Sgt Art

Also, I meant to add, if there is a modulator, disconnect the line at the modulator and if you see leaking trans fluid, there's your problem. If the modulator is bad, the trans won't shift well either. SOme years ago, a friend complained his Chevy pick truck was getting terrible mileage. He worked for UPS and had one of the guys at his terminal look at it. Turned out the vacuum line had come loose at the modulator resulting in poor shifting and staying in 2 gear!

I'm not familiar with VIN's that old, but many times GM didn't put the whole number on the block. Example, small block Chev's had a letter prefix that identified the application Y might have meant Corvette (that's just an example I don't remember the exact code) and then the last six or the actual serial number of the car in went into. You'll see sellers stating all numbers match. The Corvette I had, did have a matching number on the block, but you could clearly see where the original one had been ground off and the new one hand stamped. The point is, the number you've posted here, may not be the whole VIN. Short, answer, I can't help you here.

Way too old for any assistance.

Purely guess work here, so take it for what it's worth. If your trans has a vacuum modulator, the diaphram may be ruptured and the intake manifold could be sucking in trans fluid. It's an easy check, just disconnect the where the vacuum line connects to the intake and see if there is any trace of trans fluid. Also, you could disconnect the vacuum line (assuming you have one) run the engine and see if you still get the smoke. As I see it, it's the only way trans fluid could enter your engine. If it turns out it's not the transmission providing the fluid to the engine, then you could have worn valve guides or seals that suck in a small amount of oil which might not register all that quickly on the dipstick.

Block casting nnumbers near bellhousing '49 - '53 303 555614 Green '49 - ?? 303 555641 Green '54 - '56 324 568922 Green 568928 Heads Code Year(s) CID CCs Number Notes 10 1949 10 1956 16 1957 371 18 1959 394 20 394 23 1964 394 Seen on 394. 1964? 394? 583832

Are you sure those numbers came from an Olds engine? The block casting number is located on the front of the engine on the top surface of the timing chain area next to the oil fill tube. The head number is by the exhaust area. Usually, Olds heads also have a letter near the front. How many cylinders is this engine? Is the distributor in the front of the block or in the rear?

Replace the crankshaft? Why? Is it damaged? Chances are, it has the old rope type seals that were used on many Olds V-8 engines. They're okay for awhile, but do eventually leak. If you can jack the engine up (remove the two long bolts that hold the motor mounts to the frame and it might help to take the distributor cap off) then you may be able to remove the oil pan and proceed to change the seal without pulling the entire engine. Note on getting the oil pan off: You may have to rotate the crank a bit to get the front counter weights clear. It can be difficult. If you can get the oil pan off, then remove the rear main bearing cap, this is where the rear seal is located. The lower part of the old seal is easy to extract as it just pulls out of the groove it sits in while you hold the cap in you hand. The upper can be tougher. There is a tool called a Sneaky Pete (about $5) that will "grab" hold and allow you to pull the upper part of the seal out. Now, replacing is a snap. Don't use another rope seal, get the rear bearing seal for a Ford 460 engine which is the neoprene type (it's in two half moon pieces) roll the upper in, set the lower in the main cap a dot and I mean just a dot of black silicon on the ends of the lower and put the cap on. It's a good idea to offset the halfs so that they mate up in side the main cap groove and not at the parting line between the upper and lower parts. If what I said has you totally confused, then go to a pro, this is not a job for a newbie, it's hard, aggrivating and a little dangerous. As far as replacing the crank goes, the only reason to do that is if it's damaged which I doubt if all you have is a leaky seal. More than likely, you were told, the engine had to be pulled and the crank removed, which is also isn't necessary. However, If I were going this far, I'd want the crank inspected, maybe polished if necessary and all rod and main bearings inspected or replaced. The parts don't cost all that much as the labor is most of the job. A new oil pump is only about $35 +/- also.

