oldsmobile rocket 88 motor

1988), pp. Neither of GMs new OHV V8s had an exceptionally high compression ratio at first Oldsmobiles was 7.25:1, Cadillacs 7.5:1 but that was mostly a reflection of the low octane of the gasoline of the time. 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. As part of this I ran across a very interesting 1934 paper by a GM engineer Chris H. Bouvy and would like to know more about him and whether his design method was used within GM. (Im not entirely sure why H-M did not, actually.). Oh, and lets not forget the Bonneville speed merchants. True-to-scale detail. [13] It could also be fitted with high-compression cylinder heads from the Morgan +8. The second issue was that the practical limit for L-head engines was a compression ratio of about 7.0:1; above that threshold, it became difficult to control combustion roughness. Rockets, Vikings and Your Old Man. The Oldsmobile 350s made from 1968-1976 have heavy castings, beefier crankshafts, and better flowing heads. 17, No. These limitations hurt both power and fuel economy. Red Hat is a trademark of Red Hat, Inc., registered in the United States and other countries. (Those pages do not currently discuss the storage of data in your browser (or other user agent) using technologies other than cookies, e.g., in web storage.) Thanks! The image file itself contains no personally identifiable information, but the loading of that file may be used to help identify and/or track you. Did G M make a 1949-50 olds 88 or 98 4 door fastback ? 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. When the engine is running, transmission oil pressure disengages the pawl. Clarke (Cobham, England: Brooklands Books Ltd., ca. This was not an official assignment; he was simply exploring ideas for his own interest and amusement. Trim Rocket 88 1951 Oldsmobile 88 Futuramic 88 Rocket 303 V8 Hydramatic custom $16,900 (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. If better fuels became available, both the Cadillac and Olds engines had the theoretical potential for compression ratios as high as 12:1. 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 package was expensive to produce, and Oldsmobile discontinued it after 1958. The difference is that many of the things earlier generations feared (such as heavy dependence on foreign oil and its associated political ramifications) are now familiar reality rather than speculation. This cars turn signals may be an aftermarket addition turn signals were originally a $15 option on this car. 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. They call mine the black ace and they have a club division in the oldsmobile club of america. Note the quadrant for the Hydra-Matic atop the steering column. Phone: 480-285-1600. 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 present mindset (with which I dont necessarily agree, mind you) is that all brands must either be Youthful or Aspirational or if possible both, so a brand whose name begins with Old and which is best known for decades of middle-of-the-road respectability isnt off to a good start on either front. Each of those engines had its own peculiarities, but they were all in the mold of the Oldsmobile Rocket engine. 18-23; Jim Richardson, Rocket Power: Oldsmobiles 1950 convertibles: The rocking 88 versus the jazzier 98, Special Interest Autos #188 (March-April 2002), pp. Well, are you presuming that the 88s actual career in stock car racing or road races like the Carrera Panamericana somehow dont count? 46-52; Testing the 212 HP Packard Patrician, Science and Mechanics June 1954, reprinted in Packard Gold Portfolio 1946-1958, ed. Lets briefly examine each of them. 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. 5 vehicles matched Now showing page 1 of 1. The Oldsmobile V8, also referred to as the Rocket, is series of engines that was produced by Oldsmobile from 1949 until 1990. Have a 47 98 custom cruiser. (5,880 cc) engine was a massive straight eight with nine main bearings may have played a role in that!) However, the only badging identifying it as such was a simple "88" underneath each taillight. Your email address will not be published. I have read and accepted the Privacy Policy The 260cuin (4.3L), 307cuin (5.0L), 330cuin (5.4L), 350cuin (5.7L) and 403cuin (6.6L) engines are commonly called small-blocks. It didnt have an actual Park position until the advent of the controlled-coupling Hydra-Matic in MY1956. This 1955 oldsmobile deluxe 88 is a 2 door holiday coupe.. 2 tone twilight blue and polar white colors with ivory and blue interior. Generally, getting up to 1819 mpg on the highway was not unusual for early 50s Oldsmobiles even with Hydra-Matic, although that required a lot of steady-speed cruising at reasonable legal speeds. Internal combustion engines are essentially air pumps, so their power depends greatly on how much air-fuel mixture can flow into the cylinders to burn. 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. The main distinguishing features of this engine were a slightly different camshaft profile from the standard ultra high compression engine and factory dual exhaust. These were wedge-head engines with a unique combustion chamber that resulted from a valve angle of only 6. The oil industry wasnt interested, nor was the auto industry, nor it must be said was the contemporary American public. 