greatgonzoglenn

I am curious to find out how labor intensive it would be to put in a 454 in place of my 350. I get bits and pieces of swap details. Anybody know of any good sources (books, websites, etc.) to put me in the right direction? Is it more headache than it's worth? :flag

Jughead

You might want to do a search for posts by bence13_33, Bob Turner, 467Ratman. Those guys have completed they're swaps. I'm still working on block assembly. It'd be a lot easier if you buy a crate engine. I didn't want to go that route and will end up with a lot more HP than 502!

Once you get the engine decision outa the way, some things you'll need to switch are: Radiator & front coils come to mind. I already had a BB radiator in mine so I'll skip that part.

The books I've been using are: "How to Rebuild A Chevy BB" and "How to Hot Rod the Chevy BB". I also have a GM factory manual for my 1987 454. This forum is probably one of the best resources you could ask for. Not too many, if any posts go unanswered. Lot's of knowledgable guys here.

Len :chevy

467-Ratman

I hear a lot of guys talking about how much more it costs to do a big block, but I was going to spend a ton on new parts for the small block. The new stuff we put on like brackets etc, were not that big of a deal. The extra cubes are well worth the extra cost and effort and when you open the hood, people will be in awe! You won't be sorry, trust me!!!!!! If you need some help or advice just ask.

Bob Turner

greatgonzoglenn,

I just completed the swap and just need to dial things in. If I was going to do it again, I would have waited until I could by the 502/502ci GM crate motor instead of building the 454 I did.

You would have to buy the different brackets for the BB but other than that and the hookup of the exhaust, it should go smooth. I ended up going with a Griffin aluminum radiator since it was easier with the electric fans instead of playing around with the stock shroud. I couldn't get that shroud back in and in frustration, I broke it and ordered the $890.00 radiator/Spal fan set up from http://www.dewitts.com the next day.

If you need ANY help on this, please put up a post or email me. I swapped in the BB instead of a 383 just simply because of how huge this thing looks in the engine compartment and the additional torque the bb's generate....

Bob :cheers:

MassVette

Except for alternator and p/s brackets, it's a bolt-in. You can get these from any Corvette supplier. You need the short neck BB water pump, too.
LOTS more torque than a S/B.........
:yesnod: :yesnod:

'79ProwlerOrange

thats subjective. very broad statement, but i'll assume you mean any Stock S/B...

Corey_68

Unless that small block has forced induction(blower, turbo, N20) that built BB will put out more torque than a built SB and do it at a lower RPM. That's just a given, no two ways about it.

shotgun_000

My feeling is this.

First, how much power do you want? If you are looking for 500hp or less, then imo stay with the small block. Modern technology makes it very easy to make up to 500 streetable horsepower in a small block. The torque won't quite come on as low in the rpm range or as strong as a big block, but the right gearing can compensate for that. Also, the extra weight of the big block makes handling a little more sloppy.

On the other hand, if you do make the swap, you can make lots of power without stressing the engine. With all other factors being equal, a small block making 500hp isn't going to last as long as a big block making the same power.

I agree with the other posts - the big block rules in the :cool: department.

VetteLS6

Don't forget to add in a good exhaust system and larger sway bars front and rear as well as heavier springs at both ends.....800 LBS front (daytona) 400+ lbs in rear.....Vette Brakes would good place to look there. Remember to get the other driveline components up speed as well...clutch/u-joints shocks etc. :steering:

'79ProwlerOrange

I have to disagree. im not starting a pissing match, and i dont want this to go there, becuase these discussions are really what help people learn. also im not a SBC guy, im not a BBC guy. i love all Chevy V8s. except the 305. :D DAMN YOU LG4!!! :mad. sorry.

that said, the reason i disagree, is i have a friend who has a fullsize 1974 GMC jimmy. he has a newer 454 in it and my SBC is making way more torque than his. thing is, he only has a couple performance parts. intake, headers, i think a slightly bigger cam. nothing even close to wild. but its still a 454, and if i traded my small block for his big block, i would be very dissapointed. my vette would be much slower due to the added weight, and less power/torque.

Now, a BBC and a SBC setup exaclty the same, compression, cam, boltons etc, the BBC will make more power, more effectively, and it wont be as hard on it. but it will cost more. :cheers:


[Modified by '79ProwlerOrange, 4:18 PM 12/22/2002]

Corey_68

Without a doubt you can build a 2 Small Blocks for the price of one Big Block, I learned this first hand.
I've owned my share of stout SB's an BB's. For road racing without a doubt I'd go with the SB and for draging my choice is BB.

For what it's worth I'm going with a BB with forced induction.
Can you say TORQUE. :D

:cheers:

'79ProwlerOrange

you summed it up great. and i agree %100 on Draging the big blocks and AutoXing the small ones.

does anyone else think its ironic they are called "Small" blocks. there still bigger than any other passenger car. (minus sports cars) if i only had 1/2 my block it would be close to a 3Liter 4 cyl :crazy: