Proud Possessor Of A Pontiac Trans Am Alongside A 403 Olds Engine

Who made who? I dig the 403 engine. I fifty-fifty beloved it when others openly loath the underdog right to my face when I am standing past times the opened upward hood of my 1979 Trans Am. So it was big and ho-hum too needed unavailable (at the time) too costly (even now) performance upgrades. That is fine, those upgrades tin live done amongst the assist of Edelbrock and Mondello. That is correct. Mondello. The Oldsmobile specialist. Pontiac did not make the drivetrain inwards my Trans Am. It is non a truthful Pontiac engine despite being installed inwards the machine when it was built inwards Norwood, Ohio. Pontiac borrowed my motor from Oldsmobile. Is that such a bad thing?

The Olds 403 engine gets no observe because of its cross-breed origins.

Who made you?
  We accept all heard the flush nigh the Cadillac purist who bought a brand
new Sedan Deville amongst a capable 425-V8. He was waiting for the machine to be
serviced too inquired what was taking thence long for something easy, similar an oil
change. The service author told him they were waiting on parts from the
Oldsmobile dealership. H5N1 piffling baffled, the Cadillac possessor asked what his machine had to do amongst parts from the Olds dealer. He was entirely too then informed, “Because it has an Oldsmobile engine inwards it.”

6.6 litre decal denotes the Olds 403 engine on Pontiac Trans Ams.

What On world Are You Talking About, Willis?
  “It most for certain does not!” Okay, straightaway y'all accept done it. You accept gone and slapped a loyal Cadillac buyer amongst his ain driving gloves. This was a Cadillac guy and non an Oldsmobile guy. Now y'all tell him. Now, later the sale. After he has paid a considerable amount to a greater extent than for the Cadillac, entirely straightaway do y'all tell him he has an Oldsmobile. If he wanted an Oldsmobile, he would accept bought an Oldsmobile.
  The litigious battle ensued too the higher courts saw it his way. He was misled by some grade too a higher terminate automobile was misrepresented to the buying public. As it turns out, non everyone loved Oldsmobile the means nosotros do hither a Junkyard Life.

Olds On Tight!
  Recently, I ran across a dorsum effect of Hemmings Classic Car too I flora another spin on the story. The wonderful article past times Bob Palma, who is i of my favorite columnist, told us inwards facts too used names! 
  The victim too hero of this flush is a gentleman named Joseph Siwek. Like us, he was an Oldsmobile guy. So he buys a novel 1977 Delta 88. To reiterate, nosotros keep talking of Pontiacs too Cadillacs that had Oldsmobile engines inwards them. So, this was an Oldsmobile too likely has an Olds engine betwixt the fenders, right?

Oil fill upward underground located on front end of engine too makes identifying a 403 engine inwards a Pontiac easy.

Wrong O’ Rocket Man
  The mechanic at the Oldsmobile dealership reaches for an crude filter
synonymous amongst Oldsmobile engines too it doesn’t fit. He lowers the machine to larn a better await at the VIN code, too it fifty-fifty says “Rocket” on the air cleaner similar a proper Olds should. For those non inwards the know, “Rocket” had been a marketing success for Oldsmobile too could hateful many things to a machine guy. Mainly, it always had been prophylactic upward until straightaway to assume your blueish GM motor was an Olds. The filter for the truthful Olds would non work. Try the i for the Chevrolet! Mr. Siwek indeed had a rattling traditional, dependable, garden diversity modest block Chevrolet. It wasn’t even wearing piffling bowties. Junkyard Life surmises that this engine was even further disguised equally it was likely painted the corporate blueish that GM had mandated all its ability makers to live painted. Unless y'all bought a novel machine within the final year, y'all likely had seldom seen a Chevrolet painted blue. Those were supposed to live orange. Oldsmobile made a blue, thence it made sense. 
  It made feel until the client was called out too things didn’t transcend thence well. Mr. Siwek refused to live a business office of this engine identity crisis. General Motors had been caught swapping. These in i lawsuit exclusive engines straightaway went to anyone. What once had been sacred had straightaway larn a cross breeding beloved fest blending various GM divisions for power. (Editor’s note: The words “cross breeding love fest” accept never been mentioned inwards a Junkyard Life article ever before. Those are Ron’s words too definitely non the words of i of our favorite columnist Bob Palma) Mr. Siwek called the Illinois Attorney General too prompted the largest class activity lawsuit GM had ever seen. Extended warranties too $200 rebates squeezed to a greater extent than or less $40 i one 1000 thousand from the large automaker. It was too mandated that information of this exercise was to live disclosed inwards sales literature, ads and brochures.