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. All Oldsmobile V8s use a 90 bank angle, and most share a common stroke dimension: 3.4375in (87.31mm) for early Rockets, 3.6875in (93.66mm) for later Generation 1 engines, and 3.385in (86.0mm) for Generation 2 starting in 1964. I have a pretty good handle on Ford Design evolution, but not so much on GM, especially OHV. The Oldsmobile Rocket 88 has a current value close to $96,250 at some auctions. (If you need to review or change these settings after you accept, you can do so from the Privacy Tools page.) The popularity of the flathead Ford engines depended heavily on the first two qualities. Rocket Racing & Performance is a custom engine building facility that specializes in Oldsmobile Performance.We offer a full machine shop, in house engine dyno, and parts supplier serving the local Wisconsin area and worldwide. Biggest mistake I still think about that automobile. 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. 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). Put the petal to the metal and go man go! A tracking pixel, sometimes known as a web beacon, is a tiny image file that loads from a remote server; it's a type of embedded content (as is the button itself, which loads from the same domain). He saw the potential in an engine design offering increased compression. Submitting a comment signifies your acceptance of our Comment Policy please read it first! 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 means exist to do the same work while burning less fuel; the question is whether a meaningful number of American consumers will accept those means while theres still fuel left to burn. (Ten of the 13 88s that entered that race managed to finish, itself an impressive feat.) Thank you! That July, Burrell was promoted to chief motor engineer for the division. (For each of these cookies, "xx" will be a cryptographic hash.) The first Oldsmobile V8 was of a flathead design that was developed by Northway Engine Works before GM assumed operations. Simplified diagram of the cylinder of a wedge-head OHV engine. 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. 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. The icing on the cake was that fuel consumption was reduced by about 10% compared to the old L-head engine. 1949 Oldsmobile Rocket 88 The Oldsmobile 88 was introduced in 1949 as a replacement for the 70 series. Most 394s used 2-barrel carburetors, but special high-compression 4-barrel versions were available starting in 1961. The 1950 Oldsmobile Rocket 88s were considerably cheaper than the 49s, although that was largely because Hydra-Matic, which had been standard equipment on all 1949 V8-powered cars, reverted to being a $185 option. From 1916 through 1922, the only Oldsmobile V8 was a 246.7 cid L-head of Model 47 with a 233.7 cid V8 that made 60 hp. From 1950 until 1974, the 88 was the division's most profitable line, particularly the entry level models such as the 88 and Dynamic 88. You make a good point about the L-head lifter. 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. The commonest type was the Super 88 4-door sedan, Hydramatic equipped. Like the test mules, the Rocket 88 was, in the parlance of a somewhat later era, a real bomb. It was rated at 215hp (160kW) at 4600rpm and 300lbft (410Nm) at 3200rpm. (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. Road tests were conducted later that year and the new V8 went into production a few days before Christmas 1948. Naturally, GM was extremely interested in the potential of high-compression engines for passenger cars, but there were two hold-ups. Unlike the 76, powered by a straight-six engine, the 88 came with a V8 under the. To learn more about what information the YouTube platform and other Google services may collect through and/or in connection with embedded video players and how Google may use that information, see their "How Google uses information from sites or apps that use our services" page and the Google Privacy Policy. [5], This engine was used in GMC heavy trucks as the "370" of 232 gross HP at 4200 RPM and torque 355 gross lbs-ft at 2600 RPM from 1957 to 1959.It had hardened valve seats and other features for heavy duty usage. 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). 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. (4,214 cc) L-head straight eight. If you correctly enter the password, the site saves this cookie on your device to allow you access to the password-protected post or page. R.M. But I can block the blow by coming off the back of the block and it runs great. With an 8.75:1 compression ratio and a 2-barrel carburetor, the Olds 215 had the same ratedhp, 155hp (116kW) at 4800rpm, as the Buick 215, with 220ftlbf (300Nm) of torque at 2400rpm. These cookies manage your cookie and privacy preferences. Its a super 88 sedan 4 door. I never had one apart to that extent, but my understanding from the theory of operation is that there is a pivoting pawl that will engage a toothed wheel when the engine is stopped with reverse selected. [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. It was the seminal American muscle car, predating Chrysler's Hemi-powered 300-C by . All generation-2 small-block Olds V8s used a stroke of 3.385in (86.0mm). So this sedan was delivering big torque with a healthy dose of Streetside Classics - Atlanta (877) 828-8754 Lithia Springs, GA 30122 (406 miles away) 6 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. The Oldsmobile engine block formed the basis of the Repco 3-liter engine used by Brabham to win the 1966 and 1967 Formula One world championships. R.M. 770-738-7111. A very significant and, at this point, often misunderstood transmission that had a big influence on the character of the cars that used it. 