Rocket Power! - CFM Performance

1 Rocket Power! Olds Specialist Dick Miller Readies a RocketBy Scott ParkhurstAs small-blocks go, the 350 Olds doesn't get much mention. It's wrong, too--since the basic designis both durable and full of power potential. How much potential? Oldsmobile expert Dick Miller feelsthere's enough to slay the giants gunning for the Engine Masters title, and he's willing to show tuners know the Olds design allows big-block heads to be bolted on the small-block,and Dick plans to take full advantage of this by topping the block with a pair of aluminumaftermarket Olds heads. Developed to feed 400ci and larger Rockets, the Edelbrock possess moreflow capability than the 365ci small-block should ever need. It's getting the air in and out of theengine effectively that Miller will focus on. He feels that if he can do this, the weight penaltyincurred by the heavier Oldsmobile rotating mass will not affect gearheads also know that Olds made a 350ci diesel engine based on the traditionalgasoline design, and these beefy blocks have proven to be solid foundations for high-performancegasoline engines.

2 Interestingly, Dick has chosen to begin with a more "garden variety" 350 Olds gasblock. He explains: "The diesel block would be stronger, but it uses big-block main bearings andrequires a different crankshaft. I could not have run the steel crank I wanted without having onecompletely custom-fabricated. I already had a forged-steel factory crank from an old 330 that willwork great for this, but it limits me to the non-diesel block. At the rpm levels the Engine MastersChallenge is being run, I feel this is the better option. If someone is planning to build a serious 350 Olds for street [pump gas] use, this is the route I'd recommend."If a guy wanted to push a small-block Olds to the 700-horse level for a racing effort (and believeus, it's possible--Ed.), then the diesel block would be worth the extra effort."So, can this '70s-era Rocket 350 be pushed hard enough to win? Only time will tell, but until then,we can show what Dick Miller has chosen to arm his Olds-based engine with.

3 If you've beenfollowing along with the other Engine Masters Challenge entries, or if you're an Olds fan, look overhis parts selections carefully and compare them to the others we've featured in past issues. Thereare some distinct similarities and some glaring differences, and the more you know about all of it,the better educated you'll be on picking a winner. If you're considering an Olds 350 for your ownproject, following Miller's recipe will reward you handsomely, and he'd be happy to help you out inachieving your first step is to match andport the oil pump housing andpump boss. This DMR-built oildeflector is used as a templatefor both the block-side pumpboss and the pump casting next step in oil control is touse these main bearing galleyrestrictors. Limited to a .125-inch hole, they keep precious oilin the bottom end of the lubricant finds its way tothe top end to keep thevalvetrain happy but can starvethe mains without theserestrictors in place.

4 These arenot too difficult to lifter bore oiling holes arealso restricted, this time down toa tiny .040-inch hole. That's stillplenty of oil to lubricate thelifters, but limiting oil flow to thetop end is the key. How small arethese restrictors?They're quite tiny and can bedifficult to handle or install. Dickrecommends careful handlinghere--these little plugs can getlost quickly, and no one wantssmall parts like this dropping intotheir crankshaft is from the rarelyseen Olds 330. Few know aboutthese '60s-era cranks, and theyare getting fairly rare. As Dicksays, "They're still not as rare asthe 455 steel cranks, but they'regetting harder to find." Theseforged-steel parts have somequirks (we'll get to that later)but offer a great starting pointfor a solid 92-octane Olds 350buildup. Miller has some of theseThe logic here is easy enough tounderstand--there is such a wideselection of small-block Chevyrods on the market today,trimming the mains down to sizepays for itself in being able to getoff-the-shelf connecting final stroke length is , resulting in a 365-cubedisplacement when teamed withthe bore.

5 Thecrankshaft counterweights werecranks in stock if you'researching. The crank was resizedby Crankshaft Specialties inMemphis, TN, and the rodjournals were turned down to 2-inch diameters for use withcommon small-block Chevy coated with an oil-sheddingcoating by Polymer Dynamics,better known to engine buildersas PolyDyn. The final weight ofthe machined crankshaft was pistons were crafted byDiamond and are a zero-deckdesign. The top ring is inch down from the pistondeck, and all three rings check inat traditional 1/16-, 1/16-, 3/16-inch-thick dimensions. Thepistons weigh grams. Notethe large groove between the topand second rings: this is toincrease the air gap between therings to better stabilize them atspeed. The top of the piston hasa PolyDyn synthetic polymerceramic coating that can protectthe piston from high heat soak,which can reduce the structuralintegrity of the part and keep thepiston from burning the coating also reflects heatback into the combustionchamber for a more completeburn of the mixture, allowingmore power with less ignitiontiming.

