79 Cutlass Olds 3.8-Olds 455 Swap/Upgrades

[ese79cutty]

Finally pulled the trigger. I ordered an olds 455 for my 79 cutlass with the 3.8l V6. The engine is being machined and build by S&J Engines. Was looking for recommendations to make it the most efficient and get the most horsepower. Currently this is what I asked for. I understand the Achilles Heel for the 455 is the oil return so I asked to get an oil restrictor Kit installed. Also I’ll be putting a bigger oil pan, would it still need a HV oil pump? I’m going to pair the engine with a Edelbrock RPM Air-Gap manifold and hopefully a Holley EFI.what type of hp would I be looking at with current set up? Would anything else be recommended? Most importantly, what type of work would I need to get the 455 to fit in where the 3.8 once sat? Would a built th350 hold up? Recommended read end ratio? Open to any Suggestions. Thanks I’m advanced

 

[olds307 and 403]

What heads, planned compression and planned octane? That will effect stall and rear gear chosen. A TH350 can be built strong enough, make sure it isn't a TH250. The factory 7.5" is weak, start with replacing the factory soft spider gears, first weak link. Yukon makes a good replacement. Gears depend on the engine and also where you plan on driving the car. Good modern, lightweight forged pistons should help the bottom end survive and be more efficient with a thinner ring pack than something like Speedpro forged pistons. Many believe restrictors are BS. The pickup for most deep pans require a bolt on pick up which mean a high volume oil pump. Not a bad thing with a deep pan. The Performer intake is better for mild builds. Are you going with a TBI or SEFI? You need G body 260 or 307 frame mounts to install your 455. Good luck.

 

[doood]

I'm considering buying a 350 SBO from S&J. Keep us posted

 

[olds307 and 403]

They definitely look better than the average Remanufactured engines from their site. Most are slightly better than a complete crap shoot. Nice to see some very good upgrades available through them. For example, the only cheap cast pistons available used in most reman engines, the 24cc dish and way short on compression height for the Olds 350 might not even give 8 to 1 with early heads let alone #8 heads.