This car has the pushbutton radio, which cost about $96. Even "modest" restorations can quickly get out of control, cost-wise, so be careful that a $2,000 bargain doesnt become a money pit. For all the administrative and login cookies described here, "xx" will be a cryptographic hash while "UID" will be the administrative user's user ID number in this website's WordPress database. The PYPF cookie normally expires in approximately four weeks, the 01A1 cookie in approximately one year. However, the only badging identifying it as such was a simple "88" underneath each taillight. We are largest vintage car website with the. 1955 Oldsmobile 88. Compression was up again in 1956 for 230hp (170kW) and 340lbft (460Nm) in the 88 and 240hp (180kW) and 350lbft (470Nm) in the Super 88 and 98. 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. The 260cuin (4.3L), 307cuin (5.0L), 330cuin (5.4L), 350cuin (5.7L) and 403cuin (6.6L) engines are commonly called small-blocks. [1] 400cuin (6.6L), 425cuin (7.0L), and 455cuin (7.5L)[1] V8s have a higher deck height (10.625in (27.0cm) versus 9.33in (23.7cm)) to accommodate a 4.25in (108mm) stroke crank to increase displacement. 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. The engine was designed by Charles L. McCuen, who later had a hand in approving the Rocket engine for production. From 1950 through 1974, the 88 was by far the most lucrative line throughout the division, largely due to the entry-level versions like the 88 and the Dynamic 88. Submitting a comment signifies your acceptance of our. ), This cookie was set if you clicked the "Disable Google Analytics Tracking" link to prevent the Google Analytics service from tracking your use of the Ate Up With Motor website. 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. Full instrumentation is standard Olds had not yet succumbed to the allure of warning lights. Even in markets where fuel is substantially more expensive than in the U.S., fuel efficiency is widely regarded in purely economic terms. From your research, do you have any information on Bouvy? 49 rocket 88 was my first car back in 1964. Classic Oldsmobile Rocket 88 for Sale. Of those sales, 100,273 were the Rocket 88. The original Oldsmobile V8 was to have been marketed as "Kettering Power" after chief engineer Charles Kettering, but company policy prohibited the use of his name. Base price for the Deluxe Club Sedan was $1,982 in 1950, and 16,388 were sold. The "Rocket" name disappeared from the air cleaner identification decal after 1974. The final 1990 configuration was rated at 140hp (100kW) at 3200 rpm and 255lbft (346Nm) of torque at 2000 rpm. (Author diagram). The 303 was available from 1949 until 1953. 1956 Oldsmobile 88 Rocket The engine design for the Rocket 88 came from GMs chief researcher, Charles Kettering. Richard A. Lentinello (Bennington, VT: Hemmings Motor News, 2002), pp. 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. 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. Oldsmobiles companion make, the Viking had a horizontal-valve V8 with two-plane crankshaft in the early thirties. (If you need to review or change these settings after you accept, you can do so from the Privacy Tools page.) Moreover, correct tuning was a continual headache. In 1985, roller lifters, floating piston wrist pins, and swirl port intake runners were added. By the time the battle reached a temporary ceasefire at decades end, the average power of the typical passenger car had (at least on paper) more than doubled. Theyll also be able to suggest sources for parts, which can be a big issue. NASCAR held nine Grand National races in 1949, of which stock Rocket 88s won six. (For more information about our discontinuation of Google Analytics tracking on this website, see the "Online Tracking" section of the Privacy Policy. I will let you know soon. 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. 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&. 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. If you delete or disable these cookies, your existing preferences will be lost and you may not be able to save your privacy settings for this website. Since the valves of a flathead are also in the block, the camshaft can actuate the valves directly. Compression ratios never approached the 12.5:1 level that Kettering had proposed, peaking at about 10.5:1. 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. 