Hey, just need to pick some brains of the guys that have been through this before.

I've been poking around the list and search function trying to get some ideas and you guys seem to have it all together!

I just picked up a 73 454 out of a vette.

Its got the standard Q'jet, 049 heads with about 66K miles.

Looking to move it up to the 425-500 hp level coupled to the TH400 for street use on pump gas.

Not looking for a NOS set up or anything that extreme.

I'm certainly new to the BBC scene. Haven't opened it up yet but trying to put a plan together

Any suggestions on what to do with the heads, ie bigger valcves worth it or bowl work, piston changes, manifold and carb or efi. Not trying to get into aluminium heads route or hugh $ but rather 60-70 muscle ideas.

Trying to learn the tried and true from you guys with the experience.

Thanks Dick

Clean up the heads,bowl work, 2.19/1.88 valves, I'd go hydraulic roller, dual plane ala Performer RPM intake, 950HP, 1.75" tube headers, 10-10.5-1 compression. 500hp easily with a good cam choice, sorry I dont make cam recommendations ;)

keep the heads you have and do some work to them. Don't go Rectangular port if it will be a street driver.

To get to the 425hp level a good rebuild and a well choose cam should get you close (the stock heads should be enough for this level). If you shoot for the 500hp level, the head work and a more agressive cam will be required. Since you asked this question in the performance section, I would recommend the increased valve size and basic bowl work as it seems to wake up these heads. Before you start picking parts you should make sure the motor you build matches its use (street/strip, cruiser, daily driver etc). Plus it should match the rest of the combo, gears, converter, car weight etc.

If I was you, I would go ahead a build a 468. The block will need to be bored to clean up the cylinders anyway. Go with forged pistons 10.1 max comp., clean up the stock rods and install ARP rod bolts, clean up the stock crank. For head work the 049s are fine just do as Bob said in his post. If you want to save some money, go with a Edelbrock RPM Q-Jet intake and Edelbrock 800 cfm Q-Jet carb. For a cam I would stick with a flat tappet hydraulic, just do some research on cams before you pick one. Headers, and a good ignition system.

He, He!!

Ebay that sucker to the 'Vette crowd and pocket some cash and then buy yourself a more plentiful cheaper 454 P/U or 'Burb" engine and work it over!!

And if the 454 engine you find has a bad crank, you can for not all that much more money vs rebuilding it back to a 454 make a 496 and easily make 550 hp......

I have about $38 to $4,000 in my about 550 hp at 5500 rpm 496 now that I started with a $300, '75 P/U 454 core engine with a bad crank...

pdq67

there's a set of 049's already done with upsized valves on maliburacing.com . 400.00 , thats definitly cheaper than you can get them done for. while they make decent power,i don't think the resale value is much. i have a bare exactly like yours supposedly 73 vette heads that i tryed to sell acouple of times cheap. and there still here . don't eat much though.

The 049's are fine, as mentioned above, but if your 73 era engine has not been worked before, you will have flat tops, and maybe, just maybe, 8/1 compression ratio. So, if you want to build any power, you will need to get pistons that will work with those large chamber heads. There isnt much available in small chamber bbc heads anymore, so a piston change will allow you to just change to an aftermarket head sometime in the future if the mood hits you, and you wont have to worry about doing pistons again. Your 049's are around 118cc, which is where most of the aftermarket heads will be also. So, good ideas so far....head work, piston change to get your c/r up to 9.5 or 10/1, intake and carb, and a decent cam (not too big so that it kills your bottom end) There are good cam guys in here, Im thinking maybe something in the 236 to 240 range at .050 on a 110 lsa. John

Ultradyne 288 / 296 hydraulic flat tappet cam with matching springs - double w/damper. Cam specs are 231I / 239E duration @ .050 with .550 / .575 lift ground on a 110LSA. Installed on a 108 intake centerline.

That cam with STOCK UNTOUCHED 049 heads on a 454 made 490 horse and over 500 Ft #'s. 9/1 compression, 770 Holley vac secondary carb on a rpm duel plane intake. Very pump gas freindly. Vac may be a little low for power accessorys.