Hey Crewchief, Why is it that everyone is so against the Olds 455, other than the fact it's hard to find parts for them? What is the real weaknesses of this mill? and are they good enough just for river cruising? I'm not a hot-rodder anymore but a burst of go-fast now and then is fun.
Thanks
I'm not Crewchief but I have read a LOT about the Olds 455. It's a great engine with a design flaw (for boats or racing), the oil doesn't return to the pan fast enough. The oil return passages in the cylinder heads need to be drilled out larger or hit with an air hammer and a larger oil pan than stock is also recomended. I've read over and over that you don't want to run it over 4,000 RPM for extended periods of time due to the oil return problem but it will handle W.O.T. runs for short periods.
My Miller had a 455 with a larger than stock oil pan and the heads had been drilled. I cruised that boat for hours straight at 4,000 RPM with no problems whatsoever and every so often over that 4,000 RPM mark. I had it to 5,800 RPM for a very short period of time (? 5 seconds ?) with no problem. It had great power for a stock mill.
Another friend of mine had a Olds 455, an acqaintence flocked with the water inlet valve and my friend blew the engine up. He switched to a 460 Ford and his boat was substantially slower than with the Olds.
I've also read build-ups on the Olds 455 and they can make a lot of HP.
