425 Olds in 1955 88

Hey everyone, this is my first post so any posting suggestions are appreciated.

I recently bought a 55 Olds 88 sedan. I have also recently bought a 1965 0r 66 425 Olds block and crank. Now I am fairly new to building hot rods and wanted everyones 2 cents worth.

I plan to put mostly newer parts on the block. Edelbrock makes some nice aluminum heads and Mondello makes a ton of parts. I still haven't thought about the tranny or the rear end. I also plan to put a Mustang 2 front clip from Fatman on to accomodate air bags. Air bags in the back too. Also plan for 4 wheel disc brakes to make the thing stop.

I'm not looking to build a track/drag car, just something that moves fairly good when you step on it. And I want it to handle a lot better than it does now. I guess it's more of a custom than a hot rod, but I've never really been explained the difference.

As for the original 324 V8 currently in the Olds, I plan to keep it for a later late 20's early 30's hot rod build I have planned.

I am open to suggestions, that is why I am here. This is a nice little website.

Nice looking oldsmobile there. Personally, I would keep the rocket engine in it, but thats your choice. If your looking for performance parts, its usually a better idea to go through Mondello. As for bolting in the 425, you may want to map out your engine bay before you do any swapping. The BB Oldsmobiles were a few inches taller than the small blocks. As such, you may have clearance issues with the hood and even the shock towers. Also, your probably going to have to find a different transmission. Unless im mistaken, the Oldsmobiles from then used a different bellhousing pattern. Behind the 425, I would reccomend the T-400. You will find one behind any BB buick, olds or pontiac. BOP. Good luck, and enjoy that big block. Olds motors make killer torque;)

Thanks drg84, I considered keeping the original 324 Rocket engine but the availability of performance parts is almost none. You can replace almost everything with nearly stock parts from Kanter. I'm looking for more torque too.

The original hydramatic is in pretty bad shape too. You are right though about the bell housing, you need a conversion built up to use any newer tranny on a 55 olds motor.

I am going to map out the engine bay just like you said. There is still a lot of room in there but it may affect my choice of intake manifold, carb, and air cleaner if it is much taller. As far as length I am prepared to move the whole radiator assembly forward a few inches. There is a few inches of room to play with length-wise if need be, it'll take some creativity though.

I know very little about hot rods or custom cars. However, I do have first hand experience in driving a 1965 Delta 88 4 door with a 425 rocket engine. One word explains it all – FUN. My father bought it new. By the time I got to high school in the early 70’s it had 130k miles and would still give Camaros, Firebirds, Cudas, and many others, a great view of it’s rust out rear bumper. The owners of these sporty cars were not to happy when they were trashed by an 8 year old rusted out family sedan. To add insult to injury, my sister (all 5’1”, 105lb’s of her) was often behind the wheel.