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. [19] The 403 was never featured with a manual transmission and the crank was never manufactured for a pilot bearing. It always featured the 4A 83cc heads with 8:1 compression, and a Rochester Quadrajet 4 barrel carburettor. All other trademarks and/or service marks are the property of their respective owners. ), These first-party cookies are used to manage user logins and certain other administrative functions of the WordPress content management system, e.g., post editing. Change Background Color (Note: This option sets cookies on your device to manage your color settings; see the Cookie Notice for details. 9 (September 1964), reprinted in Oldsmobile Muscle Portfolio 1964-1971, ed. These cookies are necessary for the site's administrative users (who wouldn't even be able to log in without them), but if you are not an administrative user, these cookies aren't normally placed on your device at all unless you somehow access the login area, which is off-limits to non-administrators. Full instrumentation is standard Olds had not yet succumbed to the allure of warning lights. 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. 1964 Starfire produced 345hp (257kW) and 440lbft (600Nm) for the 1963-4 Starfire and 98 Custom-Sports Coupe. in. 1955 Oldsmobile 88 gasoline blue manual This is a 1955 Olds 88 with its original 324 V-8, automatic, power steering and brakes, tinted glass (all windows), factory wheel covers, wide whitewalls and&. The difficulty presented by an OHV layout is finding a way to operate the valves. The cheap ones are expensive, and the expensive ones are cheap. I heard it (fittingly) in connection with Jaguars, but of course its true in general. $200.00.
The Rocket Engine History - 1957 Oldsmobile Golden Rocket 88 The second generation of Oldsmobile V8s was produced from 1964-1990. 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. The 88 model remained in production for a whopping 50 years and over ten. (We should note, however, that Packards final L-head eight of 1954 used an 8.7:1 compression ratio with no apparent loss of refinement, although the fact that the 359 cu. 1962 OLDSMOBILE 88 CORE SHORT BLOCK ENGING 8-394 860673. Im not a mechanic, so Im afraid I cannot provide any kind of repair advice. Most commonly available premium fuels had an octane rating of only 80 RON, not nearly enough for the ultra-high compression ratios Kettering proposed. True-to-scale detail. Thanks for the great write up on the history of one of the most influential engines in the automobile industry! However, my research has of necessity stretched back somewhat further than that and not just to the late 40s but, in tracing company histories, at least as far back as 1903 and the curved dash Oldsmobile. The starting gun of that race was sounded by Oldsmobile, with its advanced new overhead-valve V8 and the new mid-size model that shared its name: the 1949-1950 Oldsmobile Rocket 88. Talk to the experts. Complete Engines for Oldsmobile Delta 88, Motor Mounts for Oldsmobile 88, Fuel Injectors for Oldsmobile 88; Additional site navigation. The top brass equivocated, but Skinner finally got the green light. You must be at least 18 to comment. This 1950 Oldsmobile Rocket 88 has the Deluxe trim with a dashboard clock; Deluxe models cost $78 more than the standard-trim version. $8,888 or BEST REASONABLE OFFER.
1951 Oldsmobile Rocket 88 VIN: 517K2919 - CLASSIC.COM Brand new box. Your email address will not be published. Learn more. (Thats a lesson that many Jaguar and Porsche owners have learned the hard way.). Collectible Motor Car of Atlanta.
1960 to 1967 Oldsmobile Delta 88 for Sale on ClassicCars.com GM embarked on a vigorous campaign to persuade the major oil companies to offer higher-octane premium gasoline for civilian use. Flory. The 307 "Y" produced 148hp (110kW) and 250lbft (340Nm) in 1980-1984 models and 140hp (100kW) and 250lbft (340Nm) in 1985-1990s. Until well into the 1950s, most engines were undersquare, with a narrow cylinder bore and a long piston stroke. 98. [22] This was the first engine to use the smaller Rochester Dualjet two-barrel carburetor, the only carburetor used on the 260. The Generation II V8 ended production in 1990.