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. The Buick version was rated at 200hp with an 11:1 compression ratio. Now that we have DISCONTINUED our use of Google Analytics tracking on this website, this cookie no longer functions no additional analytics data will be collected, with or without the cookie. Required fields are marked *. (I quess that would be total Olds minus Olds 76 model.). This 1950 Oldsmobile Rocket 88 has the Deluxe trim with a dashboard clock; Deluxe models cost $78 more than the standard-trim version. Some auction action surrounding 1956 Oldsmobiles tells a similar story: In Brazil, OHV V8 engines are commonly known as motores roquete (rocket motors), no matter which producer. Oldsmobiles reign as the hottest performer in the land proved to be short-lived. Produced from 19681980, the Rocket 350 was entirely different from the other GM divisions' 350s. 98. These changes increased torque to 250lbft (340Nm) but lowered power to 170hp (130kW), while lowering the RPM at which peak power and torque was achieved. All full-size 1962 Oldsmobiles had the 394. By contrast, both the Cadillac and Oldsmobile V8s were oversquare, with a wide bore and a short stroke. 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. Both of the practical options available in the 1930s and 1940s a train of gears or a metal chain drive were complex, expensive, and noisy. 26-31; Roger Huntington, 1965 Engines, Motor Trend Vol. For more information about Google advertising, see the "Advertising" section of their Google Privacy & Terms site. 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. In an OHV engine, the valves are placed directly above the combustion chamber, which greatly improves breathing. Olds veterans claimed the Burrell group was completely unaware of the Cadillac project until quite late in the development of the Oldsmobile V8. Unless youre building a rod, its often worth it to spend more upfront for a car thats in better condition. They had long since lost genuine autonomy anyhow. 88. 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. Burrell examined a wide range of configurations, but the one to which he continually returned was a 90-degree V8, which he judged as offering the best compromise between power potential and physical size. They call mine the black ace and they have a club division in the oldsmobile club of america. It was rated at 215hp (160kW) at 4600rpm and 300lbft (410Nm) at 3200rpm. Making its debut in 1957 as standard equipment on all Olds models,[4] the 371 was produced through 1960. Comes in plastic display showcase. 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,. 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. 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. This cars turn signals may be an aftermarket addition turn signals were originally a $15 option on this car. More-or-less stock Rocket 88s continued winning their classes at the drag strip well into the 1950s. 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. I forgot this on one occasion when I was attempting to jump start my 55 Olds; after getting the car rolling backwards, I was rewarded with nothing more than a ratcheting sound when I shifted from N to R. The engine did not rotate and the car did not start. Where is the plate located? The engine proved so popular, the division's 88 models were popularly called Rocket 88s. Powered by the rocket 2bbl. Still, the same quandary exists that faced Gordon Burrell and Jack Gordon in the late forties: New technologies in this case, direct injection, turbocharging, and even hybrid powertrains can benefit both performance or fuel economy and emissions, but one still almost always wins out over the other. The L34 used a 4-barrel carburetor and produced 160170hp (120130kW) and 275ftlbf (373Nm). When it comes to Oldsmobiles from 1957, the hardtop was the second-most-popular body style, with 49,187 units produced. In development, the high compression ratio combined with the charged load created problems with spark knock on hard throttle applications, which led Olds to develop and utilize a novel water-injection system that sprayed metered amounts of distilled water and methyl alcohol (dubbed "Turbo-Rocket Fluid") into the intake manifold air-stream to cool the intake charge. Known variously as the Rockette, Cutlass, and Turbo-Rocket by Oldsmobile (and as Fireball and Skylark by Buick),[10] it was a compact, lightweight engine measuring 28in (71cm) long, 26in (66cm) wide, and 27in (69cm) high (same as the small-block Chevy),[11] with a dry weight of only 320lb (150kg). Me at the age of 70 in the back seat with a 21-year-old blond. Most 425s were painted red, though the 1966 and 1967 Toronado units were light blue. 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. Raises and Lowers - 4 Leg Suspension - New Paint Job 2 Tone Black & Copper - New Starter - New A/C - Cloth Bench Seating - New Battery - New Flowmaster Exhaust - MSD Ignition - Headers - $5000 of Mechanical Work Just Done The 1976-1979 Cadillac Seville was equipped with a version of this engine featuring an analog Bendix/Bosch electronic port fuel injection system, making this the first American mass-produced car with EFI as standard equipment.