Quick question on Olds 455 engines. I have 2.. a 68 2 barrell motor with C heads and a 73 455 4 barrell. I'm planning on selling one of the engines to make some space and free up some cash but I'm not sure which one I should launch. Anyne have any thoughts? For the 2 barrell motor I know Olds made 2 versions one lower compression that the other. I'm not sure which one i have. My plan was to put a cam in it and a 4bbl intake and call it done. The 73 was probbaly just going to get an intake Thanks Bob
I think you already know the answer here. The 73 has J heads. Unported and unreworked, that J stands for junk. They can be made to flow with a lot of work and milled to get the chamber sizes down to raise the compression, if that's what you're after. Most 455's were high compression in 1968 You should be able to look through a spark plug hole and see if it has a small dish (about 1/8 inch deep), or a deeper dish. C heads are probably the best inexpensive production heads if you want higher compression. 73 engine will havew the deep dished Low comp pistons. As far a short blocks, only real difference other than the aforementioned piston type is the camshaft grind. 68 will be better, but an aftermarket with new lifters is a good investment. Depends what you want to do. If you just want to know which is worth more to sell, the 68's typically bring more because of the C heads. Put them both up for sale and keep the one that doesn't sell. I'd ask $500 for the 68 and $400 for the 73, but good luck funding a buyer for anything today. Olds people are predominantly cheap bastiches:laugh: :laugh: .
This advise coming from a guy with some Olds experiance and having a friend who is a master Olds Mechanic and racer I agree with the above the 68 is better but this would be beacuse heads and intake are better. The blocks are about the same. also some 68 Olds motors are known to have forged cranks especially if it came out of a Toranado. This is not the case on a 73. Do not let the 68 go unless you check for forged crank.
One thing to remember is this, 68 was the first year of the 455 block. If you look at the number of '68 and '69 H/Os with original motors, you would be shocked at how few still retain the original. There was an issue with core shift on the sand casting of the block. If the motor went to a '98/ eighty eight or Toronado, the motor would typically last forever, but if it showed up in the hands of a hotrodder, all bets were off. If you are looking to press on it too hard, do yourself a favor and pull it apart before it tries to come apart by itself.o No:
You're right, Brian......How silly of me. Actually, I have 3 early 400's, a 68 Toro 455, another 69 350, and the Ramrod motor. The Ramrod just happens to be the only one in a running car right now. :laugh: :laugh: So I'm not all small blocks. I actually like the 65-67 Not only do the Hursts not have their original motors from that era, the W30s and W31's have even a lower survival rate due to the way they were driven. The forged crank legend is another one that has emerged because somebody found more than one in a Toro. Actually they could be in any 400 or 455 built before approx 12/67. That's when Olds closed the forging plant. They ran nodular and forged steel cranks in the early cars. They've also been found in 2 barrel 455's in Deltas, 98's, etc.
