From 1950 until 1974, the 88 was the division's most profitable line, particularly the entry level models such as the 88 and Dynamic 88. (Google, DoubleClick, YouTube, and other related marks and logos are trademarks of Google LLC. Unlike a Mustang or a later Chevy, where theres a thriving business in replacement pieces, finding parts for an Olds of that vintage isnt necessarily easy these days. To learn more about what information the YouTube platform and other Google services may collect through and/or in connection with embedded video players and how Google may use that information, see their "How Google uses information from sites or apps that use our services" page and the Google Privacy Policy. These cookies expire in about 15 days if the user clicks "Remember Me" when logging in; if not, the cookies normally expire when the user closes their browser (or other user agent), or, failing that, within about two days. In any case, the early postwar period saw the emergence of the California customizing/hot rod scene; the advent of the fiberglass kit car body manufacturers such as Bill Tritts Glaspar (Tritt was retained briefly by GM as a consultant in 1951 when they were considering building a lightweight fiberglass-bodied sports car); and the birth of modern motorsport in the US with the founding of the SCCA and the advent of road racing as the most popular form of competition. Some early 307s were painted GM Corporate blue, but most were painted satin black. Cadillacs OHV V8, released around the same time as the new Oldsmobiles, was itself an important and influential engine that earned Motor Trends first Car of the Year Award, but it was the Oldsmobile Rocket 88 that started an avalanche. The _gat cookie, which may appear as _gat_gtag_UA_6113964_2, was sometimes set along with the _ga and _gid cookies to control how frequently requests were sent to the Google Analytics servers; this cookie typically persisted for only a few minutes at a time. The 324cuin (5.3L) version was produced from 1954 until 1956. What I would recommend that I actually suggest for anyone considering a collector car is that you join a club for that marque in your area, if you havent already. Most of these engines were very similar, using the same bore centers and a 9.33in (237mm) deck height, raised on "big-block" versions to 10.625in (269.9mm). Even with the standard Hydra-Matic transmission, the 88 was capable of 0-60 mph (0-97 km/h) in a bit over 12 seconds and could reach an absolute top speed of 97 mph (156 km/h). The same year, an Olds 88 won the grueling 2000-mile-plus Carrera Panamericana road race in Mexico. Well, Oldsmobile had had a hard time finding its way once GM started trying to define the identities of each of its brands as the _______ brand (which, it must be said, was fast becoming the most meaningful distinction between them. The heavily domed hood would continue through 1953. All Oldsmobile V8s use a 90 bank angle, and most share a common stroke dimension: 3.4375in (87.31mm) for early Rockets, 3.6875in (93.66mm) for later Generation 1 engines, and 3.385in (86.0mm) for Generation 2 starting in 1964. True-to-scale detail. Of those sales, 100,273 were the Rocket 88. Popular price guides put Lansing's mid-1950s cars at an average of $16,500 for a four-door all the way up to $72,900 for a two-door convertible. I forgot this on one occasion when I was attempting to jump start my 55 Olds; after getting the car rolling backwards, I was rewarded with nothing more than a ratcheting sound when I shifted from N to R. The engine did not rotate and the car did not start. in. In a flathead engine, the air-fuel mixture has to go around several corners to make its way into the combustion chamber and burned exhaust gases have a similarly circuitous route out of the cylinders. But it DID have a fairly illustrious season on the track and in road racing. [citation needed], Introduced in the middle of the 1957 model year,[6] the 1957 and 1958 J-2 Golden Rocket had three two-barrel (twin choke) carburetors with a vacuum-operated linkage. California residents also have the Right to Opt-Out of the sale of their personal information see the Do Not Sell My Personal Information page. I never had one apart to that extent, but my understanding from the theory of operation is that there is a pivoting pawl that will engage a toothed wheel when the engine is stopped with reverse selected. 1985), pp. 5 vehicles matched Now showing page 1 of 1. The first generation of Oldsmobile 88 was introduced in 1949. (Thats a lesson that many Jaguar and Porsche owners have learned the hard way.). Power for the base engine was up to 315hp (235kW), even though compression was down a quarter point, to 9.75:1.