I had a 79' Pontiac Trans Am that had the Olds 403 in it stock..it lost compression and I had it bored .040 to clean it up and put a mild cam..basically this same Performer intake and a Edelbrock 800 cfm carburetor on it..Wow it had so torque and just really ran great for a mild engine..very good after that.
Great video, another home run. Who couldn't love an Olds Rocket 350 belting out 400 HP?? I could listen to it all day long. Thanks Nick and Vasily. Semper Fi!
My school days buddy had a 70 Cutlass 350 4 speed. His dad was friends with A.J. Foyts crew chief. He built that engine in their shop and it was a high revver.
I have a mildly built 350 in my 71 Chevelle, but once I get my finances back on track I am going to have Nick build me a 383. Pandemic hurt our body shop so we are hanging in there at the moment. I have been watching the channel for a long time and just love how passionate and skillful the man is. Keep up the great work guys.
Nick, Thank you for sharing the video. For so many years I've been watching you on UA-cam. It's amazing with the diversity of nostalgic automotive parts in some of the auto restoration you've done it keeps hope alive for some of us older enthusiast . Big Tony's family .....I know that guy..... thank God for you and your Automotive Crew. Doc Martin
Good video. This is why people like Bernard Mondello are worth the money. So many people say port matching intakes is silly and a waste of money. Bernard knows every atom of metal when it comes to Olds products and if you want a magical number he has the answer. Nick knew the correct answer and showed us why. I love his technique of teaching and explaining. 400 from a 350 is a damn good result on any 350. I would like to see Nick squeeze this motor to 425 hp without touching the cam. Some head porting and polishing and he would be there.
This is an honest effort and super refreshing to see. I have a dyno (SF-902) in my shop and I have also built some Olds engines and was not surprised to see the Edelbrock manifold outperform the stock. This engine does not breathe deep enough @ 5600-5800 RPM to be worried about a little extra cross section with the stock iron manifold. Also I have never seen a spacer arrangement like you were using work either. It was very refreshing to see the truth on the internet for once! Good job and nice engine, oh and decent video production. Keep it up!
I was glad to see this as well since I have the same intake on a motor I'm building. Mine was originally a 2 barrel motor so I'm pretty sure the Edelbrock will flow more with a reman 750 Quadrajet on it.
I just read your reply, I am 62 so I remember the 350-455 engines and the W-30 options, didn't the RALLYE 350 have aluminum intake like the W-30 455? I remember the car itself as being yellow but yes only a 350. I had built a 67 Yenko clone Camaro when I was 20, 427/425 engine, 4 speed and 456 gears true old school by todays standards but walked on everything in town. I agree that those 'spacers/adapters seemed it would distort airglow nd I have seen some fast cars running the Q-jet, I had a 650 spread bore on a 396 325 with the cast intake, Q-jet was finicky and playing with those metering rods were not easy. I ran a junk 780 on my 427 with a dual plane that some cut the middle out of, do you remember the single plane Tarantula that was on an angle for some weird reason?
@@zxtenn Yep, I remember those single plane Tarantula's. I'm wondering if he'd done better here with a spread bore carb. I've never known of those adapters be much of an advantage to airflow, it was just a way to put one type of carb on another type of mani!
Nick, I am an old hot rodder originally from Brooklyn, NY. I now live in Florida. You bring back the memories that meant so much to me. Thank you, David T.
Stuck one of these in a 77 Chevy short bed pick up for my son in the early 90s ( for all you Chevy guys, if you take a piece of 1 1/2 inch strap iron, bolt a Chevy motor mount to it so it straddles the middle of the 3 tapped holes in the olds block just above the oil pan, it will drop right in. Shorten the drive shaft 4 1/2 inch for the olds trans. Cheap 300 hp.
I would ask my Advisor if i could stay an hour or two late to finish a car for a waiter. Those few people would always fill my fridge with Pizza and Beer. I now have the Security code and set of keys to get in the building whenever i want or leave after hours
It’s that adapter, it’s choking the flow from the carb into the intake. In the 80’s that same adapter was available and it was known to be a dud. It was just so you could put an easier to tune Holley on your car since the Q-Jets were hard for most people to tune. But a well tuned Q-Jet will make more power than a Holley on a restrictive adapter.
I built a 403 to replace the tired 350 in my 68 Cutlass when I was in High School in the late 80's. Car was factory 4 spd and had 3.91 rear gears. That motor always ran better with factory intake and Quadrajet carb. Had more power and was easier to drive, less surging. Beat the crap out of that engine, including many 6000+ RPM shifts, and many runs down the quarter mile. 13.3's at 106 with factory 14 inch rims and street tires.
Great vid. Thank you Nick. Olds Rocket motors are monsters. A friend of mine had 400 rocket olds from a late 70's model trans am stuffed in a 69 cutlass convertible. He tweaked the stock quardrajet carb, new exhaust/headers, removed any smog equip, etc., gear for that year 3:08 maybe? and 2 speed power glide. We got clocked down a local drag/highway at 137 mph with the top down LOL. 1986. The state trooper who pulled us over back then said "what are you crazy"??!!! I think he gave us a break because he liked the car. If i had to guess car would have pulled mid 13's in the quarter. Peace from Boston.
I had 3 79 trans am’s with the 6.6 olds 403 and they were beast I loved the but the ex wife made me sell them should have kept them and let her leave a few years early
The 403 is not a bad motor, the head design and coolant flow sucked and they over heated quite a bit under pressure but some simple things could get them over the 400 horsepower range, They had great torque as well, In all honesty i think too much is being asked of this motor, Nick repeatedly revs it over 5000rpm on the dyno which is pushing it, These motors had lower ranges at which peak power was had, usually between 2000 and 5000 rpm, more designed for torque at lower ends
Best engine builder hands down guys dedicated to doing what people want even if it means staying late from michigan ..keep up the good work to all you guys!!
You can tell Nick loves what he does. You can see the passion he has for building and testing engines. Awesome human being Nick is in all things. Love watching a person with so much passion for work and life.
Those engines like the quadra jet carbs. Experimented with with a holley and quadra jet years ago on 350 olds cutlass. Only had a seat of the pants dyno but the quadra jet was the better for sure.
@Dave Micolichek my dad runs nhra stock eliminater with one for many decades now, my street car uses the biggest quadrajet off of a 70 model 501 caddy engine I've modified it much excellent carb in my opinion
@Dave Micolichek that's a fun class too. My dad just won the shootout for stock superstock combo race at Memphis Tennessee leader in points for that track. I like ihra myself lot less bs than NHRA will give a person
Impressive........I really hope Velocity can have a peak at this type of video and make something out of this , we need more shows like this............this is entertaining and educational...............THUMBS UP.
Johnny Zonta: I couldn't agree more. After some dunderheads decided to pull the plug on Speed channel, I was relieved to see Velocity come on the small screen. That being said, a few more programs for us gearheads would be great. Showing people with a little grease under their fingernails is always a good thing.