6 The piston skirts arecoated with a material calledPolyDyn RP, a high-pressure, dryfilm lubricant, unique in that oilgets it wet. This will protect boththe piston skirt from galling andthe cylinder walls from rings are an essential part ofpower production, and Dick hasfound great success in running aChilds & Albert Dura-Moly Dykes-design top ring;a ductile, taper-face, zero-gap(ZG) second ring (shown); andan oil control ring that is a low-tension design to minimize rods connecting the pistonsto the cranks are forged small-block Chevy units from measure in at inches inlength, and weigh 660 diameter is .927 inch (small-block Chevy OEM diameter), andthe big ends are finished infactory SBC 2-inch the crankshaftcounterweights, the connectingrods are coated with PolyDynPD-14 Silver, an oil-sheddingcoating that will not allow oil tostick to the parts. This reducesAll of the engine bearings areClevite 77 parts--and morePolyDyn coatings can be foundhere, as well.

7 This time, thematerial is PolyDyn DL--anotherdry film lubricant that oil sticksto. If there is a starvationproblem, the coating is designedto keep the bearings fromsticking to the journal. Oilingholes will be drilled to eachspecific main bearing after thetrial assembly period. DMR likesto see .0030- to .0035-inchclearances on the main bearingsand .0025-inch clearances on drag on the rotatingassembly, hopefully allowing theengine to rev quicker oiling system information!The oil pump is an out-of-the-box unmodified Melling HV pump(PN M22 FHV). Dick has usedplenty of these pumps with noproblems. The 7-quart oil panand matching pickup are Morosoparts, but DMR prefers to sell thepan, pickup, and pump as acomplete package under PN way, enthusiasts get acomplete set of matchingcomponents and take theguesswork out of engineeringwhat may be the most criticalportion of a Performance Olds--the oiling system!The harmonic damper is fromBHJ and is designed for internallybalanced small-blockOldsmobiles.

8 It carries PN OL-1B-7 and has timing marksmachined in the proper we mentioned earlier, thecylinder heads are Edelbrock'saluminum units for Oldsmobiles(PN 6051). As delivered, theheads feature 77cc chambers,188cc intake ports, and 106ccraised-floor exhaust ports. AfterDMR is finished with them, theywill have smaller 65-70ccchambers, and the ports willhave been reworked to deliver315 cfm on the intake side and218 cfm on the exhausts. This ismeasured at 28 inches of wateron the flowbench. Normally, Dicktakes the time to port his ownheads, but this time, he's callingin the 're sworn to secrecy over whois doing the work, but we'reconfident Dick's heads are invery capable will end up atnearly 11:1. Isn't that too muchfor pump gas? Dick Millerexplains: "With the extensivecoating work and some othertricks I've got up my sleeve (likethe cam design), I feel I canpush this much compressionwithout detonation on thisparticular engine." Time will intake manifold will be anEdelbrock Performer RPM Olds350 (PN 7111).

9 This will bemodified along with the heads tocreate a matched performancepackage for power between2,500-6,500 camshaft is the key tomaking the power come up whenit needs to, and Dick is carefullyresearching his needs toThe intake will be topped by aCarb Shop-built Holley 750 or850 (Miller will test both andsend whichever carb he's mostIgnition duties will be handled bya Davis Unified Ignition (DUI)HEI unit from PerformanceDistributors. "They're good todetermine final cam dimensions."The cam will be a solid flat-tappet design, with lots of liftand wide lobe separation. It willbe from COMP, along with mylifters, pushrods, rockers, springs(125-pounds of seat pressure),retainers, and locks. I've triedmany different camshafts, andthe parts I get from COMP always measure out right andwork wonderfully. I'm at a slightadvantage, since they arelocated in Memphis, and I can goover there and work with themface-to-face. They're greatpeople, and customer service is abig priority.)

10 They've helped meout plenty!"satisfied with). "I've built lots ofcarbs over the years, and I reallylike working with the Carb really listen to what you'resaying, and they do what theysay they'll do. That soundssimple, but if you don't get whatyou think you're getting, it canbe very frustrating. The CarbShop delivers."9,000 rpm, and this motor willnever see that. They custom-build every one, so I know I'll getwhat I need for this ignition curve will requirefine-tuning, and the DUI guysare dialed in on what it takes toget exactly what you're 're also here in Memphis, soI can work directly with them ona local level." Who knewMemphis was such a hotbed forhot rodding?We warned you about moreunusual crankshaft info. Thecrank was drilled to accept a 425 Olds flexplate, and DMR is havingcustom 12-pound flywheelsmade by ATI to DMR specs for330 cranks that have beenswapped into 350 blocks. Whileall of this may sound like aheadache, rest assured that DMRhas already done the homeworkto make this easy.