Now heres the rub vis-a-vis this article: granted that the Rocket 88 gained a reputation as something of a factory hot rod in its day (helped, no doubt, by Ike Turner aka Jackie Brenston and the Delta Cats little ditty of the same name), nonetheless in my research I have been hard-pressed to find anyone who used it as a performance powerplant. By late 1956, many Olds dealers learned about the problem. . The Rocket 88 model name was dropped after 1957. Sending my 53 olds to Dallas for overhaul. This motor is blue which makes me think its been gone through. Base price for the Deluxe Club Sedan was $1,982 in 1950, and 16,388 were sold. 2 barrel carburet . Until 1951, Oldsmobile offered a choice of fastback and notchback body styles, as well as the convertible. Just didnt have any power. Such cookies and/or stored data items may be set by various domains (such as, though not necessarily limited to, youtube.com; youtube-nocookie.com; googlevideo.com; ytimg.com; google.com; accounts.google.com; www.googleadservices.com; and/or doubleclick.net, which is part of the DoubleClick advertising service, also owned by Google LLC). 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. This very open and flat chamber was fuel efficient and had lower than average emissions output. . Popular price guides put Lansing's mid-1950s cars at an average of $16,500 for a four-door all the way up to $72,900 for a two-door convertible. First, their volumetric efficiency is poor. Most components and accessories are interchangeable. (WordPress and the WordPress logos are registered trademarks of the WordPress Foundation in the United States and other countries. In the spirit of trying to improve a fantastic article. This 1952 Oldsmobile Eighty-Eight is a well-priced classic that gives you some of the best styles around. Oldsmobiles first postwar engine was born during the UAW strike that shut down GM production from November 1945 through March 1946. Its unclear at what point Oldsmobile engineers became aware of the Cadillac engine or how much they knew about it. 1952 88 and Super 88 V8s used a 4-barrel carburetor for 160hp (120kW) and 265lbft (359Nm), while 4-barrel 1953 versions raised compression from 7.5:1 to 8.0:1 for 165hp (123kW) and 275lbft (373Nm). 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. Lets briefly examine each of them. Deciding Burrells ideas had promise, Wolfram and Skinner organized a new advance design group to develop a new overhead-valve (OHV) V8 engine and assigned Burrell to lead it. Many customers did not keep the reservoir filled, or had mechanical problems with the turbocharger system which resulted in many of the turbo-charger installations being removed and a conventional 4 barrel carburetor and manifold installed in its place. Most 425s were painted red, though the 1966 and 1967 Toronado units were light blue. Two-door fastbacks, like this one, were known as Club Sedans; the four-doors were called Town Sedans. 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. Submitting a comment signifies your acceptance of our. What I would recommend that I actually suggest for anyone considering a collector car is that you join a club for that marque in your area, if you havent already. The 425's stroke was lengthened to 4.25in (108mm) to achieve a 455cuin (7.5L) to create the Rocket 455 for 1968. Thanks, I have enjoyed reading your many excellent articles. The following year, 88s won 10 out of 19 Grand National races and set a new speed record at Daytona. in. Big-block and Diesel versions also increased the 2.5in (64mm) main bearing journal to 3.0in (76mm) for increased strength. It was optional on 1964 98s and Super 88s. The Buick version was rated at 200hp with an 11:1 compression ratio. If you look up the concept of MEP (e.g. in. It was advertised with gross power and torque ratings of 312hp (233kW) at 4600 rpm and 415lbft (563Nm) at 2800 rpm. On that level, the Oldsmobile Rocket engine didnt make it, but thats with the benefit of hindsight. Cant wait to get my Wool Fedora and get it back on the road. (For this cookie, "xx" will be a cryptographic hash.) Other American manufacturers would reach the same conclusion. 6 (July 1962), pp. I was aghast at the ad campaign, This is not your Fathers Oldsmobile. Both are well-documented, albeit relatively short-lived. If the payment button is visible, it may set the third-party cookies PYPF (via paypalobjects.com, which is owned by PayPal, Inc.), which appears to check whether or not you are a logged-in PayPal user, possibly to facilitate the PayPal user login process, and/or 01A1 (via abmr.net, which is owned by Akamai Technologies), which stores certain technical information about your device and browser (or other user agent), possibly to facilitate the login and shopping cart functions. An 88 also won the first grueling Carrera Panamericana, the 2,176-mile (3,500-km) Mexican Road Race. The Rocket Engine Story by One Who Was Thereby Gibson Butler. (4,705 cc) displacement of the original prototypes once higher-octane fuels became widely available, raising compression ratios to maintain the same output with lower fuel consumption. 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." Bore was 3.75in (95mm) and stroke was 3.4375in (87.31mm). 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. While the 260s were not very powerful compared to the larger 350 and 403 V8s, fuel economy was almost as good as the base V6. All Oldsmobile V8s were manufactured at plants in Lansing, Michigan while the engine block and cylinder heads were cast at Saginaw Metal Casting Operations. The 1955 model upped the compression to 8.5:1 for 185hp (138kW) and 320lbft (430Nm) in the 88 and 202hp (151kW) and 332lbft (450Nm) in the Super 88 and 98. Call me a square,[I am a square], I say you dont denigrate a proud heritage. Oldsmobile used the popular LV2, a 307-cubic-inch (5.0L) engine, commonly known by the VIN code "Y", from 1980-1990. 