Who can help with an Olds 350 head?

[Danny Byrd]

Olds made a 17 degree alum head for their Diesel block back in the 80's. That head would make a lot of power but they are hard to find. Someone on here that knows Olds better than I could tell you if the stock block & the Diesel have the same bolt pattern.

[SSDiv6]

Originally Posted by Danny Byrd

Olds made a 17 degree alum head for their Diesel block back in the 80's. That head would make a lot of power but they are hard to find. Someone on here that knows Olds better than I could tell you if the stock block & the Diesel have the same bolt pattern.

You are referring to the Batten cylinder heads.
The diesel block, although stronger, has a larger main size as the big block Olds. Some racers use spacers in the mains with the small block bearings. There was also a limited run of Olds small block racing blocks that are hard to find. For a low cost small block forged crankshaft, you can use the Olds 330 crankshaft, however, you have to use the corresponding Olds 330 or 425 flexplate.