Thank you so much for further refining my understanding of my 52 Super 88 Holiday Coupe.I love this car for its rich history, and the fact that I inherited it from a dear, tragically taken friend. in. In an OHV engine, the valves are placed directly above the combustion chamber, which greatly improves breathing. Learn more. . 12 (December 1964): 36-47; William Kovarik, Ph.D., Charles F. Kettering and the 1921 Discovery of Tetraethyl Lead In the Context of Technological Alternatives, originally presented to the Society of American Engineers Fuels & Lubricants Conference, Baltimore, MD, 1994, revised 1999, www.radford. Thanks for the great write up on the history of one of the most influential engines in the automobile industry! The development testing, however, had been done using the smaller B-body Olds 76 as a test mule. It was optional on 1964 98s and Super 88s. The engine was designed by Charles L. McCuen, who later had a hand in approving the Rocket engine for production. Olds were very popular in Brazil but I can t give you any numbers. The 403 Oldsmobile was generally painted "Corporate GM Blue" on every model line it was equipped in. The 260cuin (4.3L), 307cuin (5.0L), 330cuin (5.4L), 350cuin (5.7L) and 403cuin (6.6L) engines are commonly called small-blocks. Each of those engines had its own peculiarities, but they were all in the mold of the Oldsmobile Rocket engine. Features Power Transmission: 4 Automatic Hydra-Matic Production Figures Handling 1949 Averages Oldsmobile Rocket 88 Cars for sale - SmartMotorGuide.com (Thats a lesson that many Jaguar and Porsche owners have learned the hard way.)[/quote]. They normally expire after about one year. It shared the same compression ratio of the Toronado Rocket at 10.5:1. The optional heater-defroster cost $85 that year, the optional base radio $96. The image file itself contains no personally identifiable information, but the loading of that file may be used to help identify and/or track you. in. The new, mid-sized Oldsmobile Rocket 88 went on sale February 6, exactly seven weeks after the 98. Yes, the Hydra-Matic had a parking pawl, which was engaged by selecting reverse with the engine off. Assuming your car has its original engine, its the version Oldsmobile called the Skyrocket, which was differentiated from the base Rocket by its four-barrel carburetor and gross ratings of 330 hp and 440 lb-ft of torque. (. Akamai is a registered trademark or service mark of Akamai Technologies, Inc. in the United States (Reg. The commonest type was the Super 88 4-door sedan, Hydramatic equipped. (The idea of Olds as the import-fighter brand obviously had its own problems.) The final 1990 configuration was rated at 140hp (100kW) at 3200 rpm and 255lbft (346Nm) of torque at 2000 rpm. 15-16 MPG is great even by modern standards, for a 300+ HP engine. The cylinder head is little more than a cover for the top of the cylinder, which is why L-head engines are commonly called flatheads. [[[Chevrolet Corvair#First generation (19601964)#{{{section}}}|contradictory]]]. 1962 OLDSMOBILE 88 CORE SHORT BLOCK ENGING 8-394 860673. 88. Road tests were conducted later that year and the new V8 went into production a few days before Christmas 1948. 1956 Oldsmobile 88 Rocket | Classic Auto Mall (If you need to review or change these settings after you accept, you can do so from the Privacy Tools page.) The same year, an Olds 88 won the grueling 2000-mile-plus Carrera Panamericana road race in Mexico. The first generation of Oldsmobile 88 was introduced in 1949. Cant wait to get my Wool Fedora and get it back on the road. (4,705 cc) and were designed to take advantage of research that had been done by GM Research VP Charles Kettering on high-compression engines (of which well have more to say below). 78-79; and Josiah Work, 1949 Rocket 88: This Is Not Your Grandpas Oldsmobile, Special Interest Autos #139 (January-February 1994), reprinted in The Hemmings Book of Oldsmobiles, pp. Oldsmobiles companion make, the Viking had a horizontal-valve V8 with two-plane crankshaft in the early thirties. By contrast, both the Cadillac and Oldsmobile V8s were oversquare, with a wide bore and a short stroke. 1956 Oldsmobile Classic Cars for Sale - Classics on Autotrader 442 . Where is the plate located? Burrell examined a wide range of configurations, but the one to which he continually returned was a 90-degree V8, which he judged as offering the best compromise between power potential and physical size. $410.00 shipping. 