The Oldsmobile V8, also referred to as the Rocket, is a series of engines that was produced by Oldsmobile from 1949 until 1990. The Rocket, along with the 1949 Cadillac V8, were the first post-war pushrod OHV crossflow cylinder head V8 engines produced by General Motors. 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. All Oldsmobile V8s were assembled at plants in Lansing, Michigan, while the engine block and cylinder heads were cast at Saginaw Metal Casting Operations.

All Oldsmobile V8s use a 90° bank angle, and most share a common stroke dimension: for early Rockets, for later Generation 1 engines, and for Generation 2 starting in 1964. The , , , and engines are commonly called small-blocks. , , and In 1929, Oldsmobile installed a 90 degree monobloc flathead V8 engine in the Viking companion brand before the monobloc was used in LaSalle and Cadillac vehicles from 1929-1931.

Generation I

The first generation of Oldsmobile V8s were tall deck big blocks available from 1949-1964. Each engine in this generation is quite similar with the same size block and heads.

303

thumb|An Oldsmobile Rocket V8 303 c.i. (5L) gasoline engine

The engine had hydraulic lifters, an oversquare bore:stroke ratio, a counterweighted forged crankshaft, aluminum pistons, floating wristpins, and a dual-plane intake manifold. The 303 was produced from 1949-1953. Bore was and stroke was . Cadillac used a distantly related engine which appeared in three different sizes through to the 1962 model year; though the Oldsmobile and Cadillac motors were not physically related, many lessons learned by one division were incorporated into the other's design, and the result were two engines known for their excellent power-to-weight ratio, fuel economy, and smooth, strong, reliable running.

The original Oldsmobile V8 was to have been marketed as "Kettering Power" after chief engineer Charles Kettering, but company policy prohibited the use of his name. Instead, influenced by the Space Race between the United States and the USSR, the legendary Rocket was born, available in Oldsmobile's 88, Super 88, and 98 models. The engine proved so popular, the division's 88 models were popularly called Rocket 88s.

From 1949 until 1951, the 2-barrel carburetor 303 produced and . Its output of 0.45 hp per cubic inch was 7% better than the 0.42 hp per cubic inch of the popular and widely produced 1949 Ford Flathead V8. 1952 88 and Super 88 V8s used a 4-barrel carburetor for and , while 4-barrel 1953 versions raised compression from 7.5:1 to 8.0:1 for and .

Applications:

  • 1949–1953 Oldsmobile 88
  • 1949–1953 Oldsmobile 98
  • 1952–1953 Oldsmobile Super 88

324

thumb|324 ci V8 (1954-1956)

The version was produced from 1954 until 1956. Bore was increased to (same as the later 283 Chevy) and stroke remained the same at . Two-barrel carburetion was standard; all high performance 324s came with four-barrel carburetors. The 324 was shared with GMC trucks.

The 1954 88 and Super 88 V8s used an 8.25:1 compression ratio for and , respectively.

The 1955 model upped the compression to 8.5:1 for and in the 88 and and in the Super 88 and 98. For engines built during the first part of 1955, the 324 skirted pistons had a reputation for failing due to the cast aluminum skirt separating from its steel interior brace. This problem did not appear until the engine had over on it. By late 1956, many Olds dealers learned about the problem. Compression was up again in 1956 for and in the 88 and and in the Super 88 and 98.

Applications:

  • 1954–1956 Oldsmobile 88
  • 1954–1956 Oldsmobile Super 88
  • 1954–1956 Oldsmobile 98

371

thumb|371 ci V8 (1957-1960)

The 371 made its debut in 1957 as standard equipment on all Olds models, and was produced through 1960. Bore was up to and stroke was increased to for . 1959 and 1960 371s used green painted valve covers. 4-barrel models used 9.25:1 compression in 1957 and 10:1 in 1958 for and and and respectively. A 1958 2-barrel version produced and , but had problems with early camshaft failures due to the high preload valve spring forces. Following the Automobile Manufacturer Association ban on factory supported racing, power ratings went down for the 1959 and 1960 88 models: and for 1959 and and for 1960. It was no longer available in cars in 1961.

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.

