Engine Selection

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88olds32

Apprentice
Feb 10, 2014
72
10
8
Alright, so I think it's time. My 307 is officially leaking oil. Not a whole lot, but enough. The dealer wants an arm and a leg (1200 bucks) to replace some engine gaskets. I figured I'd invest in a new engine instead, as I'm aching for more power under the hood at at the race track.

I'm not much of a mechanic, so I'm thinking of going with a new engine to avoid the hassles of a used one. Bottom line, I want to be able to accelerate quickly, and possibly get into the high 11's, low 12's in the 1/4 mile. It won't be a daily driver, so mpg doesn't really matter.

I already know I'll need a better rear end, possibly a stronger trans, but at the moment, I'm more focused on my engine options. Any recommendations? The Chevy dealership has various engines at decent prices. They have 350 small blocks with moderate HP and TQ (290/300), to big blocks with massive HP and TQ. I might stay with a small block though, as I've seen a few on their website that produce comparable HP and TQ to the big blocks.

Anyhow, everyone's input is appreciated.
 

DoubleV

Royal Smart Person
Feb 25, 2011
2,156
406
83
Medina Ohio
An Olds engine. Big block or small block. Doesn't matter. Save the 'everybody has one' Chevy engines for the people who drive Chevy cars.
 

Fox80

G-Body Guru
Jun 27, 2013
563
4
16
Jamestown NY
I kept the Olds motor in my car, but I was in no way looking to make more power or ever drag the car. I drive it almost daily and just want a good running reliable car. You state you want to run some decent numbers with the car, based on that a SBC is the only way to go. You will spend more money and time to get any other brand to run the same numbers just because of part prices and availability alone. A BBC would be my second choice but the fitment of them in these cars makes that a project, some guys on here have done it, but things like headers, hood clearence etc would make me go small block. You can obtain 430+" with a small block configuration if your going all out. A buddy of mine has a 84' Caprice with a 430" SBC, AFR aluminum heads, Scat rotating *ss., roller cam, composite intake, 950 C@S carb, it runs on 100 octane fuel, and is still a very easy car to drive on the street. Carb to pan, with KRC serpentine pulley set-up, it is around $17k for that motor, and I'm sure that motor would pull a smaller G-Body car into the 11's, and you save an easy $3-$6k over an Olds build. Or you could piss everyone off and drop a Ford into an Olds, I have thought about it, with the aftermarket support from Ford racing a Ford build is almost the same money as a SBC. Just go talk to some race engine builders they will steer you in the right direction.
 

jetsetw31

G-Body Guru
Sep 9, 2010
678
67
28
Petersburg, VA
I'm an Olds engine nut and if I were to build a track car, It would be a BB Olds. (Just My personal preference also I could make it run without spending a fortune) I tend to agree with Fox80, so my second choice would be a sbc. Track cars require a very specific set up to run low 12s and 11s. The variations are numerous and most can get a Gbody into the consistent 12s.
So to give you a basic rule of thumb to get the Gbody to run these numbers no matter what engine you choose, are as follows.
Big cubic inches (small block or big block 383 to 632ci ) deal with great torque to move the Gbody. The drivetrain must be heavily modified and tuned to the engine's torque band. (Mostly to get the car to have traction off the line)
Small cubic inch motors must have High revs to pull a Gbody. It is critical to have the drivetrain perfectly matched to the engine's rev band. I hope this helps.
T
 

DoubleV

Royal Smart Person
Feb 25, 2011
2,156
406
83
Medina Ohio
Fox80 said:
A buddy of mine has a 84' Caprice with a 430" SBC, AFR aluminum heads, Scat rotating *ss., roller cam, composite intake, 950 C@S carb, it runs on 100 octane fuel, and is still a very easy car to drive on the street. Carb to pan, with KRC serpentine pulley set-up, it is around $17k for that motor, and I'm sure that motor would pull a smaller G-Body car into the 11's,

OK, I'm not trying to bust your balls here but 17k for a sbc and after all that it only puts him in the 11's? It sounds like your friend made some VERY bad choices on that build or you accidently added a 1 in front of your 7.

and you save an easy $3-$6k over an Olds build.

So $20 to 23k for an Olds motor to get into the 11's? For that price you could get a mint condition 442 or Hurst Olds to go with it too!

Yes we all know sbc's are the least expensive engine to build but your numbers are WAY off! Assuming you already have the rest of the drivetrain/suspension sorted out, you can have a nice Olds 455 built for, oh say around 6k that would put you well into the 12's and maybe into the 11's with the right parts. It would be reliable, street friendly, and run on pump gas.
 

RegalBegal

G-Body Guru
Jul 10, 2009
705
747
93
Goldsboro, NC
DoubleV said:
Assuming you already have the rest of the drivetrain/suspension sorted out, you can have a nice Olds 455 built for, oh say around 6k that would put you well into the 12's and maybe into the 11's with the right parts. It would be reliable, street friendly, and run on pump gas.

X2 on that. Go with the 455, you wont be disappointed. Plus, there's the cool factor of an Olds engine.
 