425 motor, super rocket. One by one, every other American manufacturer brought out its own OHV V8 engine: Chrysler and Studebaker in 1951; Lincoln in 1952; Buick and Dodge in 1953; Ford and Mercury in 1954; Chevrolet, Pontiac, Plymouth, and Packard in 1955; and AMC in 1956. The overhead valve engine concept offered both power and efficiency, with an improvement in fuel economy (estimated at about 10 percent better than prior engine designs). Inevitably, the 88 overshadowed Oldsmobiles cheaper 76, which still used a 257 cu. Some persist for only a few minutes, or until you close your browser (or other user agent); others may remain in your browser (or other user agent) as long as your individual settings permit. Neither of GMs new OHV V8s had an exceptionally high compression ratio at first Oldsmobiles was 7.25:1, Cadillacs 7.5:1 but that was mostly a reflection of the low octane of the gasoline of the time. Vintage 1949 Oldsmobile 88 Futuramic Rocket Engine Magazine Print Ad Anyway, thanks for making my visit here an enjoyable one. To learn more about the specific cookies used and/or to fine-tune your available choices, click "Privacy Preferences" at the right. Uniquely in the 1977 Toronado, the 403 engine was fitted with a crank triggered ignition system. Email: [email protected] Address: 7400 E Monte Cristo Ave . So, its not particularly surprising that a highly tuned flathead Ford would be stronger than a stock 1950 Olds 303. Awesome vehicle many great high school memorys. Ike Turner, later to be half of Ike and Tina Turner, played piano on the track and was miffed that Brenstons name, not his, was on the record. The Rocket 88 won six of nine NASCAR late-model division races in the 1949 season and 10 of 19 races in 1950. Just didnt have any power. Not a lot of people collect or preserve those cars anymore, and many succumbed to rust or the crusher a long time ago. 98 J-2. A cheaper solution (pioneered by Buick back in the days before General Motors was formed) was to leave the camshaft in the block, as in a flathead engine, but add long metal pushrods to allow the camshaft to actuate the valves remotely. in. Olds veterans claimed the Burrell group was completely unaware of the Cadillac project until quite late in the development of the Oldsmobile V8. Output was 185hp (138kW) and 320lbft (430Nm). The present mindset (with which I dont necessarily agree, mind you) is that all brands must either be Youthful or Aspirational or if possible both, so a brand whose name begins with Old and which is best known for decades of middle-of-the-road respectability isnt off to a good start on either front. It was offered in the Hurst/Olds version of the Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais and in the 4-4-2 version of the Oldsmobile Cutlass Salon. The 1950 Oldsmobile Rocket 88s were considerably cheaper than the 49s, although that was largely because Hydra-Matic, which had been standard equipment on all 1949 V8-powered cars, reverted to being a $185 option. *. The difference is that many of the things earlier generations feared (such as heavy dependence on foreign oil and its associated political ramifications) are now familiar reality rather than speculation. The _ga and _gid cookies, which were only placed if you clicked "Accept/Enable" in the notification banner, enabled the Google Analytics service to track your activity on the site. Like all other GM divisions, Olds continued building its own V8 engine family for decades, adopting the corporate Chevrolet 350 small-block and Cadillac Northstar engine only in the 1990s. The "Rocket" name disappeared from the air cleaner decal in 1975, the same year that the catalytic converter was added to the emissions control system. These were wedge-head engines with a unique combustion chamber that resulted from a valve angle of only 6. These changes increased torque to 250lbft (340Nm) but lowered power to 170hp (130kW), while lowering the RPM at which peak power and torque was achieved. (Im not entirely sure why H-M did not, actually.). 1956 Oldsmobile 88 and 98 | Hemmings Cookies whose names begin with "_ceg" are associated with the Crazy Egg web analytics service (which is subject to the Crazy Egg Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy). The idea of keeping the brand names on a model-specific basis is not illogical (although again its contrary to current brand management philosophy), but it would present all manner of practical problems, not least that it would invite the ire of people who had previously paid money for a sales franchise for that brand. Oldsmobile Rocket 88 For Sale | Hemmings Simplified diagram of the cylinder of a wedge-head OHV engine. Output for 1983-1985 was 180hp (130kW) and 245lbft (332Nm). The bore was so wide that the cylinder walls were siamesed, as in the Chevrolet 400 V8, with no space for coolant to flow between the cylinders. We are largest vintage car website with the. In1953, at seventeen years old I had a 1932 Ford 5 window coupe that with the help of two uncles that ran auto repair shops installed a 1950 Oldsmobile engine that I got out of a wrecked car, into my coupe. That July, Burrell was promoted to chief motor engineer for the division. Call me a square,[I am a square], I say you dont denigrate a proud heritage. The effective dates of the current versions are: Paid advertisements and/or sponsored links on Ate Up With Motor will be identified with words such as "Sponsor," "Sponsors," "Sponsored Link(s)," "Sponsored Content," "Ad," "Advertisement," "Advertisement(s)," or "Paid Promotion" (and/or by images or icons containing such words). The early Rocket V8 weighs a bit over 700 pounds (318 kg) and had an SAE gross rating of 135 hp (101 kW). The Olds engine performed well and was very smooth running but didnt have as much scat as the modified flat head. I just wanted to know if I have a rocket engine and how can I check if its a 394. [21] It produced 110hp (82kW) net and 205lbft (278Nm). A diagram of where the hydraulic or solid lifter fits in a flathead might be helpful to readers. The factory painted "small-blocks" gold or blue (flat black on the late model 307cuin (5.0L)),[1] while "big-blocks" could be red, green, blue, or bronze.