The 5a has those casting numbers on them is what I posted. You can't port 7a heads is y you use 5as. Use the 5a intake.
Anyone here have a set of untouched set of 5A heads that they would part with and can show me the casting number? I got the other vc off this morning and the oil drain must have been plugged because oil drained out on the floor. That one was leaking worse. Is there a way to bypass the comp control in the dist or does anyone have a non comp Hei lying around?
Cylinders no more than .080 over Crank Stroke + or - .015 Head cc 59.85 Deck Height .002 But I didn't want to go that far and spend that much money but maybe shave the heads.
That helps,I guess the only thing you can do is try to free up some power,I tried to find the least exspensive way to go while staying within the rules(if you need to rebuild it to be good enough to race,or if it needs rebuilt after you race:eek2. Being a 3.80 bore engine really limits piston choices,sucks as bad as trying to make something work for a Buick 350!:afwould of liked to find a bigger dia. piston to take advantage of the rules,but I couldn't find one in the right compression distance with the lesser expensive rods) But I think I found a winner,if you need to go through the engine,won't need to mill heads or block with these parts to raise the compression,and shouldn't hurt the wallet to bad if it has to be done. Well if you get into the engine and you find out you need to replace the pistons;($119.99 for a set of 6) http://www.summitracing.com/parts/slp-h523cp/overview/ They are 6 cylinder pistons,so you'll need 2 more,these have the individual price;($20.99 each) The set of 8 for $162. http://www.summitracing.com/parts/slp-wh523cp/overview/ These pistons will need the pin bores opened up to a sbc pin dia.from .912" to .927" only .015" which is .0075 per side,and get .927 sbc pins for them(not sure what length you'll need).With these pistons,the block will only need to be honed .011" over 3.80" to 3.811".(if the block is good enough to go that less) These pistons use thinner rings that will have less drag than a stock replacement piston,and being coated skirt pinstons should help reduce friction also. 1.50mm 1.50mm 4.00mm ring pack(1.50mm = .059", 4mm = .1575") vs the old style rings,5/64 5/64 3/16 ring pack(5/64 = .078", 3/16 = .1875"). Doesn't seem like much,but it all ads up,.078 - .059 = .019 x 2 = .038 + (.1875 - .1575) =.068" per cylinder of more ring drag,times 8 = .544" of more metal to metal ring drag to slow things down. Should free up some power to help it rev faster,and not lose as much hp from friction. With these rods(almost less than having a stock set re-conditioned,depending on how much your machine shop charges); http://www.ebay.com/itm/EAGLE-SIR-R...es&hash=item231856ae9e&vxp=mtr#ht_5147wt_1213 A set of rods for $189.99 Will have to grind the crank to a sbc rod journal dia. and width,and add the extra .015 of stroke.You'll want your bearing clearances on the looser side of the tolerances. This combo should up your compression ratio to help to get you moving.(Olds rod journal dia. is 2.125,sbc is 2.100",Olds rods are .925" wide @ the big end,and the sbc rods are .945" wide) they should be lighter,and stronger than the stock Olds rods also. Machining costs should be block cleaning,honing,wristpin bores on pistons resized(machine shop should be able to hone the pin bores .015" bigger to fit the new pins),grind the crank,install the pistons on the rods,(freeze plugs and cam bearings if its in the budget,or if the block really needs it?)and balance the rotating assembly. Like I wrote before,if this engine has a roller cam,see if it can be reground in a performance profile thats within the rules,and will help the unported heads work better. You may need new push rods with a reground cam,because the base circle will now be smaller to make more lift. If the rules will allow roller rockers,these say they are for 350-455,but I don't see why they won't work on a 307? $124.99 http://www.ebay.com/itm/PRW-Oldsmob...es&hash=item19d539dd44&vxp=mtr#ht_2720wt_1006 If rules allow it,these should help free up a little more hp. These might help free up some power also,and you might be able to get them cheap if no one else bids on them; http://www.ebay.com/itm/OLDS-442-UN...ries&hash=item2580e4b8c3&vxp=mtr#ht_151wt_978 The guy isn't to sure about them,but they look like these new ones; http://www.ebay.com/itm/3pc-CNC-Bil...1088&rk=3&rkt=4&sd=161076263107&#ht_239wt_755 Looks like a fun project,you'll need to pull out all the tricks to be competitive. It was kinda fun researching this,I want to build a Oldsmobile 350 stroker now! With a 4.125" bore and a 3.660" stroke to yield 391 CID Oldsmobile,if those blocks can handle a .067" overbore,would be stonger than a 403 Oldsmobile also,the 350s were better blocks(especailly the 350 diesel blocks),unless the illusive stronger casted station wagon 403 could be found,and build a 435 cid Olsmobile stroker.Actually if I could find such a block,I would put a 455 crank in a 403 to get over 500 cid.:Brow: Stock rebuilds are boring,I like to think outside the box,and I hate painting by the numbers.uzzled: Goodluck,and have fun Ron,and stay safe when you're racing! :TU: Derek
Wow Overkill that is a good name for you! This engine looks really neglected so I will clean up what I can, maybe do a engine flush, put these headers on it and drive it for now. If I could land a 403 in good shape I would probaly go with a thumper cam and see what it would do. It almost seems like a 3.8 would be a better stocker engine than this one. I seen a Regal with a 3.8 in stock run a high 11 in the quarter. Naturally asperated. I need to get that Buick 350 together and put it in this car. It looks like I can put a regular HEI module in the distr to bypass the computer. I have another non comp Quad to put on it. Tonight I will start cleaning out the top of the block.
