krashx7

I have 455 swapped into my 87 cutlass. Im working on getting the AC going and according to this link here -

http://www.robertpowersmotorsports.com/G-bodyV6-V8.html

You use the brackets from the 307 and modify them a little bit so they will mount up on the 455. However this is picture of the brackets on the 307 -



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Notice how the rear bracket looks nothing like the picture in the link provided above. I understand it been modified but still, that doesnt seem right to me. I wont be doing the fabricating so I dont know much about it anyway. I just want to make sure I get the right thing from the salvage. Is this the one I need in the picture?

joe_padavano

There are several different A/C bracket configurations used on the 307s, depending on whether it was a VIN Y or VIN 9 motor. In any case, the rear A/C bracket only bolts to the head, so no modification is required. It will bolt to a BBO head also. The front bracket is the only one that requires the mod, and that's simply the two tabs to extend the bottom two holes that bolt to the block, as shown in the Robert Powers Motorsports link. This mod allows the front bracket to line up with the unmodified rear bracket when the rear bracket is raised due to the taller deck height on the BBO. Of course you'll need longer belts as a result.

krashx7

What if all the accessories on the motor are from the 455? Can it still be made to work or is a whole other can of worms?

joe_padavano

People who mix and match accessory brackets, pulleys, and water pump probably comprise the single largest number of posts on this (or any Olds) site. You REALLY want to use all the brackets, pump, and pulleys as a matched set. There are three different Olds water pump lengths and only one works with that bracket (the 6" pump). Do yourself (and your hair) a favor and don't mix and match.

krashx7

Dude this AC install is gonna cost me about 2 grand. I dont really want to go hunting down a bunch new components that I dont need. I get what your saying. I just need to know if it can be made to work or not. This isnt a show car or anything. I just want to be cool this summer. According to that link - the only difference between the small blocks and big blocks is that the heads moved up and out 1.3". The camshaft centerline, the water pump location, and the motor mount locations do not move. So can it work or not?

joe_padavano

Dude...

Are you going to keep asking the same question until you get an answer you like?

Two grand??? Are you using the optional solid gold brackets? You can buy a complete 307 parts car for $100, grab the brackets, and scrap the rest for more than that. Alternately, these cars are still a dime a dozen at wrecking yards. Look for the B-body wagons, most of them have 307s.

One more time.

FIRST, which water pump do you have? There are three different lengths, measured from the gasket surface to the pulley flange. The R4 A/C brackets work with the 6" pump.

SECOND, which pulleys do you have? The 307 pulleys line up with the R4 bracket when you use the 6" pump.

Can you make the older brackets work with SOME combination of pulleys and pump? Yeah, probably. Don't expect it to line up the first time, or even the second time, however. There's gonna be a lot of trial and error. How much do you want to spend on random pulleys before you find one that works. If you want this to line up and fit the first time, just go to a wrecking yard and grab the pulleys and brackets off any 307 car. Probably under $50 for everything.

MDchanic

Hold on there a second, DUDE.

You're looking to spend $2,000 on A/C, but you don't want to drop another ten or twenty bucks at the junkyard?

The differences between small blocks and big blocks that you cited are correct.
The banks on the big blocks are taller (farther away from the crank at a 45° angle, so both taller and wider than a small block), otherwise, dimensions are the same.

What you may not be understanding is what the crux of your problem is.

Olds made a fair number of different combinations of brackets and pulleys for different cars at different times.
Parts of these different sets may or may not play well together - it is possible to get things that were not originally used with one another to work, but it's a matter of trial and error to find the parts that line up, and generally not worth the hassle.

In your case, you have run into a very specific problem:

• Olds never made a big block with an R-4 compressor.
• Olds never made a car like yours with an A-6 compressor.

Because of this, there are no brackets that will attach your compressor to a big block.

Your choices are:

• Use a small block with an R-4 compressor and original brackets from the car.
• Use a big block with an A-6 compressor and original brackets from the big block.
• Use a big block with an R-4 compressor and modify your brackets to reach farther, to compensate for the taller heads of the big block.
• Don't install A/C (but then you wouldn't be COOL).

- Eric

edit: Awww, Joe beat me to it.

krashx7

The shop I am going to will modify the bracket to fit the R4 compressor to the this BBO. The reason its going to cost two grand for the entire things is the car is missing every single AC component. All I know is the guy that did the swap used the accessories from the 455. I dont have a problem going back to the junk yard to get what I need. So I need all the pulleys and brackets off the 307 then.. Ok. I can do that. Does that also mean I need a new alternator, water pump, powersteering pump.. etc as Im not parts laying out in some old car for years.

Look Im sorry if Im not very knowledgeable about all this. Like I said I just want to be cool this summer. Sorry for the trouble..

MDchanic

The accessories should all be the same (remember - 6" water pump), but you do need the full set of brackets and pulleys to be able to use the R-4 compressor, with the modifications you've cited.

Are you sure you couldn't have stripped those A/C parts off of a junk / parts car for a lot less $$$?

- Eric

edit: you may find that some of the brackets that you get are the same as some of the ones you have - that's the thing, by trial and error, you can find some that fit, but it's not worth the trouble to figure it all out (at least not to me).

krashx7

Here are some pics I just took if it helps. I dont know what a water pump looks like lol.



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MDchanic

I thought I should add some information from a PM, as it might help future viewers.

You could do anything, but there's a hard way and an easy way, and using the brackets that came off of a car just like yours is definitely the easy way.

A forward / backward pulley alignment problem indicates non-matching pulleys, brackets, and/or water pump. It is certainly possible to find just the parts you need to get everything you have to line up, or to modify some of the brackets that you have, but either of those things involves more work than getting all of the correct brackets all at once.

Don't worry about your accessories fitting - GM was very good at making the same stuff for very long period of time. People swap those parts between decades all the time.
And don't worry about the cost of having someone else swap out the brackets - it's a lot less time and work than modifying the ones you've got, and with fewer potential reliability problems in the future.

- Eric

joe_padavano

Because then the REAR bracket ALSO needs to be modified - the one that currently just needs to be bolted on with no mods whatsoever...

The Olds PS pump is identical from 1968-1990. EVERY Delco alternator from 1963 externally regulated through the 1990 12SI family bolts up to the same brackets.

You've already spent WAAAAAY more time talking about this than it takes to just get the correct brackets and bolt them on. Since it sure appears that you don't want to do that, here's the answer you've wanted from your first post:

YES, you can make any combination of brackets work. Cut and weld away. While you're at it, why not just hog new brackets out of billet?

krashx7

Well I didnt know my accessories would fit those brackets. Which is why i asked the other guy.. Geez man you need to chill out a little bit and take a deep breath. Not everybody knows as much about cars as you do... I appreciate the help anyway so thank you.