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Thread: My 455 blew please help out

  1. #1
    JROCK
    Hi I have an 89 eliminator that is in great shape and just blew the engine on Saturday, I think it either spun a bearing or broke a rod. The engine was about 6 years old on its last rebuild and had quite a few hours on it so I guess that is just the way it goes, im trying to look at this as an opportunity to improve the boat, I have a few questions that I would like run by you guys before I decied what direction I would like to go with this. Thanks in advance for the help
    Should I consider moving to a 454 or other block or is the cost of the other peripherals I would have to buy for a conversion just too much. If so how much of an extra cost would this be?
    Who does a good job at rebuilding olds 455's and what type of cost am I looking at for a full rebuild including the heads?
    Is there anything else I should be considering here, my goal is to have a reliable boat that runs for 6 more years and my friends and I can enjoy. As long as it pulls 65mph like it did with the other olds ill be happy.

  2. #2
    396_WAYS_TO_SPIT
    I would go with a 454 for sure. Dont get me wrong, olds are great motors But they have issues that need special attention. You would be better off spending more money building a chevy because they offer cheaper horsepower than the olds. You could find a good block from one of the guys on here and a set of heads cheap.Here is a idea of costs for a good 454 build up.
    machining on the block $600
    machining on the heads $300
    Pistons$400
    Bearings$120
    cam kit$250
    intake$100
    headers$250
    mounts$250
    ignition setup$150
    Carb$ use your old one!
    Oil pan$200
    timing cover$60
    Driveline$75
    that is a baseline for costs. Remember i am still drunk from lastnight so I might be off a little bit so bear with me.
    Advantages with a chevy
    1. reliable
    2. more horsepower
    3. everybody has parts for them
    4.you can run them over 5k rpm's without worring
    5.better oiling system
    6. cheaper to rebuild.
    So there is a little info to think about. I'm pretty sure with the help from a few guys on here we could possibly get you into a chevy for a decent price. We all have parts laying around
    396

  3. #3
    Moneypitt
    If I were you, I would contact some of the guys that took good running Oldsmobiles out to install BBC in their boats. BUY the olds they took out, put it in and enjoy your boat. It is no secret that the BBC will make power, so will the Olds. While it true that an olds may blow up, BBCs have also been known to blow up. True the parts are cheaper for the BBC, but when you consider all the changes you're going to have to make you will be better off in the short run to just put in another olds. While enjoying your boat, look around for deals on the BBC stuff you will need, gather all the pieces, find/build an engine and make the swap this winter, then sell the olds engine to re coup your expense of the change over. Summer only lasts so long, enjoy it, do the major changes in the winter...........Moneypitt

  4. #4
    Shark In The Pond
    Man another olds goes up in smoke ? Sorry Olds fans but I say change it now to BBC ! Sure you have to change alot of things to change over to a BBC .. but you can find all of it used through the boards and can find some good deals on these parts . My boat came with a olds and after the 3rd time spinning rod bearings I gave up !

  5. #5
    Moneypitt
    They ALL go up in smoke. Ford ,Chevy Olds, mopar. As we all put these things closer and closer to the edge, they're gonna break. I'm not pro anything, or con anything as far as motor choices go, but you gotta dance with who brung ya. Thats why I said stay with the olds for now and build something, ford, chevy, mopar or even another olds, but change it in the winter. For now just get it back on the water, as quick and easy as possible. If you start the change over now, without any pre planing, you'll be down all summer and part of the winter...........MP

  6. #6
    sidewound
    If your gonna changeover take into consideration the cost of new intake, exhaust , motormounts and driveline just for a start.
    Peace Man!
    CESAR

  7. #7
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Posts
    2,626
    Originally posted by Moneypitt
    They ALL go up in smoke. Ford ,Chevy Olds, mopar.
    The problem is that the OLDS engines lead the way at about a 20:1 margin over the combined total of the other 3. In the 3+ years I've been reading this jet forum and several others, I could count the total of Chevy and Ford failures on my fingers. I'd need a calculator to keep track of the Olds failures.
    Your idea of getting a running Olds and keeping the boat on the water is a good one, except that would be a difficult thing to find. Most guys make the change after they blow the Olds up.
    An alternative to building a Chevy would be the 460 Ford. Core engines are still plentiful and there are quite a few guys here running them quite successfully.
    Just for the record, I ran an Olds for 18 years with virtually no trouble. The short block is still alive and kicking in a buddy's boat. Could have moved that engine into the new project hull I bought 2 years ago, but went Chevy instead. I would never go back.

  8. #8
    Moneypitt
    Iv've got a BBC in my 69 Tahiti, broken, and a 455 olds my 36 year old hydro that is still hauling ass, boat's broken but the motor runs like a top. My son has a 383 mopar in his jet, runs great, hauls ass, (for a stock pump), and I've built just about everything you can imagine. If done properly, an olds will live. At least as well as any other brand, granted, it cost a little more to do the Olds right, but nonetheless, with the right stuff they'll run a long time. As far as the rest not blowing up as often, I see a lot of fords and chevys in the gearhead and v drive sections with problems, alot of guys going to the later generation motors, alot of showroom boats with the BBC, and SBC factory motors letting go. You have to remember, there were thousands upon thousands of jet boats with Olds power from the 60s on, so there are alot of them out there to blow. I can, and have built a bullet proof olds, and SBC/BBCs and even a few fords, that had their necks wrung, and lived. Boats are hard on things, but they really wear out a garage floor quickly if left there all summer..........MP

  9. #9
    JROCK
    THanks for the info and the opinions, both are very much appeciated. I would love to get my boat back into the water this year, but I just dont see it happening unless I spend some serious cash, which I am considering at this point. I think either way I am going to be converting over to a BBC. All of the mechanics I have talked to have suggested this, and while I know some people think OLDS motors are no good due to ignorance, based on my ignorance I am not one to second guess someone whos business it is to fix these things on a daily basis.
    So if I wanted to spend some money and get a new/rebuilt BBC put in, does anyboday have a kick ass shop they know of in either the bullghead, Havasu, oragne county, or riverside county they would reccomend? Someone specializing in boat engines obviously......

  10. #10
    King Kuracz
    Originally posted by Moneypitt
    If I were you, I would contact some of the guys that took good running Oldsmobiles out to install BBC in their boats. BUY the olds they took out, put it in and enjoy your boat.
    Problem with that suggestion is that most of them didn't remove a RUNNING Olds to replace it with a BBC.

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