A few years back, I swapped a 455 Olds into a 1985, LeSabre that originally had a 307 Olds. It dropped right in. I also put a TH350 transmission that had just been rebuilt. The 455 in stock form, will work well with a TH350, however, if your friend's t'mission is as tired as the engine he wants to replace, he may want to have it gone through also. The TH400, although tougher, is heavier and does use a different driveshaft. I'm not sure if there would be linkage problems, but it wouldn't surprise me. The TH400 is probably one of the toughest trannies ever made both Mercedes-Benz and Jaguar use it in their vehicles. The biggest problems I ran into with my car was the brackets for the a/c compressor wouldn't work with the 455 due to the block being about an inch higher and wider. I couldn't line it up and it looked like I was going to have to have a bracket fabricated...call Monster Garage. Again, due to the wider block, I had to change the exhaust pipes. This was no biggie, the local muffler shop did it cheap. I stayed pretty much stock with my 455 when I built it. I did find some older "C" casting heads. These are some of the best flowing heads Olds made for the big block. I had them gone through including hardened valve inserts. I used a Cloyes double roller timing chain and gear set, a Crane Cam with a slightly greater lift and duration than stock, but idled nicely. I added an Edelbrock Performer intake with an Edelbrock Performer (remake of the old Carter AFB) carb. This almost had me up against the hood due to the higher rise of the manifold, but I was able to get an air cleaner in place with no problems. I have no idea what HP was, but I really don't put much stock in those numbers. I prefer to see what type of performance I get. I never timed 0-60 or the quarter mile, but the car was quick off the line. I enjoyed suprising guys in their Camaros and Mustangs giving them a run in an Old Phart mobile. Alas, all good things come to an end. In this case, a young lady with tinted windows ran a stop sign.

Opps that'd help. 1977, Electra. I also need the power seat motor that raises the front up and down for the same car. TIA

I need four center caps for 15 inch rally wheels.

Jerry, Here's a great site that I think will explain everything you wanted to know but weren't afraid to ask. http://www.carcraft.com/thehistoryof/65502/

393654 350 '74 Plain iron. No 'N' on front weight. Balance hole in 1st throw. "C" notch ¼" deep, 1" wide. Probably not the best choice for that type speed. Just as important, would the connecting rods, pistons and rings. Here's a good site for building up Olds engines: http://www.442.com/oldsfaq/ofcrk.htm#Cranks%201964%20-%201990

I'm buying a 1977, Buick Electra with 403 Olds engine VIN: 4X37K7Hxxxxxx Which transmission does this car have? TH350?

"..uninterested in the "post muscle car" (1977 and on) era." Maybe for the moment.

Those can be murder! The first one I removed was with the engine mounted to a stand. I had to have a very large friend hold the engine while I levered it off with a half inch drive breaker bar with four feet of pipe as a cheater on it! I had to lock the crankshaft in place by inserting a big screw driver through where the flex plate mounts. I have a 1/2" air wrench, but it wasn't stout enough to get the job done. I believe the torque value on them is 130 lbft or more.

I haven't sold any cars on Ebay, but I have sold other items. There is an initial listing fee which varies depending on the various features you hook up for i.e. BOLD TYPE LISTING, additional pictures (usually one is free and then they start charging). Some of this may different on Ebay Motors. However, if it doesn't sell, all they collect is the listing fee. You can avoid a reserve fee by not having a reserve. Start your opening bid close to where you want to sell. What you can do, is start like you're going to list the car, go through all the "motions" just before you click to list it, it shows how much it will cost you for the listing fees. At that point either list it, or leave the site. If the car sells, you'll owe them a percentage of that too. Listing fees are usually pretty cheap. As far as PayPal goes, a lot of sellers resent the fee PayPal (which I understand it owned by Ebay) charges them for their services. I like it, it's fast and convenient. When I've sold on Ebay, many times the buyer sent the fund via PayPal shortly after winning and the money is then transferred to my bank account a few days later (you have to tell them to do that though). Frankly, the fee for car selling for a $3000 bucks adds up when you consider Ebay gets it's beak wet when you list it, sell it and collect your money (PayPal). Most car sellers require a deposit shortly after the auction and the balance within 7 to 10 days. If I bought a car, I'd want to send as little up front until I had a chance to actually see it in person. Pictures can be really deceptive and hide rust and other problems.

I've done it and it's no different than a small block Olds engine, in fact they used the same distributor. It's pretty straight forward, there's a hex shaped drive rod for the oil pump that fits into the bottom of the cam drive gear. One circular gasket fits between the top of the dist housing and the engine block. It's held in place with one bolt and clamp.

