the only good thing that came from the factory, the 8.5" 10 bolt 3.73. Didnt do a standard rebuilt (rings/bearings/rod bolts/oil pump/ timing chain) until 2008. Still runs like a raped ape. With slicks/ open headers, 12.60s at 106. At only 3500 pounds, it's about as quick as a 68-72 moderately built 455 442. Love those 350 Olds engines.

Dad had a 63 Starfire with a 330 ultra compression four barrel four speed. I love that car I've had a 71 Cutlass 350 car and a 87 Cutlass that was swapped for a 350. I loved all of them!!

I've been running the same 260 in my cutlass for over 15 years now. Got it low mileage but lost a rod bearing at elevated rpm 6 months later. Engine was rebuild by an older guy and have not had it apart since. Must have over 200k hard miles on it now and has probably been over heated 10-15 times for one reason or another. It is a strong engine for cruising. Gets 22mpg highway with a 2bbl and 2.48 gear. I've also got a Trans am 6.6 and 1970 E head 455. Just running this 260 forever i guess.

I had a 76 Cutlass with a 260 about 27 years ago. Now I've got a 71 Cutlass with a 455. What a difference lol

I also have a tapping sound in the engine on passenger side, the guy I bought it from said he thought it was a bad lifter, I hope it's not the crank

Do you happen to know what all I would need to swap from a FWD 307 to a RWD 307 so I can use it in a FWD 1982 Buick Riviera? I bought a convertible and it did not come with an engine. There are a lot of RWD 307 cars but i'm haviing trouble finding a RWD 307 car to use as a doner.I've heard that the exhaust manifolds and oil pan. Thanks in advance.

Aluminum 215 V8 was named "Rockette" 330 were Jetfire Rocket . 425's are Super Rocket. I agree on the "Cutty" shit. lol.

not sure that exhaust manifolds will mix match with bigger headed small block Olds motors. If memory serves me correctly, the 307 has smaller exhaust ports than the 350/403 heads, so they might fit the head, but they wont flow very well. Other than that, this is great info for anybody interested in the SBO/BBO engine swaps. thanks for making it!

Yeah i do agree that the Oldsmobile 307 was a reliable engine, but not a powerhouse. I test drove several 307 cars in my time, and i was never impressed by the power compared to the Chevy 305 which i liked the power much better on.

Should show and compare the bottom ends of the 330 vs. the 307 (where the main bearing caps bolt on)

Had several cutlasses in the 80S they offered cams and 4brl intakes and headers aftermarket that helped but the aframes had multiple motor mount holes so a 350 chevy with a chevy 350 or 400 turbo trans would drop in in a weekend. sadly most of the 260' s got junked.

My father had a '85 Buick LeSabre Limited Edition with a Olds 307. Indestructible engine. He put nearly 500,000 miles on it before the car was wrecked in an accident.

the olds 350 diesel block is one of my favorites for street building

The olds 350 actually had a 4.057" bore....the 403s were 4.351". With some serious machine work and the use of some custom parts, you could install a 455 crank in a 403 block and get 505 cubic inches. The only problem is that most 403 blocks were windowed and really aren't very strong.

68 cutlass 350 set timing gears . Oldsmobile Book says crank at 12 and cam at 6 (dot to dot ) or others say crank at 12 and cam at 12 . When I took it apart tdc was 12 and 12 . Is this correct.

Always did love my olds 403 w/72 350 olds heads. Ran great when I had her running. Now she needs a little work to get her back up and running, been sitting since 09 or so. Ran in a 78 Firebird Formula L/E, yes, she had the tow package and yes, she does have the solid mains. What would it go for these days? That's the big question I have right now. Or who would want an old school engine like this? Trying to go to a LS3 style engine w/T56 trans. Doing an update on her.

Thanks for the great info, its appreciated. I'm doing a 307 to 350 swap soon, and I probably will be bugging you, if you dont mind.

The small-port 307 still has a lot of torque and that's what moves the car around. I think if you ever decided to upgrade the engine to a big-block Olds or even a Cadillac engine(they are similar) you would be pleasantly surprised.

I believe the 330 engine had tube mounted rockers, and the heads had bosses for mounting the rocker tubes.

Still learning my way around my 83 oldsmobile regency 98... can someone tell me where the oil dipstick is located? Thought I found it but its the transmission fluid.

The 78-82 260 intake is unique to that engine and cannot be swapped with the 307-up models. The 75-76 260 *would* accept an intake from a larger car, though. From what I know, the 75-76 260 heads can be used on a 78-82 260 which would allow the installation of a 4V intake---for whatever good that would do...

The truth about oldsmobile engines is that the oldsmobile engine was the most advanced V8 engine general motors ever made, prior to 1978, oldsmobile was already making diesel blocks, any engine built from 1964-76 were all heavy duty, after 1977 only the diesel block was heavy duty, further more an oldsmobile engine would perform far better than a chevrolet engine, using the same modern equipment, the reason for that being short block engines perform better with fuel injection than tall block engines , 350-455 oldsmobile engines would produce the kind of torque that would fry a set of tires on a vette, camaro, or a surburban.