The Story of the Oldsmobile "Rocket" 88, America's First Muscle Car Terry Ehrich and Richard Lentinello (Bennington, VT: Hemmings Motor News, 2001), pp. 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. So my question is, was there any substance to the Olds Rocket 88 legend or has nostalgia given it a bigger place in musclecar legend than it deserves, much like the original 1936 Buick Century? The 324 was shared with GMC trucks. The early Rocket V8 weighs a bit over 700 pounds (318 kg) and had an SAE gross rating of 135 hp (101 kW). Most 394s used 2-barrel carburetors, but special high-compression 4-barrel versions were available starting in 1961. Simplified diagram of the cylinder of a flathead (L-head) engine. Being ahead of your time or having a short season is not the same as being overhyped, and since the muscle car category in general is as much about hype and point of view as substance, I think thats an important consideration. 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. R.M.
A Detailed Look Back At The Oldsmobile Rocket 88 Even still, the same design philosophy carried with it throughout its production run. The prototypes, which first ran in November 1946, were 287 cu. Ate Up With Motor's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy may be revised from time to time. Crane said Bouvy was Engine/Camshaft designer of the 1949 Cadillac V-8. The engine is also known for its reliability, smoothness and quietness.
Diecast 1949 Oldsmobile Rocket 88 Coupe #22 "Overseas Motors Atlanta For more information about how Akamai may collect, process, and/or use personal data, visit the Akamai "Privacy and Policies" page and Privacy Trust Center. Only the center carburetor was mechanically connected to the throttle pedal, and it was the only one equipped with a choke. [citation needed] Most 260s were coupled to the Turbo Hydramatic 200 transmission,[citation needed] but a 5-speed manual transmission was also available in some vehicles. 1968-1974 350s were painted gold; 1975-1976 350s were metallic blue like the 455; 1977-1980 models were painted GM Corporate Blue. The Rocket, along with the 1949 Cadillac V8, were the first post-war OHV crossflow cylinder head V8 engines produced by General Motors. 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. Call me a square,[I am a square], I say you dont denigrate a proud heritage. Concord, NC 5 years at carsforsale.com 3 27,900 1955 Oldsmobile Eighty-Eight - Concord, NC sedan automatic The following are turn key engines available . A pushrod layout is more expensive than a flatheads valve gear and the extra mass of pushrods and rocker arms hurts mechanical efficiency. The 425's stroke was lengthened to 4.25in (108mm) to achieve a 455cuin (7.5L) to create the Rocket 455 for 1968. [2] [3] In 1929, Oldsmobile installed a 90 degree monobloc flathead V8 engine in the Viking companion brand before the monobloc was used in LaSalle and Cadillac vehicles from 1929-1931. Offenhauser 3200 49-53 Olds Rocket Dual Quad Intake, Small Port $889.99 Ships Free . 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. These cookies expire in about 15 days if the user clicks "Remember Me" when logging in; if not, the cookies normally expire when the user closes their browser (or other user agent), or, failing that, within about two days. The "Rocket" name disappeared from the air cleaner identification decal after 1974. Two-barrel carburetion was standard; all high performance 324s came with four-barrel carburetors. 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. 2 barrel carburet . Inevitably, the 88 overshadowed Oldsmobiles cheaper 76, which still used a 257 cu. Its a super 88 sedan 4 door. When you submit a comment, you may have the option save your information for future comments, storing the info in these cookies. (4,977 cc). Every 307 used a four-barrel carburetor, which was a variant of the Rochester Quadrajet, usually the CCC (Computer Command Control) Quadrajet. From the 1950s through the late 1970s, each GM division had its own V8 engine family. 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. Oh, and lets not forget the Bonneville speed merchants. 303CI ROCKET V8, 4SPD AUTO, COOL, ICONIC 50S STYLING, 4-DOOR CONVENIENCE, CLASSY. Power increased the final Rocket was rated at 345 gross horsepower (257 kW) but fuel economy eroded. The new, mid-sized Oldsmobile Rocket 88 went on sale February 6, exactly seven weeks after the 98. These cookies manage your cookie and privacy preferences. 