[9]. The 260 was designed for economy, and was the first engine option above the 4.1 ChevroletI-6, then later the 3.8L Buick V6, which was standard fitment in many Oldsmobile models by the late 1970s. Many of the other listed cookies are associated with the Google Analytics service, the Google AdSense advertising service, and/or other Google advertising and measurement products, which are subject to the Google Privacy Policy; see their "How Google uses information from sites or apps that use our services" page, the "Information for Visitors of Sites and Apps Using Google Analytics" section of the Google Analytics "Safeguarding your data" help page, the "Technologies" section of their Google Privacy & Terms site, and the "Our advertising and measurement cookies" section of the Google Business Data Responsibility site (which includes a detailed list of cookies associated with Google advertising and measurement products) for more information. I have read and accepted the Privacy Policy Me at the age of 70 in the back seat with a 21-year-old blond. 303 Oldsmobile V8 parts in-stock with same-day shipping. Skinner liked the idea, but it had to be approved by corporate management, which brought a new round of objection from Cadillac the 98 was already a close match for Cadillac in performance and a V8-powered B-body Oldsmobile would undoubtedly be faster. 1955 Oldsmobile Super 88, 324-V8, 4 bbl carburetor, engine free, I have owned this since 1973, good 4-speed hydramatic transmission, interior useable, nice dash. The new V8 was designed with plenty of extra room in the block for future displacement increases, but Gilbert Burrell and his team actually hoped that Oldsmobile could return to the 287 cu. It has been noted to go up to $100,000 at some auctions. Although I often wondered why GM needed three mid-level brands, since you already have them, why not preserve them, especially since it is embarrassing and demoralizing to lose one, now two. [citation needed] Most 260s were coupled to the Turbo Hydramatic 200 transmission,[citation needed] but a 5-speed manual transmission was also available in some vehicles. Its output of 0.45 hp per cubic inch was 7% better than the 0.42 hp per cubic inch of the popular and widely produced 100hp (75kW) 1949 Ford Flathead V8. Neither of GMs new OHV V8s had an exceptionally high compression ratio at first Oldsmobiles was 7.25:1, Cadillacs 7.5:1 but that was mostly a reflection of the low octane of the gasoline of the time. Submitting a comment signifies your acceptance of our. 1948 & 1949 Cadillac Fastbacks, Special Interest Autos #11 (June-July 1972), pp. Put the petal to the metal and go man go! The new, mid-sized Oldsmobile Rocket 88 went on sale February 6, exactly seven weeks after the 98. Both are well-documented, albeit relatively short-lived. 1968-1974 350s were painted gold; 1975-1976 350s were metallic blue like the 455; 1977-1980 models were painted GM Corporate Blue. (4,214 cc) L-head straight eight. The Oldsmobile V8, also referred to as the Rocket, is series of engines that was produced by Oldsmobile from 1949 until 1990. Just didnt have any power. For more information about Google advertising, see the "Advertising" section of their Google Privacy & Terms site. The end of the Korean conflict sent the country in a foreign exchange crisis that lasted until the middle 90s, cutting imports and providing the basis for national production. Is there a serial number plate on the engine? [citation needed] Production of the 260 V8 ended in 1982 when the 307 became the only gasoline V8 in Oldsmobile's line. When it comes to Oldsmobiles from 1957, the hardtop was the second-most-popular body style, with 49,187 units produced. They may persist for up to two years. The first was that Ketterings engine required fuel with a considerably higher octane rating than any contemporary pump gasoline; better fuel economy was hardly useful if you could only fill up at airports. I had been running a very healthy flat head that had several modifications such as a stroker crank, racing cam an two stromberg 97 carburetors. This motor is blue which makes me think its been gone through. All full-size 1962 Oldsmobiles had the 394. However, former Cadillac engineer Harry Barr, who led the development of Cadillacs first OHV V8, later asserted that Charles L. McCuen, then GMs vice president of engineering (and the former general manager of Oldsmobile) had ordered Cadillac chief engineer Jack Gordon to show Cadillacs OHV design to Oldsmobile carburetor engineer Tony Wauters. Unlike all other 425s, this version was painted slate blue metallic. This was the only engine offered in 1923, when the Model 47 continued alone. I have a 62 olds super 88. A popular modification made to the 403 to increase power was to swap on early Oldsmobile 350 heads to boost compression. These were wedge-head engines with a unique combustion chamber that resulted from a valve angle of only 6. Making its debut in 1957 as standard equipment on all Olds models,[4] the 371 was produced through 1960. The 425cuin (7.0L) big-block was the first tall-deck "big block," produced from 1965 through 1967. The short stroke allowed the engine to rev more freely while the wider bore provides more room for larger valves, which further improves breathing. 