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. Note the stylized rocket chrome trim on the front fender. See these additional Auto Museum Online articles on the links below in. 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. The Buick version was rated at 200hp with an 11:1 compression ratio. The first generation of Oldsmobile V8s ranged from 1949-1964. . The Rocket, along with the 1949 Cadillac V8, were the first post-war OHV crossflow cylinder head V8 engines produced by General Motors. It kept the retired 425's 4.126in (104.8mm) bore to produce between 275 and 400hp (205 and 298kW; 279 and 406PS). The company later introduced a new vehicle, the Oldsmobile Aurora, with a new generation V8. From your research, do you have any information on Bouvy? 15-16 MPG is great even by modern standards, for a 300+ HP engine. Sorry! 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. 9 (September 1964), reprinted in Oldsmobile Muscle Portfolio 1964-1971, ed. 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. Note the quadrant for the Hydra-Matic atop the steering column. The shape of a flatheads combustion chambers also limits its maximum compression ratio (the amount the fuel mixture is compressed before burning). Except as otherwise indicated, all written content and images are copyright Aaron Severson dba Ate Up With Motor. They had long since lost genuine autonomy anyhow. [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. 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). 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. [22] This was the first engine to use the smaller Rochester Dualjet two-barrel carburetor, the only carburetor used on the 260. The Rocket V8 was the subject of many first and lasts in the automotive industry. Most commonly available premium fuels had an octane rating of only 80 RON, not nearly enough for the ultra-high compression ratios Kettering proposed. A 1958 2-barrel version produced 265hp (198kW) and 390lbft (530Nm), but had problems with early camshaft failures due to the high preload valve spring forces. 26-33. An 88 also won the first grueling Carrera Panamericana, the 2,176-mile (3,500-km) Mexican Road Race. The development testing, however, had been done using the smaller B-body Olds 76 as a test mule. Richard A. Lentinello (Bennington, VT: Hemmings Motor News, 2002), pp. The cookies are not set at all unless you select that option when submitting a comment. in. Since the valves of a flathead are also in the block, the camshaft can actuate the valves directly. 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. The Olds 403 was used by Buick and Pontiac in addition to Oldsmobile until its discontinuation after 1979. It also used the .921in lifter bore size of the Toronado Rocket. Oldsmobile like mine are real popular in australia. 1999), pp. 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. Bore was 3.75in (95mm) and stroke was 3.4375in (87.31mm). . [[[Chevrolet Corvair#First generation (19601964)#{{{section}}}|contradictory]]]. The cookies normally expire in about 10 days, and are not set at all if you do not access any password-protected content. 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. Hemmings Motor News has been serving the classic car hobby since 1954. 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. In an OHV engine, by contrast, the valves are a fair distance away from the crankshaft, which makes operating them far more complicated. Inevitably, the 88 overshadowed Oldsmobiles cheaper 76, which still used a 257 cu. 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. 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,. The 88 model remained in production for a whopping 50 years and over ten. The cylinder head is little more than a cover for the top of the cylinder, which is why L-head engines are commonly called flatheads. 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. in. The new V8 was also more powerful: Rated output climbed from 110 to 135 gross horsepower (82 to 101 kW) while torque increased from 213 to 283 lb-ft (289 to 383 N-m), allowing an Oldsmobile 98 with Hydra-Matic to reach 60 mph (97 km/h) in a brisk (for 1949) 13.5 seconds, with a top speed of 96 mph (155 km/h). The 307 "Y" produced 148hp (110kW) and 250lbft (340Nm) in 1980-1984 models and 140hp (100kW) and 250lbft (340Nm) in 1985-1990s. Many modern engines deal with this problem by placing the camshaft in the cylinder head along with the valves (an overhead cam (OHC) engine), but there still has to be some way for the crank to drive the camshaft. The Super Eighty-Eight wasnt particularly rare when it was new Olds sold about 150,000 of them in 1951. 