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. Bore was increased to 3.875in (98.4mm) (same as the later 283 Chevy) and stroke remained the same at 3.4375in (87.31mm). in. 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. 18-23; Jim Richardson, Rocket Power: Oldsmobiles 1950 convertibles: The rocking 88 versus the jazzier 98, Special Interest Autos #188 (March-April 2002), pp. Clarke (Cobham, England: Brooklands Books Ltd., ca. Shop 303 Oldsmobile V8 parts and get Free Shipping on orders over $149 at Speedway Motors, the Racing and Rodding Specialists. Collectible Motor Car of Atlanta. Ketterings team demonstrated that the higher compression ratio boosted power and gas mileage by nearly 30%. 1, 3-5; www.azoldsclub. Even "modest" restorations can quickly get out of control, cost-wise, so be careful that a $2,000 bargain doesnt become a money pit. 303 Oldsmobile V8 Parts | Speedway Motors Skinner and Wolfram tried again in March 1947, having decided that alternative engine configurations were impractical, and this time managed to secure production approval from GM president Charles E. Wilson. He saw the potential in an engine design offering increased compression. R.M. An 88 also won the first grueling Carrera Panamericana, the 2,176-mile (3,500-km) Mexican Road Race. All other trademarks and/or service marks are the property of their respective owners. 1956 Oldsmobile 88 and 98 | Hemmings (This cant be viewed as an entirely altruistic effort, since GM still owned a major stake in the Ethyl Corporation, the principle producer of the tetraethyl lead additive that was the primary octane booster used in contemporary gasoline.) (author diagram). Comments may be moderated. In MY1950, total production was 407,889, of which only 33,257 were the 76, so 374,632 (91.8%) had V-8 power. The Super Eighty-Eight wasnt particularly rare when it was new Olds sold about 150,000 of them in 1951. Motor Trend (July 1950) mentioned getting 18.8 mpg at a steady 50 mph and a 1950 Olds entered in the Mobilgas Economy Run bettered 20 mpg. Its output of 0.45 hp per cubic inch was 7% better than the 0.42 hp per cubic inch of the popular and widely produced 100hp (75kW) 1949 Ford Flathead V8. Since the advance design group envisioned a 1949 introduction for their new engine, the project was dubbed SV-49. at 1,800 RPM Transmission: Three-speed manual standard, Hydra-Matic optional Wheelbase: 119.5 inches The optional heater-defroster cost $85 that year, the optional base radio $96. 4th Edition (Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2002); Maurice Hendry, Hillbilly Genius: The Great Boss Ket,' Special Interest Autos #51 (June 1979), pp. You make a good point about the L-head lifter. Biggest mistake I still think about that automobile. Not all the listed cookies and/or data items are necessarily set in all instances, and there may sometimes be others not listed above, particularly if you are logged into a Google account. 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. Oldsmobile Rocket 88 For Sale | Hemmings This cars turn signals may be an aftermarket addition turn signals were originally a $15 option on this car. Power for the base engine was up to 315hp (235kW), even though compression was down a quarter point, to 9.75:1.[9]. Moreover, correct tuning was a continual headache. Output for 1983-1985 was 180hp (130kW) and 245lbft (332Nm). This problem did not appear until the engine had over 50,000 miles (80,000km) on it. Your wording in the flathead section (acts directly) suggest the valve stem tip rides the cam lobe in a flathead. If the fluid reservoir was empty, a complex double-float and valve assembly in the Turbo-Rocket Fluid path would set a second butterfly (positioned between the throttle butterfly and the turbocharger) into the closed position, limiting the amount of boost pressure. com/ newsletter/ 2004-10_OCAZ_Newsletter.pdf, accessed 15 June 2015; Helen Jones Earley and James R. Walkinshaw, Setting the Pace: Oldsmobiles First 100 Years (Lansing, MI: Oldsmobile Division of General Motors Corporation, 1996); John Gunnell, ed., Standard Catalog of American Cars 1946-1975, Rev. 303CI ROCKET V8, 4SPD AUTO, COOL, ICONIC 50S STYLING, 4-DOOR CONVENIENCE, CLASSY. Made of diecast with some plastic parts. Free shipping for many products! The top brass equivocated, but Skinner finally got the green light. If not, it may be a little more difficult, short of pulling the heads. The 394 replaced the 371 in Super 88 and 98 cars for 1959 and 1960 and a detuned version was used in the 88 for 1961 and the Dynamic 88 for 1962-1964. We are known for our high quality,attention to detail and meeting our customers