1988), pp. However not practical to drive around pittsburgh, pa. To many hills for that single chamber master cylinder. The 425cuin (7.0L) big-block was the first tall-deck "big block," produced from 1965 through 1967. (PayPal.com, PayPal, and all logos related to the PayPal services are either trademarks or registered trademarks of PayPal, Inc. or its licensors. Powered by the rocket 2bbl. If better fuels became available, both the Cadillac and Olds engines had the theoretical potential for compression ratios as high as 12:1. Shop 303 Oldsmobile V8 parts and get Free Shipping on orders over $149 at Speedway Motors, the Racing and Rodding Specialists. Ford, Chevy, Dodge and Mercury were the top sellers and I believe Oldsmobile would come in 5th or 6th place. [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. 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. Where is the plate located? By 1952, the 88 was growing inexorably bigger and although Oldsmobile engineers had little trouble getting more power out of the Rocket engine by 1955, it boasted 202 gross horsepower (151 kW) newer, lighter cars soon surpassed its performance. This was the only engine offered in 1923, when the Model 47 continued alone. (We have now DISCONTINUED our use of Google Analytics tracking on this website; see the "Online Tracking" section of the Privacy Policy for more information.) "Alternative Engines: Part 2--Buick V8", in, Davis, Marlan. The 400cuin (6.6L) version was the second tall-deck "big-block" Olds. . You could say the same thing about the original Century, if you were so inclined, which I am. In MY1950, total production was 407,889, of which only 33,257 were the 76, so 374,632 (91.8%) had V-8 power. Email or call Mark at 217/390-8500 with questions, or to inspect or test drive. Google, AdSense, Google AdSense, Google Analytics, and other related marks and logos are trademarks of Google LLC. 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. (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). (Vimeo and the Vimeo logos are trademarks of Vimeo.com, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Owned that vehicle till 1970 and traded in due to a bad dual chamber fuel pump for $350. Its a super 88 sedan 4 door. In 1985, roller lifters, floating piston wrist pins, and swirl port intake runners were added. The new V8 was designed with plenty of extra room in the block for future displacement increases, but Gilbert Burrell and his team actually hoped that Oldsmobile could return to the 287 cu. 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. R.M. Unlike all other 425s, this version was painted slate blue metallic. Earlier 50s and(I believe)all 49s had the split windshield. Nonetheless, both Oldsmobile and Cadillac deemed it a good compromise. Two distinct versions of the 400 CID engine were made: The 1966-1967 4-4-2 400cuin (6.6L) V8 was a short stroke engine which featured B and C cast large-valve cylinder heads and hydraulic lifters of larger diameter, as well as push-rods of different length and diameter than the standard Olds Rocket 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. 98. The optional heater-defroster cost $85 that year, the optional base radio $96. 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. The LG8 was a modern 307cuin (5.0L) High-Output derivative of the LV2 produced from 1983 to 1987. We'll start with Olds and return to Caddy in another article. Crazy Egg is a trademark of Crazy Egg, Inc. Optimizely is a registered trademark of Optimizely, Inc. in the United States, EU, and elsewhere. You make a good point about the L-head lifter. They normally expire after about one year. 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 4 barrel versions had a larger diameter harmonic damper, the 2 barrel only a balancer hub without the rubberized outer ring. These photos were taken outside the Automobile Driving Museum in El Segundo, California (a few blocks south of LAX). The Oldsmobile V8, also referred to as the Rocket, is series of engines that was produced by Oldsmobile from 1949 until 1990. 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. Additionally, the 403 had windowed main webs, which reduced the internal strength of the block in the crankcase area. The early Repco engines produced up to 300bhp (220kW), and featured new SOHC cylinder heads and iron cylinder liners. You shared that mileage ranged from 12 MPG 18 MPG depending on the year. Were Oldsmobiles ever sold in Brazil in any significant numbers? For anyone interested the 1950 Mexican road race where 12 Olds 88s entered and 10 finished, eight of the 10 were beaten by a flathead Nash. 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. in. For 1957, the basic 88 was officially named Golden Rocket 88, taken from Olds' 1956 Motorama two-passenger show car. 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. 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. Although production of the 455 ended in 1976, a small number were produced through 1978 for power equipment use, such as motorhomes, boats and irrigation equipment.[15]. A popular modification made to the 403 to increase power was to swap on early Oldsmobile 350 heads to boost compression. Instead, influenced by the Space Race between the United States and the USSR, the legendary Rocket was born, available in Oldsmobile's 88, Super 88, and 98 models. Oldsmobile charged $83 for the J-2 option with the three-speed manual (or in the 98),[7] $314 dollars with the automatic.[8]. (Thats a lesson that many Jaguar and Porsche owners have learned the hard way.)[/quote]. 