Fox80

G-Body Guru
Jun 27, 2013
563
4
16
Jamestown NY
DoubleV said:
Fox80 said:
A buddy of mine has a 84' Caprice with a 430" SBC, AFR aluminum heads, Scat rotating *ss., roller cam, composite intake, 950 C@S carb, it runs on 100 octane fuel, and is still a very easy car to drive on the street. Carb to pan, with KRC serpentine pulley set-up, it is around $17k for that motor, and I'm sure that motor would pull a smaller G-Body car into the 11's,

OK, I'm not trying to bust your balls here but 17k for a sbc and after all that it only puts him in the 11's? It sounds like your friend made some VERY bad choices on that build or you accidently added a 1 in front of your 7.

and you save an easy $3-$6k over an Olds build.

So $20 to 23k for an Olds motor to get into the 11's? For that price you could get a mint condition 442 or Hurst Olds to go with it too!

Yes we all know sbc's are the least expensive engine to build but your numbers are WAY off! Assuming you already have the rest of the drivetrain/suspension sorted out, you can have a nice Olds 455 built for, oh say around 6k that would put you well into the 12's and maybe into the 11's with the right parts. It would be reliable, street friendly, and run on pump gas.


No it is right, $3,500 for a Dart block alone, I think rotating *ss came in around the same, heads $2k complete, $950 for carb etc etc, I didn't say that's what this guy had to spend but he built a race motor he can drive everyday, he also has a vacuum pump, fabricated aluminum valve covers and oil pan. You can build whatever you want, but dollar for hp you will never beat a SBC
 

lilbowtie

Comic Book Super Hero
Jan 7, 2006
3,460
3,965
113
Canton Mi
What ever you put in your car you are going to need 400 HP, cam intake, converter, and rear end need to be compatible.
 

88hurstolds

Royal Smart Person
Jun 24, 2008
1,747
650
113
Yeah but dollar for torque and Olds is king in my book.
One thing people seem to forget, or their ignorance on physics is to blame, is that horsepower isn't worth the horse it road in on without the torque to back it up.
Where horsepower determines how fast a vehicle can travel, torque at the wheels determines how quickly that speed can be reached. The greater the torque figure, the faster the acceleration, and that's where Chevy's fail.
My car pulls HARD off the line but the top speed isn't there, I have no need to do 125mph in a driver.
I am running in the high 13's with a stock 455 in a HEAVY g-body '88 Cutlass with stock exhaust (crossover and a CAT), stock big valve C-heads, low compression pistons and a stock style cam, the 3.42 rear helps a lot too, it's quiet and unassuming with the exhaust on it.
And running 13's in a driver is fun, especially with all that torque, I'm off the line and 1/8 mile ahead of traffic in no time.
One time I raced a '32 Duce coupe with a SBC with 3 of my friends in my car, loaded with 900lbs of weight, and smoked him (4 lane 55mph highway with long stretches...
His car weighed nothing, I will never forget the look on the guys face when we pulled up to the next light... what the hell you got under the hood?
Stock '68 455 with stock exhaust is all I said :lol:
Imagine if I popped in some headers, better carb, 18cc pistons, mild cam and a performer intake, I would be in the 12's no problem and all that stuff is not expensive if doing a rebuild.

Olds motors are torque monsters, a 455 is a drop in replacement with the only modification being exhaust.
Don't waste your time with a gay *ss Chevy... those engines are for catalog cruisers and people lacking ingenuity and in my book.
There are many running pump gas 87 octane 455's with stock heads in the 12's on low budget builds, try http://www.realoldspower.com
It's not a hard thing to do... and there are many write-ups on it.
 

MrLightning

Master Mechanic
Sep 10, 2011
281
1
16
northeast,Ohio
88hurstolds said:
Yeah but dollar for torque and Olds is king in my book.
One thing people seem to forget, or their ignorance on physics is to blame, is that horsepower isn't worth the horse it road in on without the torque to back it up.
Where horsepower determines how fast a vehicle can travel, torque at the wheels determines how quickly that speed can be reached. The greater the torque figure, the faster the acceleration, and that's where Chevy's fail.
My car pulls HARD off the line but the top speed isn't there, I have no need to do 125mph in a driver.
I am running in the high 13's with a stock 455 in a HEAVY g-body '88 Cutlass with stock exhaust (crossover and a CAT), stock big valve C-heads, low compression pistons and a stock style cam, the 3.42 rear helps a lot too, it's quiet and unassuming with the exhaust on it.
And running 13's in a driver is fun, especially with all that torque, I'm off the line and 1/8 mile ahead of traffic in no time.
One time I raced a '32 Duce coupe with a SBC with 3 of my friends in my car, loaded with 900lbs of weight, and smoked him (4 lane 55mph highway with long stretches...
His car weighed nothing, I will never forget the look on the guys face when we pulled up to the next light... what the hell you got under the hood?
Stock '68 455 with stock exhaust is all I said :lol:
Imagine if I popped in some headers, better carb, 18cc pistons, mild cam and a performer intake, I would be in the 12's no problem and all that stuff is not expensive if doing a rebuild.

Olds motors are torque monsters, a 455 is a drop in replacement with the only modification being exhaust.
Don't waste your time with a gay *ss Chevy... those engines are for catalog cruisers and people lacking ingenuity and in my book.
There are many running pump gas 87 octane 455's with stock heads in the 12's on low budget builds, try http://www.realoldspower.com
It's not a hard thing to do... and there are many write-ups on it.


X20
 
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