Is it worth it to keep my 350 Rocket, or....

[87Cutlass442]

I'm not sure which direction I want to go in...

Right now, I've got a 350 Rocket from a '76 Cutlass Supreme in my 442, but I want more power under the hood.

I've debated on doing a 383 Stroker motor for the longest, but...I've had a lot of people try to convince me to keep the Olds motor and work on it instead, but...it doesn't appear to be the most cost-effective, and parts are around, but not in mass abundance either.

What is the simplest, most cost-effective way to gain the most power? Work with the 350, or swap it out to a 383 from a Chevy? I'm not necessarily on a "budget"...I'm all about saving to get to my goal, but I dont want to spend $10K (hypothetically speaking) to build the 350 when I could spend $6K to get the same power out of a 383 with the prospect of gaining more if I wanted to

 

[beeterolds]

No..its not worth it to swap to a chevy, different trans, different mounts, different accessories.. move on up to a 455 Olds

 

[DrRansom442]

Do you really want to be a dime a dozen ... "go fast with the acme of engines" or do you want to hear "dang that's an Olds?!?!?" One gets way more cool points. The extra costs of building an Olds is ofset by the extra costs/headahces of switching everything to a Chevy (if you do - do yourself a favor and buy a donor car).
If that's really the route you want to go - it would be ten times easier/cost effective to just sell the Cutlass and buy a Monte Carlo.
+1 for keep it Olds

 

[dan2286]

It really depends on how much power you want to make. I do see a lot of Olds 350's make very good power with a good flowing set of factory heads with a 3 angle valve grind, higher compression pistons, a cam, and roller rockers with more power to spare. I do agree with you that Olds engines will take a lot of money if you want to get into very high power levels.

If you want to make really high levels of power I would say go with the Chevy engine because it will be cheaper. There is always the option of going with a 455.

 

[midwestls]

I say if your gonna stay with an olds, go 455. Otherwise I'd go to the Chevy, simply due to the price and availability of Chevy parts vs Olds not to mention selection. Just remember any G Body, be it an Olds, Buick, Pontiac, Chevy or even, gulp...GMC are all made by the same company which basically makes them pretty much the same car. Good luck in whatever you decide and keep us posted.

 

[87Cutlass442]

Ok ya'll,

Other than the cost of gas, what are the cons of going to a 455? Since it's a Big Block, does it "overheat" faster?

 

[87oldssalon302sbc]

455 olds

The problem I had with the 455 wasn't over heating,it was accessories that bolted on it.The a/c and alt,brackets are different because of its size not to mention the exhaust.If you plan on running headers go with hooker comp,or super comp.I used the same radiator,same fan set up as the 307,with a 160* stat,never had a overheating prob.

 

[88hurstolds]

If you want an easy way to upgrade on power with your small block I would find some eariler 68-72 #5, 6 or 7 heads with 64cc combustion chambers. I had a #8 headed 350 in my 85 Supreme and a #7 headed 350 in my 84 Calais and there is a significanly noticable difference with the earlier heads due to the smaller chamber volume and larger runner volumes.
But I do agree in the long run there is no substitute for cubic inches. 455's are not that hard to find and if you are going to put the effort into rebuilding an engine go with a 455 or 425.
If you decide not to rebuild find yourself a nice running 455 and swap a set of C heads from a 68-69 455, a mild cam and an aluminum intake and you will have a nice 350-400hp 450-510ft-lbs motor for under $1000 from a good running core. Just make sure to get an aluminum radiator or a 4-core, they will both bolt in with no issues, and be sure to get a TH400 or a well bult TH2004R. The stock TH200, TH350 and TH2004R will not last that long with abuse.

 

[custom442]

The stock TH200...will not last that long with abuse.

:lol: Imagine that. I don't think this one would last long enough to put it in drive

 

[custom442]

What is the simplest, most cost-effective way to gain the most power? Work with the 350, or swap it out to a 383 from a Chevy? I'm not necessarily on a "budget"...I'm all about saving to get to my goal, but I dont want to spend $10K (hypothetically speaking) to build the 350 when I could spend $6K to get the same power out of a 383 with the prospect of gaining more if I wanted to

I would keep the olds 350 if I had one. If you were on a budget, the chevy would be the way to go.

On another note, I don't see the magic in a big block; they aren't that impressive to me, unless you need more than 600 hp/tq then small blocks are the way to go.