Reply With QuoteThe toronado had a larger oil pan. There were many hp variations so I'm not sure if they had more hp or not.
what is the difference between a 455 out of a toronado and a 455 out of a regular rwd car?
The toronado had a larger oil pan. There were many hp variations so I'm not sure if they had more hp or not.
Some of the early Toronados also had a forged crank. That would be a pretty sweet find.
The stock Toronado intake is noticeably lower than the intake on the 442 motor. This is the most obvious giveaway.
All Toronados were assembled in Lansing; thus, if the engine has anything other than an "M" for Lansing, MI in it, it wouldn't be from a Toronado.
All Toronados from '68-'72 had carb #'s ending in "252", though this is easy to swap.
The Toronado oil filter adapter sticks out further from the engine, and angles forward (to clear the stock Toronado starter, which mounts on that side). The Cutlass oil filter would mount closer to the block. Again, this is easy to swap, so it's not a definite sign.
The Toronado engines were painted a light metallic blue; the '70 442 motors were a deeper blue.
The 442 455 would have notched valve covers for clearance in the back; the Toronado valve covers had no such notches.
If the VIN derivative on the block shows it being a 1969 engine ("39M" rather than "30M", then it's definitely not a 442 motor. Things may have been mixed and matched at some point, so you could have a '69 or '70 Toronado shortblock with the '70 442 heads.
The Toronado oil pan is deeper, and has a raised notch in the middle for the front halfshaft to pass under; the 442 pan would slope evenly from the front to the sump.
The Toronado engine (1969 and 1970) was rated at 375hp, but in point of fact, it was a more mild engine than the base 442 engine in 1970. Aside from the intake and a slightly different camshaft, a '70 Toronado engine was identical to the small-valve big-car L-31 455, and in 1969, the only difference was the larger intake valves.
OTOH, the specs on the 400hp W-34 motor was identical to the 390hp W-33 and base 365hp 442 motor. So the factory hp rating doesn't mean much.
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