Sgt Art

Well, it's back together and running. The new (refurbed) "C" heads are on and it I test drove it a bit today. I added Cyberdyne digital temp and oil press gauges along with my analog type just to be sure. First off, the engine started up almost instantly. I cleaned the plugs and regapped them to .065. My coolant mix was 2 gallons of antifreeze and almost 2 gallons of water. I siphoned all of the old coolant out of the engine block before replacing the heads. I also drained the oil and found no indication of water in it. The engine ran a good bit smoother than with the old heads. I used a 195 degree t'stat, I don't know the value of the old one. At idle, the temp eventually rose to 208 degrees F. While driving, at speeds up to 65 MPH, up and down hills, the temp went anywhere from 198 to 209. When slowing down and stopping it went to 213. Once it was shut down, the temp rose to about 230 and then cooled. There was no puke tank action. I placed both temp sensors in the front of the intake manifold next to the left water outlet from the head (the intake is an Edelbrock Performer). I found both gauges to be very close to each other in accuracy. My question is, are these acceptable temp ranges? Should I go to a colder t'stat? BTW, I replaced the radiator as I found Advance Auto Parts could sell me a new one for less than what it costs to recore and old one. Total price, was $84.00. It's has three water passages.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say if your car's engine came with a stock 2bbl carb, then your CR is 9:1. My reasoning is that the higher CR 10.x:1 would be for performance/greater horsepower. It would seem self defeating to use a higher CR and a 2Bbl carb. Another way to know, is how does the car run on 87 octane gas? If it's a 10.x:1 CR, it will knock. However, I could be wrong.

If the back up lights come on and the trans shifts properly, I wouldn't worry about it.

Got my "new" heads back from the machine shop today. He went through them adding harded valve seats, checking spring height and new bronze valve guides. I asked to check out the old ones and he couldn't find any cracks, but he showed me a spot between the cylinders where he felt like the gasket might have blown. Tomorrow I start reassembly. Couple questions. I'm using Fel-Pro gaskets that indicate no sealers (I would normally copper coat them). Machinist says no in this case. I was thinking about adding a sealant to the cooling system. Good idea or bad? If good, what type would you recommend? Torque chart I have shows BB head bolts to be torqued 80 lbft, correct? Any other tips that might help out? Thanks, Art

My 2 cents. Sounds like either your idle is too low or your pump is going. That needs to be fixed and the sooner the better. I hate lights and installed a gauge, not hard to do. As far as a high volume pump goes, that depends on what you want to do with the engine. I asked an engine builder the same question and his response was "no" for daily driving with an occassional bit of excitement thrown in. His reasoning was, it empties the oil pan too quickly and that could cause momentary oil starvation. He went on to say this could happen especially in curves which brought back the memory of that happening to me in a Corvette I once owned. I was really into it going around a bend and my oil pressure gauge dropped almost to zero. I thought I lost the pump. As soon as I straightened out, the oil pressure returned. What happened is all oil in the pan was slung (I live in the South) to one side of the pan. The rest was probably trying to work it's way back to the pan. I checked my oil level and was only down about a 1/2 quart. I had a high volume pump in that car (350 Chev, Melling High Volume oil pump). So, if you do want a high volume pump, you probably need to get a bigger oil pan for greater capacity.

My Chilton's Manual indicates the VIN "Y" which is the 305 (5.0L)Olds engine was rated 148 hp @ 3800rpm and 250lbs ft of torque @ 2400rpm. Compression ratio is 8.0:1 for 1985. That engine was a "corporate" engine used in Buicks also. My '85 Buick had one in it. It was still running fine at over 140,000 miles on the clock, but I decided to a more powerful engine. By no means a power house, the 307 will give you lots of service. Generally, these engines were mated to 200 Metric transmissions that allowed them to operate in lower rpm ranges which has a lot to do with their long lives. However, if you're thinking about going to a more powerful engine, you can drop in a 350 or 403 Olds making little or no modifications to the other equipment. I replaced my 307 with a 403 and now a 455. As far as increasing HP in that engine, there's not a whole lot you can do, their heads are pretty restrictive. Depending on how handy you are, rebuilding a Q-jet isn't that hard.....but everytime I tried it, well...... Edelbrock makes a Q-jet replacement for 85 model cars and trucks in 795 cfm. It's a bit pricey at $456.99 (Jegs) but I used one on my truck and have been very happy with it. Edelbrock also makes a Performer series that's bit more reasonable at around $220. These are square bore carbs that run 500 cfm that means all four barrels are the same diameter. The Q-Jet is spread bore carb which means the primaries are small in diameter with huge secondaries, most performance guys seem to prefer them. I've been using a Performer (600 cfm) on my 455 and like it. It's very simple to install and adjust.