[18]. 34-41; Arch Brown, Richard Langworth, and the Auto Editors of Consumer Guide, Great Cars of the 20th Century (Lincolnwood, IL: Publications International, Ltd., 1998); F. Gibson Butler, History of the Rocket Engine, originally written 15 November 1977 and excerpted in Desert Rocket Report: Newsletter of the Oldsmobile Club of Arizona October 2004, pp. 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. Output for 1983-1985 was 180hp (130kW) and 245lbft (332Nm). As part of its marketing campaign for the Rocket V8, Oldsmobile arranged for an 88 convertible to handle the pace car duties at the Indy 500, with speedway president Wilbur Shaw at the wheel. A cheaper solution (pioneered by Buick back in the days before General Motors was formed) was to leave the camshaft in the block, as in a flathead engine, but add long metal pushrods to allow the camshaft to actuate the valves remotely. All LV2s feature a 4-barrel carburetor. 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. The Oldsmobile Cutlass, Rocket 88, and other classic models remain very popular among car collectors and Oldsmobile fans. Apart from the Oldsmobile Aurora, the Aurora V8 was also used in the Shelby Series 1. Adding turn signals, backup lights, windshield washers, and heater tacked an additional $112 to the price these items wouldnt be standard for several more years. 1985), pp. Call me a square,[I am a square], I say you dont denigrate a proud heritage. The difficulty presented by an OHV layout is finding a way to operate the valves. Will drop by again. Complete Engines for Oldsmobile Delta 88, Motor Mounts for Oldsmobile 88, Fuel Injectors for Oldsmobile 88; Additional site navigation. Until well into the 1950s, most engines were undersquare, with a narrow cylinder bore and a long piston stroke. Free shipping on many items | Browse your favorite brands | affordable prices. 324 rocket v8. 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. It was advertised with gross power and torque ratings of 312hp (233kW) at 4600 rpm and 415lbft (563Nm) at 2800 rpm. The 425cuin (7.0L) big-block was the first tall-deck "big block," produced from 1965 through 1967. Ketterings team demonstrated that the higher compression ratio boosted power and gas mileage by nearly 30%. That July, Burrell was promoted to chief motor engineer for the division. Your email address will not be published. SAE gross power was 150hp. Thanks, I have enjoyed reading your many excellent articles. They normally expire in just under one year, but you can delete the cookies in your browser (or other user agent) at any time. The 1949-50 Rocket 88 was good for 15-16 miles to the gallon (15 L/100 km) overall and up to 18 mpg (13 L/100 km) if driven carefully; a 1964 Oldsmobile Starfire struggled to reach 12 mpg (20 L/100 km), a decline of around 30%. In shape and size, the Oldsmobile Rocket 88 is not much different from the Pontiac Streamline and Chevrolet Fleetline whose body shell it shares. The 324cuin (5.3L) version was produced from 1954 until 1956. ), When you list the OHV Detroit engines that came along after the Rocket, the DeSoto Hemi of 1952 and Plymouth Poly of 1956 may merit mentioncant recall if the 1955 Packard V8 got its curtain call. Unfortunately, it also creates more friction and means that the average piston speeds are very high, particularly at high RPM, which is detrimental to engine longevity. For 1957, the basic 88 was officially named Golden Rocket 88, taken from Olds' 1956 Motorama two-passenger show car. You see, this 1957 Golden Rocket 88 Holiday two-door hardtop, with the J-2 setup and only a few more than 30,000 actual miles, is owned by his daughter and son-in-law, Jan and Tom Hummer. 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 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. 770-738-7111. Oldsmobile Rocket 88/98 GM General Motors, which remains the world's largest producer of pushrod OHV engines, started the revolution when Oldsmobile and Cadillac began developing their OHV engines in 1945. I would assume a postwar Olds V-8 would have been a real high-rollers car. However, former Cadillac engineer Harry Barr, who led the development of Cadillacs first OHV V8, later asserted that Charles L. McCuen, then GMs vice president of engineering (and the former general manager of Oldsmobile) had ordered Cadillac chief engineer Jack Gordon to show Cadillacs OHV design to Oldsmobile carburetor engineer Tony Wauters. Like the test mules, the Rocket 88 was, in the parlance of a somewhat later era, a real bomb. (Vimeo and the Vimeo logos are trademarks of Vimeo.com, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. 