The 1965                     Tri-Carb
This is the manifold that shatters the 66 only myth!
          
          In late 64 and into early 65 the ground work was being laid for the first 442 with 3 two barrel carburetors.  Contrary to popular belief, it was the 1965 442 that premiered the "Tri-Carb" not  the 66.  The first manifolds created by the Lansing engineers were experimental / developmental.  They resemble the 1966 L-69 manifold, with the exceptions listed below.




























          These manifolds were designated as "Out The Back Door", which was Oldsmobile's version of Chevy's COPO equipment.  Much less is known about the Olds experimental equipment due to the decision to destroy many of their records. There is no disputing the significant differences between the 65 and the 66 manifolds and since we know that the 66 L-69 was a half year option, there's no other explanation for this rare developmental manifold. 

          They were first supplied to a few Lansing drag racers for testing on the local tracks and later Oldsmobile issued a bulletin making them available for a limited time on the 1965 442's.  You could order the "Tri-Carb" (they were not called tri-power) option by entering the L-69 code on the order form and for only $253.00 you could add what would become the rarest option ever offered on the 1965 442.  This option was ONLY permitted on the 4 speed equipped 442's.  The Olds hierarchy  must have reversed this decision very quickly, because I, like everyone else, have never seen another one. 
                                        If you have any information to contribute, please email me at   442bro@comcast.net
All of the the pictures on this page show the 65 intake on the left and the 66 on the right with the exception the rear view.  I have water marked all of the photos with my  logo so I can better authenticate & document others, if they still exist.





Thermostat Housing
Coil Mounting Post
By-pass Differences
Experimental / Developmental 67 Tri Carb documented by Chris Witt
Center Carb Casting Difference
Documentation
2.)  The thermostat housing is round and lacks the common by pass that connects to the water pump.  The reinforced pad on the left front of the manifold was tapped with a 1/2 inch NPT pipe thread and a 45 degree pipe fitting with a hose connector was installed. This allows the by-pass on the water pump to be connected to the water jacket of the manifold..
1.)  All of the numbers were stamped onto metal strips and nailed into the casting mold. This is evident by the raised square under all of the numbers and the visible nail heads.  It has most of the numbers that are found on the 66 L-69, but as you can see from the picture, they were cast in a completely different way. The most definitive difference is the "X" after the casting number.  This designates this as an experimental manifold.
Casting Number Differences
6.) There is a distinct difference in the shape of the castings for the center carb. Notice how the 66 has a straight front edge.

4.) The 65 has the tapped post on the right rear to mount the coil bracket which is lacking on the 66 all together.
3.)   There was no allowance for the water temperature sending unit, so a 1/2 inch pipe coupling was welded to the front right side of the manifold.  This was not the cleanest look, but remember, these were purely experimental.
Temperature Sending Unit
Number Style Comparisson
5.)  Notice the front and rear inlets are oval shaped and not two separate holes like the 66 L-69 manifolds.
Intake Opening Differences
Missing All Together
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The By- Pass Connected
Information
Oldsmobile, the team that brought us tri-power nine years earlier brought it back for 1966 only (or so most Olds people thought until now) on the 4-4-2; they referred to it as tri-carb (L-69). It featured a three 2GC Rochester two-barrel carbs on top of a blueprinted 400 engine.  The L69 engine option featured three separate chrome air cleaners. The rare W-30 Ram Air option (only 54 were factory-built) which required L-69, also included a factory balanced and blueprinted engine with hotter cam, air scoops in the lower bumper, ducts leading to the air cleaner, trunk-mounted battery, four-speed transmission, 4.11 or 4.33 rear and was not available in the convertible due to the trunk mounted battery location. The carburetors were numbered 7026055, 7026056 and 7026057 and develop 360hp at 5,000 rpm with their 10.5:1 compression ratio. The true horsepower was actually believed to be closer to 400.  The W-30 also was available as a dealer-installed package (Trac-Pac), of which 93 were sold. Note: The Ram Air duct holes thru the radiator support, on both the factory and dealer installed W-30's, were torch cut and not a punched hole.

Oldsmobile only produced 2,129 tri-carb 4-4-2s in 1966 and possibly only 2 in 1965 and only 1 of these has been documented to date.