While the J2 package was offered for only two years, it earned a permanent place in Oldsmobile performance lore.
The Oldsmobile J2 package was announced for January of 1957, around a month after the Pontiac division’s similar Tri-Power system made its debut. (See our Tri-Power feature here.) By the time the J2 hit the showrooms, Tri-Power was already off and running. That’s a bit ironic, as Olds had been working on its three-carburetor setup longer, reportedly.
According to the recollections of Oldsmobile old-timers, when Olds engineer Pete Estes was promoted to chief engineer at the Pontiac division in 1956, he took the knowledge with him, allowing the rival GM brand to get the jump. (Special Interest Autos, Nov. 1989.) By the way, while Oldsmobile referred to its package as both J2 and J-2 in the factory literature, with and without the hyphen, it’s the same setup. J2 was a play on JATO, the jet-assised takeff rockets used by the military—see a commercial with the sales pitch here.
The standard 371 cubic-inch Olds V8 for ’57 boasted a 9.5:1 compression ratio and a four-barrel carburetor, producing a rated 277 hp. To create the J2 version, first the compression was bumped up to 10:1 with a thinner head gasket, but the most obvious upgrade was a new cast-iron intake manifold with three Rochester 2G-series two-barrel carburetors. Of the three carbs, only the center one had a working choke and idle circuits, as in normal daily driving the J2 setup used only the center carb.
When the throttle was depressed more than 75 percent, a vacuum switch on the center carb allowed a vacuum servo (red arrow above) to throw open the throttles on the front and and rear carburetors. So while the overall operation was progressive, the two end carburetors were all or nothing, producing a mighty roar and an impressive surge in power. With the J2 package, the Golden Rocket V8 was rated at 300 hp at 4,600 rpm and 415 lb-ft of torque at 2,800 rpm. Using the order code W, the J2 package was available on all models across the board for $83.
For the 1957 introduction, the J2 initially employed a batwing-style air cleaner assembly with dual filter elements. Later, a large-diameter round air cleaner covered the three carbs, presenting a more conventional appearance, although there was a J2 sticker on the lid.
Oldsmobile also offered a J2 competition package, available over the counter and sometimes known as the J2-W2 or J2R. The $395 kit included forged pistons, a solid-lifter cam with greater lift and duration, and adjustable rocker arms. Also provided were specially dimpled valve covers to clear the rocker arms (lead photo). This rare package was used by Lee Petty and others in NASCAR until the series banned multiple carburetors (superchargers and fuel injection, too) midway in the ’57 season, rendering the entire exercise moot.
Oldsmobile continued to offer the J2 option in 1958, now rated at 312 hp, but that would be its final year. The vacuum-linkage calibration created trouble in daily use, as most Olds owners were conservative drivers, seldom cracking the throttle 75 percent. The result was fuel gumming in the unused end carburetors that often required expensive disassembly and cleaning.
Soon, dealers were warning their regular civilian customers away from the J2 setup. In 1959, Olds bumped the displacement to 394 cubic inches, and the resulting 315 hp of the four-barrel version was called good enough. Pontiac offered its similar three-carb setup for 10 years, garnering hot rod fame and the Kleenex effect for the term Tri-Power. Oldsmobile offered the J2 package for just two years and achieved legend status.
I agree that perhaps Oldsmobile had spent more getting the J-2 option ready for production, When the Rochester Fuel Injection program started development Oldsmobile was there along with Pontiac and Chevrolet, But a short time later Oldsmobile left the Fuel Injection program, in favor of the simpler Triple Rochester 2GC carburation. I have seen a factory photo of the 371 Rocket V8 with the Fuel Injection installed.
Thanks, we’ll be doing a feature on John Dolza and Rochester FI soon. There’s quite a story there. The original plan was timed FI before it became constant-flow and Cadillac and Buick were thought to be the target brands.
We may do Bendix Electrojector first, though.
I saw two injected 58 348’s. Both two tone green 4 door post cars. Both Turboglides.
One of my best friends had a white J2 convertible nicknamed “white lightning”. It was quite the machine, and quite fast ! Ah, those were the days I remember quite fondly ! Top down, moonlight night, the open road, and the awesome sound of the J2 at full song !!!
It’s sort of interesting that in the Olds materials, the setup is usually called J2 by the front end (advertising and PR) and J-2 on the back end (production and service). But only interesting, probably, to writers trying to keep the usage straight.
my buddy had a J2 1957 it ran well for a heavy car. It also was a head Turner. Three duces sounded great! I had a 58 impala 348 with trips, we got rid of the vacuum linkage it didn’t work well. Put progressive linkage,
we never raced, but I didn’t know If could beat that J2. It was impressive!
Brings back good memories!
Thank you for a great article.
1957 was an interesting time. Horsepower was a selling point and gave us tri carbs on Pontiac and Olds, superchargers on Fords and Studebakers, FI on Chevy’s, even dual 4’s on Caddy’s and full size Mopars. And even though it was a single 4 barrel engine, Ramblers Rebel was in the mix.
Ahh to have been a 20 year old with a pocket full of money.
I look forward to the Bendix article. In the early 1980s my chief mechanic, a serious Chrysler 300 letter series collector, had a white 300D with Bendix fuel injection. He tried for years to get the car to run at speeds above about 50mph, but finally gave up and removed the FI [but kept it in the trunk] and installed the standard 300D dual carb system. Only then did the car run properly. Always wondered what happened to that car after his passing about 30 years ago.
Back in the mid seventies inLA /SFV there was a Sherman Kahlenberg?had a black D coupe that was missing the FI , running dual quads and he was buying parts to assemble a fuel injection system? I think Gary Goers also had one without the injection system! Don’t know what happened to the cars
Olds customer base was promised comfy, reliable, respectable cars.
The Pontiac pitch was Sunday Sunday Sunday, we’ve got the latest, greatest, envy stoking machines to make you King.
I was a young teen but there was an old guy, maybe 20 or so, who had a late ’30s Chevy with a J-2. But the hood was padlocked and nobody I knew of ever saw it.
It does, however, illustrate the power of the name, like Hemi or Big Block.
Olds was still selling the Rocket 88 image from when it had been the Chevy sized car with Cadillac sized muscles. Pontiac actively was changing its image from Chevy-for-old-people.
In 1970, I was a teen and my first car was a hand-me-down ’57 5 window hardtop coupe. Loved the styling. Had the 371 with the 4bbl Rochester. Traded a tape deck for a complete triple carb setup and bolted it on. That really transformed the engine but it wasn’t streetable for my taste, so the 4bbl went back on. Conservatively driven, I could get 20 mpg out of it, but it needed premium. First car I ever drove up to 100 mph. Those drum brakes didn’t leave much margin for more than one panic stop.
Great article! Great posts!! My only question is “What ever become of the carbs; especially the end ones!? I’ve been rebuilding carbs professionally, and in the side, since 1966 (Now my retirement fun income). I’ve
have bought a half dozen tri-power or dual four manifolds to restore my ‘50 Fordalac… NONE have the original carbs!!!… don’t get me started on missing tags…🥴
I also g
Had Tri power on a 352 in a 60 T-Bird, and worked on a few Tri Power GTO’s… Even a good running Quadrajet can’t match that ‘Tri-power’, ‘suck the paint off the underside of yer hood’, ‘musical sucking’ sound…!