Johnny Zonta: I agree totally. I'm starving for GOOD car shows and Nick's Garage is great because he dabbles with everything. Pontiac, Olds, small block Mopar. I throw stuff at the TV when someone restores a nice classic car and puts an LS motor in it. Cmon dog! You go Nick! !
Great content! Thank you for taking the time to give us a look into your passion amd your shop. Very educational and even confidence inspiring. With a bit more research, I think its time I pulled the small block out of my '72 Ford and give the love it deserves. Thanks!
My old man had a Rocket 350 in a 68 Cuttlas with a little known optional package called a "Ram Rod" package. The car had a turbo 400 trans and 12 bolt posi rear with a low gear in it. It was very quick for a plain looking Olds. I saw that car beat big block Chevelles and Camaros. It was quick.
Ram Rod package. Lol. That was a Wolf in Sheep's clothing. W31 350 Dual Scoope under bumper Ram Air Induction. 308 duration cam. Factory Aluminum intake. Extra thick harmonic balancer. Would Rev to 6500 Rpm. 3.90 to 4.11 gears out back. I'd Say it Probably Ran Like A Raped Ape.
Dougie Fresh I grew up with same car , swivel buckets seat s push button trunk for the trunk monkey. Lot of memories good and bad . It sat two inches off the ground , rust holes on the edges of canvas top and trim . It got the name rust bucket at the drag strip every Wednesday at pir
Edelbrock offered two performer olds intakes, the 3711 which I believe you have and the 7111 rpm version. The 7111 has a raised carb height of 2 inches. It is also rated to 6500 rpm instead of just 5500 as the 3711 is.
If your going to build a motor, this is the kinda guy you want working on it. Old school, and tons of experience. Experience is king...it can't be taught.
I was doing engine development work on the 70 440 6pack in 69. I got a work order to install a new supplied aluminum intake. I installed and it became part of the improvements for the 1970 model year.
MAN YOU GUYS, ARE HELLVA REAL CAR BUILDERS PLEASE KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK AN PAST THESE KNOWLEDGE ON,; NO I WISH I REALLY WOULD HAVE KEEP MY 74 Delta88 350 Rocket in stock form it blew past 120 mph with the 375 TH Transmission & 3.08 Gears.
you out off control Mr. Nick if you can't do it no one can keep them going .. teaching that young man all your knowledge and tricks can't wait for my motors turn to get its turn (455) KEEP UP THE EXCELLENT WORK
Put a 780 Double pumper spread bore Holley on it with the right jetting and will make more power than the setup with the adaptor plate. The restriction in the middle of the stock manifold is robbing it of horsepower, even with the adaptor. Some mild porting work will help a lot as well on the stock manifold. Even the Edelbrock manifold could use some porting work. We call it gasket matching on both the heads, and manifold, and it made a huge difference in both torque and HP. Great video and it shows the difference between stock, and aftermarket
yes, I do this as well.. motors run more smoothly across the board, idle great, quick response,., I think the balancing of air flow has a big effect.. all stock and aftermarket manifolds have rough castings and benefit some smoothing out.
My father had a '68 Olds Cutlass w/ one of those 350 Rocket engines he used to rave about. Sadly, that car got rear-ended and we pulled the engine/trans, before it went to the scrap yard and he installed that drive train into a '67 Chevelle to go drag racing. I recall thinking how cool it was to have a gold engine gleaming at you when you open the hood, like a piece of precious metal created by a mad alchemist - iron to gold. He sure won a bunch of class trophies w/ that Rocket.
The only way to do it! I enjoy your videos and your talents. I love the way you keep it old school! I'd be pleasured to hang with you and do some building! GOD bless you brother Nick! You are awesome!
Gooday Nick! I really love the working on engines just like you do . I'm really old school because I learned from a retired Shipwright that retired in the 1960's & who worked all through the 2nd world war. Being a war ,the allies shared their knowledge and because of that Jack (retired shipwright) toured the Ford engine plant & seen that all of their crankshafts were being done between centers in the crankshaft grinding machines. Well I met Jack taking a machinist course he taught when he retired. I guess I must have mentioned that I ran a crank grinder for a "professional engine building shop" and we held all the cranks in the grinder in 3 jaw chucks on each end of the crankshaft. The problem was they would not meet the specifications no matter how hard I tied ! I ended up learning all over again how to grind cranks between centers on his machine & WOW! what a difference. My cranks had "Zero" runout & I would tell Jack the gauge must be broken & he would check the gauge & move it and the gauge was OK . I never looked back & I have built winning stock car engines since then. I am a backyard mechanic that wrote his test for a mechanics license and passed and a third year machinist who really loves Holley carbs. If I may be as so bold I would suggest a Holley List 6210 spreadbore carb 65 jets in front (powervalve) and 73 in the secondarys (no powervalve) to start with. The reason I love the Holleys so much is that they are quite rebuildable and they were Henry Fords pick for his cars. The people that dis Holley carbs do that because , when they rebuild these carbs is that they soak the baseplate without taking throttle shafts out and in the carb cleaner the Teflon on the throttle shafts (Holley supplies new Teflon in most carb kits) dissolves and the carb works worse than before they touched the carb. Just a little insight on things that I have found to work. O yea did you know that carb adaptors can cost h.p.. I think you could make your 400hp with a good 6210 Holley . Thanks for the great videos & I wonder what I am going to learn today. My name is James T.P. Burke and the shipwrights nick name for me was "Hot Shot" Have a great day ! I also liked your video with your hellcat on the track
This is a key example of why bigger is not always better. With a carburetated engine you always have fuel suspended with your air charge going into the runners and ultimately into the combustion chamber. You're goal is to always keep the fuel atomized as much as possible. If the velocity is too low the fuel falls out of suspension, which is kinda what I'm suspecting is happening here. The smaller port actually is making more power because the fuel is better atomized due to the velocity vs the pure volume.
...and this is how we Greeks...made every horse came out from a motor!!greetings from Athens Greece!I wish you were here so you can tune my olds 350 motor!
I had a 350 rocket in a 4 door hard top. It was bone stock and had 2:73 rear gears so it wasn't a stoplight champion but it could bomb down the interstate a triple digit speeds with no effort.
It's kind of interesting that after they swapped to the original manifold using the same carburetor that they had to go up the Jets because it was too lean. That would seem to indicate that it was in fact flowing more air. Otherwise it should have been rich. Kind of interesting great video as always
if you not moving as much air thru the carb it will pull less fuel and theres also the fact that fuel distribution per cylinder will affect air fuel ratios.
I bet if he put a quadrajet right on there without a spacer he would be making 400. The carburetor bores on quadrajet line up exactly with the holes in the stock manifold. Which means direct flow right into the engine
In the early 80's I had a 350 SB in a 72 Nova. Raced on an airport runway that was not yet open to the public. There was a 66 Galaxie 390 4 sp, and a 68 Olds 442 with a 350 Rocket. My Nova had a 2 bbl carb, 3 sp, All my motor had special was the 461X heads. I won all the 1/4 mile races that day! It would almost pull the front wheels with bias ply tires in back!
