Will a 455 fit in an 80's B- Body GM (caprice, impala, delta, lesabre etc) without extensive modifications?
I've been considering purchasing a 455 to put in my 1982 Oldsmobile Delta 88. It has the stock 307 right now and needs a little more motivation.
I know a Chevy 350 and different trans are easier to build, but I was thinking more along the lines of a 455 w/ turbo 400 trans. If it flys, I'll probably give it a moderate cam, intake, and possibly exhaust. I'm not looking for balls to the walls 4 second 0-60's but something that is ballsy enough to spin the tires and sound insane.
Getting to the question...
What kind of modifications would I have to do to slam the 455 under the hood? I'm mostly concerned with getting the engine in the car, not keeping the rear end in it and what not. Would I need to hack at the firewall? Weld in some kind of tricky engine mount bracketry? Someone told me that the 455 should bolt right in with different mounts because they share external block dimensions and have the same bolt pattern as the 5.0 and 5.7 olds. More or less, what does the swap entail?
You shouldn't have to modify the trans mount if you already have a 307 Olds. Nothing is really "bolt in": the 455 Rocket is wider than the 260/307/350, but the bellhousing is the same. So you're looking at exhaust and all the engine stuff from the donor car - brackets and stuff. I put a 455 in a 1981 Cadillac that had an olds 350 Diesel, the same exterior dimensions as the 307/350 gas, and all I had to modify was the exhaust. the Caddy's the same size as the Delta. I was going to do the swap with my 82 Delta 88 Diesel, it works out way cool. You won't have cooling issues if you can find a diesel 88 or Caddy in a junkyard to rob the radiator from. If you don't go super crazy with the 455, the trans behind the 307 will hold up well. Good luck, you won't be disappointed!
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