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Interesting on the 3A heads. Those would have been 1967 heads, so this motor was assembled from parts. Those are decent heads also. I like the OL4B better than the Performer, but not as good as the Performer RPM. The RPM will be a little taller. I don't know that the downsized FWD cars have the same hood clearance problem as the early Toros. You will need to find the correct flexplate for a TH325 car with Olds motor, but that shouldn't be a problem, and that will bolt to any Olds 350 crank. The correct flexplate is available brand new under Pioneer P/N FRA146. There's at least one of those on ebay right now.
First I have heard of the 3 with the small A heads, must be rare like the 5 with the small A heads. Those might be the ticket for 79 HO and 80 442 owners.
Those would be 1972 heads, but yes, Olds did cast subscript "A" heads in prior years. While I have not seen 3A heads, I have seen CA and DA heads, in addition to CA and GA heads.
anything over 200hp will be a huge improvement.and I want it to be reliable for yrs to come.. until I have money saved up to do a rebuild on it to freshen it up .
Great mindset, and the 350 should check all the boxes...
Originally Posted by jimmy361713
What #s am I looking at.. said 68 stock 350s had 300hp I think
Common, stock, 1968 350s were either 250 or 310 HP gross. And respectively 355 or 390 LB FT torque, gross.
A 1984 Eldorado HT4100 is 135 HP and 200 LB FT torque net.
Since the 350 you have is put together with random parts, the head swap changes compression and flow.... I would consider it 1972 spec, due to the heads being from 1972. So if healthy, 4BBL with dual exhaust, 200 HP and 300 LB FT net.
Since the 350 you have is put together with random parts, the head swap changes compression and flow....
Not really. The 1972 heads have about the same chamber size as the 1968 heads. The CR difference was due to the pistons. Since the motor has been apart, there is no way to know what pistons are in the motor currently. The only way to know the year of the block is the VIN derivative stamp. The second character will be the model year.
Jimmy would be great if you can wipe off the area Joe P is talking about. So we can have a better idea what you may be working with.
My dad and step mom are traveling the long distance to round rock Texas from Rockport TX to get the motor for me . I hope everything goes well and safe travels.. the guy gave us 100$ discount since it's far away so it's $400.. I'm hoping to clean the intake up and sale it on here a 60s model OL4B intake to recoup some money back . Also looking for a set of valve covers to match..chrome ones on eBay are $70 maybe someone has some cheaper? Chrome rust easy so maybe aluminum ones to paint? Idk yet. Ain't many 60s model olds INTAKES on eBay so it should sale fast? Hoping their flat tops but again it's not fair racing so I wanna keep torque down to min.. if anyone has a cheap cam and lifters set that's less then the ones on eBay lemme know .used or new preferred new...maybe I'll be able to see pistons with the intake off??? Also does this year motor need a "Turkey"🦃 tray??? Thanks for the helps guys
Yes I know Joe but don't know what the cr or #s would be with a stock 68 motor with 7a heads would be I don't really want 300+ torque on that transmission... Tbh .. but I do have 3 transmissions.. the one imma use was in a restored car that was wrecked by a young guy who got it from a old guy who did alota work restoring it and putting everything new.. young guy had it for a few weeks in Houston and ppl drive crazy up there and hit him . (Luckily for me it was a H&E conversation which is super hard to find parts for)
...........don't know what the cr or #s would be with a stock 68 motor with 7a heads would be...........
'68-'70 used two different pistons to vary compression (three, if you count W-31); 8.5:1, 10.25:1 and 10.5:1. Add in the difference in factory head gasket compressed thickness (0.017") vs aftermarket (~0.042") and you have a lot of variables there.
'68-'70 used two different pistons to vary compression (three, if you count W-31); 8.5:1, 10.25:1 and 10.5:1. Add in the difference in factory head gasket compressed thickness (0.017") vs aftermarket (~0.042") and you have a lot of variables there.
Throw the numbers out there? Should I pop off the heads? Imma have to put fwd oil pan..maybe I can see the pistons from the bottom and hopefully get a look or number? What y'all think?