Great video. I have run a few Oldsmobiles many years ago both in streetcars and in jet boats... This was fun to see and I would be very interested to see what the stock intake manifold would do with the entire Center Milled out
Wow I love the old school tradition, back in the day when a guy would win a street race. It was because of his combination of head work, cam choice, gear ratio, and driving skill. In today's world its all about how much you are willing to spend. You could have a 1000 HP and it wouldn't be uncommon for someone to pull up next to you with 2000 HP. Hmm I wounder who has the faster car. You know what I mean. There was a time when point dwell made all the difference.
Derredmax Today many mechanics don't even know what Dwell is I do like not having change points and condenser 2 or 3 times a year. Guess I'm getting old and lazy
When I was in high school I had a 64 Cutlass that had a 330 in it. Looked exactly like the 350. I rebuilt the engine and put in an Olds part number, "police pursuit" cam, It was otherwise stock, not even headers. I don't know how much horsepower it had but it would pull strong right through 6000rpm. I had lots of fun in that car, got a lot of tickets and a lot of, um, trim. ;-)
@@x-man5056 Thanks i hope so. Not looking for it to be a race engine or anything but to be able to get out of its own way and keep up with modern traffic. It should be way better than the 307 its replacing
@@eyeshocars9978 Yes but I don't know what "ultra high compression" means here. If it's higher than 9 to 1 you'll be haveing to run premium gas possible even race gas if it's above 11.5 to 1. If you are running it as a daily driver I would want no more than 10 to 1. The 307's were always dogs from the factory but easily modifiable to spunky motors.
I just recently inherited a 84 Chevy C10 4x4 that my Dad put a Rocket 350 in about 10 years ago. Im trying to determine what year it is and it only has a 2 barrel carb on it. I cant wait to see if I can do some mods and get it really running!!! Great video! Thank you!
all i could think of this whole video, says heads are ported, but is the intake and gaskets matched!?? grrr, what a waste of time bolting old iron on it
The intakes are left small so they can be ported and gasket matched to the heads. 🤦🏻♂️ when i saw the ports when they pulled the intake off it was clear that was where they failed.
Great video Nick! SO CLOSE to 400 HP! I built a few Olds engines; (2) 350's and (4) 455's. I was glad that you pointed out the really good design of the original 350 manifold. Olds 4 barrel intakes from '67 - '72 performed especially well. They really liked a 1" thick 4 hole spacer with a 800 Q-Jet; that may have got you to 400 hp (but that wouldn't go with your customer's car!). The only problem with those intakes was they were HEAVY! Especially the 455's. Just changing to an aluminum intake on my '69 442 raised the front end up when parked about 1 1/2 inches! Olds also made aluminum intake versions for the 350 (1970 W-31) and 455 (1970-72 W-30), but they are near impossible to find today; mostly all wasted on show cars! A bigger cam would probably have got you there. I used a Mondello JM22-25 on a 350, and though it sounded like it was really radical at start up, it actually mellowed out when the motor got good and warmed up, and made enough (11 - 12") vacuum to run the power brakes and A/C. The JM22-25 was a split profile cam; and Olds engines really liked them too, as the intake port flowed much better than the exhaust port. Conversely, the original W-31 cam, with .475 / .475 lift and 308 / 308 duration was very radical and really too wild for street use. Olds didn't even offer power brakes and A/C with the W-31. Let us know if you actually got it to 400 hp. I'm betting you did! Thanks again.
Nick, I appreciate your passion and commitment. I saw someone marking the distributor location. As you know you don't have to pull the dist. when swapping intake or heads. Take care sir.
David Collis. If you check at 3.47 on video, I pulled the intake off with the distributor in place. The marking on the distributor was playing with the timing earlier. Thanks for your input.
I'm thinking that mismatch between the spread bore manifold and square bore carb was what held that thing back. Plenty of sharp edges to pull fuel out of atomization. A few minutes with a die grinder would have gone a long way
his apprentice is a super smart guy, you can tell he is a natural at this and was born with way above average intelligence. with all that, the young man appears to not be full of himself at all. his lack of huge ego allows him to do the most important thing he needs to, remain quiet when Nick is talking shop. when Nick is talking motors, he stares him directly in the eyes and hangs on every word he says, smart kid. well done
Thanks Nick that was one b**** of a motor back in my day even up against my SS 396 was 375 horsepower from the factory it would actually run better than my SS 396
The film work is outstanding. Just like watching discovery or the history channel. The engine there is nice, but amusing. The Olds 350 is one outstandingly reliable engine. It's amazing the struggle to get 400 gross rated hp out of those things. This is no knock on Nick, just pointing out the amazing difference in technology. Now days 400 gross hp is a cake walk, but none the less excellent work Nick. You built a nice motor that took pull after pull after pull and didn't care. The power is what it is. The engine took the work out and kept on trucking. Nice work.
Growing up in the 80s when young people were into late 60s-early 70s cars, I quickly learned these aftermarket companies were in business to sell parts. The results weren't always what they claimed, and were basically never what they claimed if you didn't build a full and well matched high performance setup. A few HP difference from the hi-po intake. Great if you're happy with a few HP, but that's about it.
Really nice work guys! Enjoyed the video. Those gold valve covers look so familiar haha. I had a 1972 Cutlass Supreme with a Rocket 350 and it only had 186HP from the factory. It got even worse in later years. Emissions standards wrecked these cars' potential so badly starting in 1971. 310HP was on the upper end of what these made. I think 325HP was the highest rating ever from the factory for this motor. It's an awesome engine though. A bulletproof legend with its roots from the 303 c.i. in 1949. To have Nick double the horsepower in mine would have been so dreamy. I have to admit the car would have been dangerous. I'd have needed some disc brakes (it was drums all the way around) and of course, bigger tires.
Haha high school buddy had a 65? olds cutless, Rocket 350 (gold) with a 2 speed switch pitch trans. In a switch pitch the vanes in the torque converter pivoted to change resistance as oil flowed thru. First gear to around 90mph, then shift. CRAZY torque curve. IIRC only Olds experimented with the switch pitch converter. Now everyone runs 2 speeds (modded Powerglides) on the track.
180 was the net rating with every accessory installed and operating. That includes the AC compressor which back in the day those things sucked like 30 horsepower from the engine. Now you're at 210 net horsepower. Add dual exhaust and you're at 220 net. Now if you were to apply net rating to a 70 model which had the higher compression you top out at about 260hp net. Also keep in mind that horsepower ratings for most cars back then were on the conservative side to keep insurance rates down.
Carb to intake adapters are bad for flow. IMHO it'd be better to use a big Thermoquad or a pro-built Q-jet, in a case like this for max power. You guys are usually awesome in attention to detail. I just thought this needs mentioning...Thank you for all the incredible videos!
"as long as i got the energy and my health i will do this forever" amen sir. ill die with a tool in my hand or behind the wheel of my olds or other hot rods.