goals. A new Cadillac was dramatically more expensive and also heavier, and Buicks with the big straight eight engine probably had Dynaflow. The Rocket 88 would vacuum the chrome off V8 Fords (unless the Fords owner had made a substantial investment in aftermarket parts) and it took a semi-exotic like the new Jaguar XK-120 to soundly beat the Olds. For more information about what data PayPal services collect and how that data may be used, visit the "Legal Agreements for PayPal Services" page to review the PayPal Privacy Statement and Statement on Cookies and Tracking Technologies that apply in your location (the Statement on Cookies and Tracking Technologies that applies to each region is linked from within the applicable PayPal Privacy Statement). Every 307 used a four-barrel carburetor, which was a variant of the Rochester Quadrajet, usually the CCC (Computer Command Control) Quadrajet. I was aghast at the ad campaign, This is not your Fathers Oldsmobile. It was released one year earlier than the tall deck 425, and debuted the standard 3.385in (86.0mm) stroke; bore was 3.938in (100.0mm). [citation needed] Production of the 260 V8 ended in 1982 when the 307 became the only gasoline V8 in Oldsmobile's line. For additional information about how Google uses cookies and/or other technologies that may collect and/or process personal information, see the "Technologies" section of their Google Privacy & Terms site and the "Our advertising and measurement cookies" section of their Google Business Data Responsibility site, which includes a detailed list of cookies associated with Google advertising and measurement products. Produced from 19681980, the Rocket 350 was entirely different from the other GM divisions' 350s. The wahFontColor and wahBgColor cookies, which are set if you alter the site's color scheme, normally expire after about 14 days, but you can remove them immediately by clicking the "Restore Defaults" button on the sidebar. A popular modification made to the 403 to increase power was to swap on early Oldsmobile 350 heads to boost compression. Oldsmobile Crate Engines:Eddies Performance Motors-High Performance In the mid-1950s, American automakers were engaged in a ferocious horsepower race. The engine had 10.25:1 compression and a single-barrel carburetor. Even with the standard Hydra-Matic transmission, the 88 was capable of 0-60 mph (0-97 km/h) in a bit over 12 seconds and could reach an absolute top speed of 97 mph (156 km/h). Particularly enjoyed your succinct descriptions of the engineering factors behind certain design choices. If we have enabled multi-factor authentication (which requires an authentication code as well as a password to log into the administrative dashboard), the iThemes Security plugin may also set the itsec_interstitial_browser cookie during the login process. Talk to the experts. [13] It could also be fitted with high-compression cylinder heads from the Morgan +8. It was used in most Oldsmobile models, as well as those from Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and Pontiac. The engine was designed by Charles L. McCuen, who later had a hand in approving the Rocket engine for production. There are 36 Oldsmobile 88 for sale across all model years (1949 to 1999) and variants, 8 are 1st Gen and 1 is model year 1951 . It had the same 0.921in (23.4mm)-diameter lifters of the first-generation Oldsmobile engines, rather than the standard 0.842in (21.4mm), which let engineers increase the camshaft's ramp speed for more power, 385hp (287kW), without sacrificing idle or reliability. Free shipping on many items | Browse your favorite brands | affordable prices. These carburetors did not open progressively; they were either open or closed. This setting is stored in your browser (or other user agent) in the gdpr[consent_types] cookie described in "Privacy and Cookie Preferences" above, so if you delete that cookie or access the Ate Up With Motor website from a different device, browser, or user agent, you will need to adjust this setting again if you still wish to hide the box. 1985), pp. The iThemes Security plugin may also set the itsec-hb-login-xx cookie, which helps to protect the site against "brute force" hacking attempts; that cookie normally expires in about one hour. (For more information about our discontinuation of Google Analytics tracking on this website, see the "Online Tracking" section of the Privacy Policy. One or more wp-saving-post cookies may be set while creating and/or editing posts or pages, to help manage version control and the autosave feature; these cookies normally expire after about 24 hours. Oldsmobile like mine are real popular in