The Oldsmobile V8, also referred to as the Rocket, is series of engines that was produced by Oldsmobile from 1949 until 1990. The Rocket, along with the 1949 Cadillac V8, were the first post-war OHV crossflow cylinder head V8 engines produced by General Motors. Like all other GM divisions, Olds continued building its own V8 engine family for decades, adopting the corporate Chevrolet 350 small-block and Cadillac Northstar engine only in the 1990s. All Oldsmobile V8s were manufactured at plants in Lansing, Michigan while the engine block and cylinder heads were cast at Saginaw Metal Casting Operations. All Oldsmobile V8s use a 90° bank angle, and most share a common stroke dimension: for early Rockets, for later Generation 1 engines, and for Generation 2 starting in 1964. The , , , and engines are commonly called small-blocks. , , and V8s have a higher deck height ( versus ) to accommodate a stroke crank to increase displacement. These taller-deck models are commonly called "big-blocks", and are taller and wider than their "small-block" counterparts. The Rocket V8 was the subject of many first and lasts in the automotive industry. It was the first mass-produced OHV V8, in 1949. The factory painted "small-blocks" gold or blue (flat black on the late model ), while "big-blocks" could be red, green, blue, or bronze. As is the case with all pre-1972 American passenger car engines, published horsepower and torque figures for those years were SAE "Gross," as opposed to 1972 and later SAE Net ratings (which are indicative of what actual production engines produce in their "as installed" state - with all engine accessories, full air cleaner assembly, and complete production exhaust system in place). Northway sourced Oldsmobile Flathead V8 (1916-1923) The first Oldsmobile V8 was of a flathead design that was developed by Northway Engine Works before GM assumed operations. It was installed in the Oldsmobile Light Eight and was related to the Cadillac flathead V8 engine. In 1929, Oldsmobile installed a 90 degree monobloc flathead V8 engine in the Viking companion brand before the monobloc was used in LaSalle and Cadillac vehicles from 1929-1931. Generation I The first generation of Oldsmobile V8s ranged from 1949-1964. Each engine in this generation is quite similar with the same size block and heads. 303 The engine had hydraulic lifters, an oversquare bore:stroke ratio, a counterweighted forged crankshaft, aluminum pistons, floating wristpins, and a dual-plane intake