It’s cool coming back to this video and reading all these olds lovers. me and my dad had a 77 cutlass until a guy rear ended it and now we got a 72 cutlass and it just got painted today finally after 5 years of owning it
Q-Jet is amazing if you understand how it works. Some guy in the 70s or 80s was pulling 700hp through a Q-Jet, stating that it would flow near 800-850cfm
I agree that a big quadrajet would have made this test more accurate. Makes me wonder why they went with a performer intake as opposed to a performer rpm intake esp with that Holley/demon style carb.
or just port match the edelbrock and clean up the runners. they are all undersized like that. would have took less time than an intake swap and they know they are shooting for 400 why wasnt that done prior to initial assembly.
My uncle took many fuel injected cars and carbed them... with Quadra Jet carbs. He didnt like either Edelbrock or Holley. Plus most people throw their qjet away for an Edelbrock or Holley so they were free/cheap.
Nick, how do you break in engines? I am rebuilding and Olds 350 myself, all new rotating assembly, with a used comp flat tappet cam from my other oldsmobile with 5000 miles on it. Cam is broke in but I need to set the rings. Just drive it (accelerate/decelerate) for 50 to 100 miles without romping on it is what I plan to do. Any thoughts are appreciated.
It's no wonder that OE manifold would have been less efficient. Runners shaping is poor. Like a square T when they split in 2 directions. Mixture has to do a 90 degree turn, which is exactly what Edelbrock corrected on his unit. Not speaking about the spread bore to square bore adaptation. To me, a good porting and portmatching on both manifold and heads would give the missing 10hp. But that's a costy job.
Agreed! I would try Manifold first, though. Be suprised how much just a simple port can increase flow and fuel atomization. Hand ported the intake elbow on my stock 97 Grand Marquis and picked up 12hp from 2000rpm to rev limit(about 6200rpm). I wasnt gonna touch the stock plastic intake manifold but i did anyway and pick up another 10hp and another 10 when i went to the PI intake, ported that and now im at about 270hp to the tire. Not bad for a bone stock 4.6 in a 4 door 4000lbs family barge. Edelbrock wont sale a part that isnt better than stock when it comes to heads,intake, cams or carbs
1967 425 (F1) Super Rocket is the badestassed stock Olds motor. But the old 350 is a sturdy motor though, run them dry on water for 20 miles, let it cool, fill it up with antifreeze, and they're good to go.
Needed to go with the Performer RPM intake to make the extra hp bigger is better, I have a 403 with 69 #5 350 heads and a RPM intake it is heads and tails above the Performer intake. Would love to have it on the dyno to see what power it makes,
A Performer RPM intake has extra material for bigger ports which allows the use of 455 heads on a 350 (2.07 intake valves- eat that Chevy fans). I know it works because Edelbrock's own instructions say you can , and I have done this. Not sure why he didn't do any port work on the Edelbrock intake he had. Just port matching should have been enough to gain 15-20 HP. If I had my Olds days to do all over again, I would have invested my efforts into a 425.
@@Freedomquest08 you can fit a 2.07 in a 350 oldsmobile head. The problem with running a 455 head on a 350 is the combustion chamber size. Loose so much compression that you loose power, and a 350ci is only going to have so much velocity not really suitable for bb port sizes, you will be better off with small block heads and if you want to run aluminum heads send them to j&s and have the intake runners and combustion welded up to sb size, so you aren't cutting .080 off some new heads to make the cc right
Oldsmobiles always have their own little unique rumble.. i love it.
They certainly do. Very stout mills
I had a 79' Pontiac Trans Am that had the Olds 403 in it stock..it lost compression and I had it bored .040 to clean it up and put a mild cam..basically this same Performer intake and a Edelbrock 800 cfm carburetor on it..Wow it had so torque and just really ran great for a mild engine..very good after that.
Great video, another home run. Who couldn't love an Olds Rocket 350 belting out 400 HP?? I could listen to it all day long. Thanks Nick and Vasily. Semper Fi!
damn strong 350 Olds there, I had 2 Cutlasses with 350 Rockets in them, most reliable cars I ever owned. a 70 ragtop, and 72 hardtop
Yep my friend had an 72 hard top awith the Rocket 350 in it..it was all stock and ran really good.
My school days buddy had a 70 Cutlass 350 4 speed. His dad was friends with A.J. Foyts crew chief. He built that engine in their shop and it was a high revver.
They milled out the back of the crankshaft and fit a 4 speed on it.
I have a mildly built 350 in my 71 Chevelle, but once I get my finances back on track I am going to have Nick build me a 383. Pandemic hurt our body shop so we are hanging in there at the moment. I have been watching the channel for a long time and just love how passionate and skillful the man is. Keep up the great work guys.
Nick,
Thank you for sharing the video. For so many years I've been watching you on UA-cam. It's amazing with the diversity of nostalgic automotive parts in some of the auto restoration you've done it keeps hope alive for some of us older enthusiast .
Big Tony's family .....I know that guy..... thank God for you and your Automotive Crew.
Doc Martin
Good video. This is why people like Bernard Mondello are worth the money. So many people say port matching intakes is silly and a waste of money. Bernard knows every atom of metal when it comes to Olds products and if you want a magical number he has the answer. Nick knew the correct answer and showed us why. I love his technique of teaching and explaining. 400 from a 350 is a damn good result on any 350. I would like to see Nick squeeze this motor to 425 hp without touching the cam. Some head porting and polishing and he would be there.
always good to go back and see some of the early Nicks Garage videos.
Glad you like them!
This is an honest effort and super refreshing to see. I have a dyno (SF-902) in my shop and I have also built some Olds engines and was not surprised to see the Edelbrock manifold outperform the stock. This engine does not breathe deep enough @ 5600-5800 RPM to be worried about a little extra cross section with the stock iron manifold. Also I have never seen a spacer arrangement like you were using work either. It was very refreshing to see the truth on the internet for once! Good job and nice engine, oh and decent video production. Keep it up!
RAMMBRUTE. I see you know your olds engines very well. Thanks for watching.
I was glad to see this as well since I have the same intake on a motor I'm building. Mine was originally a 2 barrel motor so I'm pretty sure the Edelbrock will flow more with a reman 750 Quadrajet on it.
I just read your reply, I am 62 so I remember the 350-455 engines and the W-30 options, didn't the RALLYE 350 have aluminum intake like the W-30 455? I remember the car itself as being yellow but yes only a 350. I had built a 67 Yenko clone Camaro when I was 20, 427/425 engine, 4 speed and 456 gears true old school by todays standards but walked on everything in town. I agree that those 'spacers/adapters seemed it would distort airglow nd I have seen some fast cars running the Q-jet, I had a 650 spread bore on a 396 325 with the cast intake, Q-jet was finicky and playing with those metering rods were not easy. I ran a junk 780 on my 427 with a dual plane that some cut the middle out of, do you remember the single plane Tarantula that was on an angle for some weird reason?
Isnt that adapter upside down
@@zxtenn Yep, I remember those single plane Tarantula's. I'm wondering if he'd done better here with a spread bore carb. I've never known of those adapters be much of an advantage to airflow, it was just a way to put one type of carb on another type of mani!
