Tell me a little about my engine

[HurstOlds]

I can't seem to find the Engle cam or the valve springs he has listed so I'm thinking it may be a typo and the manufacturer is Eagle and I'm no fan of chinese junk so I'd be looking at the cam if there is a drop in the power.

I'm not sure these are the springs in my engine or not, but Engle does have springs listed under part number "361007". My sheet says they are part number 361, but I don't know

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

A 107 degree LSA cam is usually intended for high RPM operation as 110 degree is more normal for a street car. The narrow LSA means that both valves are open together for a longer period which kills low RPM cylinder pressure, but allows for better filling at high RPMs. If the engine has otherwise stock heads and intake, such a cam, theoretically,-as all I have is an LSA number here, would not be a good match for the rest of the engine. I am disregarding the cam with a similar number here as it may mean nothing at all. I would consult an Olds expert and see what they recommend that you do. I am by no means well versed in the intricacies of Olds engines and what they specifically like, so I wouldn't go on what I say alone.

 

[jae]

However a BIG variable as to why you got "walked on" by those cars is rear end gearing. I'm geussing you have a g-body, in which case you could have anything from 2.14's(not a typo 2.14) all the way up to 3.73's.

My car has a Ford 9 inch rear end, with ~3.56 gears from what I was told.

I did better against the Camaro from a roll, I think it was about even or with him just barely pulling on me.

I have a Ford 9" in mine as well, with 3.55 gears. A quick/dirty way to tell is by looking at the rear cover area. A Ford 9" will be smooth, without any bolts or separate cover. The GM rear end will have a separate cover, with ten bolts on it (this is not the reason it's called a 10-bolt). The 7.5 rear end will have two little fangs at each corner of this area; the 8.5s have nice-sized triangles / more pronounced squared-ends in the same areas.

Looking at you can, your power range is 1800 - 5800. I'm thinking with this cam, and what I'm guessing a stock intake, you may be hampering power a bit (Joe, maybe you can help on this). This may be why the carb spacer was used - do you know what type is one there open, 4-hole, slotted? As stated earlier you should try to match this with a hi-rise dual-plane intake to match the power range. I think starting with the tune, looking at the timing / ignition and the basics is the way to go. In terms of ignition are you running a stock HEI distributor (large cap with intergrated coil)? The coil may be giving up the ghost somewhat, not keeping the spark hot at higher RPMs. A stock cat may be choking it a bit as well.

Noticed your from Illinois, which area?

 

[HurstOlds]

However a BIG variable as to why you got "walked on" by those cars is rear end gearing. I'm geussing you have a g-body, in which case you could have anything from 2.14's(not a typo 2.14) all the way up to 3.73's.

My car has a Ford 9 inch rear end, with ~3.56 gears from what I was told.

I did better against the Camaro from a roll, I think it was about even or with him just barely pulling on me.

I have a Ford 9" in mine as well, with 3.55 gears. A quick/dirty way to tell is by looking at the rear cover area. A Ford 9" will be smooth, without any bolts or separate cover. The GM rear end will have a separate cover, with ten bolts on it (this is not the reason it's called a 10-bolt). The 7.5 rear end will have two little fangs at each corner of this area; the 8.5s have nice-sized triangles / more pronounced squared-ends in the same areas.

Looking at you can, your power range is 1800 - 5800. I'm thinking with this cam, and what I'm guessing a stock intake, you may be hampering power a bit (Joe, maybe you can help on this). This may be why the carb spacer was used - do you know what type is one there open, 4-hole, slotted? As stated earlier you should try to match this with a hi-rise dual-plane intake to match the power range. I think starting with the tune, looking at the timing / ignition and the basics is the way to go. In terms of ignition are you running a stock HEI distributor (large cap with intergrated coil)? The coil may be giving up the ghost somewhat, not keeping the spark hot at higher RPMs. A stock cat may be choking it a bit as well.

Noticed your from Illinois, which area?

I'm in the Naperville/Plainfield/Joliet area. Are you in IL as well?

I'm not sure what kind of spacer is used, I'll check that out. Yeah, it's basically an HEI style distro I believe. It says for street/strip on the top of it

Can I put something like a performer intake on this engine while still keeping my 425 b heads? Or do I need to also upgrade the heads to be able to add a Performer?

Can anyone tell me how much taller a Performer would be over my stock intake?

 

[jae]

I'm in the Naperville/Plainfield/Joliet area. Are you in IL as well?