Good point. The 7a heads are basically "you get what you see" type of heads. The ports are small and there are emission passages which may be an issue. The idea was to reduce weight and improve flow velocity to help with mileage. Not the best performance option for a full on drag car. Here's a good site for tips and info http://tlentz.oldsgmail.com/more_power.html
Get a hold of Ken G. from Everyday Performance,he knows how to make those computer carb setups run better than they were made to run,he might be able to help you get whats in there running good. Won't hurt to call and ask,his contact info is in the vendor section on this website.(I think he mentioned racing the combo you have now in a thread) 3 quart mixture of trans fliud(dextron II) and 2 quarts of 20/50W oil in the crankcase with a new filter, let it idle for 30 minutes after its up to operating temp. Bring up the rpm once and a while to get things flowing,around 2,500 10 seconds at a time,and about 10 times of that in the 30 minute time span should clean the inside of the engine out better than any engine flush product you can buy.Trans fluid is a very good cleaning agent,that is oil based so it won't damage any seals,its a little thin thats why the 20/50W mixed with it. It is very good at cleaning carbon deposits out,and should make under the valve covers cleaner also. You'll see what I'm talking about when you drain it out of the engine. After the 30 minutes is up,drain and with the drain plug still out,pour about a 1/2 quart of new oil in the engine to help push out what was left behind before you put the drain plug back on,try to lift the car to angle the drain plug as downward as you can so the oil and debis has the straigthest path to exit. Replace plug refill with new oil,and change filter,and keep an eye on the oil because there will still be gunk left in the engine that will be loosened up from the flush,and another oil change in a couple hundred miles may be needed. If you find a 403,and race it,if you shut it down when its hot make sure it runs for at least 5 minutes before another run,or you could blow a head gasket from the siameese cylinders distorting. 403 Oldsmobiles are a very hot running engine,so you'll need a A-1 cooling system for it,heres some info on it that points out its weaknesses and more; http://www.442.com/oldsfaq/ofe403.htm Hey,by the way,how is your sbb 350 build progressing? Are you any closer to getting it together? Gearing can really help wake up the performance on your combo,so what ever gearing you think you want for the sbb 350 that will go in the car(rules permitting) would be a good time to do so. And try to get as light as you can within the rules,and you might be able to hit high 15s if the engine is in good running order.:TU: Derek
Not wanting another 307 at the moment. Just trying to get this one cleaned up and running. I checked the distr again and it has no mechanical advance so I have a point style and if I had a reluctor wheel that I could put on the shaft I could convert it to magnetic pick up and run a Stinger box on it. Here is some pics of the yuck.
I read 455 Olds heads have alot of cc's but I would go 455 Buick if I went there right? ---------- Post added at 10:24 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:32 PM ---------- I have heard some ways of cleaning this engine but before I put it back together what would be the ways that have worked for you guys. My cousin said to open the drain plug and clean it with brake clean or diesel fuel and scrape it off as you clean. I was thinking about puting it back together and use the flush method. I don't want to logg any big pieces in the cam area by scraping pieces off. Should I reassemble and flush or scrape and clean?
I've used my shop vac on engines that are caked up like that, seemed to work well, better than having big chunks get dislodged and floating around the engine:eek2:
timing is controlled by computer on those engines that's why dist has no advance are you gonna change computer controled carb too? otherwise it will be way rich
Yes regular Quadrajet and regular distributor. I have a point type but if I could put a reluctor wheel on the the shaft and put a Chrysler magnetic pick up on the points plate I could use a Stinger box. There is a 70's or 80's olds in pull-a-part that I might go see if the dist is still there.
Now that you have the engine opened up,you might as well try to get as much of the big chunks of crap out of there as you can,and flush it after you put it back together. Try not to use red shop rags to wipe it out because those leave a lot of lint behind,you don't want that in the engine.(could clog small oil passages) After the big chunks are out,you can spray the inside down with brake clean to wash the left over crap to the oil pan with the drain plug out so it runs out in your drain pan. Before you re-assemble,re-oil the cam if its a flat tappit if you don't have a way to run the oilpump without it running,if its a roller,don't worry about it. Doing an engine flush after will clean oil passages,inside the lifters and clean the bearings,and the inside of the oil pan,and all the other places you can't access. While you have apart that far,you might as well do your cam regrind or change if thats in the plan,so you don't have to do it twice. You can clean the rockers and push rods while its apart also,and maybe consider a new timing chain when you re-assemble. Heres one for $16 with free shipping; http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Timing-...ories&hash=item2a2f6fffe4&vxp=mtr#ht_28wt_992 Did you talk to Ken from Everyday Performance about getting the computer controlled carb running good? That way you won't have to change the distributor to a points one,and the computer will control the advance.You may even be able to get a new chip for the computer?(not sure if anyone still deals with those antique computers though,Ken might know)GL Derek
No I got a set of headers to put on it so I'm not going back to Computer controlled. ---------- Post added at 03:02 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:12 PM ---------- I think I will take the rockers off, inspect the stands, and clean the head surface while they are off. I will do the timing chain when I do the oil pan and hopefully have a cam to put in it.
I guess I will use the shop vac but hate to get oil in it but I do have a bag in it so it should just oil up the hose.