Nick, I am an old hot rodder originally from Brooklyn, NY. I now live in Florida. You bring back the memories that meant so much to me. Thank you, David T.
Nick inspires me in so many way and also makes me hate that I don't do what I love as he gets to do. He's BLESSED
I had never seen this episode. I can see Nick's passion for his work is just as strong as it was 7 years ago, perhaps even stronger. Thanks guys!
If you love what you do, you will never WORK a day in your life!
Exactly
Stuck one of these in a 77 Chevy short bed pick up for my son in the early 90s ( for all you Chevy guys, if you take a piece of 1 1/2 inch strap iron, bolt a Chevy motor mount to it so it straddles the middle of the 3 tapped holes in the olds block just above the oil pan, it will drop right in. Shorten the drive shaft 4 1/2 inch for the olds trans. Cheap 300 hp.
Stays late to do an intake manifold swap just because he's curious. That's a man that loves what he does. :)
I would ask my Advisor if i could stay an hour or two late to finish a car for a waiter. Those few people would always fill my fridge with Pizza and Beer. I now have the Security code and set of keys to get in the building whenever i want or leave after hours
09
It’s that adapter, it’s choking the flow from the carb into the intake. In the 80’s that same adapter was available and it was known to be a dud. It was just so you could put an easier to tune Holley on your car since the Q-Jets were hard for most people to tune. But a well tuned Q-Jet will make more power than a Holley on a restrictive adapter.
I built a 403 to replace the tired 350 in my 68 Cutlass when I was in High School in the late 80's. Car was factory 4 spd and had 3.91 rear gears. That motor always ran better with factory intake and Quadrajet carb. Had more power and was easier to drive, less surging. Beat the crap out of that engine, including many 6000+ RPM shifts, and many runs down the quarter mile. 13.3's at 106 with factory 14 inch rims and street tires.
Great vid. Thank you Nick. Olds Rocket motors are monsters. A friend of mine had 400 rocket olds from a late 70's model trans am stuffed in a 69 cutlass convertible. He tweaked the stock quardrajet carb, new exhaust/headers, removed any smog equip, etc., gear for that year 3:08 maybe? and 2 speed power glide. We got clocked down a local drag/highway at 137 mph with the top down LOL. 1986. The state trooper who pulled us over back then said "what are you crazy"??!!! I think he gave us a break because he liked the car. If i had to guess car would have pulled mid 13's in the quarter. Peace from Boston.
Not a Powerglide (Chevy)--Super Turbine 300 (BOP). It's not a name game--the two trans only share the front seal.
I had 3 79 trans am’s with the 6.6 olds 403 and they were beast I loved the but the ex wife made me sell them should have kept them and let her leave a few years early
Yeah, the biggest regret I have is not packing up and walking away a *lot* sooner
Funny.
Been there, done that. And lo and behold - it was an Oldsmobile too!
The 403 is not a bad motor, the head design and coolant flow sucked and they over heated quite a bit under pressure but some simple things could get them over the 400 horsepower range, They had great torque as well, In all honesty i think too much is being asked of this motor, Nick repeatedly revs it over 5000rpm on the dyno which is pushing it, These motors had lower ranges at which peak power was had, usually between 2000 and 5000 rpm, more designed for torque at lower ends
Best engine builder hands down guys dedicated to doing what people want even if it means staying late from michigan ..keep up the good work to all you guys!!
You can tell Nick loves what he does. You can see the passion he has for building and testing engines. Awesome human being Nick is in all things. Love watching a person with so much passion for work and life.
Those engines like the quadra jet carbs. Experimented with with a holley and quadra jet years ago on 350 olds cutlass. Only had a seat of the pants dyno but the quadra jet was the better for sure.
I think the quadrajet is 10 times better for driveability
@Dave Micolichek my dad runs nhra stock eliminater with one for many decades now, my street car uses the biggest quadrajet off of a 70 model 501 caddy engine I've modified it much excellent carb in my opinion
@Dave Micolichek Billy Lynn k/sa number 4113 it's a 1979 Malibu red in color 305 engine runs mid to lower 11s
@Dave Micolichek that's a fun class too. My dad just won the shootout for stock superstock combo race at Memphis Tennessee leader in points for that track. I like ihra myself lot less bs than NHRA will give a person
@Dave Micolichek very much more political. I like how laid back ihra is
350 rocket is a good motor man.
Impressive........I really hope Velocity can have a peak at this type of video and make something out of this , we need more shows like this............this is entertaining and educational...............THUMBS UP.
Johnny Zonta: I couldn't agree more. After some dunderheads decided to pull the plug on Speed channel, I was relieved to see Velocity come on the small screen. That being said, a few more programs for us gearheads would be great. Showing people with a little grease under their fingernails is always a good thing.
Johnny Zonta: I agree totally. I'm starving for GOOD car shows and Nick's Garage is great because he dabbles with everything. Pontiac, Olds, small block Mopar. I throw stuff at the TV when someone restores a nice classic car and puts an LS motor in it. Cmon dog! You go Nick! !
Velocity channel is a bunch of idiots joking and laughing nothing on there is about cars anymore it's only about how wacky the guys are!
Great content! Thank you for taking the time to give us a look into your passion amd your shop. Very educational and even confidence inspiring. With a bit more research, I think its time I pulled the small block out of my '72 Ford and give the love it deserves. Thanks!
Thanks for your kind words, Rev. Glad to know that you're enjoying the videos and good luck with your '72. Thanks for watching.
My old man had a Rocket 350 in a 68 Cuttlas with a little known optional package called a "Ram Rod" package. The car had a turbo 400 trans and 12 bolt posi rear with a low gear in it. It was very quick for a plain looking Olds. I saw that car beat big block Chevelles and Camaros. It was quick.
Ram Rod package. Lol. That was a Wolf in Sheep's clothing. W31 350 Dual Scoope under bumper Ram Air Induction. 308 duration cam. Factory Aluminum intake. Extra thick harmonic balancer. Would Rev to 6500 Rpm. 3.90 to 4.11 gears out back. I'd Say it Probably Ran Like A Raped Ape.
Had the Rocket 350 in a 73 Olds Cutlass. Good memories of that motor!
Dougie Fresh I grew up with same car , swivel buckets seat s push button trunk for the trunk monkey. Lot of memories good and bad . It sat two inches off the ground , rust holes on the edges of canvas top and trim . It got the name rust bucket at the drag strip every Wednesday at pir
I enjoy watching Nick's videos, he is old school and does it well
I am in awe of Nick's commitment and dedication to his customers. This video also shows original parts can be retained and reused.
Nick's Garage best channel to rebuild engines and make customer dreams come true. 👍
Edelbrock offered two performer olds intakes, the 3711 which I believe you have and the 7111 rpm version. The 7111 has a raised carb height of 2 inches. It is also rated to 6500 rpm instead of just 5500 as the 3711 is.
Nick, I really enjoy your videos. I can tell your passion for making engines sing....and sing they do...
These videos are awesome, keep em' coming Nick!! Thank you for being passionate and "old school" so to speak, it is refreshing.
If your going to build a motor, this is the kinda guy you want working on it. Old school, and tons of experience.
Experience is king...it can't be taught.
I was doing engine development work on the 70 440 6pack in 69. I got a work order to install a new supplied aluminum intake. I installed and it became part of the improvements for the 1970 model year.
Don Berry. I wish I was there to work with you.
MAN YOU GUYS, ARE HELLVA REAL CAR BUILDERS PLEASE KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK AN PAST THESE KNOWLEDGE ON,; NO I WISH I REALLY WOULD HAVE KEEP MY 74 Delta88 350 Rocket in stock form it blew past 120 mph with the 375 TH Transmission & 3.08 Gears.
you out off control Mr. Nick if you can't do it no one can keep them going .. teaching that young man all your knowledge and tricks can't wait for my motors turn to get its turn (455) KEEP UP THE EXCELLENT WORK
Damn, that's a stout engine for a 350 olds!
I was happy with mine at 310 HP. So cool he loves what hes doing like that. Nice to see the young guy also getting into it.
Put a 780 Double pumper spread bore Holley on it with the right jetting and will make more power than the setup with the adaptor plate. The restriction in the middle of the stock manifold is robbing it of horsepower, even with the adaptor. Some mild porting work will help a lot as well on the stock manifold. Even the Edelbrock manifold could use some porting work.
We call it gasket matching on both the heads, and manifold, and it made a huge difference in both torque and HP.
Great video and it shows the difference between stock, and aftermarket
yes, I do this as well.. motors run more smoothly across the board, idle great, quick response,., I think the balancing of air flow has a big effect.. all stock and aftermarket manifolds have rough castings and benefit some smoothing out.
My father had a '68 Olds Cutlass w/ one of those 350 Rocket engines he used to rave about. Sadly, that car got rear-ended and we pulled the engine/trans, before it went to the scrap yard and he installed that drive train into a '67 Chevelle to go drag racing. I recall thinking how cool it was to have a gold engine gleaming at you when you open the hood, like a piece of precious metal created by a mad alchemist - iron to gold. He sure won a bunch of class trophies w/ that Rocket.
The only way to do it! I enjoy your videos and your talents. I love the way you keep it old school! I'd be pleasured to hang with you and do some building! GOD bless you brother Nick! You are awesome!
Gooday Nick! I really love the working on engines just like you do . I'm really old school because I learned from a retired Shipwright that retired in the 1960's & who worked all through the 2nd world war. Being a war ,the allies shared their knowledge and because of that Jack (retired shipwright) toured the Ford engine plant & seen that all of their crankshafts were being done between centers in the crankshaft grinding machines. Well I met Jack taking a machinist course he taught when he retired. I guess I must have mentioned that I ran a crank grinder for a "professional engine building shop" and we held all the cranks in the grinder in 3 jaw chucks on each end of the crankshaft. The problem was they would not meet the specifications no matter how hard I tied ! I ended up learning all over again how to grind cranks between centers on his machine & WOW! what a difference. My cranks had "Zero" runout & I would tell Jack the gauge must be broken & he would check the gauge & move it and the gauge was OK . I never looked back & I have built winning stock car engines since then. I am a backyard mechanic that wrote his test for a mechanics license and passed and a third year machinist who really loves Holley carbs. If I may be as so bold I would suggest a Holley List 6210 spreadbore carb 65 jets in front (powervalve) and 73 in the secondarys (no powervalve) to start with. The reason I love the Holleys so much is that they are quite rebuildable and they were Henry Fords pick for his cars. The people that dis Holley carbs do that because , when they rebuild these carbs is that they soak the baseplate without taking throttle shafts out and in the carb cleaner the Teflon on the throttle shafts (Holley supplies new Teflon in most carb kits) dissolves and the carb works worse than before they touched the carb. Just a little insight on things that I have found to work. O yea did you know that carb adaptors can cost h.p.. I think you could make your 400hp with a good 6210 Holley . Thanks for the great videos & I wonder what I am going to learn today. My name is James T.P. Burke and the shipwrights nick name for me was "Hot Shot" Have a great day ! I also liked your video with your hellcat on the track
Jim Burke. Thanks for your comment, I love it. And, thanks for watching.
This is a key example of why bigger is not always better. With a carburetated engine you always have fuel suspended with your air charge going into the runners and ultimately into the combustion chamber. You're goal is to always keep the fuel atomized as much as possible. If the velocity is too low the fuel falls out of suspension, which is kinda what I'm suspecting is happening here. The smaller port actually is making more power because the fuel is better atomized due to the velocity vs the pure volume.
...and this is how we Greeks...made every horse came out from a motor!!greetings from Athens Greece!I wish you were here so you can tune my olds 350 motor!
steliosz28. I am in Greece every year.
I had a 350 rocket in a 4 door hard top. It was bone stock and had 2:73 rear gears so it wasn't a stoplight champion but it could bomb down the interstate a triple digit speeds with no effort.
My first car handed down from my parents with this motor...back when we were more free on Eastern Long Island these motors run up top!
It's kind of interesting that after they swapped to the original manifold using the same carburetor that they had to go up the Jets because it was too lean. That would seem to indicate that it was in fact flowing more air. Otherwise it should have been rich. Kind of interesting great video as always
My thoughts.
Probably fuel evaporation due to hot iron intake.
if you not moving as much air thru the carb it will pull less fuel and theres also the fact that fuel distribution per cylinder will affect air fuel ratios.
I bet if he put a quadrajet right on there without a spacer he would be making 400. The carburetor bores on quadrajet line up exactly with the holes in the stock manifold. Which means direct flow right into the engine
I was working on engines back when I was 12 years old with my dad and still doing it today one of my favorite hobby's wish I had a dyno though
That olds 350 sounds mean. Meaner than some much bigger engines I've heard run on their dyno.
olds engines always been underrated
In the early 80's I had a 350 SB in a 72 Nova. Raced on an airport runway that was not yet open to the public. There was a 66 Galaxie 390 4 sp, and a 68 Olds 442 with a 350 Rocket. My Nova had a 2 bbl carb, 3 sp, All my motor had special was the 461X heads. I won all the 1/4 mile races that day! It would almost pull the front wheels with bias ply tires in back!
Great video. I have run a few Oldsmobiles many years ago both in streetcars and in jet boats... This was fun to see and I would be very interested to see what the stock intake manifold would do with the entire Center Milled out
Wow I love the old school tradition, back in the day when a guy would win a street race. It was because of his combination of head work, cam choice, gear ratio, and driving skill. In today's world its all about how much you are willing to spend. You could have a 1000 HP and it wouldn't be uncommon for someone to pull up next to you with 2000 HP. Hmm I wounder who has the faster car. You know what I mean. There was a time when point dwell made all the difference.
That was my world!!
Derredmax
Today many mechanics don't even know what Dwell is
I do like not having change points and condenser 2 or 3 times a year.
Guess I'm getting old and lazy
Now you know how the cowboys felt when trains came along.