I'm not sure what kind of spacer is used, I'll check that out. Yeah, it's basically an HEI style distro I believe. It says for street/strip on the top of it

Can I put something like a performer intake on this engine while still keeping my 425 b heads? Or do I need to also upgrade the heads to be able to add a Performer?

Can anyone tell me how much taller a Performer would be over my stock intake?

I'm kind of in the same area, more towards the Fox Valley mall (Aurora / Naperville), so in the neighborhood. I've been out here for about 4 years. Stayed in Lisle for a few (worked in Lombard at the time) then moved a little further west.

In terms of the intake, you should be able to use the Performer w/o a problem. The Performer sits a little higher than the stock intake, I want to say maybe an inch or two, but you shouldn't have a problem with hood clearance. Not sure if you will have an issue if you use the Performer and the carb spacer though. I'll try to find the info I have on that intake as well as the others. You can check Summit, Jegs, Pace Performance or better yet Edelbrock catalog to see the height differences and the recommendations based on your cam / RPM range.

But again, I think you're on the right path starting with the tune up. No since of just throwing parts at it when it could be something as simple as worn plugs or timing being off.

 

[HurstOlds]

Oh, that's awesome. What a small world, I drive right by you, I work straight up Rt 59 near 88.

You have an 86 Cutlass? My first was an 86, I love that style, very nice. I like your 350 as well! You ever hit up any local car shows or meets? You drag at all @ rt 66? (I've never tried it yet)

If you can find the info on the intake I would appreciate it

 

[jae]

Oh, that's awesome. What a small world, I drive right by you, I work straight up Rt 59 near 88.

You have an 86 Cutlass? My first was an 86, I love that style, very nice. I like your 350 as well! You ever hit up any local car shows or meets? You drag at all @ rt 66? (I've never tried it yet)

If you can find the info on the intake I would appreciate it

So you must work near Diehl Rd?

Yes. My first was the '81 Calais with a 260 / 350 auto; eventually put in a 350 Olds from a '76. Then I got a W-body, now the 86. You know, I was going to try to make some shows last year but never did, maybe this year I'll get to a couple. Funny, we were talking about this at work today, taking cars to the track versus putting them on a dyno.

I don't have the intake info in my records, one of the few things I don't have. Doh!! :shock:

Here are a couple of links from the Edelbrock site:
http://www.edelbrock.com/automotive_new/mc/manifolds/manifolds_main.shtml

http://www.edelbrock.com/automotive_new/misc/company/auto_catalog.shtml

This one's specifically for the Performer and also has measurements:
http://www.edelbrock.com/automotive_new/mc/manifolds/oldsmobile/performer-bb.shtml

I didn't include the Torker info since they are single plane manifolds.

 

[HurstOlds]

Hey everyone,

I'm about to pull my car back out for spring/summer and it needs an oil change really bad. I had asked in my first post, but no one answered.

I was wondering if you guys have any suggestions as to what weight oil to run. 10w30? 20w50? What do you guys run in your 455's?

Car will be driven only in warm temps (60 - 95 degrees), mostly driven on the roads, maybe taken to the track a couple times this summer.

Thanks

 

[gto78]

First off, that car looks like a great combo and nice ride. Second, about the oil to use- check out http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1769306#Post1769306 and ask those experts. They recommended a diesel 15W40 oil for my old Pontiac engine. They had differing opinions of which exact brand but all had the same exact main idea, which is to use an oil with an additive that protects cam/pushrod/lifter style engines. Most new engines have overhead cams so therefore most new oils are designed differently. If you use a standard new style engine oil on an old pushrod engine it's not good for the cam because the new oil lacks zinc and phosphate.

Did you figure out why your car was acting weak/slow? Our Pontiac had been sitting for a few months and then when racing season started again we brought out the car and it was over a second slower in the 1/4 mile. It ended up being a problem with the timing advance mechanical weights sticking inside the distributor. That was one major factor. Another thing that's happened to me is the secondaries getting plugged up, or the floats being out of adjustment after the car sits for several months. BTW the 850 carb seems way to big for your 425.

Our 400 ran best with a 650 square bore carb. In fact we spent months trying to tune and rejet a 750 that everyone else claimed was what a 400 needs to run right, and the 750 just would not come close to the 650 performance. We easily run about .3-.4 faster at the drag strip. The Holley carb book has a formula that you can use to figure out what size carb is needed based on cubic inches, rpms and the basic efficiency of the engine- ours recommended 625.

 

[Blake442]

I've been running regular HD-30 in my 455.

I hope to be pulling mine out of the garage in the next few days here and fire it up too!