[1]. A new Cadillac was dramatically more expensive and also heavier, and Buicks with the big straight eight engine probably had Dynaflow. 10-17, 56; Richard M. Langworth, 1954 Packard Pacific: Last of the Great Straight Eights, Special Interest Autos #51 (May-June 1979), reprinted in The Hemmings Book of Postwar American Independents: driveReports from Special Interest Autos Magazine, ed. Did G M make a 1949-50 olds 88 or 98 4 door fastback ? They may persist for up to two years. at 1,800 RPM Transmission: Three-speed manual standard, Hydra-Matic optional Wheelbase: 119.5 inches Earlier 50s and(I believe)all 49s had the split windshield. For the Rocket 88, Oldsmobile came up with a 303 cubic inch V8 capable of a maximum 135 hp and 283 lb-ft of torque. The Oldsmobile Cutlass, Rocket 88, and other classic models remain very popular among car collectors and Oldsmobile fans. All full-size 1962 Oldsmobiles had the 394. Brand new 1/87 (HO) scale diecast car model of 1949 Oldsmobile Rocket 88 Coupe #22 "Overseas Motors Atlanta" Red die cast model car by Oxford Diecast. Most commonly available premium fuels had an octane rating of only 80 RON, not nearly enough for the ultra-high compression ratios Kettering proposed. The Rocket Engine History - 1957 Oldsmobile Golden Rocket 88 303 Oldsmobile V8 Parts | Speedway Motors All the chrome is perfect interior all original all the glass is good.all the gauges work. As mentioned earlier, the Rocket V8 was initially offered only in Oldsmobiles flagship 98, a big luxury car that gave away little to Cadillac in size or appointments. Both the Cadillac and Oldsmobile design teams were strongly influenced by the work of GM research chief Boss Charles Kettering, who had been working on high-compression engines since the end of World War I. Now 70 years old and giving a lot of thought to building me a 1950 Olds casket. [13] It could also be fitted with high-compression cylinder heads from the Morgan +8. The 1967 and later versions of the Repco engine had proprietary engine blocks. The 400cuin (6.6L) version was the second tall-deck "big-block" Olds. Oldsmobile Crate Engines:Eddies Performance Motors-High Performance Incidentally, the Rocket engine was not Oldsmobiles first V8. I have an interest in the history of Camshaft design tildentechnologies.com. The second generation of Oldsmobile V8s was produced from 1964-1990. 1955 Oldsmobile 88. Its true Oldsmobile didnt really maintain that position for long and didnt try again to go for the performance market until the 60s, but having a short season isnt the same as being overhyped. The Oldsmobile engine was then pretty new, a new 88 was expensive, and Im guessing that getting a decent crate or junkyard engine would cost almost as much as a decent Cadillac V-8. It depends on your goals. 1955 OLDSMOBILE 88 CORE ENGINE ASSEMBLY 8-324 V-8 879042. Ate Up With Motor and its embedded content providers may use cookies and/or similar technologies and collect personal information about site visitors as described in the Privacy Policy and Cookie Notice. I was aghast at the ad campaign, This is not your Fathers Oldsmobile. Richard A. Lentinello (Bennington, VT: Hemmings Motor News, 2002), pp. Making its debut in 1957 as standard equipment on all Olds models,[4] the 371 was produced through 1960. Early Hydra-Matics had no Park position (although there was a parking pawl if you engaged reverse), and unlike later versions, theres no way to keep the transmission in third gear, which can be inconvenient. Some things, like the Hydra-Matic, arent so bad, but trim pieces can be a major pain, and even the early Rocket engines can be challenging at this point. (Ten of the 13 88s that entered that race managed to finish, itself an impressive feat.) 1, 3-5; www.azoldsclub. Your email address will not be published. These a11y cookies normally expire after about seven days, but are removed immediately if you restore the applicable settings to their default values. True-to-scale detail. The Ford/Mercury flathead V8 was of course a popular choice up until the early part of the decade (and had been since its introduction in 1932) but the introduction of the new overhead valve V8s Cadillac and Oldsmobile in 1949 and Chrysler and Studebaker in 1951 were a game-changer for the performance crowd. 