OLDSMOBILE 455 W-43 EXPERIMENTAL HEMI AND OTHER EXOTIC ENGINES – THE JOHN BELTZ YEARS PHOTO TRIBUTE
John Beltz was Oldsmobile’s chief engineer in 1964 and one of the prime movers of the Toronado and 442 project. Beltz was promoted to Oldsmobile general manager at age 43 in 1969 when Harold N. Metzel retired. Beltz passed away in May of 1972 from cancer at the age of 46. John Beltz is leaning on a dual fan 455 Olds and posing with other experimental Olds engines that never saw production. Here are descriptions of these engines: 1. The 0W-43 all aluminum 455 with 4 valve per cylinders, four overhead cam Weber engine. With a redline of just under 8500rpm it was originally conceived for CAN AM racing. At 3000rpm it put out 300hp and at 6000rpm registered over 600hp. The top output recorded for this engine in the Lansing dyno facility was 700 real hp at 6800rpm. Tests were run with both carbueration and fuel injection. The block was cast from Reynolds 356 alloy and fitted with pressed-in dry steel cylinder liners for the Forged-True 12.20to 1 pistons. Billet steel connecting rods by Carillo was used along with a forged steel crank. The engine weighed in at 50 pounds lighter than the production 455 motor! It was developed at the same time as the ZL-1 Chevy 427 motor. 2. The W-43 4 valve per cylinder 455 developed by JOHN BELTZ , LLOYD GILL , JOE JONES AND FRANK BALL. Rated at 500-550hp with a single Rochester Quadrajet on an aluminum manifold. Constructed with both cast iron heads and block and with aluminum-alloy block and heads 75 pounds lighter than the conventional 455 …
November 14th, 2011 at 2:30 pm
@bullikins Sure if stock. We cross-drill the cranks to get 180deg oiling. It’s time consuming as olds nitrided the cranks at the factory.Plus timing-chain oiling tricks, with a large volume oil pump and a good set of alum heads with roller rockers and we’ve dragged at 6800-7200 RPM without fail. Oh yeah, we also chamfer the main and rod bearings for added slip. Been doing that for 15+yrs now and have only blown 2 engines but not due to oiling. Any engine can rev high. Time, money and machining.
November 14th, 2011 at 2:30 pm
This was a horrible idea from the getgo. Olds have simply horrible oiling to the bottom end.Making it even worse is the width of the mains. Most if not all stock big blocks would spin or burn rod and main bearings at very low(anything over 5k rpm)Nostalgia aside,the truth is the big olds just wasnt made to rev or race. Unless this was a totally redesigned block,the extra revs would just mean more blown bottom ends.
November 14th, 2011 at 2:30 pm
It’s strange.. they had the concepts.. but where did they go so wrong??
November 14th, 2011 at 2:30 pm
twin turbo nasa engine…
November 14th, 2011 at 2:30 pm
@madjimms …….in the dumpster where they belong;)
November 14th, 2011 at 2:30 pm
@vistacruiser67 I don’t think Gm would destroy them. They usually keep them in archives or museum.
November 14th, 2011 at 2:30 pm
Oldsmobile had one of the rarest all-aluminum alloy engines, with DOHC design and 4 valves per cylinder, and all that driven by gears. Astonishing.
November 14th, 2011 at 2:30 pm
Wheres the European & Japanese engine designs?
November 14th, 2011 at 2:30 pm
@jaydenfre2413 Just think, this was over 40 years ago they used this design. Thanks for the info.:) I sure wish my car had a 426 V8 rather than a 116 I-4.
November 14th, 2011 at 2:30 pm
that olds hemi must cost a miilion dollars… probably end up in jay leno’s garage
November 14th, 2011 at 2:30 pm
@Tallerico500 That’s because those 4 cylinders are overhead cam.The biggest benefit of overhead cam is the placement of valves on opposite sides of the head so they can be bigger valves that flow better.The Hemi V8 was a design that was simply copying all the benefits of overhead cam while still leaving the camshaft in the block.Eliminating a big timing chain for v engine and camshaft oiling issues.Initially called the Chrysler double rocker the marketing dept. decided hemi for advertising
November 14th, 2011 at 2:30 pm
@ludwigking Some were possibly destroyed. The engines that survive circulate among collectors. See this link for a 2009 video of one of these engines. /wwwyoutubecom/watch?v=kfixsjM8V78
November 14th, 2011 at 2:30 pm
Since Olds is gone today, where are these engines now?
November 14th, 2011 at 2:30 pm
@cudaclan Hemis also prove to be efficient. Hell even the little modern 4 cylinders use them.
November 14th, 2011 at 2:30 pm
yea and everthing all stopped in the 70′s when David pearson won 4 races in a row with a Ford 429 Semi-Hemi, after that NASCAR banned big blocks and limited the power to small blocks look it up for yourselves.. and shortly after that happened the government decided to limit emissions even more and everything got knocked down in power, like a 350 rated at 120 hp.. that kind of crap.. Ford Chevy and Dodge did a great job at influencing the motor and car, just agree to disagree!
November 14th, 2011 at 2:30 pm
I would have loved to see this engine in production
November 14th, 2011 at 2:30 pm
I don’t believe NASCAR rules allowed engines with 455 cid .
Richard Petty used to drive for Chrysler back in the 60s before he switched to Ford. The cars he drove for Chrysler had Hemis and the Fords had their equivalent to the Hemi. Petty said the Ford engine was superior. It could have been that Petty was just plugging Ford but the Fords did start winning most of the races until Chrysler added a wing to its cars.
November 14th, 2011 at 2:30 pm
@vistacruiser67 thanks, I knew it had a rolling stones sound to it…
November 14th, 2011 at 2:30 pm
@montey1017 Factory Girl by the Rolling Stones from the 1968 Beggars Banquet album.
November 14th, 2011 at 2:30 pm
what is the name of that song?
November 14th, 2011 at 2:30 pm
The Chevrolet division of GM would not allow the other manufacturers (Oldsmobile included) to produce an engine (factory) with a higher HP & with other performance options. The Corvette was/is the “Heartbeat of America” and Chevrolet intends to keep the status. To avoid any conflicts, Oldsmobile contracted Hurst to do the honors.
Hemi is the king of all racing events. With no limitations, a Hemi outperforms conventional heads, especially super/turbo charged.
November 14th, 2011 at 2:30 pm
GREAT VIDEO MEN GREAT PICS, CONGRATS
November 14th, 2011 at 2:30 pm
What I wouldn’t give to sit down and pick his brain.
November 14th, 2011 at 2:30 pm
@vistacruiser67 The only thing GM should have “axed” was the government officials coming down on them for emissions regulations.
November 14th, 2011 at 2:30 pm
@waterkeeper03 FORD and GM were the biggest whiners by far and away during the engine wars. Neither could beat the HEMI…….so they just outlawed it……twice!