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). Skinner liked the idea, but it had to be approved by corporate management, which brought a new round of objection from Cadillac the 98 was already a close match for Cadillac in performance and a V8-powered B-body Oldsmobile would undoubtedly be faster. Detailed interior, exterior. (. First, their volumetric efficiency is poor. $22,000 (OBO) From your research, do you have any information on Bouvy? Some of the photos in our Avanti article, and those of our story on the Packard One-Twenty, were taken at the same time. Compression ratios of 9.0:1 at 310hp (230kW) or 10.25:1 at 360hp (270kW) were available in the U.S. A special 1965-1967 425cuin (7.0L) V8 was the Starfire engine. 26-31; Roger Huntington, 1965 Engines, Motor Trend Vol. In the event we receive any compensation and/or other valuable consideration for any other content presented on this website, the nature of that compensation or consideration will be disclosed as part of the applicable content and/or otherwise adjacent to it. This 1955 oldsmobile deluxe 88 is a 2 door holiday coupe.. 2 tone twilight blue and polar white colors with ivory and blue interior. 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. The 260 was designed for economy, and was the first engine option above the 4.1 ChevroletI-6, then later the 3.8L Buick V6, which was standard fitment in many Oldsmobile models by the late 1970s. Output was 185hp (138kW) and 320lbft (430Nm). Oldsmobile 1949 Oldsmobile Eighty-Eight History Gallery Valuation Rocket 88 (1949 - 1953) 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 These are standard specifications - not necessarily specifications for the vehicle (s) in the photo (s). Road tests were conducted later that year and the new V8 went into production a few days before Christmas 1948. 1956 Oldsmobile 88 4dr St Rod, new gas tank, new brakes and tires, rebuilt front end, good body, new paint, nice patina, good original interior, rebuilt . Diagram of a typical pushrod/rocker-arm layout of an overhead-valve engine. With a 4-barrel carburetor and 10.25:1 compression, the Olds 215 made 185hp (138kW) at 4800rpm and 230lbft (310Nm) at 3200rpm with a manual transmission. 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. "Alternative Engines: Part 2--Buick V8", in, Davis, Marlan. The company produced its first V8 - an L-head design . Thanks, I have enjoyed reading your many excellent articles. This car has the pushbutton radio, which cost about $96. The Olds 403 was used by Buick and Pontiac in addition to Oldsmobile until its discontinuation after 1979. Hoo, boy, you better run away right now). Many believe it was deliberately underrated to avoid offending Cadillac, which was concerned about its sister division outmatching the new Cadillac V8. In the mid-1980s, hot rodders discovered the 215 could be stretched to as much as 305cuin (5L), using the Buick 300 crankshaft, new cylinder sleeves, and an assortment of non-GM parts. 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. Based on the Cadillac Northstar engine, this 4.0-liter engine, called Aurora, was a DOHC design with four valves per cylinder. You can hide the "Support Ate Up With Motor" box and prevent the loading of its embedded content by going to the "Consent Management" tab and switching the "Allow PayPal Button" toggle to "OFF." Unfortunately, they were also thirsty and a pain to tune, which was not at all what wartime buyers wanted, and after the war there was a gradually increasing array of cheaper alternatives. Of those sales, 100,273 were the Rocket 88. [12] The Oldsmobile engine was very similar to the Buick engine, but not identical: it had larger wedge combustion chambers with flat-topped (rather than domed) pistons, six bolts rather than five per cylinder, and slightly larger intake valves; the valves were actuated by shaft-mounted rocker arms like the Buick and Pontiac versions, but the shafts and rockers were unique to Oldsmobile. These a11y cookies normally expire after about seven days, but are removed immediately if you restore the applicable settings to their default values. Is there a serial number plate on the engine? Displacement swelled from 303 Ci or 5 liters all the way to the gargantuan 455 Ci 7.5 liter V8 in the early 70s. Maybe just intake or vacuum leak. So, its not particularly surprising that a highly tuned flathead Ford would be stronger than a stock 1950 Olds 303. in. Trim Rocket 88 1951 Oldsmobile 88 Futuramic 88 Rocket 303 V8 Hydramatic custom $16,900 Made of diecast with some plastic parts. Its a true barn find.