1951 Oldsmobile Rocket 88. ), These cookies were previously used by the Google Analytics service to collect information about visitors and their use of the Ate Up With Motor website. R.M. . With an overall length of 202 inches (5,131 mm) and an overall width of 75.2 inches (1,910 mm) on a 119.5-inch (3,035mm) wheelbase, the 88 was hardly a small car even by American standards and it tipped the scales (in this body style) at almost 3,800 lb (1,717 kg) with Hydra-Matic, but its Rocket V8 would leave Pontiacs elderly straight eight or Chevrolets Stovebolt Six for dead and the Oldsmobile name carried more prestige than Pontiac or Chevrolet. Thanks Weldon, [quote=Administrator]Unless youre building a rod, its often worth it to spend more upfront for a car thats in better condition. In the spirit of trying to improve a fantastic article. The 403 is fundamentally the exact same block as an Oldsmobile 350 V8, however it features a larger bore. It didnt have an actual Park position until the advent of the controlled-coupling Hydra-Matic in MY1956. It was offered in the Hurst/Olds version of the Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais and in the 4-4-2 version of the Oldsmobile Cutlass Salon. The B-body Oldsmobiles rode a 6-inch (152mm) shorter wheelbase and were 11 inches (279 mm) shorter and 3.6 inches (91mm) narrower than the C-body 98 and weighed 250 pounds (227 kg) less. The first generation 88 was powered by Oldsmobile's 5.0L Rocket V8 engine,. Can you point me to any information on GM camshaft design methodology? To learn more about how Google may use information collected by the Google Analytics service, see their "How Google uses information from sites or apps that use our services" page, the "Information for Visitors of Sites and Apps Using Google Analytics" section of the Google Analytics "Safeguarding your data" help page, and the Google Privacy Policy. The 260cuin (4.3L), 307cuin (5.0L), 330cuin (5.4L), 350cuin (5.7L) and 403cuin (6.6L) engines are commonly called small-blocks. The desire to raise compression ratios had prompted Kettering and his staff to develop tetraethyl lead as an octane-boosting gasoline additive in the early twenties (as discussed in greater detail in our article on the 1970-1981 Chevrolet Camaro), but the research staff had been working to raise compression ratios even higher. (. The "Rocket" name disappeared from the air cleaner identification decal after 1974. 16, No. Features Power Transmission: 4 Automatic Hydra-Matic Production Figures Handling 1949 Averages The 400cuin (6.6L) version was the second tall-deck "big-block" Olds. (Valve spring, spring seat / retainer placement too? Most 394s used 2-barrel carburetors, but special high-compression 4-barrel versions were available starting in 1961. & Tm. I have read several histories of the 1949 Oldsmobile and Cadillac V-8s, but never seen Bouvy mentioned. BMEP, IMEP), you will immediately see that bore/stroke ratio does not directly effect engine power. However not practical to drive around pittsburgh, pa. To many hills for that single chamber master cylinder. In an OHV engine, by contrast, the valves are a fair distance away from the crankshaft, which makes operating them far more complicated. In MY1950, total production was 407,889, of which only 33,257 were the 76, so 374,632 (91.8%) had V-8 power. Particularly enjoyed your succinct descriptions of the engineering factors behind certain design choices. All other trademarks and/or service marks are the property of their respective owners. Full instrumentation is standard Olds had not yet succumbed to the allure of warning lights. Collectible Motor Car of Atlanta. There will typically be several such cookies, each beginning with "gdpr" (e.g., gdpr[allowed_cookies], gdpr&5Bprivacy_bar&5D, and gdpr[consent_types]). (The basic Eighty-Eight was rarer, accounting for only about 35,000.) 