australia. Well, Oldsmobile had had a hard time finding its way once GM started trying to define the identities of each of its brands as the _______ brand (which, it must be said, was fast becoming the most meaningful distinction between them. edu/~wkovarik/ papers/fuel.html, accessed 30 May 2008, and Henry Ford, Charles Kettering, and the Fuel of the Future,' Automotive History Review #32 (Spring 1998), pp. Clarke (Cobham, England: Brooklands Books Ltd., ca. The oil industry wasnt interested, nor was the auto industry, nor it must be said was the contemporary American public. [22] This was the first engine to use the smaller Rochester Dualjet two-barrel carburetor, the only carburetor used on the 260. Game Changer: The 1949 Oldsmobile Rocket V-8 - Mac's Motor City Garage The Rocket, along with the 1949 Cadillac V8, were the first post-war OHV crossflow cylinder head V8 engines produced by General Motors. The Rocket would only get bigger, not smaller. From your research, do you have any information on Bouvy? Nice Article thank you for preserving our history. (Thats a lesson that many Jaguar and Porsche owners have learned the hard way.). 330s were painted gold and had forged steel crankshafts. The Olds Rocket 88 engine went through modifications during the 1950's For the 1955 model year Oldsmobile increased the compression ratio which helped put out 185 horsepower for the Olds 88 model. (4,214 cc) L-head straight eight. Each PayPal payment or donation button may also incorporate a tracking pixel called "pixel.gif" (which loads from paypalobjects.com). I just wanted to know if I have a rocket engine and how can I check if its a 394. 74-81; Bob McVay, Oldsmobile Starfire Road Test, Motor Trend Vol. Additionally, the 403 had windowed main webs, which reduced the internal strength of the block in the crankcase area. 1955 Oldsmobile 88. The OHV V8 would dominate the American industry well into the 1980s, resulting in some staggeringly powerful engines whose output has only recently been surpassed. To learn more about how Google may use information collected by the Google Analytics service, see their "How Google uses information from sites or apps that use our services" page, the "Information for Visitors of Sites and Apps Using Google Analytics" section of the Google Analytics "Safeguarding your data" help page, and the Google Privacy Policy. Did G M make a 1949-50 olds 88 or 98 4 door fastback ? 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. This car has the pushbutton radio, which cost about $96. Crazy Egg is a trademark of Crazy Egg, Inc. Optimizely is a registered trademark of Optimizely, Inc. in the United States, EU, and elsewhere. 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. This is not an official website of any automaker or automotive brand! Cadillac used a distantly related engine which appeared in three different sizes through to the 1962 model year; though the Oldsmobile and Cadillac motors were not physically related, many lessons learned by one division were incorporated into the other's design, and the result were two engines known for their excellent power-to-weight ratio, fuel economy, and smooth, strong, reliable running. The Oldsmobile Rocket 88 is a full-size automobile produced and marketed by Oldsmobile from 1949 to 1999. The introduction of the "Rocket 8" V-8 for the 1949 Oldsmobiles was perhaps the pinnacle of his achievements, incorporating in its overhead-valve design such features as five main bearings,. As far as Im aware, it was basically similar to the parking pawls of Dynaflow or Ultramatic, although those transmissions had a separate position on the quadrant for it. This motor is blue which makes me think its been gone through. The difficulty presented by an OHV layout is finding a way to operate the valves. Then in 1955 Chevrolet introduced their ohv V8 (as did Packard, Plymouth and Pontiac) and changed the game again. For more information about Google advertising, see the "Advertising" section of their Google Privacy & Terms site. (Vimeo and the Vimeo logos are trademarks of Vimeo.com, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. 17, No. The 10:1 compression 1961 model produced 325hp (242kW) and 435lbft (590Nm), while the 10.25:1 1962-1964 version upped power to 330hp (250kW) and 440lbft (600Nm). 1952 Oldsmobile 88 | Classic Cars for Sale - Streetside Classics Lets briefly examine each of them. Thanks, I have enjoyed reading your many excellent articles. (4,977 cc). It used a 4.126in (104.8mm) bore and 3.975in (101.0mm) stroke. Classifieds for Classic Oldsmobile Rocket 88. Olds veterans claimed the Burrell group was completely unaware of the Cadillac project until quite late in the development of the Oldsmobile V8. Only the center carburetor was mechanically connected to the throttle pedal, and it was the only one equipped with a choke. A few years later, the Chevrolet engine started taking over the flathead Fords role as the cheap-and-easy hot-rodder choice. 