Yes I know Joe but don't know what the cr or #s would be with a stock 68 motor with 7a heads would be
The 68 to 72 heads have the same size combustion chambers so the heads won’t affect the compression ratio. As noted previously, it’s the piston dish that is different.
That is a 1972 motor with the correct 1972 heads. CR will be 8.5:1.
Damn now I gotta buy flat tops? What's the HP rating? Low compression is good for low pump gas? Less stress? And last longer? Itl be a big improvement over my 135hp 4100 motor and live longer wont it? Better gas mileage during stopping and going because the more torque to push the heavy car?
Last edited by jimmy361713; April 14th, 2024 at 04:45 PM.
Stock rating with 4bbl was 180 HP/275 ft-lb net with single exhaust and 200 HP/300 ft-lb with dual exhaust. Under the gross HP rating from prior years that would equate to 260 HP/360 ft-lb. Yes with 8.5:1 CR it will run on regular unleaded.
Stock rating with 4bbl was 180 HP/275 ft-lb net with single exhaust and 200 HP/300 ft-lb with dual exhaust. Under the gross HP rating from prior years that would equate to 260 HP/360 ft-lb. Yes with 8.5:1 CR it will run on regular unleaded.
What cam do you suggest.. or should I put $140 cast flat tops and then a cam?
my 4100 was rated in net? Or gross
Last edited by jimmy361713; April 14th, 2024 at 08:00 PM.
I believe you mention the Transmission you are going with is rebuilt/built by H&E of Texas ?
In any case, the TH325 4L is supposedly considered on par with the 200-4R strength wise... and the later has a 330 LB FT capacity. Although the GNX exceeded that with no issue ...
Just something to consider when pushing for more power. If more cam is on the table Oldsmobiles stick cam may make for a nice upgrade. The manual transmission 1972 350s are more aggressive. Although the factory did not differentiate power output in literature.
Cast flat top pistons will likely be 15-25 thousandths short on compression height (1.595” vs factory 1.612”) which may put the CR about where it is now.
As for a cam, stay very conservative due to the low CR which makes overcamming an issue. The Olds stick cam mentioned above would likely be a good choice.
Cast flat top pistons will likely be 15-25 thousandths short on compression height (1.595” vs factory 1.612”) which may put the CR about where it is now.
As for a cam, stay very conservative due to the low CR which makes overcamming an issue. The Olds stick cam mentioned above would likely be a good choice.
Do y'all got links or parts numbers? What's the cam specs? So I'll know to stay in that range with whatever I get . Might just stay stock if it runs good as I don't wanna put too must strain on the transmission
People say these fit for aftermarket intakes.. but the parts store saying they don't fit.. maybe part stores thinking you got the factory intake.. . I don't want to buy the wrong valley pan gasket.. its for the 72 350.. im putting oldsmobile Cutlass but I don't know where it came from.. This is the engine codes..
I've used the factory style metal intake gasket with plenty of aftermarket intakes
I ordered one.. advance auto had it for $18 even though it said $24 with code so I got O'Reilly's to call them to price match it since their in the same town as me lol.. painted the intake high temp black.. how much could I fetch for my 60s model OL4B intake? .. also wish I knew what pistons were in my block.. looks stock was painted rocket gold
Last edited by jimmy361713; April 16th, 2024 at 07:34 PM.
I've used the factory style metal intake gasket with plenty of aftermarket intakes
Also should I leave the factory cam or get another one? Kinda wanna start it up before I put it in the car.. will any starter work for the fwd or imma need a toronado starter? I should take pics and record everything as there's not much info on the swap I'm doing for the fwd eldorado with a 350 oldmobile motor
This intake was the one saying fit the 60s to 72 350..
so I got it . It was 18$ when I called advanced auto . I got O'Reilly's to price match.. score! Will see Thursday when it comes in..Everyone else wanted $30.. good thing O'Reillys price matches.. thinking about a cam but iv heard since it's not a 9to1 cr motor it will be little improvement..
