[MO Olds]

Originally Posted by Jay S

Looking good.

I didn’t see what heads you have on your olds, or what year 455 you started with. We have 5 Olds 455 powered cars. One 76, 3 1970’s, and a 1969. One 70 is in our 71 Chevelle. The accessories should not be too difficult to come up with, I have seen that swap in Firebirds before. It didn’t appear to be too difficult of a swap.

With the 268 cam and 9:1 compression it is likely be going to diesel/run-on when you shut the ignition off. Your probably going to need a shut off solenoid keyed to power, you can get around it if you run 93 octane. Olds have 1.6 rockers, it will likely start to float the valves at 4600 rpm with the 268 cam and the stock valve springs. It will be done before that though.

With an aluminum intake on a 455 Olds they are only 70 lbs heavier than a SBC. They are surprisingly light, quite a bit lighter than a 455 Pontiac. The long runners on the intake produce a ton of torque, and cylinder fill thru the low RPM’s. Make sure you run cold enough spark plugs or it won’t be happy.

Olds engines are some of the most oil leak free engine platforms I have been around. Should be a fun dependable combo.

Thanks! I have the "J" heads with larger intake/exhaust valves, seats and other machine work. Prior to sending, I spent time on enlarging oil drain backs as well as ground out the A.I.R bumps. I know the J heads are not the best, but its what came with the motor.

Regarding the cam, I do plan to run 93/premium regardless of price! Back to your point, I actually have the 218 cam (you indicated 268 which i assume you mean int/exahust at 050 inch lift?). A lot of this is new to me...From the mfg website: COMP Cams High Energy camshafts are designed for street engines with an 8:1 to 9:1 compression ratio...Or this a different issue altogether i am missing. Thanks!