1965 Oldsmobile Cutlass Project Car - The Oldsmobeast

At $1,709 for a fully assembled pair, Edelbrock's Performer RPM aluminum heads are an excellent value. They fit 400, 425, and 455ci Olds motors, and will easily outperform any factory big-block casting by at least 30 percent.

The flat 6-degree valve angle of the Olds' head results in a valve face that's nearly parallel to the deck surface, and a small 77cc fast-burn chamber. Likewise, the oval-shaped chambers yield dual quench pads, one on each side of the valves. Edelbrock has also repositioned the spark plug closer to the exhaust valve, and angled it at 45 degrees to improve burn efficiency. Not surprisingly, the 461 made maximum power with just 32 degrees of timing advance on the dyno.

Under the careful watch of SAM instructors, students worked the short-turn radius to smooth the sharp transition created by the head's flat valve angle and low intake port height. In conjunction with a performance valve job, the tweaks boosted flow from 270/180 cfm to 315/200 cfm.

The Edelbrock Torker intake combines the best of single-plane and dual-plane designs. Unlike many single-planes, it doesn't compromise low-end torque or require stepping up to a big, ugly hood. Mondello improves upon it further by massaging the runners, and installing a cone in the plenum, which is said to add swirl to the air/fuel mixture to even out fuel distribution to each cylinder. These tricks increase airflow by 17 percent, and boost hp by 10 numbers over a standard Torker.

To fuel the 461, we opted for a 750-cfm Holley 4150 carb. Since the Torker intake features a spread-bore mounting flange, bolting the Holley up requires using an adapter plate.

Given the modest rpm our 461 turns, we elected to externally balance the rotating assembly. The SFI-approved Professional Products harmonic damper includes a bolt-in counterweight to facilitate this. Circulating coolant in the big Olds is a GMB stock-replacement high-flow water pump.

To light off the 461, MSD set us up with one of its billet distributors. It's compatible with both small- and big-block Olds motors.

No one likes paying big bucks for custom headers, but fortunately Hooker makes a set of 1.75-inch long-tube headers (PN 3902-1HKR) that will fit early A-body chassis equipped with big-block Olds engines. They feature 5/16-inch flanges, 3-inch collectors, and 27-inch-long primaries. The headers wrap around a Mondello 7-quart oil pan. Since the 461 uses a Mondello high-volume pump, the larger oil pan capacity is a must.

After the 461 Olds churned out 514 hp and 540 lb-ft with the Holley carb, we decided to experiment by swapping it out for a 750-cfm Quadrajet. The prospect of making loads of power with a super-stealth production-style carb was very appealing. Although the air/fuel ratio was spot-on with the Q-jet in place, the motor lost 50 hp across the board, and peaked 500 rpm sooner. For obvious reasons, we bolted the Holley back on.

In addition to building performance street and race motors, SAM's curriculum also involves learning how to operate an engine dyno. Instructors stress the importance of maintaining consistent fuel pressure, and oil and water temps from run to run to promote repeatability. The goal is to minimize hp variations between 1/2 to 1 percent from pull to pull.