Whaa whaa
These days you don't need a cubic ton of money too go fast, it's easier than ever, junkyark Vortec 4.8/5.3/6.0 and china turbos=you win.
My favorite episodes are when you did this olds 350 love your work and passion
Keep on doin great work hommie
I am proud of my Greek brother, Nick. We Greeks love to work hard....
Indeed we are!!!
@@knightridersofgreece …..YASSAS my brothers....great job with these awesome video's, as I watch them all. I am the MOPAR MAN.....
Ty Highway. We try harder.
@@nickpanaritis4122 ...absolutely Nick.....and I would love to have you work on my 1971 Roadrunner with a 440....Yasou my brother.....
I had a 74 olds omega with the gold v8..always had chock white tail pipes...great engine!!
When I was in high school I had a 64 Cutlass that had a 330 in it. Looked exactly like the 350. I rebuilt the engine and put in an Olds part number, "police pursuit" cam, It was otherwise stock, not even headers. I don't know how much horsepower it had but it would pull strong right through 6000rpm. I had lots of fun in that car, got a lot of tickets and a lot of, um, trim. ;-)
I just recently bought a 65 330 ultra high compression with same factory cam. Havent got to drive it yet though
@@eyeshocars9978 I think you'll be impressed.
@@x-man5056 Thanks i hope so. Not looking for it to be a race engine or anything but to be able to get out of its own way and keep up with modern traffic. It should be way better than the 307 its replacing
@@eyeshocars9978 Yes but I don't know what "ultra high compression" means here. If it's higher than 9 to 1 you'll be haveing to run premium gas possible even race gas if it's above 11.5 to 1. If you are running it as a daily driver I would want no more than 10 to 1.
The 307's were always dogs from the factory but easily modifiable to spunky motors.
@@x-man5056 its 10.25 to 1 compression
I just recently inherited a 84 Chevy C10 4x4 that my Dad put a Rocket 350 in about 10 years ago. Im trying to determine what year it is and it only has a 2 barrel carb on it. I cant wait to see if I can do some mods and get it really running!!! Great video! Thank you!
Try port matching the aluminum intake to the heads!
all i could think of this whole video, says heads are ported, but is the intake and gaskets matched!?? grrr, what a waste of time bolting old iron on it
Yes sir!
The intakes are left small so they can be ported and gasket matched to the heads. 🤦🏻♂️ when i saw the ports when they pulled the intake off it was clear that was where they failed.
Nick did port the manifold at the end.
Great video Nick! SO CLOSE to 400 HP!
I built a few Olds engines; (2) 350's and (4) 455's. I was glad that you pointed out the really good design of the original 350 manifold. Olds 4 barrel intakes from '67 - '72 performed especially well. They really liked a 1" thick 4 hole spacer with a 800 Q-Jet; that may have got you to 400 hp (but that wouldn't go with your customer's car!). The only problem with those intakes was they were HEAVY! Especially the 455's. Just changing to an aluminum intake on my '69 442 raised the front end up when parked about 1 1/2 inches! Olds also made aluminum intake versions for the 350 (1970 W-31) and 455 (1970-72 W-30), but they are near impossible to find today; mostly all wasted on show cars!
A bigger cam would probably have got you there. I used a Mondello JM22-25 on a 350, and though it sounded like it was really radical at start up, it actually mellowed out when the motor got good and warmed up, and made enough (11 - 12") vacuum to run the power brakes and A/C. The JM22-25 was a split profile cam; and Olds engines really liked them too, as the intake port flowed much better than the exhaust port. Conversely, the original W-31 cam, with .475 / .475 lift and 308 / 308 duration was very radical and really too wild for street use. Olds didn't even offer power brakes and A/C with the W-31.
Let us know if you actually got it to 400 hp. I'm betting you did! Thanks again.
tje1966. Sorry for the late reply. Yes, we got our 400HP. Thanks for your info, and sharing your Oldsmobile talent.
God Bless the GREAT Nick ...... Talk about a work ethic. This incredible man is the REAL DEAL...!
When you see Nicks eyes as he is working, you can tell he is in his element, I enjoy his UA-cam channel.
Nick, I appreciate your passion and commitment. I saw someone marking the distributor location. As you know you don't have to pull the dist. when swapping intake or heads. Take care sir.
David Collis. If you check at 3.47 on video, I pulled the intake off with the distributor in place. The marking on the distributor was playing with the timing earlier. Thanks for your input.
Sorry! I did notice that the second time I watched the video. Take Care Sir!!
Put a higher ratio full roller rocker setup on it...BOOM! There is your 10+ HP. Great video.
Agree with Nick, would love to see that cast iron put on the mill to remove all that excess under the carb, and see what happens.
I think also that'd have done it.
I'd like to weld it shut and mill a square bore pattern into it. Then I'd get a matching spacer instead of that wide open thing.
I'm thinking that mismatch between the spread bore manifold and square bore carb was what held that thing back. Plenty of sharp edges to pull fuel out of atomization. A few minutes with a die grinder would have gone a long way
Uncle Tony's Garage. True, but my client wanted the stock intake left alone, Factory.
A pair of rpm heads is all it needed. Great video
I also have the same engine in an 85 olds custom cruiser. enough torque for a big car and the sounds are great. greetings from Finland by the way😊
Every time I watch a video by this guy; I'm glad I subscribed!!!
his apprentice is a super smart guy, you can tell he is a natural at this and was born with way above average intelligence. with all that, the young man appears to not be full of himself at all. his lack of huge ego allows him to do the most important thing he needs to, remain quiet when Nick is talking shop. when Nick is talking motors, he stares him directly in the eyes and hangs on every word he says, smart kid. well done
A man with a passion for perfection. You don't often find people like him these days.
/subscribed
Thanks tscooter22.
sup pal know you from liveleak
1964 Olds Jetstar 350 cubic inch.Installed 4 bbl.quad,dual exhaust,planed heads and posi.Father knew best.85 mph in 1st(2 speed) auto.
Thanks Nick that was one b**** of a motor back in my day even up against my SS 396 was 375 horsepower from the factory it would actually run better than my SS 396
I had a 72 Cutlass Rocket 350, that was one sweet running motor
Shaving down the intake plenum divider plate would likely give his 400hp, possibly more.
The film work is outstanding. Just like watching discovery or the history channel. The engine there is nice, but amusing. The Olds 350 is one outstandingly reliable engine. It's amazing the struggle to get 400 gross rated hp out of those things. This is no knock on Nick, just pointing out the amazing difference in technology. Now days 400 gross hp is a cake walk, but none the less excellent work Nick. You built a nice motor that took pull after pull after pull and didn't care. The power is what it is. The engine took the work out and kept on trucking. Nice work.
Nick Your Dedication Is That of A Hero My Hero
Growing up in the 80s when young people were into late 60s-early 70s cars, I quickly learned these aftermarket companies were in business to sell parts. The results weren't always what they claimed, and were basically never what they claimed if you didn't build a full and well matched high performance setup. A few HP difference from the hi-po intake. Great if you're happy with a few HP, but that's about it.
