455 Olds Swap in a 63' Cutlass

[epeterson]

Anyone ever done a 455 oldsmobile big block swap into a 1963 cutlass? The biggest available engine was a 250 V8 or something small like that. Anyone know if this swap is possible?

[carguykeith]

I did some looking on a couple of the Olds site I frequent and it is possible but quite a bit of work, also lots of tunnel mods to get any transmission that will live behind it in there too. for the 61-63's I guess that aluminum 215 was used in a lot of rovers (up to 5.0 liters) and a T5 will fit and live (up to about 300hp). The cars are light though (26-2800lbs) so 300hp would be pretty quick.

[epeterson]

Alright, thank you for the info! Tryed to find info online about it but couldn't. I figured an oldsmobile guy would come along sooner or later and know. Thank You

[rockytopper]

Ive seen an LS1 stuffed in one but no 455.

[epeterson]

Hmm..well I just did some looking around on the local craigslist for an ls1, found one decently priced and found a t56 trans. Question is though, have a 63 cutlass with an ls1 or a 74 javelin? Both are pretty oddball cars that wouldn't fall into the sea of popular pt cars

[rockytopper]

Here is the 63 F-85 with ls1 installed, it doesn't sound like an easy feat from reading the build. Good luck what every you decide. As for popular who wants to be cookie cutter anyway lol.
Problem you will find is getting any good handling goodies for the 63 unless maybe ridetech has something for those models.
http://ls1tech.com/forums/conversions-hybrids/1382430-1963-oldsmobile-f85-lq4-build-thread.html

[epeterson]

I'm leaning more towards the javelin. Its a very good looking car. Decently aerodynamic, has an amc 365 making 400 hp and a 727 trans with a cheetah shifter. Has 5 point harnesses and a roll cage for safety and a new blue and silver paint job. Looks like a great car, i'll be taking a look this weekend