I seen in my lingenfelter book that a olds rocket block can be stroked to 468 cubes, how can this be. I know a friend that will give me a 350 rocket block is this the one I need?

 

Just a guess here, but they were probably referring to the 455 olds engine, not the 350. In fact, you can get 468 cubes out of a 455 just by boring it .060 over.

 

The book was titlet modifying small block so he was talking about small block. I know the after market 350 rockets can be safely bored to 4.190 and if you do that you should get about 468 cubes because the 9.325 deck height. But i'm not sure if that ws just aftermarket or if stock 350 rockets are like that too.

 

In order to get 468 cubes with a 4.190 bore, you would need a 4.25' crank. I've never heard of anyone putting a crank that large in a small block. A 4.00' crank would require MAJOR clearancing alone, so I can't even imagine putting in a 4.25'. I don't know if anyone even makes a crank that large. 4.00' is the largest I've seen and it was in Jeg's.

Are you sure it's not, in fact, an Old's big block?

 

Ive never heard of the olds 350 being bored that much...but I do know that the early 400 blocks can be bored out a lot! Olds engines are great...but keep in mind the extra cost/low availibility of parts, and wierd valvetrain. I would only go through the trouble of swapping for the 455 or 400 (Big Block) Olds. Those things have more torque than they know what to do with.

-peace

 

Have you ever seen an Olds 350 Rocket block down to the bare bones? They are HUGE compared to a Chevy 350. Next time you're at the speed shop take a look at an Olds 350 intake manifold. At first glance they look like a 454 intake 'cause they're so wide.

I built an Olds 350 a couple years ago. I can see how you could bore & stroke one that big.

 

I think the largest you can get a Rocket block is 434 inches, correct me if I'm wrong.

 

The GM Rocket block (part # 22551790) is a special "tall-deck" version of the small-block Chevy. The deck height is .300 taller than regular, the oil pan rails are spread, thicker deck, splayed center main caps, raised camshaft location (.390) to clear a 4.125 stroke with big-block size cam bearings. Several other differences. All in all, a serious piece at over $2100 for a cast iron block.
jms

 

I wondered when somebody was going to mention the right piece...

Olds has used the word "Rocket" to describe their motors since Sputnik and Gemini. The block in question was developed by Oldsmobile to compete in NASCAR and other factory-sponsored type racing that required small blocks, using Chevrolet small block internals. Olds is out of all that now, but the block is still available.

I'd love to have a small block with big-block-sized cam journals... they make roller cam bearings for that combo

 

RB, you're close on the "Rocket" nomenclature used by Oldsmobile. If I remember correctly, Olds began using the "Rocket" name in 1949 when they introduced their new overhead valve V-8 engine in the light weight (for them) 88 body. There was some song (Chuck Berry?) about him and his Rocket 88.

Back in the early 1980s, I was heavily in dirt-track racing and I remember hearing about a mid-west engine builder (Kirn? from St. Louis?) that built a spacer (very similar to a deck plate used for boring/honing) that went between the deck and heads (and pieces for the intakes, of course) of small-blocks and put out several 460 cubic inch versions (and bigger).

If I recall, the cam location of the stock block kept him from making some huge engines with small-blocks.

After most of the late-models started using 434s, I don't remember hearing about the "spacer" engines being used anymore.
jms

 

The rocket name was put on all the high power versions of the engines like the 3504bbl and high output 425 and 455, they had a "super rocket" was the 425 with like 11.1 compressions stock. also i think your thinking about the early 455's blocks, the 68-69 and mabey the 70 have THICK meat between the bores to bore the block out .125 so you can get a near 500 cube engine out of the 455.

 

I had a 455 ROCKET biggest block alive...... mhhmhmhmhm even the cop asked me MAN what'd you have in that thing.
Kathy Mattea owns me tonight boys

 

I see you know your block but what i'm wondering is do they make the tall deck stock or is it only aftermarket. No offense to you guys but i'm gonna trust lingenfelter on what he says, but he doens't specify if that 468 is out of a stock block or aftermarket block. Becuase jms is right about all the specs on the aftermarket block.
Oh one more question for you guys. I need to put my engine back togtether pretty quick, I can't find the teflon thread sealant for the water jacket head bolts, would I be able to substitute non-hardning silicone?

 

Since Lingenfelter "tends" to use mostly Chevy stuff, I would think the block he used was the GM Rocket block. Not an Oldsmobile version of a stock Oldsmobile block. Could be wrong.

That said, I don't recall the article (I probably do have it-I have all my car magazines from the late '60s forward-over 3,000).

With Lingenfelter's means (money), don't you think he would use the best parts available at the time? The GM Rocket block has been available for some years now.

On the other hand, using the Olds block theory, isn't the 403 Olds considered a small block Olds? I seem to recall it has a pretty big bore and a somewhat short stroke. Couldn't someone have built a big stroke version of it? Money can do miracles!

Just a thought.
jms

 

Did some checking and there is in fact a 4.25' stroke crankshaft for the small block, so a 468 cube rocket block is possible. Insanely powerful would be the diagnosis on a real application of such a monster. Wouldn't mind having one...