[JChalk11]

I have an 1987 Oldsmobile Cutlass and was looking for someone to tell me how can I make my 350 Rocket stronger?

[techinspector1]

1. Remove 350 and transmission.
2. Install 472 or 500 Cadillac with Turbo 400 trans.
3. Install 150 hp plate shot of nitrous.
4. Enjoy.

[n-gin]

Originally Posted by techinspector1

1. Remove 350 and transmission.
2. Install 472 or 500 Cadillac with Turbo 400 trans.
3. Install 150 hp plate shot of nitrous.
4. Enjoy.

you sure like those cadilac engines....

[n-gin]

match port the pump housing and boss, also the pump casting itself.
Use main bearing galley restrictors .125 inch hole.
Restrict the lifter galley holes to a .040.
Get a 60's 330 crank and have it resized with 2 inch rod journals for use of chevy connecting rods. Do this for parts selection and easy to find parts.
The final stroke will be 3.475, for a 365 displacement, with 4.087 bore. Coat the counter weights with polydyn. Crank should be under 50 pounds by now.
Diamond makes a Zero deck design pistons, top ring .200 down from top of piston.
1/16-, 1/16-, 3/16-inch-thick dimensions rings. polydyn top of piston for less heat soak.
Childs and albert rings dura moly.
Oliver 6.2 rods, polydyn-14 silver on the rods so oil wont kling to it.
Drill oil holes top each specific main bearing.
.0030-.0035 main clearance, .0025 on rods
6051 aluminum heads edlbrock worked to 72 cc chambers. Mild porting. edlbrock performer rpm.
Solid cam and lifters.
DRM 12 pound flywheel specifically for 330 cranks swapped into 350 blocks.

[killerformula]

What trans do you have? You could always step up your gearing in the back...

[ScoTFrenzel]

Information says that 350 engine was not available in 1987,
only olds 307 cube 140 hp or Buick V6.
Even the 442 only had the 307 at 170 hp..

in this order

1) headers and dual exhaust, no cats, hp mufflers
2) ignition recurve and calibrate
3) mild RV type cam
4) more gear ratio, 3.42
You probably have very high gear even with the factory OD transmission.
5) dual plane 4 bbl intake and small carb, Edel. Performer and 500 Edelbrock, a 600 if you actually have a 350.

[killerformula]

The above post is one method of gaining performance. I would suggest something a little different.

If you have a 442 car then you're on the right track, because you already have a 3.73 posi rear. If not, you may have something as low as a 2.56 open rear that will make your car feel like a boat-anchor until you swap it out for something about 1.00 ratio larger. You can put a cam and headers on that motor and you won't feel a thing until your gears will let the car move a little.

If you do replace, and you're thinking of putting some more guts up front, I would look into making sure you've got an 8.5 inch ring gear instead of the 7.5. You may be able to find a whole one out of a donor car with a posi setup and everything.

Next, I'd get rid of the 307 all together. Find a donor 350 or larger motor (depending on how brave you are with your driveline). To do a cam swap properly you have to remove the motor anyway. A decent 350 with a 4bbl carb on it even stock will move out really well. If you go a step further and put the cam in it you may really like it. olds 350's churn out torque and plant you in your seat.

Later on you could put a nicer intake on and some headers/duels. All said and done you pay 2-300 bux for a donor axle, 2-300 for a decent donor motor. Toss a cam in for 150-200 bucks, use that opportunity to freshen up some gaskets while the motor is in transition.

For 800 bucks you've probably dropped 2 seconds or more off your 1/4 mile time, you've got a decent motor with fresh gaskets and a cam in it.

Best of luck whatever you choose, sounds like a fun project (those G-body cars make great platforms).

K

[JChalk11]

I dont really know what size my transmission is but it's making it so far. But I really wanted to know because I want to put some big rims on my car to put it in a car show next summer. I really want to know what can I do to make my car stronger.

[JChalk11]

I know for sure that I have a 350R in my car. I got that engine out of I think it was 1978 Oldsmobile. Im just taking a guess at that. Someone told me I cant do much to it but I still want to make it stronger.

[curtis73]

Originally Posted by techinspector1

1. Remove 350 and transmission.
2. Install 472 or 500 Cadillac with Turbo 400 trans.
3. Install 150 hp plate shot of nitrous.
4. Enjoy.

Hell yes.

Bottom line... both of the possible engines (either the 350 or the 307) are both very low-compression engines with tiny cams. As with 90% of the engines available from 1973-1985, it will take a pretty comprehensive package of heads, cam, intake, and possibly pistons (which necessitates a rebuild) to get much more performance.

Engines need the whole package to match in order to perform. Engines from those years tended to have low compression, tiny cams, and dished pistons. They were well-matched to the sub-200 hp numbers they made, but just changing a couple external goodies won't make magic happen.

Let's start with block and head casting numbers. That will help us narrow down the specifics of the engine we're dealing with, then we can more accurately help you along.

And, by the way, "Rocket" is like saying "bowtie" or "blue oval." It doesn't mean that its a specific high performance engine, its just that Oldsmobile's icon/hood ornament was a rocket, just like chevy's was a bowtie and ford's was a blue oval. So, to say that you have a 350 rocket is just saying you have a 350 olds. Not insulting, just letting you know.