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. It is arguably the best engine Olds made in the muscle car era, although it never made it into a "muscle car". Initially the paint was red, except for metallic blue in the Toronado applications; 1970-1976 versions were metallic blue at first, then nonmetallic blue. wider bore provides a greater surface area on which the forces of combustion can act, improving power The desire to raise compression ratios had prompted Kettering and his staff to develop tetraethyl lead as an octane-boosting gasoline additive in the early twenties (as discussed in greater detail in our article on the 1970-1981 Chevrolet Camaro), but the research staff had been working to raise compression ratios even higher. The difficulty presented by an OHV layout is finding a way to operate the valves. Where is the plate located? Until well into the 1950s, most engines were undersquare, with a narrow cylinder bore and a long piston stroke. The Chevrolet Corvair Spyder Turbo, likewise a forced induction i.e turbo-powered car, predated the Oldsmobile Jetfire Turbo, however by only a few weeks[citation needed], thus being the world's very first turbocharged commercially sold vehicle. 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. 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 303-cubic-inch (5.0L) engine had hydraulic lifters, an oversquare bore:stroke ratio, a counterweighted forged crankshaft, aluminum pistons, floating wristpins, and a dual-plane intake manifold. The J-2 engine also had a slightly thinner head gasket, raising compression to 10.0:1. 1750 Enterprise Way Suite 109 Marietta, GA 30067. What these activities have most in common was that there was an awful lot of engine-swapping going on. $22,000 (OBO) Concord, NC 5 years at carsforsale.com 3 27,900 1955 Oldsmobile Eighty-Eight - Concord, NC sedan automatic 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%. spark ignition engine for high-compression studies. Big-block and Diesel versions also increased the 2.5in (64mm) main bearing journal to 3.0in (76mm) for increased strength. 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. Produced from 19681980, the Rocket 350 was entirely different from the other GM divisions' 350s. (At present, this setting does NOT affect the payment or donation buttons that may appear on portions of the site's administrative dashboard, nor does hiding the box affect any cookies that may have already been set). I have an interest in the history of Camshaft design tildentechnologies.com. The Rocket Engine Story by One Who Was Thereby Gibson Butler. Im not sure where you stop4 more new engines in 1958 (Chevy W, Mopar B, FoMoCo FE, Lincoln M.E.L. I would have said, Your Father knew cars and I would have played up that heritage. Oldsmobile Rocket 88 s by Year 1958 Oldsmobile Rocket 88. [citation needed] Production of the 260 V8 ended in 1982 when the 307 became the only gasoline V8 in Oldsmobile's line. C. G. 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. It uses a 3.8in (97mm) bore (in common with the Buick 231 V6 and 350 V8) with a 3.385in (86.0mm) stroke. It was advertised with gross power and torque ratings of 312hp (233kW) at 4600 rpm and 415lbft (563Nm) at 2800 rpm. The 4 barrel versions had a larger diameter harmonic damper, the 2 barrel only a balancer hub without the rubberized outer ring. If you use the buttons to make a payment or donation, the PayPal services will set additional cookies (not listed here) to manage your PayPal login and transaction data (and potentially also for various other purposes, e.g., user analytics and/or advertising). Would you be willing to share which source cites fuel mileage figures? Most contemporary road tests at least mentioned fuel consumption. (The idea of Olds as the import-fighter brand obviously had its own problems.) 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. All 425 engines were fitted with forged steel crankshafts with harmonic balancers. A smaller 260cuin (4.3L) V8 was created for the new Oldsmobile Omega in 1975 by decreasing the bore to 3.5in (89mm). Made of diecast with some plastic parts. 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. Compression ratios never approached the 12.5:1 level that Kettering had proposed, peaking at about 10.5:1. (These cookies are not usually set for administrative users, since comments they submit while logged in are associated with their user ID number and user profile information rather than a manually entered name and email address.). The _gat cookie, which may appear as _gat_gtag_UA_6113964_2, was sometimes set along with the _ga and _gid cookies to control how frequently requests were sent to the Google Analytics servers; this cookie typically persisted for only a few minutes at a time. The standard 1965-1967 425cuin (7.0L) was called the Super Rocket, and was the most powerful engine option for the Oldsmobile 88 and 98 of 1965-1967. ), 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. A BRILLIANTLY written article! The Olds FAQ (www.442.com) has info on where to find and how to decode the engine and body plates for different model years. They normally expire in just under one year, but you can delete the cookies in your browser (or other user agent) at any time.

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