1970 Cutlass SX Weight and SAE Horsepower

[Dan30thz28]

How much does a 1970 Cutlass with a 455 4bbl weigh? I know that a 1970 455 4bbl has 365HP/500ft.lb. TQ. What is the SAE corrected net horsepower on a 455 4bbl? How much do these cars really put to the ground in terms of rear wheel horsepower? Just curious. Thanks and I look forward to your responses.

Sincerely,

[Sgt Art]

I'm not sure of the weight (I'd say about 4000# +/-) but I've been told the big block Olds engines didn't weigh much more than the small blocks, less than 80 lbs greater I think.

The issue of horsepower has been bandied around on so many forums that I've visited and in so many articles that I've read that the numbers are just about meaningless. I can guarantee that you won't see anything near 365 HP at the wheel. Back in the good old days, the Big Three played mucho games with those figures. Generally, the HP and torque (measure in pounds feet, not foot pounds) was done a dyno at the flywheel. There were no parasitic devices such as power steering or a/c compressors, no transmission, no differential to sap power. The figures really weren't what you'd expect to see in real life. Shortly after 1970, a couple things happened so that it's almost impossible to compare figures on older engine to newer ones. They dropped compression ratios to about 8.5:1 on most engines some were even lower, they retarded camshaft timing, added other devices that restricted cylinder head flow (this is where the HP is really made) and lastly, the SAE adopted a new way of rating HP. They added all the hang on stuff.

Here's how I look at it. How does the car perform? What is your 0-60 and/or 1/4 mile time? What is the car's top end? The last one can be dangerous as most American cars don't handle well above 90 MPH in my experience without some serious suspension mods. Perhaps a flat open road... Bill Jenkins drove the big block guys nuts running a 327 Chevy engine in a Chevy Nova or Chevy II, I forget which. His car was light, the engine made plenty of power and low end torque and he won beau coup races. All the throwing around HP and torque numbers is just a form of mental masturbation IMO, it feels good but it's non-productive. Hope that helps.

[Dan30thz28]

Sgt Art,

My 1997 Z28 with a LT1 350 ran mid to high 13's in the 1/4 mile at around 100 MPH. The Cutlass feels completely different, but I'm wondering if it's about as fast as the Z. That being said, I will take the car to the 1/4 mile track to get some baseline numbers. Then I could most likely go online and use a HP calculator to get an idea. I plan on modifying the car next year, if you look at my other post, it indicates what I plan to do. Thanks for the information.

Sincerely,