Applications:

  • 1957–1960 Oldsmobile 88
  • 1957–1958 Oldsmobile Super 88
  • 1957–1958 Oldsmobile 98

J-2 Golden Rocket

Introduced in the middle of the 1957 model year, the 1957 and 1958 J-2 Golden Rocket had three two-barrel (twin choke) carburetors with a vacuum-operated linkage. Only the center carburetor was mechanically connected to the throttle pedal, and it was the only one equipped with a choke. When the center carburetor was opened to 60° or more engine vacuum drawn from the windshield wiper pump would simultaneously open the front and rear carburetors. These carburetors did not open progressively; they were either open or closed. The J-2 engine also had a slightly thinner head gasket, raising compression to 10.0:1. It was advertised with gross power and torque ratings of at 4600 rpm and at 2800 rpm. Oldsmobile charged $83 for the J-2 option with the three-speed manual (or in the 98), $314 with the automatic.

In practice, owners who did not regularly drive hard enough to engage the front and rear carburetors experienced problems with the linkage and carburetor throats becoming clogged, and some J-2-equipped cars had the front and rear carburetors removed and blocked off. Moreover, correct tuning was a continual headache. The package was expensive to produce, and Oldsmobile discontinued it after 1958.

394

Bore was up to for the largest first-generation Rocket, the . 394s were produced from 1959–1964 and were available on many Olds models. Most 394s used 2-barrel carburetors, but special high-compression 4-barrel versions were available starting in 1961.

Power for the base engine was up to 315 hp (235 kW), even though compression was down a quarter point, to 9.75:1.

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.

Applications:

  • 1959–1960 Oldsmobile Super 88, and
  • 1959–1960 Oldsmobile 98, and
  • 1961 Oldsmobile 88, and
  • 1962–1964 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88, and
  • 1964 Oldsmobile Jetstar I, and

Sky Rocket

The 1961 through 1963 Sky Rocket (and 1964 Rocket) was a high-compression, four-barrel engine. The 10:1 compression 1961 model produced and , while the 10.25:1 1962-1964 version upped power to and . A special 1963 10.5:1 version was also produced with .

Applications:

  • 1961–1963 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 (option)
  • 1961–1964 Oldsmobile Super 88 (standard)
  • 1961–1964 Oldsmobile 98 (standard)

Starfire

The high-compression four-barrel 394 cu. in. 1964 Starfire produced and for the 1963-4 Starfire and 98 Custom-Sports Coupe. It was optional on 1964 98s and Super 88s.

Aluminum 215

From 1961-1963, Oldsmobile manufactured its own version of the Buick-designed, all-aluminum 215 cubic inch (3.5L) V8 engine for the F-85 compact. Known variously as the Rockette, Cutlass, and Turbo-Rocket by Oldsmobile (and as Fireball and Skylark by Buick), it was a compact, lightweight engine measuring long, wide, and high, with a dry weight of only . The Oldsmobile engine was very similar to the Buick engine, but not identical: it had larger wedge combustion chambers with flat-topped (rather than domed) pistons, six bolts rather than five per cylinder head, and slightly larger intake valves; the valves were actuated by shaft-mounted rocker arms like the Buick and Pontiac versions, but the shafts and rockers were unique to Oldsmobile. With an 8.75:1 compression ratio and a 2-barrel carburetor, the Olds 215 had the same rated hp, at 4800 rpm, as the Buick 215, with of torque at 2400 rpm. With a 4-barrel carburetor and 10.25:1 compression, the Olds 215 made at 4800 rpm and at 3200 rpm with a manual transmission. With a 4-barrel carburetor and 10.75:1 compression, the Olds 215 made at 4800 rpm and at 3200 rpm with an automatic. The Buick version was rated at 200 hp with an 11:1 compression ratio. The Oldsmobile Turbo-Rocket had 10.25:1 compression and was rated at .

The Buick version of the 215 V8 went on to become the well known Rover V8, which still remains in limited production, utilizing the Buick-style pistons, heads, and valve train gear.

The Oldsmobile engine block formed the basis of the Repco-Brabham V8 engines used by Brabham to win the 1966 and 1967 Formula One world championships. The early Repco engines produced up to , and featured new SOHC cylinder heads and iron cylinder liners. The 1967 and later versions of the Repco engine had proprietary engine blocks.

