[sled]

im thinkin about runnin a '53 olds 303 rocket, anybody got ideas of torque and hp numbers? also i was thinkin of runnin some straight pipes...what the deal with performance on these things, i know theyre loud and look awesome but do they rob or add the ponies?

also what can i do with intake, right now its just got a simple 2 barell i think (dont have it at my garage) but i have seen many old intakes for these from Offy, cragar etc. do these manifolds add hp, lets say a triple duece setup or a log style with six 97's (or similar)? whats the best bet?

i was thinkin about gettin creative and making my own intakes and run some more unique carbs or a weird configuration. maybe four DCOE webers, or some SU's? that would look cool.

whats the scoop with tranny's for 303 olds'? any manuals out there that bolt up? any adapter plates? or just hydramatics?


oh and this might go in a traditional hot rod, what some people call a "rat rod". so there's no hood involved.

 

[Max Keith]

303 Rocket

http://clubs.hemmings.com/clubsites/oldsmobilenlc/links.htm

Here is a link that may help you find some parts.

There are a couple home brew things you can do to warm up your Olds yourself.
If you are knowledgeable about porting the heads, you could start there.
Since the compression ratio is probably down around 8.0:1, a little boost there wouldnt hurt at all. Maybe up to about 9.5:1.
A good free flowing dual exhaust would help a lot.
You might want to contact one of the older cam grinders like Isky, Erson, Clay Smith, Crane about a mild cam, or even regrinding your stock one for you.
The after market intakes would do wonders for your engine. I would go with about a 500 CFM Edelbrock or Holley 4 bbl.
In any event I wouldnt get real radical in building that engine. Its an antique and you want to take care of it.

 

[rumbleseat]

In 1955 we ran a303 Olds. in a 49 chevy coupe. It had a Weiand intake with 3 stromburg 97's, an Ed Winfield cam, (boy could he grind camshafts), stock valve springs in cleaned up heads milled to 9 to 1 compression. Homemade headers, dual point ignition and everything else stock. It pushed the coupe to 140 mph at Bonneville. It was hooked to a Packard 3-speed tranny via an adaptor. Somewhere out there should still be equipment for that engine.

Regarding straight pipes, it's trial and error. Long pipes are good for low end torque and decreasing in length for better scavaging at the upper end. For a rat rod though, looks play the part.

 

[Max Keith]

303 Rocket

Thats for sure! Nothing beats the sound of a good set of Lakes Pipes.
For a legitimate exhaust, I would go with a 2" dual exhaust with some huge turbo mufflers. Dyno tests have shown that turbos flow as well or better than most glass packs, and in my notion, have a nicer tone to them; a deep mellow tone. Lakes Pipes or straight pipes down the sides, look neat and sound great when the caps are off.

Rumbleseat, I would think there would be a lot of good oldie parts out your way that would work on his engine.

Another aspect, if this engine is going into a coupe or roadster, the idea of weedburner4.

 

[slider in wa]

Dr Gas "X" pipe

Duals with an "X" pipe not only scavenge, they help quite it down a little for the street. You can`t beat dual exhaust with the "X" pipe for the street. With that small block keep your headers around 1 and 1/2 to 1 and 5/8 My 2 penny`s worth.
Slider in Wa.