In the Afro-American community around New York City, I heard 225's referred to as "9"'s (sum of the digits). It was a very popular car in the 60's. You are correct about deuce and a quarter referring to 2-2-5. Where the expression originated...who knows. Perhaps from the military deuce and a half referring to a 2 and half ton truck.

Here's a partial of what I found: JG '70-'?? 2V 350 F-85, Cutlass, Supreme (3200, 3600, 4200 series) JL '70-'?? 4V 350 F-85, Cutlass, Supreme (3200, 3600, 4200 series) JO '70-'?? 4V 350 F-85, Cutlass w/W-31 (3200, 3600 series) Here's the site: http://www.442.com/oldsfaq/oftrn.htm#TRAN%20Auto%20Transmission%20Identification Looking through it, I only see a TH400 coupled with a 455 in a Cutlass.

I could see where that would be annoying as hell. I made the mistake of buying a Merc Capri the first year they came out. I was in the service and wanted a cheap car that was good on gas. Those things it did well and drove great. But, Lucas electronics! Merde! The voltage regulator (internal) would suddenly allow a huge surge of power and the I'd be getting flashed by every passing car even though I was on low beams. The amperage actually melted the light switch and I ended up replacing it with a household light switch. That car saw me through college and was traded for a new Toyota Celica (looked like a small Mustang - only made one year in that design). I think I went through something like three or four alternators with that old Capri. Eventually, Ford started using their electronics and dumped Lucas. Later I found this was the case with many English cars. I read the statement, "the English are more interested in gluing wood on the dashboard than making a decent electronic system."

Kwik Kwiz- does anyone know why Olds finally discontinued the automatic dimmer after 1970? It's worth noting that it was strictly dealer installed 67-70. Conversion to the metric system? I'm betting they got sued.

It's my understanding that only about 10 % of our oil comes from the Mid-East and the rest from all over the world including the U. S.. I also strongly suspect the U. S. Oil companied manipulate the prices of crude in conjuction with their various suppliers. One way would be to simply tell the suppliers to raise their price and kick back a portion of that increase. However, our cost is still well below what the rest of the world pays. Consider that Amoco top of the line gas in 1967 was going for .47 per gallon in New York ( I know because I worked part time at a gas station pumping gas) and minimum wage was $1.25 per hour (that's what I worked for). Therefore, it took .38 hours to "earn" a gallon of gas based on that price/wage. 93 Octane Amoco is going for $1.65 a gallon as I type this in North Georgia and minimum wage (I earn a little more than that, I think) is $5.15 per hour. It now takes .32 hours to earn that gallon of gas (well, they took the lead out so it should be cheaper). Gas is cheaper today than it was 36 years ago.

Try this site: http://www.442.com/oldsfaq/ofeng.htm#ENG%201964%20-%201990%20Similarities:%20Olds%20BB%20and%20SB

Here's what I found on Olds FAQs: The 442 and Regal axles are hard to find because 442s are rare and most T-types and Grand Nationals are not junked yet. For older Cutlasses, the B-body 8.5" axle might fit better than the G-body axle. RPO |--------Axle Code--------| Ring Gear Code Ratio Conventional Limited Slip ------------------------------------------------------- 7.5" G72 2.14 2AK 2BK (aluminum brake drums) 7.5" GH2 2.29 2AH 2BH 7.5" GU1 2.41 2AJ,2AZ 2BJ,2BZ 7.5" GM8 2.56 2AA 2BA 7.5" GU2 2.73 2AB,2AX 2BB,2BX 7.5" GU4 3.08 2AC,2AV 2BC,2BV 7.5" GU5 3.23 2AD 2BD 7.625" GT4 3.73 2TF 2TH (Monte Carlo SS) 8.5" GU6 3.42 3TP 3TJ (T-Type, GN Std.) 8.5" GT4 3.73 3TG,3TE 3TR,3TX (442, GN Opt.) 8.5" GU2 2.73 8YB 8YP (B-Body) 8.5" GU4 3.08 8YD 8YR (B-Body) 8.5" GU5 3.23 8YE 8YS (B-Body) If you don't have the codes with you to indentify if it is an 8.5" or not, I found that if you measure the distance between the very bottom bolt for the cover and the next adjacent one (either right of left), it will be 3 ¾" for a 8.5" and 3 1/4" for a 7.5". All 1978 and up Olds came with 7.5" 10 bolts, no 12 bolts (Chevy or Olds) whatsoever. So guys with 1978 and up G bodies had a few options: beef up the 7.5" with better axles and a good posi unit, or find an 8.5" out of an 83-84 HO, 85-85 442, or 84 and up T-Type or GN, or go with a Ford 9" from Currie or Moser, or buy the control arms from Southside traction and install an older 1968 or so Chevy 12 bolt or 10 bolt.

I can feel a little with my nail as I run it over the nick, not much, but it's there. The steel ring of the gasket appears to have sunk into it when it was torqued in place. The amount pulled out now is somewhat greater than the nick it was in due to my having to really pull the gaskets off. They were stuck like glue. Looks like the steel ring and the nick area are the same length.

