OK Solberg: 00:00

Wanna again welcome you out of The 04:05 Coffee Break, guys. Where you been? The weekend's over. Get your cup of coffee, glass iced tea, hot steaming cup of hot chocolate. Let's see what's happening.

OK Solberg: 00:10

Spring wheat $5.57 a bushel. 550lb steer calf not moving much right now, but I'll tell you what a 3yr old bred cow will bring on the top end. Can you guess? $4,500. A butcher hog in Iowa will bring you 56¢ a pound down a bit from last week and a 100lb fat lamb in Billings at $2.41 a pound. But guys, there's more, much more.

OK Solberg: 00:41

Is my cap in the car? First off, that's just fun to say. Secondly, it was a legitimate question I had for my dear wife just this morning, but it led me to two things. First off, I had to concoct a few more magical questions like, is a cat on the cot? Is my pen in my pocket? Say, Charlie, is my mug on the mat? That's just fun. I don't care who you are. So you're starting to realize what it's like living in my head.

OK Solberg: 01:17

But once I asked is my cap in the car, it led me to this. Imagine a rancher getting ready to round up his herd of cattle. Right? So he puts on his chaps, fastens his spurs, and do you think he's gonna put on his cowboy cap? Of course not. He's gonna put on his cowboy hat. Baseball players wear caps and ranchers wear hats, which of course led me to a 3rd thing. Do you ever wonder why how I can get anything done?

OK Solberg: 01:51

But the 3rd thing was motor and engine. You know, don't you? That originally motor was electric and then engine was gasoline or fuel driven. Oh, yes. The magic of the English language. We don't have to petition congress to get the meaning changed. We just have to get the masses to say it and it changes on its own.

OK Solberg: 02:17

One of the purest freedoms that still exists today. So here we are. It's Monday and I'm wearing a cap and you can call it a hat and we're talking about engines and I'll call it Jay and Joe's Motor Monday when they're really talking about engines. Oh, well. One of these episodes sometime, not today, we'll have our word for the day and it'll be pedantic.

OK Solberg: 02:40

So welcome to Jay and Joe's Motor Monday where we look at horsepower one Monday at a time. Today, drum roll please. Today, it's the 455 rocket. We have a listener in Glasgow who joined us last Monday and after hearing about the Beach Boys and the 409 well, she mentioned Kathy Matteo's song titled 455 rocket. Great song, guys.

OK Solberg: 03:10

I love it. And don't turn your radio off after I say don't be bitter because I have my man Jordan down at KMMR ready to play that song right after this episode ends. So buckle up. She had a 455 rocket, the kind the police drive. Yes, sir.

OK Solberg: 03:30

The police. Let's look into the big block. Now to start with, Oldsmobile was using the name rocket since way back in 1949 much before the 455 came along. But but in 1968, Oldsmobile came out with the 455 rocket. It was famous for making huge torque, smooth power, and being very street friendly.

OK Solberg: 04:00

So guys you wonder, which cars could you order this engine in? Well, listen. The Oldsmobile 455 Right? Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, the Cutlass SX to name a few, but it was also offered in the Oldsmobile Delta 88 and the Oldsmobile 98.

OK Solberg: 04:21

And believe it or not, believe it or not, you could get it in the olds Toronado with front wheel drive. The Olds 455 Rocket was a heavy overbuilt torque monster that pulled hard right off idle, ran smooth forever, and never needed high RPM to embarrass lighter cars at the stoplight. But caution Will Robinson, you always check and correct the oil drain back holes in the heads, during the rebuild, because a stock Olds 455 will pool oil up top at sustained RPMs and starve the bottom end, if you don't. Joe told me to tell you that. If you knew how to build one right, an Olds 455 wasn't about revving or bragging numbers.

OK Solberg: 05:17

It was about effortless torque, quiet strength, and leaving hard without even sounding like it was trying. And I can personally verify that because Dennis had one in his 442 Oldsmobile and he smoked me good on 12/31/1974. Just ask Joanne or Mike Sims. Well, whose junk pile piece of Chevelle is this? You boys come here to race or just kiss?

OK Solberg: 05:50

Now don't you wanna know what I got underneath my hood? I know she might sound like she's missing, but, buddy, she can teach you a lesson in a quarter mile, and I'll smoke you good. In my 455 rocket. And I'm glad that Dennis smoked me good, or I might not be here today.

OK Solberg: 06:12

Which brings us to our bible verse. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. Psalm 91:11 Well, I sure had a guardian angel that night.

OK Solberg: 06:28

Oh, and PS, just so you know, all 455's are not created equal. Oldsmobile had 1, but so did Pontiac. And I can verify firsthand that the Buick had 1 too. Funny thing, all made by General Motors, but all 3 different, yet they had the same cubic inches. The Oles 455 came out in 1968, whereas Pontiac and Buick 455's came out in 1970. Just thought you'd like to know.

OK Solberg: 07:03

So until next time, as you go out there, remember now, don't be bitter.