(The idea of Olds as the import-fighter brand obviously had its own problems.) The development testing, however, had been done using the smaller B-body Olds 76 as a test mule. You make a good point about the L-head lifter. A long piston stroke gives more torque, which means better engine response at low speeds. The original Oldsmobile Rocket V8 soldiered on until 1964, eventually reaching 394 cu. Well, are you presuming that the 88s actual career in stock car racing or road races like the Carrera Panamericana somehow dont count? Free shipping for many products! . There were 64 1st Gen sold in the last 5 years. Oldsmobile used the popular LV2, a 307-cubic-inch (5.0L) engine, commonly known by the VIN code "Y", from 1980-1990. I dont know what its survival rate is, though. Output for 1983-1985 was 180hp (130kW) and 245lbft (332Nm). In certain cases, multiple iterations of either or both of these cookies may be set. In an OHV engine, the valves are placed directly above the combustion chamber, which greatly improves breathing. The 403 is fundamentally the exact same block as an Oldsmobile 350 V8, however it features a larger bore. Maybe. 1750 Enterprise Way Suite 109 Marietta, GA 30067. These were wedge-head engines with a unique combustion chamber that resulted from a valve angle of only 6. Oldsmobiles companion make, the Viking had a horizontal-valve V8 with two-plane crankshaft in the early thirties. 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. The following are turn key engines available . It had the same 0.921in (23.4mm)-diameter lifters of the first-generation Oldsmobile engines, rather than the standard 0.842in (21.4mm), which let engineers increase the camshaft's ramp speed for more power, 385hp (287kW), without sacrificing idle or reliability. ), This cookie was set if you clicked the "Disable Google Analytics Tracking" link to prevent the Google Analytics service from tracking your use of the Ate Up With Motor website. Both are well-documented, albeit relatively short-lived. 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). GM embarked on a vigorous campaign to persuade the major oil companies to offer higher-octane premium gasoline for civilian use. However, the only badging identifying it as such was a simple "88" underneath each taillight. The 1954 88 and Super 88 V8s used an 8.25:1 compression ratio for 170 and 185hp (127 and 138kW) and 295 and 300lbft (400 and 407Nm), respectively. It has gained popularity among young muscle car lovers. Google, AdSense, Google AdSense, Google Analytics, and other related marks and logos are trademarks of Google LLC. The overhead valve engine concept offered both power and efficiency, with an improvement in fuel economy (estimated at about 10 percent better than prior engine designs). Park is actually a parking brake that has a red light comes on when the hand brake is out. Every 307 used a four-barrel carburetor, which was a variant of the Rochester Quadrajet, usually the CCC (Computer Command Control) Quadrajet. 88. in. 2 barrel carburet . 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. Accessing the login page sets the wordpress_test_cookie, a session cookie that tests whether the user's browser (or other user agent) will allow the cookies needed to log in to the administrative dashboard; this cookie normally expires when the user closes their browser (or other user agent). Get the best deals on Complete Engines for Oldsmobile 88 when you shop the largest online selection at eBay.com. Both the Cadillac and Oldsmobile design teams were strongly influenced by the work of GM research chief Boss Charles Kettering, who had been working on high-compression engines since the end of World War I. The final 1990 configuration was rated at 140hp (100kW) at 3200 rpm and 255lbft (346Nm) of torque at 2000 rpm. 1964 Starfire produced 345hp (257kW) and 440lbft (600Nm) for the 1963-4 Starfire and 98 Custom-Sports Coupe. In practice, owners who did not regularly drive hard enough to engage the front and rear carburetors experienced problems with the linkage and carburetor throats becoming clogged, and some J-2-equipped cars had the front and rear carburetors removed and blocked off. For more information about what data PayPal services collect and how that data may be used, visit the "Legal Agreements for PayPal Services" page to review the PayPal Privacy Statement and Statement on Cookies and Tracking Technologies that apply in your location (the Statement on Cookies and Tracking Technologies that applies to each region is linked from within the applicable PayPal Privacy Statement). I came here to pick up some information for a book Im writing and was pleasantly surprised to find more than I bargained for. Happy to see someone that not only mentions, but appreciates the early Olds. Classic Oldsmobile Rocket 88 for Sale. It shared the same compression ratio of the Toronado Rocket at 10.5:1. The engine built in the 1955 Super 88 and 98 models delivered 295 horsepower. The "Rocket" name disappeared from the air cleaner decal in 1975, the same year that the catalytic converter was added to the emissions control system. Instead, influenced by the Space Race between the United States and the USSR, the legendary Rocket was born, available in Oldsmobile's 88, Super 88, and 98 models. 