394s were produced from 19591964 and were available on many Olds models. . 1955 Oldsmobile Eighty-eight For Sale 42 Used Cars From $2,900 Ate Up With Motor's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy may be revised from time to time. Oh, and lets not forget the Bonneville speed merchants. Horsepower: 135 hp at 3,600 RPM Torque: 263-lb.ft. in. Any interest in better fuel economy was quickly forgotten; gasoline was cheap and speed sold more cars than parsimony. The short stroke allowed the engine to rev more freely while the wider bore provides more room for larger valves, which further improves breathing. Complete Engines for Oldsmobile Delta 88, Motor Mounts for Oldsmobile 88, Fuel Injectors for Oldsmobile 88; Additional site navigation. Full instrumentation is standard Olds had not yet succumbed to the allure of warning lights. This engine was only available in the Oldsmobile Starfire and a performance economy model called the Jetstar I. Olds were very popular in Brazil but I can t give you any numbers. Thanks! Incidentally, the Rocket engine was not Oldsmobiles first V8. The PYPF cookie normally expires in approximately four weeks, the 01A1 cookie in approximately one year. Even modest restorations can quickly get out of control, cost-wise, so be careful that a $2,000 bargain doesnt become a money pit. It was advertised with gross power and torque ratings of 312hp (233kW) at 4600 rpm and 415lbft (563Nm) at 2800 rpm. Oldsmobiles first OHV V8, dubbed the Rocket engine, had a 3.75-inch (95.3mm) bore and a 3.44-inch (87.3mm) stroke, compared to 3.25 inches (82.6mm) and 3.88 inches (98.4mm) respectively for the straight eight the Rocket replaced. Both are well-documented, albeit relatively short-lived. This car has the pushbutton radio, which cost about $96. $200.00. Call me a square,[I am a square], I say you dont denigrate a proud heritage. It shared the same compression ratio of the Toronado Rocket at 10.5:1. Concern about diminishing oil reserves is nothing new in the twenties, some engineers feared the U.S. would be out of oil within 30 years but it was not until the seventies that those fears entered the public consciousness. 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). Sorry! The second generation of Oldsmobile V8s was produced from 1964-1990. More Oldsmobile Classics 44. With an overall length of 202 inches (5,131 mm) and an overall width of 75.2 inches (1,910 mm) on a 119.5-inch (3,035mm) wheelbase, the 88 was hardly a small car even by American standards and it tipped the scales (in this body style) at almost 3,800 lb (1,717 kg) with Hydra-Matic, but its Rocket V8 would leave Pontiacs elderly straight eight or Chevrolets Stovebolt Six for dead and the Oldsmobile name carried more prestige than Pontiac or Chevrolet. Classic Oldsmobile Rocket 88 for Sale. The cookieconsent_status cookie recorded whether or not you consented to analytics tracking and told the website to hide the notification banner; this cookie normally expires after about one year. The 4 barrel versions had a larger diameter harmonic damper, the 2 barrel only a balancer hub without the rubberized outer ring. The Oldsmobile V8, also referred to as the Rocket, is series of engines that was produced by Oldsmobile from 1949 until 1990. The shape of a flatheads combustion chambers also limits its maximum compression ratio (the amount the fuel mixture is compressed before burning). It has been noted to go up to $100,000 at some auctions. The 455 big block Olds V8 was replaced in 1977 with the 403cuin (6.6L) small block, which used a 4.351in (110.5mm) bore, the largest ever used in a small-block V8, with the Olds small-block standard deck and 3.385in (86.0mm) stroke. Not a lot of people collect or preserve those cars anymore, and many succumbed to rust or the crusher a long time ago. Oldsmobile might be gone, but the Rocket brand hasn't been forgotten by collectors shopping for a 1950s American automotive icon. Around the end of that year, the project nearly ground to a halt due to objections from Cadillac. 1988), pp. The cookies normally expire in about 10 days, and are not set at all if you do not access any password-protected content. 15-16 MPG is great even by modern standards, for a 300+ HP engine. We'll start with Olds and return to Caddy in another article.
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