[geeteeohguy]

Originally Posted by Skip Fix

So I'll throw a slightly related but tangential question -why did most of the jet boats in the 70s early 80s use Olds 455s vs Chevy 454, Pontiac , Buick 455s?

There were a lot of Olds powered jet boats in the early 80's were I was in CA as well. As a mechanic at a general shop (worked on every make) from the late 70's through the mid '90's, I saw a lot of the old large-bore V8's. Of them all, the Oldsmobile 455 was the most durable, and would put up with the most abuse/neglect. So running an Olds in a boat at high load most of the time would make sense, as there would be less down time. BBC's had valve issues, Cadillacs liked to toss rods, and Pontiacs liked to spin bearings. The old FE Fords were durable, but by then, the 427's were a lot of money. Used Olds 455's were cheap and all over the place...and they held up.