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. $410.00 shipping. This cars turn signals may be an aftermarket addition turn signals were originally a $15 option on this car. In a flathead engine, the camshaft is in the block, driven directly by the engines crankshaft. wider bore provides a greater surface area on which the forces of combustion can act, improving power Road tests were conducted later that year and the new V8 went into production a few days before Christmas 1948. $22,000 (OBO) By the time the battle reached a temporary ceasefire at decades end, the average power of the typical passenger car had (at least on paper) more than doubled. It was optional on 1964 98s and Super 88s. Compression ratios of 9.0:1 at 310hp (230kW) or 10.25:1 at 360hp (270kW) were available in the U.S. A special 1965-1967 425cuin (7.0L) V8 was the Starfire engine. 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. Each engine in this generation is quite similar with the same size block and heads. Have never been an American car guyI cut my teeth on old British roadstersbut I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed your well-written, informative article on the history of the Rocket 88. 1999), pp. The short stroke allowed the engine to rev more freely while the wider bore provides more room for larger valves, which further improves breathing. Im wondering how many weeks of informative evening reading I can enjoy from your articles. It didnt have an actual Park position until the advent of the controlled-coupling Hydra-Matic in MY1956. The oil industry wasnt interested, nor was the auto industry, nor it must be said was the contemporary American public. The starting gun of that race was sounded by Oldsmobile, with its advanced new overhead-valve V8 and the new mid-size model that shared its name: the 1949-1950 Oldsmobile Rocket 88. With a 4-barrel carburetor and 10.75:1 compression, the Olds 215 made 195hp (145kW) at 4800rpm and 235lbft (319Nm) at 3200rpm with an automatic. 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. If the payment button is visible, it may set the third-party cookies PYPF (via paypalobjects.com, which is owned by PayPal, Inc.), which appears to check whether or not you are a logged-in PayPal user, possibly to facilitate the PayPal user login process, and/or 01A1 (via abmr.net, which is owned by Akamai Technologies), which stores certain technical information about your device and browser (or other user agent), possibly to facilitate the login and shopping cart functions. When it comes to Oldsmobiles from 1957, the hardtop was the second-most-popular body style, with 49,187 units produced. But it DID have a fairly illustrious season on the track and in road racing. The Vimeo Cookie Policy also provides information about how Vimeo users can control the use of third-party analytics and/or advertising cookies in connection with embedded Vimeo video players. Now that we have DISCONTINUED our use of Google Analytics tracking on this website, this cookie no longer functions no additional analytics data will be collected, with or without the cookie. Olds veterans claimed the Burrell group was completely unaware of the Cadillac project until quite late in the development of the Oldsmobile V8. The 455 big block Olds V8 was replaced in 1977 with the 403cuin (6.6L) small block, which used a 4.351in (110.5mm) bore, the largest ever used in a small-block V8, with the Olds small-block standard deck and 3.385in (86.0mm) stroke. I have read several histories of the 1949 Oldsmobile and Cadillac V-8s, but never seen Bouvy mentioned. [13] It could also be fitted with high-compression cylinder heads from the Morgan +8. For more information about how Akamai may collect, process, and/or use personal data, visit the Akamai "Privacy and Policies" page and Privacy Trust Center. spark ignition engine for high-compression studies. They were criticized at the time as being unsafe in city traffic because they picked up their air too close to the tail pipes of cars ahead. It was used by every domestic GM automobile marque except for GMC and Saturn. Its a super 88 sedan 4 door. The 76 lingered for one more model year and then was dropped entirely; the division wouldnt offer a six again until 1964. (I quess that would be total Olds minus Olds 76 model.). The Olds 88 was also one of the fastest automobiles in America at the dawn of the 1950s, and it was the car to beat in NASCAR racing, winning 10 out of 19 races in the 1950 season. 16, No. 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). We may sometimes present an alternative version of the sidebar offering different options, which may set the a11y-desaturated, a11y-high-contrast, and/or a11y-larger-fontsize cookies if you change those settings. These changes increased torque to 250lbft (340Nm) but lowered power to 170hp (130kW), while lowering the RPM at which peak power and torque was achieved. 1985), pp. Only the center carburetor was mechanically connected to the throttle pedal, and it was the only one equipped with a choke. Even modest restorations can quickly get out of control, cost-wise, so be careful that a $2,000 bargain doesnt become a money pit. R.M. You could say the same thing about the original Century, if you were so inclined, which I am. We are known for our high quality,attention to detail and meeting our customers goals. Even a heavier 55 Super 88 with the later 324 (like the one tested by both Motor Trend and Motor Life it looks to be the same car) could manage up to 19 mpg at a steady 60 mph, dropping to 1213 mpg in mixed use. The engine is also known for its reliability, smoothness and quietness. 