Was just going through youtube with my phone on fullscreen, not even really paying attention to who made the videos....then i came to this one and after a few seconds was like "hey its that guy from the Qjet videos, who said tyler."

awesome video, very informative, please don't disable to comments...at the least just make the comments on approval only, thanks!

I'm trying to get the most horsepower out of my engine, I bought a fuel ejection throttle body, and I'm getting a better spark ignition possibly DUI , ANY OTHER SUGGESTIONS

Great information thanks

Good Info..! Question, I have a 77-80 olds 350 with a few performance parts (intake, carb., headers.) I have 3A heads; are these heads worth keeping with these upgrades or should I go with different ones if any?

Olds 307 has driven me three hundred thousand miles in my two 1983 regency 98 brougham

Yo dude add the 455 c casting head's and the other thing is also the w30 4speed 328 duration Cam shaft with the 108 lobe separation and if you're gonna be able to make something else get a chance to get a 350 diesel block and look up the modifications that are available for that conversion kit

yes, I like that faq, well done.

I have an Olds 350 from 76. Does that year have hardened valve seats? Do you know the comp ratio and is it worth rebuilding?

Hi Tyler is talking about the code on the Pad .... says the first digit is a 3 on the pad and means year 73 this is not correct.... It means 3 for Oldsmobile Division. The second number on the pad is the Year 0 for 70...1 for 71 and up.

Not to mention you can put big block olds heads on a small block.

350 rocket also had 10 valve cover bolts.

My dad had an old oldsmobile... 330 cubic in.

Oh and great refresher video.....

I would like to here more about the big blocks, 400, 425, 455 olds. I am building a 69 455 for 68 cutlass s.

What bigger heads can I put on my 403 Olds to make lots of power

Thank you. I have a 7A 307 MOTOR in a 1984 custom cruiser. Clearly not the original motor. I am having some fun correcting vaccum hose lines. Your video helped me identify my motor. We don't need more then 140 hp to go to the supermarket or the beach with our 3 children. The satin black paint used in our olds motors seperates it from the typical rocket but... It is a rocket. Thank you for sharing. Do you have a clean video display of where the vaccum hoses should be?

I have 307 that is going to get a pan to carb gasket/ bearing kit, the cylinders are bored .030 over, the cylinder heads are 5A . Can any one recommend me a camshaft that will give this engine some power with a good lope sound? Wanting to operate in the 2300-3000RPM range.

i had a 79 Delta 88 with 403 and 400 vacuum only 400 short tail trans!

Olds 260 is junk...it had major oiling problems! Don’t believe me...just pull the valve cover off one of them! The Rocket 350 on the other hand is a really good motor and I’ve heard good things about the 455!

A high compression 330 looks a lot like the 307 and the power would be almost double

I got the 394 high output with 10.25:1 compression ratio and I don’t know if I like the tranny in it, it’s been converted down so it can tow so. Factory is 330 hp and 440 torque. It’s in my 63 olds dynamic 88 Cotner and Bevington ambulance and I kinda want to allow more power out, any advice?

I'm just starting to learn about olds . im a pontiac guy lol

I've had the 260 and 307 and 350 loved them all! Doesn't the 350.have a 6 inch rod?

No, the rod ratio on the big-block is pretty bad, like a big-block chevy. They are undersquare and just don't like the revs. Plus, the oiling system pushes too much oil up top and drains the pan at high rpm. As far as big-block GMs go my favorite is a Buick. Huge bore, short stroke. Has it's own oiling problems but they are solvable.

Well, honestly? Don't put those heads and intake back on it. You have the 7A heads with the small, half-size intake and exhaust ports. The intake and exhaust manifolds are just as puny. Easy thing to do is hit the junkyard and pull the top end off an '80-'84 307, have the heads checked and tanked, and put it together with that stuff. If you have a little extra coin you can slide in an HO 307 cam..all that ought to get you 190hp at least.

Hi! just asking to double check.. can i use 350 (Nr`s. 4 to 7) Heads on my 1964 330 Cui Block? i will get it honed from 330 to 350 cui. My original heads have "Shaft Rockers" and would like to get heads with "pedestal Rockers" i think 350 heads would be the once need for this rockers option... right?

So in your honest opinion, what is the best 350 head for my 403? 5, 6, or 7?

i have a question . if i swap the 307 out of my delta to a bone stock 72 350 will i have to swap the 200r4 trans or would it still hold up under the added horse power ? i wont be hot rodding it just street driving

I have a 70 delta 88 that has the 455 with "e" heads and im wanting to put it in my 88 suburban. Any help from you guys out there would be appreciated. My first speeding ticket was for 125 mph and I had LOTS of throttle left when he flew past me with the cherries on! What a motor!!!

how would I go about finding the bolt size for the negative battery cable to 403 block .mettuc or standard

Any good idea what company makes a good rebuilt kit for a 350 rocket early 73 build engine..

I have a bit of a stupid question-- I understand the Olds small blocks are virtually identical, but I daily an '83 Electra with a 307, and I want to replace the beat-up old oil pan on it.. Would an oil pan from an Old 350 bolt up properly? The 307 pan seems to have been discontinued a few years back.

If you have an 85 Buick lesabre with an olds 307, whats the motor to drop in?