Really nice work guys! Enjoyed the video. Those gold valve covers look so familiar haha. I had a 1972 Cutlass Supreme with a Rocket 350 and it only had 186HP from the factory. It got even worse in later years. Emissions standards wrecked these cars' potential so badly starting in 1971. 310HP was on the upper end of what these made. I think 325HP was the highest rating ever from the factory for this motor. It's an awesome engine though. A bulletproof legend with its roots from the 303 c.i. in 1949. To have Nick double the horsepower in mine would have been so dreamy. I have to admit the car would have been dangerous. I'd have needed some disc brakes (it was drums all the way around) and of course, bigger tires.
heymisterderp I agree with u pupp
Haha high school buddy had a 65? olds cutless, Rocket 350 (gold) with a 2 speed switch pitch trans. In a switch pitch the vanes in the torque converter pivoted to change resistance as oil flowed thru. First gear to around 90mph, then shift. CRAZY torque curve. IIRC only Olds experimented with the switch pitch converter. Now everyone runs 2 speeds (modded Powerglides) on the track.
180 was the net rating with every accessory installed and operating. That includes the AC compressor which back in the day those things sucked like 30 horsepower from the engine. Now you're at 210 net horsepower. Add dual exhaust and you're at 220 net. Now if you were to apply net rating to a 70 model which had the higher compression you top out at about 260hp net. Also keep in mind that horsepower ratings for most cars back then were on the conservative side to keep insurance rates down.
Nick, you are down to earth and entertaining. Nice shop. Thanks for posting!
Most of the time back then the guys at the factory knew what they were doing from the start
A job you love, you will never have to work a day in your life. Living the dream Nick and Vasili.
I would love to see you do a Dyno testing a Rochester Rochester quadrajet 750cfm vs a Holley 750cfm
Agree 100%
these olds 350 motors from 60s were really good motors you can pull alot of power out of them with the right work and parts
Dr Olds knew how to build them .
Phillip Lopez joe taught me a lot through the years we talked on almost a daily basis i worked on the east coast its a lot of port work and grinding
Charles Kettering
Dave Micolichek what new heads do you recommend for a new olds 350 build ?
Old school. Way to go nick and crew.
Carb to intake adapters are bad for flow. IMHO it'd be better to use a big Thermoquad or a pro-built Q-jet, in a case like this for max power. You guys are usually awesome in attention to detail. I just thought this needs mentioning...Thank you for all the incredible videos!
My thought exactly. Q jets and TQs can be tuned and modified to do amazing things
This is simply one great channel !!! I watch every episode...thanks Nick!
Glad you like them!
"as long as i got the energy and my health i will do this forever" amen sir. ill die with a tool in my hand or behind the wheel of my olds or other hot rods.
Did you gasket match/port match the aluminum manifold to the heads! So time it makes a good difference when the runners don’t line up good
So, here it is 2 1/2 years later. Did Nick ever get 400 horses from this engine?
It’s cool coming back to this video and reading all these olds lovers. me and my dad had a 77 cutlass until a guy rear ended it and now we got a 72 cutlass and it just got painted today finally after 5 years of owning it
Q-JET , CORRECT SPACER , GOOD CALIBRATION ,BINGO!
Q-Jet is amazing if you understand how it works. Some guy in the 70s or 80s was pulling 700hp through a Q-Jet, stating that it would flow near 800-850cfm
I agree that a big quadrajet would have made this test more accurate. Makes me wonder why they went with a performer intake as opposed to a performer rpm intake esp with that Holley/demon style carb.
or just port match the edelbrock and clean up the runners. they are all undersized like that. would have took less time than an intake swap and they know they are shooting for 400 why wasnt that done prior to initial assembly.
joe mondello sold a bushing kit that eliminated the bog i reworked a lot of them
My uncle took many fuel injected cars and carbed them... with Quadra Jet carbs. He didnt like either Edelbrock or Holley. Plus most people throw their qjet away for an Edelbrock or Holley so they were free/cheap.
Nick, how do you break in engines? I am rebuilding and Olds 350 myself, all new rotating assembly, with a used comp flat tappet cam from my other oldsmobile with 5000 miles on it. Cam is broke in but I need to set the rings. Just drive it (accelerate/decelerate) for 50 to 100 miles without romping on it is what I plan to do. Any thoughts are appreciated.
I'd stick a qjet on it. Bet it would make the 400.
How much? 😏
So you replaced an (obviously) mistuned custom carburettor with one meant for the engine and it worked better? ☺️
every one that builds knows the Edelbrock is good you just need to port the dame thing...
Man!! I really glad I found your channel Nick!!!
Keep up to GREAT work!!!!
Great videos Nick, keep them coming
Now that's determination! Great effort on that old Rocket, well done Nick!👍
Surprised the power lines of both manifolds crossed at 5650 RPMs... expected the Edelbrock to stay above...
It's no wonder that OE manifold would have been less efficient.
Runners shaping is poor. Like a square T when they split in 2 directions. Mixture has to do a 90 degree turn, which is exactly what Edelbrock corrected on his unit.
Not speaking about the spread bore to square bore adaptation.
To me, a good porting and portmatching on both manifold and heads would give the missing 10hp. But that's a costy job.
Agreed! I would try Manifold first, though. Be suprised how much just a simple port can increase flow and fuel atomization. Hand ported the intake elbow on my stock 97 Grand Marquis and picked up 12hp from 2000rpm to rev limit(about 6200rpm). I wasnt gonna touch the stock plastic intake manifold but i did anyway and pick up another 10hp and another 10 when i went to the PI intake, ported that and now im at about 270hp to the tire. Not bad for a bone stock 4.6 in a 4 door 4000lbs family barge.
Edelbrock wont sale a part that isnt better than stock when it comes to heads,intake, cams or carbs
1967 425 (F1) Super Rocket is the badestassed stock Olds motor. But the old 350 is a sturdy motor though, run them dry on water for 20 miles, let it cool, fill it up with antifreeze, and they're good to go.
Needed to go with the Performer RPM intake to make the extra hp bigger is better, I have a 403 with 69 #5 350 heads and a RPM intake it is heads and tails above the Performer intake. Would love to have it on the dyno to see what power it makes,
A Performer RPM intake has extra material for bigger ports which allows the use of 455 heads on a 350 (2.07 intake valves- eat that Chevy fans). I know it works because Edelbrock's own instructions say you can , and I have done this.
Not sure why he didn't do any port work on the Edelbrock intake he had. Just port matching should have been enough to gain 15-20 HP.
If I had my Olds days to do all over again, I would have invested my efforts into a 425.
@@Freedomquest08 you can fit a 2.07 in a 350 oldsmobile head. The problem with running a 455 head on a 350 is the combustion chamber size. Loose so much compression that you loose power, and a 350ci is only going to have so much velocity not really suitable for bb port sizes, you will be better off with small block heads and if you want to run aluminum heads send them to j&s and have the intake runners and combustion welded up to sb size, so you aren't cutting .080 off some new heads to make the cc right
YEP, regular performer is worse than stock, the performer RPM is slightly better. they should know that. ???