4 speed hydromantic transmission. It was a sliding gear like a manual and held in some fashion I cant remember because it couldnt lock to the engine through the torus member. Nice Article thank you for preserving our history. The bore was so wide that the cylinder walls were siamesed, as in the Chevrolet 400 V8, with no space for coolant to flow between the cylinders. 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. In short, the flatheads breathing ability is only mediocre. Some consider Rocket 88, recorded by Jackie Brenston in 1951, to be the first rock and roll song. 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. If we have enabled multi-factor authentication (which requires an authentication code as well as a password to log into the administrative dashboard), the iThemes Security plugin may also set the itsec_interstitial_browser cookie during the login process. Im currently writing a book on Yankee iron of the 1955-1973 period (the true golden age of the American Car in the modern era.) in. It was no longer available in cars in 1961. Sunday - Closed. (Google, Google Analytics, and other related marks and logos are trademarks of Google LLC. From 1950 through 1974, the 88 was by far the most lucrative line throughout the division, largely due to the entry-level versions like the 88 and the Dynamic 88. Internal combustion engines are essentially air pumps, so their power depends greatly on how much air-fuel mixture can flow into the cylinders to burn. (Those pages do not currently discuss the storage of data in your browser (or other user agent) using technologies other than cookies, e.g., in web storage.) Coincidentally, Cadillac had been working since 1936 on a very similar OHV engine to replace its familiar monoblock flathead V8. The 324cuin (5.3L) version was produced from 1954 until 1956. 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. 324 rocket v8. CC-1634303. The Rocket V8 was the subject of many first and lasts in the automotive industry. The demise of Olds is yet another dreary episode in the ongoing story of GM losing its way. 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. For sale 1967 Oldsmobile Delta 88 custom, 2 door hardtop. Particularly by 50s standards, the flathead Ford wasnt an outstanding engine, which I think even a lot of loyalists would have readily admitted, but you could get them by the cartload and there was a huge, well-entrenched aftermarket for them. From 1949 until 1951, the 2-barrel carburetor 303 produced 135hp (101kW) and 253lbft (343Nm). The effective dates of the current versions are: Paid advertisements and/or sponsored links on Ate Up With Motor will be identified with words such as "Sponsor," "Sponsors," "Sponsored Link(s)," "Sponsored Content," "Ad," "Advertisement," "Advertisement(s)," or "Paid Promotion" (and/or by images or icons containing such words). For all the administrative and login cookies described here, "xx" will be a cryptographic hash while "UID" will be the administrative user's user ID number in this website's WordPress database. The Rocket 88 won six of nine NASCAR late-model division races in the 1949 season and 10 of 19 races in 1950. If the engine is thrashed and you just plan to swap in a later crate motor and a modern transmission, it may not matter, but if you want to restore, thats another matter. Submitting a comment signifies your acceptance of our. I have read and accepted the Privacy Policy The Oldsmobile engine was then pretty new, a new 88 was expensive, and Im guessing that getting a decent crate or junkyard engine would cost almost as much as a decent Cadillac V-8. 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. 15 results per page. The _ga and _gid cookies, which were only placed if you clicked "Accept/Enable" in the notification banner, enabled the Google Analytics service to track your activity on the site. 9 (September 1964), reprinted in Oldsmobile Muscle Portfolio 1964-1971, ed. With a 4-barrel carburetor and 10.25:1 compression, the Olds 215 made 185hp (138kW) at 4800rpm and 230lbft (310Nm) at 3200rpm with a manual transmission. By contrast, both the Cadillac and Oldsmobile V8s were oversquare, with a wide bore and a short stroke. Rockets, Vikings and Your Old Man. Maybe just intake or vacuum leak. From your research, do you have any information on Bouvy? [5], This engine was used in GMC heavy trucks as the "370" of 232 gross HP at 4200 RPM and torque 355 gross lbs-ft at 2600 RPM from 1957 to 1959.It had hardened valve seats and other features for heavy duty usage. Overhead valves did not suffer the same problem, which gave them the potential for much higher compression ratios. Were Oldsmobiles ever sold in Brazil in any significant numbers? If better fuels became available, both the Cadillac and Olds engines had the theoretical potential for compression ratios as high as 12:1. Many were shared among other divisions, but each design was unique: GM later standardized on the later generations of the Chevrolet design: Northway sourced Oldsmobile Flathead V8 (1916-1923). Comments may be moderated. ), Diagram of a typical pushrod/rocker-arm layout of an overhead-valve engine. The wild rocket hood ornament was technically a $5 option. 