I am thinking of making the change froma a sbc to a bbc. I am trying to find out what block, crank, etc. I would need to build a 540.

 

4.500" Bore, 4.250" Stroke, That can fit in a short deck (9.800) block.

Aftermarket blocks are the best things to do these in..... You might want to look at RMRE, Shaffroff and Bill Mitchel for 540 Short Block packages they do a hell of a deal over there.

Bret

 

Bret knows this stuff better than I, but FWIW: The aftermarket (or Bowtie) blocks had a lot of advantages. However, you can save $500-1,000 with a new stock block and there are plenty of these out there used sucessfully in race applications let alone street. Stock big block castings are pretty strong. And there are used blocks out there as well which will be even cheaper. Another option for a street motor would be a GMPP short block or complete crate motor. The ZZ502 is a nice package complete from oil pan to carb for ~$7,500. I helped install one of these recently and it was a nice piece.

Rich