In the mid-1980s, hot rodders discovered the 215 could be stretched to as much as , using the Buick 300 crankshaft, new cylinder sleeves, and an assortment of non-GM parts. It could also be fitted with high-compression cylinder heads from the Morgan +8.

===Turbo-Rocket===<!-- This section is linked from Turbocharger -->

thumb|Oldsmobile Turbo-Rocket V8 in a 1962 Jetfire. The turbocharger, painted red, is clearly visible.

In 1962 and 1963 Oldsmobile built a turbocharged version of the 215, designated Turbo-Rocket. The turbocharger fitted to the V8 engine was a small-diameter Garrett T5 model with integral wastegate, manufactured by Garrett AiResearch, and produced a maximum of 5&nbsp;psi (34&nbsp;kPa) boost at 2200&nbsp;rpm. The engine had 10.25:1 compression and a single-barrel carburetor. It was rated at at 4600&nbsp;rpm and at 3200&nbsp;rpm. 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. If the fluid reservoir was empty, a complex double-float and valve assembly in the Turbo-Rocket Fluid path would set a second butterfly (positioned between the throttle butterfly and the turbocharger) into the closed position, limiting the amount of boost pressure. Many customers did not keep the reservoir filled, or had mechanical problems with the turbocharger system which resulted in many of the turbo-charger installations being removed and a conventional 4-barrel carburetor and manifold installed in its place.

The Turbo-Rocket V8 was offered exclusively on the Oldsmobile Jetfire, a special version of the Cutlass compact hardtop coupe, which is noteworthy as it is one of the world's first (in fact the second) turbocharged passenger car ever offered for public sale. 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, thus being the world's very first turbocharged commercially sold vehicle.

Generation II

The second generation of Oldsmobile V8s was produced from 1964-1990. Most of these engines were very similar, using the same bore centers and a deck height, raised on "big-block" versions to . Big-block and Diesel versions also increased the main bearing journal to for increased strength. All generation-2 small-block Olds V8s used the same stroke of . The big-block engines initially used a forged crankshaft with a stroke of 3.975" for the 1965-1967 425 and 400 CID versions; starting in 1968, both the and the big blocks used a stroke of , with crankshaft material changed to cast iron except in a few rare cases.

These were wedge-head engines with a unique combustion chamber that resulted from a valve angle of only 6°. This was much flatter than the 23° of the small-block Chevrolet and 20° of the Ford small-block wedge heads. This very open and flat chamber was fuel efficient and had lower than average emissions output. It was the only GM engine to meet US emission standards using a carburetor all the way up to 1990.

330

The first second-generation Oldsmobile V8 "Jetfire Rocket" introduced in 1964 and produced through 1967. It was released one year earlier than the tall deck 425, and debuted the standard stroke; bore was . 330s were painted gold and had forged steel crankshafts. The 4-barrel versions had a larger diameter harmonic damper, the 2 barrel only a balancer hub without the rubberized outer ring.

400

The version was the second, tall-deck "big-block" Olds. Two distinct versions of the 400 CID engine were made:

  • 1965-1967 "Early" 400s used a slightly oversquare bore and stroke for an overall displacement of . All the pre-1968 engines used a forged steel crankshaft.

thumb|A 1969 "Ram Rod 400" with the W-30 package

4-4-2 Rocket

The 1966-1967 4-4-2 V8 was a short stroke engine which featured B and C cast large-valve cylinder heads and hydraulic lifters of larger diameter, as well as push-rods of different length and diameter than the standard Olds Rocket V8. It was rated at and of torque with a Rochester 4-barrel, and with the L69 tri 2-barrel option in 1966. A nominal 360&nbsp;hp was claimed in 1967 when equipped with a W30 camshaft, 4-barrel, and outside air induction, 502 of which were factory produced. They were all painted Bronze and had V and G stamped on the cylinder heads.