7-27; Michael Lamm, Two Very Important Cars! This problem did not appear until the engine had over 50,000 miles (80,000km) on it. Olds veterans claimed the Burrell group was completely unaware of the Cadillac project until quite late in the development of the Oldsmobile V8. The other members may be able to help you decide whether a price is fair, and in some cases, they may even know the specific car (Ikes 53? Diagram of a typical pushrod/rocker-arm layout of an overhead-valve engine. The LG8 was a modern 307cuin (5.0L) High-Output derivative of the LV2 produced from 1983 to 1987. I am almost 79 now and remember that like it was yesterday. Shop 303 Oldsmobile V8 parts and get Free Shipping on orders over $149 at Speedway Motors, the Racing and Rodding Specialists. Flory. It was generally paired with the Turbo Hydramatic 350 3-speed automatic or the Turbo Hydramatic 400 3-speed ustomatic in rear wheel drive vehicles, in the case of front-wheel drive vehicles, the Turbo Hydramatic 425 FWD 3-speed automatic. Make: Oldsmobile Model: 88 Year: 1956 Engine: 455 Rocket Engine - Turbo 400 - Foose Mags - Airbags Suspension. Sunday - Closed. The combination of good low-RPM torque, the Quadrajet four-barrel carburetor, and the THM-200-4R three speed plus overdrive automatic transmission having a lockup torque converter allowed for fairly good performance, and fuel economy considered reasonable for the era, even in the larger and heavier model cars. SPECIFICATIONS Engine: OHV 90-degree V-8, cast-iron block and heads Displacement: 303-cu.in. Call me a square,[I am a square], I say you dont denigrate a proud heritage. Inevitably, the 88 overshadowed Oldsmobiles cheaper 76, which still used a 257 cu. Learn more. ), When you list the OHV Detroit engines that came along after the Rocket, the DeSoto Hemi of 1952 and Plymouth Poly of 1956 may merit mentioncant recall if the 1955 Packard V8 got its curtain call. [citation needed]. Talk to the experts. $8,888 or BEST REASONABLE OFFER. Brand new box. The engine had 10.25:1 compression and a single-barrel carburetor. An 88 also won the first grueling Carrera Panamericana, the 2,176-mile (3,500-km) Mexican Road Race. They normally expire after about one year. One by one, every other American manufacturer brought out its own OHV V8 engine: Chrysler and Studebaker in 1951; Lincoln in 1952; Buick and Dodge in 1953; Ford and Mercury in 1954; Chevrolet, Pontiac, Plymouth, and Packard in 1955; and AMC in 1956. The engine was designed by Charles L. McCuen, who later had a hand in approving the Rocket engine for production. The wp-donottrack_feed cookie, which controls a blog feed, was set by accessing the dashboard menu for the WP DoNotTrack plugin (which we do not currently use on this website); this cookie normally expires in about one year. Some things, like the Hydra-Matic, arent so bad, but trim pieces can be a major pain, and even the early Rocket engines can be challenging at this point. A smaller 260cuin (4.3L) V8 was created for the new Oldsmobile Omega in 1975 by decreasing the bore to 3.5in (89mm). Have a 47 98 custom cruiser. Plus, there is a cool mix of a preserved chrome cruiser with the right upgrades to make it more enjoyable for modern times. $22,000 (OBO) Embedded video players for content hosted on the YouTube video platform (which is owned by Google LLC) may set these third-party cookies and/or use similar technologies to store data in your browser (or other user agent) for purposes such as (without limitation) managing video settings (e.g., tailoring the playback to your connection speed), storing video preferences, providing certain functionality (e.g., allowing you to pause a video at a particular point), showing you advertisements, associating your video viewing and other activity with your Google account (if any), ensuring proper functioning of the service, preventing abuse, and/or compiling user analytics data. Bore was increased to 3.875in (98.4mm) (same as the later 283 Chevy) and stroke remained the same at 3.4375in (87.31mm). Original revolutionary Hydra-Matic SUPER DRIVE 3-speed automatic transmission, spare tire, and a couple of extra chrome wheel covers. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Vintage 1949 Oldsmobile 88 Futuramic Rocket Engine Magazine Print Ad W31 at the best online prices at eBay! You make a good point about the L-head lifter. Submitting a comment signifies your acceptance of our Comment Policy please read it first! The V8 was standard in the new 1949 Oldsmobile 98, replacing the old 257 cu. Early Hydra-Matics had no Park position (although there was a parking pawl if you engaged reverse), and unlike later versions, theres no way to keep the transmission in third gear, which can be inconvenient. You must be at least 18 to comment. Olds were very popular in Brazil but I can t give you any numbers. Two-door fastbacks, like this one, were known as Club Sedans; the four-doors were called Town Sedans. The main qualities that make an engine attractive to hot-rodders are how much it costs, how easily it can be hopped up, and how much power you can get out of it without blowing it up. With an 8.75:1 compression ratio and a 2-barrel carburetor, the Olds 215 had the same ratedhp, 155hp (116kW) at 4800rpm, as the Buick 215, with 220ftlbf (300Nm) of torque at 2400rpm. Maybe. 