Olds 350 Rocket HP question.

[YaoGuaiCutlass]

Hey all, I am trading off my Chevy 350 motor for an Oldsmobile 350 Rocket Gold Motor out of a 1970 Cutlass 4-door. It has 2 barrel carb and intake on it. He said it should have about 290 Horsepower. I was wondering if I converted it to a 4 barrel would I get more HP? Also what else can I do to get more HP that won't take all my money? By the way, this motor is going in a 1986 Cutlass Supreme with a 307 if that helps any. I am attaching photos of the Gold motor.

 

[L92 OLDS]

Yes,...putting a good 4 barrel carb on it will increase the horsepower. Check the heads to see if they are the original small chamber heads. They should be #6's. If someone swapped the heads out for a later design the CR will be lower. A 1970 350 is a good engine and will have solid main webs, small dish pistons etc. in stock form.

Here is some good information on olds motors by year....(not all of it is correct but it is still a good resource)

http://www.442.com/oldsfaq/ofhed.htm

 

[YaoGuaiCutlass]

Yes,...putting a good 4 barrel carb on it will increase the horsepower. Check the heads to see if they are the original small chamber heads. They should be #6's.

I believe they are #6 heads. I phrased the 4 barrel question wrong. I meant to say what kind of intake would be best and carburetor would be best for this in a cheap route. Everyone keeps saying a Edelbrock Performer RPM and Edelbrock carb....I kind of like to stay away from Edelbrock but if it works it works.

 

[DoubleV]

I'm not a fan of Edelbrock carbs because I feel they have no performance advantage over a Qjet. Being that the Edel carb is nothing more than the old Carter carb.... you know, the carb that was replaced by the Qjet, I don't see their appeal. Any properly sized and tuned 4 barrel will work well for you though.

The Edelbrock Performer isn't going to do squat over a factory 4 barrel intake but would be lighter. The RPM on the other hand is a very good intake but it's not going to perform miracles unless you support it with other components ( cam, gears, etc ).

What are your plans and goals with this engine?

P.S. Your motor being gold doesn't classify it as being a 'Gold Motor'. It's just a regular Olds 350 that happens to be from a year they painted them with gold paint. Also, all Olds motors are technically 'rockets' as it was nothing more than a marketing term.

 

[L92 OLDS]

I'm not a fan of Edelbrock carbs because I feel they have no performance advantage over a Qjet. Being that the Edel carb is nothing more than the old Carter carb.... you know, the carb that was replaced by the Qjet, I don't see their appeal. Any properly sized and tuned 4 barrel will work well for you though.

X2....I've used Edelbrock carbs on Pontiac and Olds motors and have not been impressed. My experience has been less WOT performance, tuning issues and poor fuel mileage compared to a properly set up Quadrajet. In general, I like Edelbrock but I think their carbs suck...just personal opinion based on real world experience. As noted, the RPM intake is a good choice for a built SBO but you may have hood clearance issue. For a mild build, the dual plane performer is a good choice but you probably won't notice much difference between a performer and the factory A4 olds aluminum intake (available on Olds 307's from 81-84). I saw an A4 in the yard a couple of weeks ago so they are still out there. Good luck.

 

[jetsetw31]

I'm not a fan of Edelbrock carbs because I feel they have no performance advantage over a Qjet. Being that the Edel carb is nothing more than the old Carter carb.... you know, the carb that was replaced by the Qjet, I don't see their appeal. Any properly sized and tuned 4 barrel will work well for you though.

The Edelbrock Performer isn't going to do squat over a factory 4 barrel intake but would be lighter. The RPM on the other hand is a very good intake but it's not going to perform miracles unless you support it with other components ( cam, gears, etc ).

What are your plans and goals with this engine?

P.S. Your motor being gold doesn't classify it as being a 'Gold Motor'. It's just a regular Olds 350 that happens to be from a year they painted them with gold paint. Also, all Olds motors are technically 'rockets' as it was nothing more than a marketing term.

First thing, Double V is right on point. Now here is what you could do. Any 1980 to 1984 olds V8 has the A4 4 barrel aluminum intake. This will be a good starting point for you. Only the Edelbrock Perfomer RPM can out flow a stock A4. All the others are arguably about the same.
The A4 can be found in most salvage yards in Rwd full size Buicks, Cadilliacs, Pontiacs, and Olds. Just look on the oil fill side of the intake, behind the coolant chamber on the floor of the intake. (It's gonna be dirty, so you'll have to clean it to see the A4 stamp). Your engine should have the A5 intake. The difference? not much from the top. But the A5 is too small for any 350sbo. Confirm this by looking at your intake. Sometimes your car may have the A4. then your good. Everything will swap over to your gold engine. Using the 307 parts will make things easier to swap into your '86. Try not to use the the 307 exhaust though, the '70s exhaust is way better flowing. You just have to use the crossover and down pipe from the '70 and have a muffler shop convert it to the CAT on your car.
I hope this helps. you have a great engine as long as it's relatively stock. Get sound advice when internally upgrading this motor.

P.S. Put a timing chain on it. A performance one would be ideal. And run it stock for awhile. your first upgrade should be Dual exhaust with headers. Also try and find a non CCC HEI distributer. The CCC distributer you have wont let the engine accelerate the way the points would and you don't want to use the points distributer. Any Olds from 1975 to about 78 will have the the regular HEI which can be upgraded with aftermarket parts. The CCC doesn't have those kind of upgrades.
T

 

[olds307 and 403]

I would get a late 70's Qjet core and rebuild it or get the Street Demon, if you want a brand new carb. It is based off the Thermoquad but all new casting in 625 or 750 cfm. Either one would work being very similar to the Qjet in design. The A4 or Performer will work fine. I would do a mild cam/lifter swap and you should do the timing chain. The factory had nylon cam gears those years, when they go, it's right into the oil pump pick up. I recommend the Cloyes Street roller set, very good quality and supposedly the best for accuracy. I would also get Felpro conversion set $12.95 from Summit. The only other gaskets you need are valve cover and intake, which are sold separate anyways. I used the AMC 6 cylinder rear main rear seal instead of the rope seal Felpro provides. It is a pain to pull the old seal out and you have to be careful putting in the rubber replacement.