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. (Ten of the 13 88s that entered that race managed to finish, itself an impressive feat.) 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 icing on the cake was that fuel consumption was reduced by about 10% compared to the old L-head engine. The B-body Oldsmobiles rode a 6-inch (152mm) shorter wheelbase and were 11 inches (279 mm) shorter and 3.6 inches (91mm) narrower than the C-body 98 and weighed 250 pounds (227 kg) less. The first generation of Oldsmobile 88 was introduced in 1949. SPECIFICATIONS Engine: OHV 90-degree V-8, cast-iron block and heads Displacement: 303-cu.in. 303CI ROCKET V8, 4SPD AUTO, COOL, ICONIC 50S STYLING, 4-DOOR CONVENIENCE, CLASSY. 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. The 324 was shared with GMC trucks. mill or the Chrysler Firepower hemi of the same displacement. Set an alert to be notified of new listings. [citation needed], Introduced in the middle of the 1957 model year,[6] the 1957 and 1958 J-2 Golden Rocket had three two-barrel (twin choke) carburetors with a vacuum-operated linkage. 1949 Oldsmobile Rocket 88 The Oldsmobile 88 was introduced in 1949 as a replacement for the 70 series. If better fuels became available, both the Cadillac and Olds engines had the theoretical potential for compression ratios as high as 12:1. From 1961-1963, Oldsmobile manufactured its own version of the Buick-designed, all-aluminum 215 cubic inch (3.5L) V8 engine for the F-85 compact. 1999), pp. You are correct its even a Studebaker Avanti, not the later Avanti II. 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. The second generation of Oldsmobile V8s was produced from 1964-1990. Olds were very popular in Brazil but I can t give you any numbers. I was aghast at the ad campaign, This is not your Fathers Oldsmobile. I would have said, Your Father knew cars and I would have played up that heritage. 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. Big block Oldsmobile Rocket 442 crate engines are also available. I have an interest in the history of Camshaft design tildentechnologies.com. It was used in most Oldsmobile models, as well as those from Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and Pontiac. Until 1951, Oldsmobile offered a choice of fastback and notchback body styles, as well as the convertible. The engine built in the 1955 Super 88 and 98 models delivered 295 horsepower. And just where is this crazy car heaven where Rocket 88 Oldsmobiles and Avantis are parallel parked on the street side by side? It was the seminal American muscle car, predating Chrysler's Hemi-powered 300-C by . in. Following the Automobile Manufacturer Association ban on factory supported racing, power ratings went down for the 1959 and 1960 88 models: 270hp (200kW) and 390lbft (530Nm) for 1959 and 240hp (180kW) and 375lbft (508Nm) for 1960. The following are turn key engines available . The big-block engines initially used a forged crankshaft with a stroke of 3.975" for the 1965-1967 425 and 400 CID versions; starting in 1968, both the 400cuin (6.6L) and the 455cuin (7.5L) big blocks used a stroke of 4.25in (108mm), with crankshaft material changed to cast iron except in a few rare cases. Ate Up With Motor, its logo, and other associated icons and graphics are trademarks and/or service marks of Aaron Severson dba Ate Up With Motor. 1988), pp. Output was 185hp (138kW) and 320lbft (430Nm). Each PayPal payment or donation button may also incorporate a tracking pixel called "pixel.gif" (which loads from paypalobjects.com). In short, the flatheads breathing ability is only mediocre. Im wondering how many weeks of informative evening reading I can enjoy from your articles. We think it was probably just as well that the proposed ultra-premium fuels never materialized; as it was, increasing the octane rating of pump gasoline from the 70 RON of typical mid-forties regular fuel to the 98 RON level of later super-premium fuel increased the amount of lead in each gallon by more than 40%, with significant public health consequences. 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. The first generation of Oldsmobile V8s ranged from 1949-1964. Naturally, GM was extremely interested in the potential of high-compression engines for passenger cars, but there were two hold-ups. ), Diagram of a typical pushrod/rocker-arm layout of an overhead-valve engine. 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. Ford, Chevy, Dodge and Mercury were the top sellers and I believe Oldsmobile would come in 5th or 6th place. Get a Oldsmobile crate engine for cars like the cutlass, 88, 98, or the 442.GTO.