1999), pp. The J-2 engine also had a slightly thinner head gasket, raising compression to 10.0:1. Unlike a Mustang or a later Chevy, where theres a thriving business in replacement pieces, finding parts for an Olds of that vintage isnt necessarily easy these days. In an OHV engine, by contrast, the valves are a fair distance away from the crankshaft, which makes operating them far more complicated. Oldsmobile 88 - Wikipedia The real standard of the world. Some early 307s were painted GM Corporate blue, but most were painted satin black. Outlawed by NASCAR: - 1957 Oldsmobile J-2 | Hemmings When it comes to Oldsmobiles from 1957, the hardtop was the second-most-popular body style, with 49,187 units produced. Moreover, correct tuning was a continual headache. The Cadillac and Oldsmobile V8s represented the start of several major trends in American engine design. It was a sliding gear like a manual and held in some fashion I cant remember because it couldnt lock to the engine through the torus member. The package was expensive to produce, and Oldsmobile discontinued it after 1958. Oldsmobile V8 Engines - Street Rodder Magazine - MotorTrend A smaller 260cuin (4.3L) V8 was created for the new Oldsmobile Omega in 1975 by decreasing the bore to 3.5in (89mm). All other trademarks and/or service marks are the property of their respective owners. Vintage lovers are ready to spend any amount of money to get hold of a Rocket 88 of 1949. The Buick version of the 215 V8 went on to become the well known Rover V8, which still remains in limited production, utilizing the Buick-style pistons, heads, and valve train gear. Particularly by 50s standards, the flathead Ford wasnt an outstanding engine, which I think even a lot of loyalists would have readily admitted, but you could get them by the cartload and there was a huge, well-entrenched aftermarket for them. Off.).) Note the quadrant for the Hydra-Matic atop the steering column. Oldsmobile charged $83 for the J-2 option with the three-speed manual (or in the 98),[7] $314 dollars with the automatic.[8]. The means exist to do the same work while burning less fuel; the question is whether a meaningful number of American consumers will accept those means while theres still fuel left to burn. [citation needed] Production of the 260 V8 ended in 1982 when the 307 became the only gasoline V8 in Oldsmobile's line. The main distinguishing features of this engine were a slightly different camshaft profile from the standard ultra high compression engine and factory dual exhaust. Power was 81 hp at 3000 rpm. Biggest mistake I still think about that automobile. $22,000 (OBO) (For each of these cookies, "xx" will be a cryptographic hash.) (Illustration: Pushrod2 2007 IJB TA at the English Wikipedia; resized and changed file format (from PNG to JPEG) 2008 by Aaron Severson and used under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported license). The cookies are not set at all unless you select that option when submitting a comment. Big block Oldsmobile Rocket 442 crate engines are also available. An 88 also won the first grueling Carrera Panamericana, the 2,176-mile (3,500-km) Mexican Road Race. In certain cases, multiple iterations of either or both of these cookies may be set. Because the high-octane fuels necessary to take advantage of really high compression ratios were not yet available, Burrell ordered the displacement of the production engine (known internally as 8-90) increased to 303.7 cu. Unlike the 76, powered by a straight-six engine, the 88 came with a V8 under the. The Oldsmobile 88 (marketed from 1989 on as the Eighty Eight) is a full-size car that was sold and produced by Oldsmobile from 1949 until 1999. A nominal 360 hp was claimed in 1967 when equipped with a W30 camshaft, 4-barrel, and outside air induction, 502 of which were factory produced. The Rocket 88 model name was dropped after 1957. Terry Ehrich and Richard Lentinello (Bennington, VT: Hemmings Motor News, 2001), pp. Then in 1955 Chevrolet introduced their ohv V8 (as did Packard, Plymouth and Pontiac) and changed the game again. Put the petal to the metal and go man go! It always featured the 4A 83cc heads with 8:1 compression, and a Rochester Quadrajet 4 barrel carburettor. Rockets, Vikings and Your Old Man - Engine Builder Magazine 2027; John Katz, Racing the 88, Special Interest Autos #145 (January-February 1995), reprinted in The Hemmings Book of Oldsmobiles, p. 88; Jamie Kitman, The Secret History of Lead, The Nation March 2000; Allen Hunt, Horsepower from Detroit, Part IV: Cadillac, Oldsmobile and the horsepower race, Car Life Vol. Around the end of that year, the project nearly ground to a halt due to objections from Cadillac. The oil industry wasnt interested, nor was the auto industry, nor it must be said was the contemporary American public. The Nash finished third behind two 88s. Submitting a comment signifies your acceptance of our. Produced from 19681980, the Rocket 350 was entirely different from the other GM divisions' 350s. FOLLOW MARKET. Your email address will not be published. $200.00. The company produced its first V8 - an L-head design . The 303 was available from 1949 until 1953. 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