Here's my dilemma... sometime in the somewhat near future i will be looking to get a 454 for my '70.

First of all, i'm not a huge engine person. i almost know enough to get me by, but i'm no expert on anything that has to do with the internals or anything like that. i'm definitely willing to learn, but i'm just looking for some advice.

My question is, which do you think is better? I'm looking in probably the 5-6k range - i know that's a pretty big range, but somewhere in there without going TOO far over 6k if it gets that high. I want a streetable engine, but something that'll get me down the track in a fast, efficient manner;)

I know a local guy who builds engines and he has offered to build an engine for me. I think this would be a good way to go because then i can pick out each specific thing that i want, or take his advice on parts to get. He's into drag racing and has built many engines so he knows what he's doing.
But i've also looked at something like the crate 454 from chevy - which is almost ready to drop in and run - but it's not really one i can custom order with different stuff.
i guess what i'm looking for are the pro's and con's of buying a crate engine versus having one custom built - or vice versa.

lol, does any of that make sense? i'm kind of rambling on because i'm not exactly sure how to put my thoughts into a correct question. :clonk: so, if you understood that and could give me any ideas or if you have any questions for me, that would be awesome.
thanks for your time. :beers: :thumbsup:

Personally I like the satisfaction of building my own engines. Not that I do it very often, maybe 1 every couple of years. But it always seems my money goes much further that way. If I didnt do my own work I wont have all that I do have. So building your own engine gets my vote. You have the best tool at your finger tips. THIS FORUM. We will all help you and if any of us live close enough we will come help you too !!!

Bill

ha ha 5 g's
that get you a nice 454...
pony up on good bottom end..
you can always add better heads down the road....
build a great foundation then add as you can...
I say this because good heads for a big block can eat half of the money you budgeted...
my dart pro 1's where 2100.00
build a strong short block and ad better intake tract later..

You say that you know an engine builder pretty good. My suggestion would be to buy a good rebuildable early model 454 block with decent heads and let your builder do it for you. Get a great motor for less than what a crate motor will cost. A local engine builder took my '73 model 454 with 781's and totally rebuilt the engine with all new parts except for the crank and rods for $2700.00. He did say he gave me some break on the price but not much. Crank was magnafluxed and polished. Rods were reconditioned. Everything else is new including bored .030, new 9.97 hypertectic pistons, XE284 cam and lifters, roller tip rockers, 3 angle valve job & SS valves, heads shaved .020, distributor rebuilt and dialed in, oil pump, etc. and broke in on a stand. I did have to furnish plug wires, water pump, intake, and carb (bolt ons).
I just asked him to build me a dependable, streetable engine with all the horses I could run pump gas on without breaking the bank.
I believe he did just that. If you don't know an engine builder real good, check around and ask some of the locals that have engines built alot like dirt track, drag, and other racers. They will send you in the right direction.
Hope that helps.
Herbie

thanks for the replies. so, so far the general consensus would be to have the guy i know custom build the engine for me.
but i was thinking, what about something like a World Products engine? those are definitely some high horsepower engines that, from what i've read, are really good engines.
or i was also thinking... i don't know if you know who Redrum is on here... i don't know him personally, but i know that he bought his engine from Sallee Chevrolet - which happens to be just about 15 minutes from my house. i know they build great engines and the guy who runs the shop, Tom Sallee is always out at the local drag strip running the christmas tree and everything.
so i also have the option of going down there - and probably being able to somewhat custom order an engine. i'm not positive on that, but it seems like i should be able to.
so i've got options. i just could use a little help making that final decision.

again, thanks for the replies. :thumbsup:

With Sallee being 15 minutes away I would give them a real close look. Expect to pay more than 6k for a hot BB from them though. I built my roller 454 that knocks down low 12s in a heavy car for $4300. The low 12s are without any serious tuning and 1.8X 60fts. I told my buddy I have 10 second motor in a 14 second chassis :D.

I have read a few night mare stories in this forum about local engine builders doing a bad job and then refusing to stand behind their work. Make sure your builder has a good reputation for good work and for standing behind their work. Anyone can make a mistake. Certainly, Sallee has a good reputation. The World Engines looked a little pricey to me, although they are strong and well built.

You can build your own engine, if you want. If you go that route, have a machine shop re-do the heads for you. If you have the machine shop check the cylinder bores or bore them for you, then you don't have to worry about doing the fine measurement work yourself. Same with having the crank turned, although you should still use some plasti-gauge to make sure the main and rod bearings are right. I would have the machine shop align bore the cam shaft journals and press in the cam bearing as well. With that work, the assembly work isn't too tough and is fun and rewarding.

Crate engine = plug n play with warranty.

Custom built engine that you personally built = you pick the parts, you know what it's made of and you can say with pride "That's MY creation."

It's all in what you want to do.

You say you are not real knowledgable on engines. If you want to learn and have a guy with a good rep build it..Go for it and maybe save some bucks.

If you want easy, reliability, warranty and proven combinations with dyno sheets...'crate' engine is the way to go.

Combination of parts is critical. Chevy, Merlin, Edelbrock, American Speed etc. are some of the best without any stress to you. If you build it yourself make sure compression, cam and heads are matched...or even duplicate a combo on a crate engine.

Definitely check out Sallee.