78-79; and Josiah Work, 1949 Rocket 88: This Is Not Your Grandpas Oldsmobile, Special Interest Autos #139 (January-February 1994), reprinted in The Hemmings Book of Oldsmobiles, pp. Oldsmobile like mine are real popular in australia. Some auction action surrounding 1956 Oldsmobiles tells a similar story: The means exist to do the same work while burning less fuel; the question is whether a meaningful number of American consumers will accept those means while theres still fuel left to burn. Oldsmobile used the popular LV2, a 307-cubic-inch (5.0L) engine, commonly known by the VIN code "Y", from 1980-1990. or is that not an Avanti peeking into the frame on the right side of the last photo? The engine proved so popular, the division's 88 models were popularly called Rocket 88s. (Illustration: Pushrod2 2007 IJB TA at the English Wikipedia; resized and changed file format (from PNG to JPEG) 2008 by Aaron Severson and used under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported license). 324 rocket v8. You could say the same thing about the original Century, if you were so inclined, which I am. I would certainly agree that the Rocket V-8 was overshadowed pretty quickly, in part because Oldsmobile didnt pursue the competition or performance avenues to the same extent Pontiac did in the late 50s. In a flathead engine, the camshaft is in the block, driven directly by the engines crankshaft. The first second-generation Oldmobile V8 330cuin (5.4L) "Jetfire Rocket" introduced in 1964 and produced through 1967. (The idea of Olds as the import-fighter brand obviously had its own problems.) The Olds FAQ (www.442.com) has info on where to find and how to decode the engine and body plates for different model years. However, my research has of necessity stretched back somewhat further than that and not just to the late 40s but, in tracing company histories, at least as far back as 1903 and the curved dash Oldsmobile. As is the case with all pre-1972 American passenger car engines, published horsepower and torque figures for those years were SAE "Gross," as opposed to 1972 and later SAE Net ratings (which are indicative of what actual production engines produce in their "as installed" state - with all engine accessories, full air cleaner assembly, and complete production exhaust system in place). Would you be willing to share which source cites fuel mileage figures? If the fluid reservoir was empty, a complex double-float and valve assembly in the Turbo-Rocket Fluid path would set a second butterfly (positioned between the throttle butterfly and the turbocharger) into the closed position, limiting the amount of boost pressure. The super-fuels the engineers wanted would probably have added even more. It always featured the 4A 83cc heads with 8:1 compression, and a Rochester Quadrajet 4 barrel carburettor. As mentioned earlier, the Rocket V8 was initially offered only in Oldsmobiles flagship 98, a big luxury car that gave away little to Cadillac in size or appointments. The output of the 307cuin (5.0L) wasn't particularly high in terms of horsepower. (5,880 cc) engine was a massive straight eight with nine main bearings may have played a role in that!) If you look up the concept of MEP (e.g. The second generation of Oldsmobile V8s was produced from 1964-1990. Get the best deals on Complete Engines for Oldsmobile 88 when you shop the largest online selection at eBay.com. The final 1990 configuration was rated at 140hp (100kW) at 3200 rpm and 255lbft (346Nm) of torque at 2000 rpm. All 425 engines were fitted with forged steel crankshafts with harmonic balancers. More Oldsmobile Classics 44. Anyway, thanks for making my visit here an enjoyable one. The practice of keeping model names alive even though applied to a vehicle with little in common with the original seems to annoy no one but me, [example Impala], why not keep division names alive and apply them to selected models. Many believe it was deliberately underrated to avoid offending Cadillac, which was concerned about its sister division outmatching the new Cadillac V8. From 1961-1963, Oldsmobile manufactured its own version of the Buick-designed, all-aluminum 215 cubic inch (3.5L) V8 engine for the F-85 compact. Where is the plate located? ), These first-party cookies are used to manage user logins and certain other administrative functions of the WordPress content management system, e.g., post editing. The Rocket-powered 98 was already a very respectable performer, so installing the new engine in the lighter body made for quite a hot number. I have an interest in the history of Camshaft design tildentechnologies.com. The other Nash driver was Robert Owen, the Dad of my best friend, also from Corsicana and my neighbor on S. 16th ST. Been an Olds man a long time.