Peter P Posted March 9, 2016 Share Posted March 9, 2016 Over the winter I bought a Restoring a 1953 Olds Rocket that had been torn down by - I want to do it correctly but this is my first time to rebuild a legacy engine or any engine. I plan to get the engine block hot dipped and inspected first. What I am hoping is to see if I have all the correct parts for that year. Most of the numbers look like the Smith be matching. I am hoping experienced 324 aficionado's might lend me some advice photos or whatever to help a newbie. This engine is in Canada so I am assuming it may be a Canadian made Olds? Here are pictures of what I have so far. It is very dirty so I am hoping no signs of abuse etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D Yaros Posted March 9, 2016 Share Posted March 9, 2016 Your best shot at determining the correctness of part #'s would be a 1953 Oldsmobile parts manual. Might be able to locate such on ebay? Another good source for specific info is The Old Car Manual Project web site, found here <==. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe_padavano Posted March 9, 2016 Share Posted March 9, 2016 567405 is a 1956 324 block. FYI, you might want to merge the three or four threads you've started on this topic. You'll usually get a better overall answer if all responses are in a single thread, so that incorrect answers can be caught and corrected by others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter P Posted March 9, 2016 Author Share Posted March 9, 2016 Thank you for the replies. I was going to delete the other erroneously entitled "350" thread but cannot find a way to simply delete it. Would merging help me to delete/select what stay in this new... correct thread? Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter P Posted March 10, 2016 Author Share Posted March 10, 2016 Joe, that was going to be one of my questions. I looked closely at the block this morning and saw a "56" stamped on it. That made me wonder. It is conceivable that the heads are 53 and the block 56? Do some years mix and match? Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter P Posted March 10, 2016 Author Share Posted March 10, 2016 Did a little more research today. It looks like the block might be better than if it has been a 53. I found this online: The '56 324 was a decent little performer in its day, utilizing a cast-iron four-barrel intake manifold and a 9.25:1 compression ratio to make 230 hp and 340 lb-ft of torque. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F&J Posted March 10, 2016 Share Posted March 10, 2016 Your head photo shows a number 10 at the center port. That is a one year head, a 1956 324 The carb is a lot newer "spreadbore" Quadrajet. mid-late 60s and 70s to 80s A 1956 Olds came with TWO auto trans. One was the Jetaway which does not use a pilot bushing in the end of crankshaft. , like the Hydramatic and standard shift. So, if you have a Jetaway crank, you can't use it with a Hydra or a standard trans, unless a hole is machined in the crank for a bushing A Jetaway serial number starts with an A. The Hydra or standard block number starts with a V. This is a hand stamped serial letter/numbers right near the outer edge of the machined surface where the head sits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter P Posted March 10, 2016 Author Share Posted March 10, 2016 Thank you F&J, I was curious about the 10 that I saw there. Now I know. That is great info on the transmissions options. I do not have a transmission yet. I have no other Olds parts or a body either. I do want to restore this legacy engine and run it for years to come. Not sure yet what I will put it in. I was hoping that only the block was mismatched but maybe it is an assemblage of parts someone thought they could assemble later. That also explains why I have three of those carbs. Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe_padavano Posted March 10, 2016 Share Posted March 10, 2016 The carb is a lot newer "spreadbore" Quadrajet. mid-late 60s and 70s to 80s If you look closely at the Qjet photo, you can see that it is sitting on one of the aftermarket square bore-to-spread bore adapter plates. That threw me initially when I was looking at the intake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PFindlay Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 Pete, where in Canada are you? I'm on the west coast. We've just finished cleaning out 60 years of "stuff" from my dad's basement, including some parts from the 53 Olds 98 we rode in as kids (50 years ago). There were heads, valve train, distributor, hydramatic transmission, radio, and maybe a bit more. I could point you toward these parts if you want. Peter 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F&J Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 Not sure yet what I will put it in. Pete I'm sure you have read some web info on the history of those Olds Rockets getting put into all sorts of vehicles back in the day....even in Ford trucks, so they could haul more loads per day, compared to the slower Flathead Ford V8 They do seem too large, but they can fit fine in many cars. I have two old cars with early Rockets. one 30 Chevy and one 32 Ford Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter P Posted March 11, 2016 Author Share Posted March 11, 2016 HI PFindlay, I am in Calgary. I am very interested. Could you send me a private message? Thank you as well F&J, I know these engine look great in many vehicles. I google them now and then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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