Undersquare version (1968)

  • 1968 and 1969 400s shared the Olds big-block standard stroke with the 455 but used a undersquare bore to comply with GM's maximum 400 cu. in. displacement restrictions in the A-body cars while also reducing tooling costs. Displacement is similar to the earlier engine, at . This "later" 400 is considered less desirable by many enthusiasts, because of the power band characteristics induced by this undersquare format, although the actual change in power was due to the mild 250/264 duration cam used in this engine (previous 400s used a 278/282 cam) and the fact that the crankshafts were now made of cheaper less durable high nodular iron material.

:"Early 400s" used the same forged steel crankshaft as the 425, while "later 400s" used the same cast iron crankshaft of the 455, with rare exceptions; some 1968 and later Olds 400/455s were produced with forged steel crankshafts. These rare cranks can be readily spotted by the J-shaped notch in the OD of the rear flange; cast iron cranks have a C-shaped notch. All 1965-1969 Olds 400s were painted bronze.

425

The big-block was the first tall-deck "big block," produced from 1965 through 1967. It used a bore and stroke. Most 425s were painted red, though the 1966 and 1967 Toronado units were light blue. All 425 engines were fitted with forged steel crankshafts with harmonic balancers.

Super Rocket

The standard 1965-1967 was called the Super Rocket, and was the most powerful engine option for the Oldsmobile 88 and 98 of 1965-1967. Compression ratios of 9.0:1 at or 10.25:1 at were available in the U.S.

Starfire

A special 1965-1967 V8 was the Starfire engine. The main distinguishing features of this engine were a slightly different camshaft profile from the standard ultra high compression engine and factory dual exhaust. This engine was only available in the Oldsmobile Starfire, Delta 88 and a performance economy model called the Jetstar I. It shared the same compression ratio of the Toronado Rocket at 10.5:1. It also used the 0.921in lifter bore size of the Toronado Rocket.

Toronado Rocket

thumb|right|The 1966 [[Oldsmobile Toronado|Toronado's 425 V8, the first post-war front-wheel drive V8 application.]]

An Ultra High Compression Toronado Rocket version of the V8 was made for the 1966 Toronado. It had the same -diameter lifters of the first-generation Oldsmobile engines, rather than the standard , which let engineers increase the camshaft's ramp speed for more power, , without sacrificing idle or reliability. Unlike all other 425s, this version was painted slate blue metallic.

455

thumb|An early (1968) red-painted Rocket 455 in a [[Oldsmobile 88#Sixth generation (1965–1970)|Delmont 88]]

The 425's stroke was lengthened to to achieve to create the Rocket 455 for 1968. It kept the retired 425's bore to produce between . Initially the paint was red, except for metallic blue in the Toronado applications; 1970-1976 versions were metallic blue at first, then nonmetallic blue. The "Rocket" name disappeared from the air cleaner identification decal after 1974. Although production of the 455 ended in 1976, a small number were produced through 1978 for power equipment use, such as motorhomes, boats and irrigation equipment.

Applications:

  • Oldsmobile Cutlass
  • Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser (1970–76)
  • Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser
  • Oldsmobile 4-4-2
  • Oldsmobile Hurst/Olds,
  • Oldsmobile 88
  • Oldsmobile 98
  • 1968–1970 Oldsmobile Toronado,
  • 1968–1970 Oldsmobile Toronado GT (W34),
  • 1973–1976 GMC Motorhome

350

thumb|Rocket 350 in a 1974 [[Oldsmobile Delta 88]]

Produced from 1968–1980, the Rocket 350 was entirely different from the other GM divisions' 350s. It used a very oversquare bore and Oldsmobile small-block standard stroke for . Output ranged from . 1968-1974 350s were painted gold; 1975-1976 350s were metallic blue like the 455; 1977-1980 models were painted GM Corporate Blue. 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.

The Oldsmobile 350s made from 1968-1976 have heavy castings, beefier crankshafts, and better flowing heads. The 1977-1980 350s have lighter castings, including a thinner block with large "windows" in the main bearing bulkheads, and have crack-prone cylinder head castings manufactured by Pontiac Motor Division (castings are marked "PMD"; these heads were also used on the 260), and a lightened crankshaft.

The 1976-1979 Cadillac Seville was equipped with a version of this engine featuring an analog Bendix/Bosch electronic port fuel injection system, making this the first American mass-produced car with EFI as standard equipment.