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. Bore was up to 4.0in (100mm) and stroke was increased to 3.6875in (93.66mm) for 371cuin (6.1L). Oldsmobiles first OHV V8, dubbed the Rocket engine, had a 3.75-inch (95.3mm) bore and a 3.44-inch (87.3mm) stroke, compared to 3.25 inches (82.6mm) and 3.88 inches (98.4mm) respectively for the straight eight the Rocket replaced. ), 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. [20] Parts peculiar to this system include a toothed disc between the harmonic balancer and the crank pulley, the "adjacent sensor" (an early form of crankshaft position sensor), a special distributor, an engine temperature sensor, and a rudimentary computer mounted inside the car, under the dashboard. 18-23; Jim Richardson, Rocket Power: Oldsmobiles 1950 convertibles: The rocking 88 versus the jazzier 98, Special Interest Autos #188 (March-April 2002), pp. Power was 81 hp at 3000 rpm. The 425cuin (7.0L) big-block was the first tall-deck "big block," produced from 1965 through 1967. 394s were produced from 19591964 and were available on many Olds models. Learn more. Assuming your car has its original engine, its the version Oldsmobile called the Skyrocket, which was differentiated from the base Rocket by its four-barrel carburetor and gross ratings of 330 hp and 440 lb-ft of torque. Clarke (Cobham, England: Brooklands Books Ltd., ca. Brand new 1/87 (HO) scale diecast car model of 1949 Oldsmobile Rocket 88 Coupe #22 "Overseas Motors Atlanta" Red die cast model car by Oxford Diecast. Ford, Chevy, Dodge and Mercury were the top sellers and I believe Oldsmobile would come in 5th or 6th place. Most contemporary road tests at least mentioned fuel consumption. The Olds engine performed well and was very smooth running but didnt have as much scat as the modified flat head. Power increased the final Rocket was rated at 345 gross horsepower (257 kW) but fuel economy eroded. About six weeks after he started work, Burrell showed his designs to Oldsmobiles chief engineer Jack Wolfram and Oldsmobile general manager Sherrod Skinner. 96. (Thats a lesson that many Jaguar and Porsche owners have learned the hard way.)[/quote]. Classic Car Deals (844) 676-0714. This is a session cookie that verifies that the user has entered valid user credentials pending receipt of the correct authentication code; the cookie normally expires when the user closes their browser (or other user agent). The prototypes, which first ran in November 1946, were 287 cu. I can see it now. Both of the practical options available in the 1930s and 1940s a train of gears or a metal chain drive were complex, expensive, and noisy. They normally expire after about one year. All the chrome is perfect interior all original all the glass is good.all the gauges work. Some L-head straight-eights were MORE powerful than early OHV V-8s, although they were getting to the limit of their potential, at least in states of tune that were still reasonably streetable. Oldsmobile V8s can be grouped into five "generations.". The company produced its first V8 - an L-head design . They may persist for up to two years. 1988), pp. Can you point me to any information on GM camshaft design methodology? Performance modifications included a "hot" camshaft (in reality, just a camshaft used in various applications during the '70s with .440"/.440" lift and 196/208 duration at .050"), stiffer valve springs, a larger vibration damper (same as all '73-'79 350s, 403s, and 455s), a Y-pipe dual-outlet exhaust system, and richer secondary metering rods in the carburetor. Then in 1955 Chevrolet introduced their ohv V8 (as did Packard, Plymouth and Pontiac) and changed the game again. Although production of the 455 ended in 1976, a small number were produced through 1978 for power equipment use, such as motorhomes, boats and irrigation equipment.[15]. All LV2s feature a 4-barrel carburetor. 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. Two distinct versions of the 400 CID engine were made: The 1966-1967 4-4-2 400cuin (6.6L) V8 was a short stroke engine which featured B and C cast large-valve cylinder heads and hydraulic lifters of larger diameter, as well as push-rods of different length and diameter than the standard Olds Rocket V8. 1959 and 1960 371s used green painted valve covers. A nominal 360 hp was claimed in 1967 when equipped with a W30 camshaft, 4-barrel, and outside air induction, 502 of which were factory produced. Crazy Egg is a trademark of Crazy Egg, Inc. Optimizely is a registered trademark of Optimizely, Inc. in the United States, EU, and elsewhere. All Oldsmobile V8s were manufactured at plants in Lansing, Michigan while the engine block and cylinder heads were cast at Saginaw Metal Casting Operations. This engine was only available in the Oldsmobile Starfire and a performance economy model called the Jetstar I. The 1950 Oldsmobile Rocket 88s were considerably cheaper than the 49s, although that was largely because Hydra-Matic, which had been standard equipment on all 1949 V8-powered cars, reverted to being a $185 option. Unlike all other 425s, this version was painted slate blue metallic. Free shipping on many items | Browse your favorite brands | affordable prices. "Kelly", Jr. Baechtel, John. You never mentioned it but the 50 Olds in the photo has the single piece windshield. The OHV V8 was still a large engine externally, but it was shorter and lower than the straight eight and weighed quite a bit less. 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