OH USE PROMO CODE SUNSHINE AND ALWAYS DOUBLE CHECK BY CALLING..I ALMOST BOUGHT IT ONLINE AND BY CALLING I SAVED MONEY.. YAY! 😄
Jimmy, Fun71 covered this very thoroughly in this thread posting below. The Toronado cam on bottom is the same cam that came in a 1972 Stick 350. It's the best a 350 could be after 1970 from the factory, which is very good. And considering how ready you seem to be to get things done, I say go for it. You can't go wrong ...
Originally Posted by Fun71
I neglected to post the factory 350 cam specs so you can have a baseline for comparing cams. Below are some factory Olds cam specs
Actually the '72 350 stick cam had 0.472" lift, as per NHRA Engine Blueprint Specs. I know because we originally tried running it in our automatic car and were told it wasn't legal.
Actually the '72 350 stick cam had 0.472" lift, as per NHRA Engine Blueprint Specs. I know because we originally tried running it in our automatic car and were told it wasn't legal.
First of all, that was over twenty years ago. Trust me, you wouldn't want an NHRA Stock Eliminator spec camshaft. All that the NHRA checks any more is total lift at the valve. The amount of duration and overlap on a race cam would not be conducive to street driving. They don't make enough vacuum for power brakes. They are made for high rpm use and require a very high stall torque convertor.
Can y'all help me find a cam . Efi said stay 215 duration.. I seen the mellings mto1? But I never heard someone say their running a "mellings" cam lol . I been trying all day to find a cam within my budget..which isn't much ..
wish there was a person with some unused cams for cheap as I only need a mild cam for the 72 due to the horrible compression.. I ordered a bore scope to see what pistons I got . I know their gonna be the deep dish 8to1 pistons .I always have bad luck when I'm buying motors...but hey atleast it's not a windowed main 79 block lol.. I seen the 60s intake and numbers on the front and I thought I scored a nice engine that had good cr and parts . Boy was I wrong . This is motor #3.. smh .. but I need to keep my torque down anyway due to this motor going into a fwd car
I had a Melling .435” lift, 262 duration cam in my 350 after the first rebuild in 1982. It worked very well. You should be able to find a similar one easily. Look for duration around 204 @ .050” lift.
And no, I do not still have it. That was in 1982.
Last edited by Fun71; April 17th, 2024 at 11:10 AM.
I had a Melling .435” lift, 262 duration cam in my 350 after the first rebuild in 1982. It worked very well. You should be able to find a similar one easily. Look for duration around 204 @ .050” lift.
And no, I do not still have it. That was in 1982.
Thanks . I'm looking at the Melling MTO1 same grind as a lot of old school cams..
[QUOTE=Fun71;1565075]I had a Melling .435” lift, 262 duration cam in my 350 after the first rebuild in 1982. It worked very well. You should be able to find a similar one easily. Look for duration around 204 @ .050” lift
well the melling cam is $140
I Haven't looked at cams since crane cams was out . When $100 would get you cam lube and lifters .
Melling cam mto1 is the cheapest one that has grind similar to the old-school crane wolverine and other cams but ppl still say it's generic.. everything now days is generic. As I'm not building a high HP motor I don't think I'll break anything with 8to1 cr . Bore scope coming asap ..the valve covers got delayed.. O'Reillys tried to back out of the price match because the store was in a different town but I made them get a hold of the manager and honor his price .. so they wanted $38 with tax for a valley pan gasket vs $21 that I got it for and I'll tell you I hate them valley pan gaskets . I should have just got a reggie one and there's a heat crossover anyway so protecting the intake from hot oil doesn't seem like it does much.. it's on tho. With the old intake Cleaning up the ports and valley before intake was put on .
phone died.. will post pics tomarrow.. hopefully the valve covers get here too..
Oh I got temp sensors on block and intake? 😕 Should I hook them up to different gauges? I'd have to see if eldorados even have a gauge or it is just a dummy light . Might make a pillar pod to put them in or a regular gauge pod on bottom.. I just hate that "look" think my 1979 parts car has a non digital cluster . thinking about swapping my digital one out for that one if it's easy enough
April 12th, 2024, 02:33 PM