Applications:

  • 1976-1979 Cadillac Seville
  • 1980 Cadillac Seville
  • 1979 Cadillac Eldorado
  • 1968-1977 Oldsmobile Cutlass
  • 1968–1977 Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser
  • 1973-1977 Oldsmobile 4-4-2
  • 1968-1980 Oldsmobile Delta 88
  • 1977-1980 Oldsmobile 98
  • 1979-1980 Oldsmobile Toronado
  • 1973-1979 Oldsmobile Omega
  • 1977 Pontiac Firebird (Firebirds sold in California/High Altitude states received the 350 Oldsmobile (VIN code "R") for a short time in 1977 before being replaced with the small block Chevrolet line of engines.)
  • 1979 Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais (Hurst/Olds W-30 VIN "R" code)
  • 1980 Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais (442 W-30 VIN "R" code)

L34

Oldsmobile's own L34 R code V8 was used in the 1976 Oldsmobile Cutlass "S", 1979 Hurst/Olds models and 1980 "4-4-2". The L34 used a 4-barrel carburetor and produced and .

403

The 455 big block Olds V8 was replaced in 1977 with the small block, which used a bore, the largest ever used in a small-block V8, with the Olds small-block standard deck and stroke. The bore was so wide that the cylinder walls were siamesed, as in the Chevrolet 400 V8, with no space for coolant to flow between the cylinders. Additionally, the 403 had windowed main webs, which reduced the internal strength of the block in the crankcase area. It has been purported that there is a 403 Oldsmobile block and cast that has solid main webs that may have been equipped in vehicles such as the Pontiac Firebird equipped with a towing package, but there are currently no clearly documented surviving examples.

The 403 is fundamentally the exact same block as an Oldsmobile 350 V8, however it features a larger bore. Most components and accessories are interchangeable. A popular modification made to the 403 to increase power was to swap on early Oldsmobile 350 heads to boost compression. The 403 was never featured with a manual transmission and the crank was never manufactured for a pilot bearing. It was generally paired with the Turbo Hydramatic 350 3-speed automatic or the Turbo Hydramatic 400 3-speed automatic in rear wheel drive vehicles, in the case of front-wheel drive vehicles, the Turbo Hydramatic 425 FWD 3-speed automatic. It always featured the 4A 83cc heads with 8:1 compression, and a Rochester Quadrajet 4-barrel carburettor. The 403 Oldsmobile was generally painted "Corporate GM Blue" on every model line it was equipped in.

The Olds 403 was used by Buick and Pontiac in addition to Oldsmobile until its discontinuation after 1979. Output was and . Uniquely in the 1977 Toronado, the 403 engine was fitted with a crank triggered ignition system. Parts peculiar to this system include a toothed disc between the harmonic balancer and the crank pulley, the "adjacent sensor" (an early form of crankshaft position sensor), a special distributor, an engine temperature sensor, and a rudimentary computer mounted inside the car, under the dashboard.

Applications:

  • 1977 Buick Century Estate
  • 1977–1978 Buick Riviera
  • 1977–1979 Buick Electra
  • 1977–1979 Buick Estate Wagon
  • 1977–1979 Buick LeSabre
  • 1977 Oldsmobile Cutlass
  • 1977 Oldsmobile 4-4-2
  • 1977 Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser
  • 1977–1978 Oldsmobile Delta 88
  • 1977–1978 Oldsmobile Toronado
  • 1977–1979 Oldsmobile 98
  • 1977–1979 Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser
  • 1977 Pontiac Bonneville
  • 1977-1979 Pontiac Catalina Safari
  • 1977-1979 Pontiac Firebird
  • 1977 Pontiac Grand Prix available with California Emissions Only
  • 1977-1978 Pontiac Grand Safari available with California Emissions Only
  • 1977 Pontiac Can Am available with California Emissions Only
  • 1977–1978 GMC Motorhome

260

A smaller V8 was created for the new Oldsmobile Omega in 1975 by decreasing the bore to . It produced net and . SAE gross power was 150&nbsp;hp. The 260 V8 received VIN code "F" and had a sales code of LV8.