I've heard alittle about these engines, and I guess the key points is that they have a taller deck height and raised cam shaft. Also, I think the block material itself is stronger.

I was just wondering if anyone has ever used one?
What the casting numbers are?
When were these things made? What cars?

I know they are very expensive brand new, but if you looked long enough could you find one in a junkyard? I'm assuming there weren't many made. But I don't know, so thats why I'm asking.

 

I think all cast iron Olds V8 blocks were "Rocket" blocks werent they? Ive seen lots of Olds Rockets around here... 350s, 455s, 400s....

 

Yeah, olds rocket was a common term for just about any factory olds motor, 455, etc. The olds rocket block I think you are talking about is/was a GM performance parts item only, based on a chevy block, with changes above and beyond a bowtie block. It's used for large stroke cranks, and oddball racing combinations. Chances of find them in a junkyard would be about as good as find an aluminum ZL1 427 block nowadays---virtually impossible.

 

"Rocket V8" was Olds's tag line since the mid-late 50s that I can recall, and I know they called them that from about 61 or 2 up to about 69. Since GM's DRCE released that Olds-headed block for certain Pro Stock like classes a few years ago and called it the "Rocket" block, every goob with some old Olds motor now calls his turd an "Olds Rocket". It has become a severely abused and misapplied buzzword.

You won't find the DRCE block in junkyards, period; unless you know where people like Warren Johnson abandon their old race cars. And the Olds blocks you find in junkyards aren't even dimly close to being related to the same thing; and they won't fit these cars without major effort.

Altogether an idea not based on fact, and therefore not worth another instant of consideration.

 

Yea, GM had an Olds race block called the Rocket too... I think it was a kinda 'cheater' block because its internals were designed to work with small block Chevy parts, like pistons, cranks, cams, etc etc.

 

That's the DRCE (Drag Race Competition Engineering) block I was referring to.

 

Cool.

 

Yea, OLD's Rocket Block is not a Rocket Block as you know it or as defined today. Completely different on is an Oldmobile engine the other is a SBC derivative.