1952 Oldsmobile 88 | Classic Cars for Sale - Streetside Classics Kettering had retired in 1947, but since he was still alive (and active as a GM consultant), naming the engine after him was against GMs corporate policy, so Sherrod Skinner suggested the Rocket name instead. 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. The cookies normally expire in about 10 days, and are not set at all if you do not access any password-protected content.
Oldsmobile V8 engine - Wikipedia the hydra matic trans was it used in both the OLds and Caddy of 49 and on.I have a 1950 series 62 Caddy. Lakeland, FL 5 years at classiccars.com 3 28,500 1955 Oldsmobile 88 gasoline blue manual New interior paint and re-chromed bumpers. Except as otherwise indicated, all written content and images are copyright Aaron Severson dba Ate Up With Motor. The final 1990 configuration was rated at 140hp (100kW) at 3200 rpm and 255lbft (346Nm) of torque at 2000 rpm. Prior to the advent of the 1949 Cadillac and Olds engines, many (though by no means all) U.S. engines were L-head, or side-valve, design. Will drop by again. These limitations hurt both power and fuel economy.
1957 Oldsmobile Golden Rocket 88 - RK Motors A slightly larger 307cuin (5.0L) version was introduced in 1980. The Rocket-powered 98 was already a very respectable performer, so installing the new engine in the lighter body made for quite a hot number.
1956 Oldsmobile 88 Rocket | Classic Auto Mall When the center carburetor was opened to 60 or more engine vacuum drawn from the windshield wiper pump would simultaneously open the front and rear carburetors.
1949 - 1960 Oldsmobile Rocket 88 - Top Speed Thanks! Phone: 480-285-1600. A new Cadillac was dramatically more expensive and also heavier, and Buicks with the big straight eight engine probably had Dynaflow. (These cookies may not be set at all for administrative users unless they access the publicly visible portions of the website and/or update their consent settings e.g., by accepting an updated version of the Privacy Policy. [13] It could also be fitted with high-compression cylinder heads from the Morgan +8. Many of the other listed cookies are associated with the Google Analytics service, the Google AdSense advertising service, and/or other Google advertising and measurement products, which are subject to the Google Privacy Policy; 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, the "Technologies" section of their Google Privacy & Terms site, and the "Our advertising and measurement cookies" section of the Google Business Data Responsibility site (which includes a detailed list of cookies associated with Google advertising and measurement products) for more information. 1999), pp. A popular modification made to the 403 to increase power was to swap on early Oldsmobile 350 heads to boost compression. Would you be willing to share which source cites fuel mileage figures? I dont know what its survival rate is, though. Even the flathead Ford held up well (courtesy of the Ardun hop-up parts mail order catalogue.) The practice of keeping model names alive even though applied to a vehicle with little in common with the original seems to annoy no one but me, [example Impala], why not keep division names alive and apply them to selected models. Fabulous article. (2,969 cc) six with a compression ratio of 12.5:1, where most contemporary engines had ratios of no more than 7.0:1. [21] It produced 110hp (82kW) net and 205lbft (278Nm). I just wanted to know if I have a rocket engine and how can I check if its a 394. (I quess that would be total Olds minus Olds 76 model.). Does not have any openings. I was aghast at the ad campaign, This is not your Fathers Oldsmobile. The 400cuin (6.6L) version was the second tall-deck "big-block" Olds. In an OHV engine, by contrast, the valves are a fair distance away from the crankshaft, which makes operating them far more complicated. Theyll also be able to suggest sources for parts, which can be a big issue. The wp-donottrack_feed cookie, which controls a blog feed, was set by accessing the dashboard menu for the WP DoNotTrack plugin (which we do not currently use on this website); this cookie normally expires in about one year. Thanks Weldon, [quote=Administrator]Unless youre building a rod, its often worth it to spend more upfront for a car thats in better condition. Have never been an American car guyI cut my teeth on old British roadstersbut I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed your well-written, informative article on the history of the Rocket 88.
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