Greetings,

I have recently decided to build a 454 for my 69 camaro. I will be starting from scratch, just the short block.

My goal is to be running 525-550 horsepower at the fly (without nitrous, turbo, or supercharing) - and still be relatively streetable.

Seeing I do not know much about this engine, I'm asking for any advise as to how to build my engine. What parts to use, what bore, heads, etc.

Any information would be helpful.

Thanks!

 

well you should be able to reach that hp level easy, don't get carried away and over do it. Many BB's here. 454 60 over, cast crank, 3/8th rods and oval port heads fitted with 2:19 int and 1:88 exhuast and a big flat tappet I believe it was about 640 lift.
It went 10:50's in a 70 camaro with slicks and 3 1/2" exhaust
So the hp level your looking for should be very easy. Just remember square port heads do flow like gangbusters but at the expense of low end torque. Oval ports have been 9's on a properly equipped race car. A good oval port intake like the edel rpm performer or any good dual plane intake, a good 750 area vacuum sec carb holley design or look (barry grant) around 10 to 1 compression good start. remember these engines are torque monsters. I have only used rollers or big flat tappets so hard on what to rec for hydralic cam, comp or crane for advise. this is basic stuff so let me know if you need particulars. have built over 600" motors and have gone in the 8's Na in a race car.

 

it would be recommended that u get ur block blue printed before u start on it, just to be safe, and u will know everything about ur block and what it is up to

 

Check this article out. Very good stuff for low buck heavy street cars.

http://home.hiwaay.net/~ppatter/patr...dd_article.htm

 

Thanks for the replies. The article was good, but I don't want so high of compression that i have to run race gas - it is not very practical if you cruisin around and you need to fill it up.

Any other ideas people have to make it to 525-550 hp? For a streetable car, with maybe a few runs to the track, what kind of gearing would be best?

 

Like RacinZ said, 500-550 hp is easy to do with a BBC. As far as short block goes. A cast crank and 3/8th's rods are up to the task if you keep the revs down below 6200, but don't skimp on rod bolts! I wouldn't run anything over .060 overbore on the street unless the block is very strait(no core shift). The cylinder walls get very thin and overheating will become a problem. Any of the piston makers have pistons that will get you in the 9 1/2 : 1 range. But you will need to have an idea what kind of cyclinder head you will use because of chamber volume. Most stock open chamber heads and aftermarket heads are in the 120cc range.

One thing to remember. If you ever decide to put a shot of nitrous to one. The cast crank and smaller rods cannot handle that much power for long.

My 2 peso's.

 

Any recommended heads for this kind of power?
Also, what type of carb would be best.... i was thinking holley 850, is this too big?

 

For heads, any of the aftermarket company's have oval port heads that will flow well up to 6500 and make lots of torque. I would recommend aluminum because the steel BB heads are VERY heavy and the load is right where you don't want it (on the front). From my experience Brodix has great oval port head with a matching intake that works well. I think an 850 carb would work well but you could use a 750 or 800 cfm as well.

My 2 pesos

Terry

 

thanks for the reply whit,
you had mentioned in your previous post having compression of 9.5 to 1 or so... would that be better than 10.5 to 1 (i was under the impression this would work best).
As far as cams... would a flat tappet be best? what kind of lift would you suggest?

 

I know a bit about big blocks, and will try to help. But your premise is not a very logical starting point. Why aim for a specific hp number? It would be more logical to establish a budget and define how you will use the motor. All street, street/strip, strip only, etc. Then the question becomes how to get the most performance for your dollar.

Besides the above, my first question would be: why a 454? Clearly, the cheapest hp is going to be from displacement. If I were doing a BBC, I wouldn't consider less than a 502 unless I already had a block I was planning to re-use that couldn't be bored. A 454 uses a 4.25" bore and a 4.00" stroke. A 502 is bored to 4.46". Of course, there are many larger combos and unless you already have a crank, you might consider a longer stroke combo. That's why your question is so hard to answer - it's so open ended without a lot of info.

So what exactly do you have in mind and how much are you looking to spend?

Rich Krause

 

The car will be primarily street. I am looking to spend around the ballpark of 5000 on the engine. So are you suggesting a 502 short block instead of the 454? That would make sence... exept would i be able to keep it in my budget? What do the 502 short blocks run for?

 

Cost obviously depends on the parts used, but a 502 will be not be sigificantly more expensive than a 454 with comparable quality parts. Is your entire engine budget $5K or is that for the short block?

In any case, you may want to buy a GM shortblock. PN12568782 is described as a "4 - bolt main block with 1-piece rear main seal, forged steel crankshaft and heavy-duty 4340 dimple rods (7/16" bolts). Includes the 502 / 502 hydraulic roller camshaft - 0.527" / 0.544" lfit, 224 / 234 degrees duration @ 0.050" lift. Includes hydraulic roller lifters, timing cover, harmonic balancer and flexplate."

These go for $4,000. So too expensive if you entire budget is $5K. But it's a quality piece, same one used in the 502/502 crate motor.

Rich Krause

 

i meant for my whole engine around 5K. I just don't have loads of money right now, so that is all I can afford. This was the primary reason i was going to go with the 454, because i could build the whole engine to my specs. Wouldn't you think?

 

Well, like I said, a 502 should not be more expensive than a 454. At that price range I would be looking for a "seasoned" (aka used) block and heads. It's a tight budget if it's supposed to include all of the accessories (oil pump and pan, timing set, valve train parts, etc.).

Rich Krause

 

it's a LOT easier to find a used 454 to rebuild than a used 502. The 454 has been around since the early 70s, right? and was used in trucks until the late 90s. The 502 has only been around since the 90s and has yet to be used in a production vehicle.