Check timing if it's too advanced it will ping. New plugs might solve the problem also make sure the ERG valve is working properly. It's purpose is to add a little exhaust to the fuel mixture and it actually cools combustion. When they get stuck, it commonly causes spark knock. This is especially true in Buick 3.8L V6 engines.

It has just been announced that the last Olds went off the assembly line. The end of the oldest car maker in this country. http://news.yahoo.com/fc?tmpl=fc&cid=34&in=business&cat=automobiles_and_driving

1967 330s used a 39° cam bank angle and larger 0.921" lifters Here's a site that will answer many questions regarding Olds engines etc: http://www.442.com/oldsfaq/oldsfaq.htm

600 - 625 in Park is fine if the engine doesn't stall or idle rough when in drive. Generally, 550 in drive (PARKING BRAKE ON AND WHEELS CHOCKED - if you don't have either, gently pull up to a stout tree with your front bumper just kissing it) is where you want to be. I don't know what the mfr recommends for your car because I don't know what year model it is. Do you have A/C? This may require a bit more idle when it's turned on if there isn't a solinoid to compensate for that on the carb. Tuning by ear is something of a lost art that was practiced by many mechanics in the 60's and back. Things became a bit more complicated since then. And, yes, a bad set of points will fool you into thinking you have a carb problem with miss fires, hesitation and rough idle. I eliminated points from my 72 Lincoln with Pertronix electronic ignition. The nice thing about it, is you remove the points and screw in the Pertronix unit (you need to buy the correct coil to match up with it Summit Racing has them and Jeg's too). The whole set up cost me about $125 and when you consider the cost of a set of points and condensor that's not all that bad because your done fooling with. You keep the current distributor, cap and wires.

Idle adjustment is something of a dark art. Here's what I suggest. Get a vacuum gauge (they don't cost much and really help here's a link to help you understand what it's telling you: http://www.users.bigpond.com/ergoff/vac1.htm 550 rpm sounds about right for the engine when the transmission is in drive, parking brake on and wheels chocked for safety and for heaven's sake, don't blip the accellerator linkage. A good tachometer is absolutely necessary. A can of engine starter fluid is good to have around. Use this to spray around where the intake manifold and head meet. If there's a leak, the engine will rev up a bit. That tells you there's a leak either a blown intake manifold gasket or improper torque. It's a good idea to check all the bolts on the intake to head and also the carb bolts. Don't go overboard on the amount of torque but they should be nice an snug - if you have a torque wrench, so much the better. Spray the engine starter fluid at the base of the carb, see if there's and air being sucked around there. One problem with older carbs, is the throttle plate shaft area on the base of the carb becomes wallowed out with time. The shaft is steel and the base is aluminum. The softer aluminum becomes worn and creates an air leak. The fix is to have them bushed, this is best left to a specialty shop. You method of setting the idle mixture is right out of the book. What you are trying to find, is what's called a "lean roll". This is where the idle fule mix is leaned out and the engine's ilde speed suddenly changes, then enrichen the mixture a half turn or so. I've assumed (yeah, I know) that you have a high energy ignition system (no points to mess with), good ignition parts i.e. plugs, rotor, cap, wires, intial timing is set correctly. I would think 700 rpm would be good for a warm engine in Park and 550 in drive as previously mentioned. Make your fuel adjustments with the engine in Park.

same problem after switching over to R134a from R12 freon. All was done last Summer and last week it blew hot air. Had it checked out and it needed a refill. The tech added dye which will identify the leak (which is apparently very slow).

Color is not in the VIN, it's in the trim code. Best way is to check with the dealer, he MAY have the color codes for that year. Normally, the trim code is on the door jamb, trunk lid or firewall. If all that's been scrubbed and the car has been repainted, you might have a problem.

My WAG is 650 or less. I will say that when I got rid of 750CFM Quadrajet on my low compression 455 (I guess they all were) the parts guy suggested a 650 Edelbrock square bore (it's a remake of the Old Carter AFB). I was a bit skeptical but he assured me I'd be happy with it and promised me my money back if I didn't. He was right.