Albert, I looked at the nick you pointed out on the No.3 cylinder (this one gave me the lowest compression reading) and ran my finger nail over it. I can feel the nick in the metal as well as see it. It's hard to say how deep it is and if it is causing me to lose compression. It appears the ring of the gasket covers it, but whether or not it's properly supported, I can't say. The gaskets shredded when I removed it and I couldn't see any burn marks. Perhaps that area of the head gasket just finally gave out? I've not had the old heads to the machine shop yet because the new ones haven't arrived. Once all that's here, I'll have the machinst go over them. I'd feel much better knowing what caused my problems before I put this engine back together again.

said that to Hal Holbrook the crooked cop/boss who was on his case all the time. Thanks for the info, it makes sense to me. New heads are on their way, so maybe I'll be able to button this thing up pretty soon and we shall see what we shall see.

Mwrench, What type head gaskets would you recommend? I've seen them priced from about $30 to $90. Would you use Copper Coat or other product? TIA.

I was going to perform the tests you mentioned, but decided not to as I got the replacement heads. I plan to bring both sets to the machine shop and let him check them out. In addition, he may want to strip springs etc from the old heads for the new if they have better parts. I didn't check the "hidden" parts of the cylinders as you noted. I will today. I cleaned the deck surfaces looking for cracks between the cylinders and around the bolt holes everything looked good. I took close up shots of them as well. Thanks for the tip about the cylinder walls, I didn't think of that.

Removed heads, see no evidence of craking in either block or head. Head gaskets were "glued" to head and block and self destroyed when I pulled the heads off. Had to scrape remainder of gasket material from block. I've ordered a set of "C" castings and will have hardened inserts added, so it will take awhile to put all back together again.

M'wrench, Thanks for the advice. I'm going to follow it. I found a set of "C" castings and talked with a machinist friend who will go through them including hardened valve seats. I have "G" castings on there now, so it will b an upgrade. I appreciate your time and you can be certain I'll be posting on this again.

Ran a compression test tonight, here's the results: Cylinder psi 1 140 3 135 5 145 7 140 2 140 4 140 6 133 6 second time130 6 third time135 8 140 I started on the left side (no 1) and worked back to 7 and then went to the right side. The left side was suspect because it was the left pipe that I saw vapor and water dripping and was constantly wet. Cylinder no 3 was the second one I tested. I did 6 three times because by then the battery was a bit weak, I could hear the starter was not cranking as fast. But, 8 was last and gave a 140 on the first try. I went back and did No 3 after I finished and it went to 125 psi. The engine was cold, no oil squirted in the cylinders and throttle wide open. I've also pressurized the cooling system to 15 psi to see how long it will hold the pressure. One of our techs said to do this and then see if any coolent enters any of the cylinders. The oil on the dipstick looks clean. I did note when removing the plugs, No 8 plug wire boot was just sitting on the the plug, it wasn't snapped on it tight. No 8 and No 7 plugs are black sooty looking, the other grey and brown, I see no rust on the inner surfaces/electrodes. I'm going to get another temp gauge and sensor and put it in the manifold to see if both gauges agree. Maybe it's a bad gauge. I am suspect of a crack or blown gasket as this happened on the coldest day we've had around here. I think it went to 9 degrees that night and I honestly can't say if I had enough anti-freeze in the cooling system. It's all been replaced so I can't check the specific gravity of it. Any suggestions?

I spoke with a machinist friend who confirmed what you've posted. He said the exhaust valve seat area would be is if they were hit with a ball peen hammer. He said he'd show me a set where the area set back almost 1/4 of an inch. He went on to say that short trip driving probably wouldn't be a problem, but long term would be. I don't know if they are large or small valve, I need to ask the seller. He simply said they were cleaned, shot peened, and crack free. They're off the engine, and I'm certain he can tell me. I'm betting they're the 2.000 valves as he didn't mention the size but states they are rumored to be the best flowing Olds heads.

I know where I can get a set of "C" casting cylinder heads for a 455 Olds engine. These heads were made in 1968, do they need hardened valve seats? TIA.

The guy who did my conversion used the stock manifolds. He simply bent pipe to the same dimensions of the cross over pipe. He had to run both pipes side-by-side down the passenger side of the car (85 LeSabre) because the trans mount bracket isn't contoured on the left to allow a pipe to go past it. At the rear of the car, he went back left again and installed mufflers on both sides. I get a nice throaty sound that's within reason. It's a lot of fun to be next to some guy in a Camaro or Mustang in what appears to be a grocery getter and leave them behind me. A decent muffler shop can do that for you.

I thought about getting one of those myself when I was having fits with the 307 starter on the 403. Finally, I found the correect application for the 403 and had no problems after that. The price scared me off the high torque starter.