T/A 6.6 decals were applied on the shaker hood scoops of Pontiac 400 equipped Trans Ams.

But Why? Why O’ Why?
  That is non really a rhetorical question. Really, why would Oldsmobile
themselves, the maker of the larger engines non seat it inwards their ain large car? I looked it upward too a 1977 Delta 88 was offered amongst a 403 Olds engine. That is a little comforting. Still, y'all accept to give somebody credit for leaving the 425
exclusive to the Cadillac. Even though it was Oldsmobile based, they left it for
Cadillac. Had that motor been volume produced too divvied out, would that have been a game changer? We accept seen a few Olds motors that made their means into trucks later the fact. That makes sense, for they had loads of usable torque at low RPMs. Fear not, Oldsmobile, for nosotros beloved the 403. Or at to the lowest degree I do.

Ron Kidd
— Junkyard Life

403 Fun Facts 

(Just a few- non really four hundred too three)

The 403 was introduced inwards 1977 for larger cars to really motility themselves during an era of strict emission laws too fuel consumption standards.

The 403 should accept won the hearts of many since most of the 1977 Trans Ams from Smokey too the Bandit employed them. The top Canis familiaris 400 Pontiac motor received most of the notoriety. Look closely at The Bandit’s machine too y'all volition encounter “6.6 Litres” on the shaker scoop. The 400 would accept said “T/A 6.6”.

The 403 despite having a piston wider than a 454 Chevy, it is notwithstanding based on the modest block Olds. For y'all specs fans-Chevy 454 had a 4.250” bore. The 403 had a 4.350”. That is a lot of piston for a modest block.

The 403 was advertised equally beingness lighter than previous motors. In the 1977 Cutlass 442, it was called “The lighter weight Rocket”.

The 403 was too pop amongst the Buick sectionalisation too used inwards their Electra 225 fifty-fifty through 1979.

Lynn Welfringer at Mondello Performance Products lately told us he does a piston change, raising the depression compressiom to a salubrious 9:5 to 1, a camshaft too lifter alter to their ain JM2022 or fifty-fifty the 2225 cam, threescore cc aluminum heads amongst an aluminum Cometic caput gasket made peculiarly for the 403 too don’t live surprised to encounter 400+ horsepower. Their knowledgeable too experienced Oldsmobile talent tin live reached at (805)-237-8808.

Joe Mondello in i lawsuit noted the 403 Olds equally beingness an overlooked functioning engine too somewhat of the “unsung hero”.

When really thinking nigh it, how many Olds 403’s accept y'all seen torn upward or prematurely worn out? They really were difficult working , long lasting too genuinely deserve to a greater extent than credit than they get.

The Oldsmobile 350 was really aureate too the 455 Olds was blue. Pontiacs were too blueish albeit a unlike shade. When GM declared their “corporate motors” to live blue, this included Chevrolet’s 305 too 350, equally good equally the Olds 403. That really doesn’t bother me on the 403, merely I experience a Chevy block must live orange.

Do you accept a keen classic or musculus machine barn notice story? Send us details too we’re on the way!  Send emails to Ron Kidd at Kidd403@bellsouth.net & Jody Potter at junkyardbull@gmail.com

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