Not sure what route to take: '87 442 w/350.

[Mich's87442]

I just acquired a very solid and decent shape '87 442. It has a '69 Olds 350, but the heads are the smog '74 heads. 200R4, 3.73 Posi 8.5"

First order of mods is a Fitech EFI throttle body system, fuel tank, sending unit and in tank pump assembly all coming from Summit Racing this week. I'm not a fan of carburetors.

I looked into doing a Olds 350 build that was done by Powerblock TV. Keeping in mind I wanted to keep it as stock looking as possible. But after doing some checking for air cleaner clearances under the hood, there is no way the Edelbrock Performer RPM 7111 manifold will work. It's 2" higher than the stock manifold. This is the only manifold that will work with Edelbrock 6051cylinder heads. So is there a stock GM air filter housing out there that has a drop base that could gain me about a inch of hood clearance? Or would I have to resort to a open element air filter?
Are there certain Olds heads that flow real well that I could search for instead of the Edelbrock heads?

This is the link to the Old 350 build for anyone interested. There are some ads in there so be patient.
http://www.powerblocktv.com/episode/HP2012-13/an-old-olds-repurposed-for-new-power#.Vx1uImOGooU

Or my other question is should I scrap the Olds 350 build and just build a Olds 455?
Are there hood clearance issues with a 455 engine swap?

I appreciate any help.

 

[theoldsone]

Whats wrong with a cowl hood? I'm guessing you want to keep a stock look. (trust me you get over it lol)
For one an Olds 350 Is the ideal engine when building any Olds. They have the best of both small block and big block qualities. The Olds 350 Bore is a bit smaller than the 455 and the small block 403 has a bigger Bore than a 455. So that says something about the 455. So stick with the 350 Olds. Second reason is though they take a bit more money an Olds 350 will run Circles around a Chevy 350 any day of the week.

 

[MrSony]

What do you have against carbs? Fuel Injection is great and all, but carbs are dirt easy. And way cheaper short and long term.

 

[Mich's87442]

Whats wrong with a cowl hood? I'm guessing you want to keep a stock look. (trust me you get over it lol)
For one an Olds 350 Is the ideal engine when building any Olds. They have the best of both small block and big block qualities. The Olds 350 Bore is a bit smaller than the 455 and the small block 403 has a bigger Bore than a 455. So that says something about the 455. So stick with the 350 Olds. Second reason is though they take a bit more money an Olds 350 will run Circles around a Chevy 350 any day of the week.

Yeah, not to keen on a cowl hood. I prefer the sleeper look. I was thinking maybe getting a '83-'84 H/O hood bump and cut a opening underneath for clearance. Do you think that is plausible? Thank you for your opinion on the 350 engine.

 

[Mich's87442]

What do you have against carbs? Fuel Injection is great and all, but carbs are dirt easy. And way cheaper short and long term.

I've had rotten luck with carbs. Holley, Edelbrock, re-pop Rochester's doesn't matter. I got sick of fiddling with them. As a matter of fact I got so pissed off one day with my '81 Corvette, I yanked out the small block crate engine and swapped in a '04 Z06 vette engine. 2 years running zero issues. But I quickly dismissed doing a LS swap in this car because it is a nice solid car and it should have a Olds engine under the hood imo. I like the FiTech injection system because it fits under the air cleaner and is not so obvious. The cost isn't bad on those units.

 

[MrSony]

I've had rotten luck with carbs. Holley, Edelbrock, re-pop Rochester's doesn't matter. I got sick of fiddling with them. As a matter of fact I got so pissed off one day with my '81 Corvette, I yanked out the small block crate engine and swapped in a '04 Z06 vette engine. 2 years running zero issues. But I quickly dismissed doing a LS swap in this car because it is a nice solid car and it should have a Olds engine under the hood imo. I like the FiTech injection system because it fits under the air cleaner and is not so obvious. The cost isn't bad on those units.

I get it. All those little parts, and if the carb is warped or cracked, it's completely trash. FI is nice except when you have to truble shoot, especially on new vehicles. Should be cake on your cutlass though.

 

[theoldsone]

I've had rotten luck with carbs. Holley, Edelbrock, re-pop Rochester's doesn't matter. I got sick of fiddling with them. As a matter of fact I got so pissed off one day with my '81 Corvette, I yanked out the small block crate engine and swapped in a '04 Z06 vette engine. 2 years running zero issues. But I quickly dismissed doing a LS swap in this car because it is a nice solid car and it should have a Olds engine under the hood imo. I like the FiTech injection system because it fits under the air cleaner and is not so obvious. The cost isn't bad on those units.

That's the way I was going to go on with my cutlass. Fuel injected SBO 350 but a turbo setup. But plans changed a little and I decided to use my 355 sbc and my frame crumbled away in front of my eyes lol.

 

[L92 OLDS]

Regarding your head question, In my opinion aftermarket heads are a better value than working with factory iron. They use better technology, are lighter and flow well out of the box. You will spend a small fortune in machine work modifying an early head to match an Edelbrock or Procomp.....ask me how I know. I wish I would have bought Procomps. They have a similar casting to Edelbrock at about half the price. A lot of guys have been using them with good results. Warning. Not for China haters.

http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-5...0001&campid=5335822911&icep_item=131780360126

 

[Mich's87442]

Regarding your head question, In my opinion aftermarket heads are a better value than working with factory iron. They use better technology, are lighter and flow well out of the box. You will spend a small fortune in machine work modifying an early head to match an Edelbrock or Procomp.....ask me how I know. I wish I would have bought Procomps. They have a similar casting to Edelbrock at about half the price. A lot of guys have been using them with good results. Warning. Not for China haters.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/403-OLDSMOB...ash=item1eaeb8b7be:g:x6YAAOSwd4tT~N2u&vxp=mtr

Thanks for your info on the cylinder heads. I might take a look at Procomps.

 

[olds307 and 403]

The RPM will fit with a 1" drop base air cleaner. The Olds 350 is a great motor, you could also do a stroker. You can use 400 SBC pistons and rods. Or you can use the piston Bill Travato at BTR Performance, a former national record holder with Olds power help develop.http://m.summitracing.com/parts/cnn-bo7010-068#
Use with a 6" SBC rod as it already has the .927" pin. Consider the Holley Sniper over the FITech, better tech support for one and the same price.