| DYNO DETAILS* |
| RPM | HP | TQ |
| | (lb-ft) |
| 2500 | 193 | 406 |
| 2600 | 203 | 411 |
| 2700 | 212 | 413 |
| 2800 | 220 | 413 |
| 2900 | 228 | 414 |
| 3000 | 236 | 413 |
| 3100 | 244 | 413 |
| 3200 | 252 | 413 |
| 3300 | 259 | 413 |
| 3400 | 267 | 412 |
| 3500 | 273 | 410 |
| 3600 | 279 | 408 |
| 3700 | 285 | 405 |
| 3800 | 290 | 401 |
| 3900 | 294 | 397 |
| 4000 | 297 | 391 |
| 4100 | 300 | 384 |
| 4200 | 301 | 376 |
| 4300 | 302 | 369 |
| 4400 | 303 | 361 |
| 4500 | 302 | 353 |
| 4600 | 296 | 338 |
| 4700 | 290 | 324 |
| *Peak numbers in bold |
ROCKET ROSTER
Recalling Olds' space-age V-8s
The Olds overhead-valve engine that was introduced in 1949 was marketed as the Rocket V-8; in its production models, it was called the Rocket 88. In the following years, variations on the Rocket them were introduced, but many considered all Olds V-8 engines through the mid-Seventies "Rockets."
Not all of Oldsmobile's engines carried Rocket nomenclature, muddying the water on what constitutes a real Rocket, but here's a quick primer on the officially named Rocket mills:
1949-1953 - Oldsmobile Rocket introduced with 303 cid on 88 and Super 88 models, earning the nickname Rocket 88
1957-1958 - Golden Rocket (aka J-2) introduced with 371 cid and 3x2 induction
1961-1963 - Sky Rocket available on the 88 and 98 lines; 394-cid with 325 hp
1965-1967 - Super Rocket offered on 88 and 98 lines; 425-cid with up to 360 hp
1967 - Jetfire Rocket was the first second-generation Olds V-8, with 330 cid
1967 - 442 Rocket was a 400-cubic-inch version of the second-gen architecture
1967 - Toronado Rocket introduced with 425 cid and 385 hp; used in front-drive Toronado models
1968-1974 - Rocket 455 offered as the largest-displacement Olds engine, with up to 400 hp (engine offered through 1976, but Rocket name disappeared after '74)
1968-1974 - Rocket 350 offered as an economical small-block; available through 1980, but Rocket name disappeared after 1974
The pistons are an upgrade...
The pistons are an upgrade from stock, too. They're strong and lightweight forged aluminum parts, but in addition to strength, they also were specified to deliver a lower compression ratio, about 9.0:1, so the engine would run better on pump gas.
A flat-tappet camshaft with...
A flat-tappet camshaft with slightly larger specs than the stock cam was selected. It delivers 202 degrees of duration at 0.050-inch lift and 0.440-inch lift on a 110-degree lobe separation angle. This isn't an engine known for high-rpm range, so the cam was kept mild to maintain adequate cylinder pressure with the lower-compression combination.
The stock heads were used...
The stock heads were used and virtually no porting work was performed. That's because the heads simply don't flow very well and the time spent grinding on them would not have produced results worthy of the time invested.