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). Initially the paint was red, except for metallic blue in the Toronado applications; 1970-1976 versions were metallic blue at first, then nonmetallic blue. The difficulty presented by an OHV layout is finding a way to operate the valves. The end of the Korean conflict sent the country in a foreign exchange crisis that lasted until the middle 90s, cutting imports and providing the basis for national production. Runs great. So, its not particularly surprising that a highly tuned flathead Ford would be stronger than a stock 1950 Olds 303. The Rocket would only get bigger, not smaller. The Vimeo Cookie Policy also provides information about how Vimeo users can control the use of third-party analytics and/or advertising cookies in connection with embedded Vimeo video players. 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. 49 rocket 88 was my first car back in 1964. We are known for our high quality,attention to detail and meeting our customers goals. The heavily domed hood would continue through 1953. When the engine is running, transmission oil pressure disengages the pawl. I would assume a postwar Olds V-8 would have been a real high-rollers car. 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. For more information about Google advertising, see the "Advertising" section of their Google Privacy & Terms 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. Me at the age of 70 in the back seat with a 21-year-old blond. Only the center carburetor was mechanically connected to the throttle pedal, and it was the only one equipped with a choke. 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. 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. Oldsmobile was basically offering three full-size vehicles in 1949, but the 88 was a little bit special. 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. Thanks for the great write up on the history of one of the most influential engines in the automobile industry! 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. 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 early Rocket V8 weighs a bit over 700 pounds (318 kg) and had an SAE gross rating of 135 hp (101 kW). 4-barrel models used 9.25:1 compression in 1957 and 10:1 in 1958 for 277hp (207kW) and 400lbft (540Nm) and 305hp (227kW) and 410lbft (560Nm) respectively. The payment button in the "Support Ate Up With Motor" box (and similar payment or donation buttons that may appear on portions of the administrative dashboard, which is not normally accessible except to logged-in administrative users) contains embedded content served by PayPal services. 1962 OLDSMOBILE 88 CORE SHORT BLOCK ENGING 8-394 860673. 1968-1974 350s were painted gold; 1975-1976 350s were metallic blue like the 455; 1977-1980 models were painted GM Corporate Blue. Submitting a comment signifies your acceptance of our Comment Policy please read it first! These taller-deck models are commonly called "big-blocks", and are 1in (2.5cm) taller and 1.5in (3.8cm) wider than their "small-block" counterparts.[1]. As an aside, the Oldsmobile was bought by doctors, lawyers, bank managers, shop owners, construction entrepreneurs and the like. Although Oldsmobile (as well as Buick and Pontiac) had used eight-cylinder engines for more than a decade, Cadillac was not happy about the idea of Oldsmobile offering an OHV V8 and convinced corporate management to deny Oldsmobiles request for development funds. The cookies are not set at all unless you select that option when submitting a comment. An Ultra High Compression Toronado Rocket version of the 425cuin (7.0L) V8 was made for the 1966 Toronado. The Rocket, along with the 1949 Cadillac V8, were the first post-war OHV crossflow cylinder head V8 engines produced by General Motors. The engine had 10.25:1 compression and a single-barrel carburetor. Most contemporary road tests at least mentioned fuel consumption. New brakes, wide Whitewall tires and classic stereo and speaker. 442 . 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. They normally expire in just under one year, but you can delete the cookies in your browser (or other user agent) at any time. Engineers today are wrestling with questions very similar to those faced by their counterparts of 70 or even 90 years ago. Full instrumentation is standard Olds had not yet succumbed to the allure of warning lights. In certain cases, multiple iterations of either or both of these cookies may be set. Lakeland, FL 5 years at classiccars.com 3 28,500 1955 Oldsmobile 88 gasoline blue manual New interior paint and re-chromed bumpers. 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. Im not sure where you stop4 more new engines in 1958 (Chevy W, Mopar B, FoMoCo FE, Lincoln M.E.L. Raising an engines compression ratio allows the engine to extract more energy from the fuel it burns, improving both power and fuel economy. Oldsmobiles engineering staff already knew what the Rocket could do in the B-body cars and there was no question that it fit, so Harold Metzel, then Oldsmobiles chief transmission engineer, asked Sherry Skinner if Oldsmobile could offer that combination in production. California residents also have the Right to Opt-Out of the sale of their personal information see the Do Not Sell My Personal Information page. Clarke (Cobham, England: Brooklands Books Ltd., ca. Akamai is a registered trademark or service mark of Akamai Technologies, Inc. in the United States (Reg. 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. Every 307 used a four-barrel carburetor, which was a variant of the Rochester Quadrajet, usually the CCC (Computer Command Control) Quadrajet. 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. iThemes is one of the Liquid Web family of brands; iThemes and Liquid Web are trademarks of Liquid Web, LLC.). 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