Hello Everyone,

I finally, yes finally picked up my 454 Engine for my chevelle. In my last post I remember telling everyone that the guy my brother bought his Nova from was giving us a 454 engine he had lying around. My brother decided that he loves his 327 and doesn't want to rebuild the 454 for his car,... so,... he gave it to me. I intend on making the engine my senior project for autolab (Student) but need to buy the components for the engine now, before the course; and I need to store it for the next six months. Here's the condition.

Its been sitting open for the past year in this guys garage. It was on a stand but the oil pan was off and the bottom end has a little surface rust. The intake manifold and heads are also off exposing the pistons. The engine is in need of a total rebuild and I intend to give it one. I'm going to pull the engine apart but I need to know how to store it and how to keep it from rusting. Also, where should I begin with my rebuild. What should be done to the heads, block, and crankshaft???
Dan

P.S. Ill post pics tonight or tomorrow

You don't need to do anything until you have machine work done to it,then I would coat everything with a thin layer of oil or wd 40 and tuck it away in a trash bag. Heads need to be cleaned and a good valve job done,3 angle if you are leaning towards performance at all,new springs for the cam you plan on running,clean and magnaflux the block to check for cracks and will probably need to be bored .030-.060,have the crank mic'd and see if it can be polished or it needs to be turned slightly. It doesnt take much to make a 454 run decent,good cam,intake,carb and headers and she'll run 12's fairly easily if thats what you're after.

I had my 402 BB sitting around for awhile and i sprayed it with some oil (forget what its called, but it comes in a spray can) It worked to keep moisture off and rust away.

Id say tear it all apart, and start off with the general machine work and cleaning. Check the crank (it may need to be turned if theres rust like you said), deck the block, have them press in new cam bearings and freeze plugs. Bore it if you like (otherwise have them hone the cylinders.) Then you can get it home and start assembling it.. New bearings, oil pump, etc.

Thats the route i went, my first engine build at 21 years old. Learned alot, and it was fun to see it work and move a car down the street!

Bubba

Thanks,

That was pretty much my question. I'll probably have it bored out either .30 or .60 depending, and then I'll coat it in lubercant and put it in an engine bag. I'll be sure to keep everyone updated on the project, and I'm sure I'll have a million questions on what parts to go with.

I want to see how much power I can squeeze out of it but keep it streetable.

Anyway,... I got some information from the guy I picked up the engine from. He says its a Marine Engine. Its either a 454 or a 454-HP,... originally putting out 330HP and 440 torque@4400 Max RPM or its putting out 390HP and 440 torque@5200 RPM. Bore 4.25 --- Stroke 4.00 ---- 8.12:1 compression or 8.63:1 compression. Those were the original specs but they don't matter too much anyway,.. hopefully most of that will change !! graemlins/thumbsup.gif So, thats about it,...

Thanks for the heads up on how to treat it and I'll hopefully post some pics tomorrow.

Dan

1. Better check the water jackets for heavy corrosion. If this was a saltwater engine, you better get the cylinders sonic tested.

2. If you really want to preserve the engine, do NOT use WD-40. I won't even use oil. Any liquid will eventually run off. Smear grease on the machined surfaces.

Originally posted by Schurkey:
1. Better check the water jackets for heavy corrosion. If this was a saltwater engine, you better get the cylinders sonic tested.

2. If you really want to preserve the engine, do NOT use WD-40. I won't even use oil. Any liquid will eventually run off. Smear grease on the machined surfaces. Not exactly sure what sonic testing does,... can anyone explain what he means?

tests the thickness of the cylinder walls.

If you can find a dealer for Mystic products (oil, grease, etc.), they carry a grease that comes in an aerosol can that works really well. Sticks where you spray it and protects MUCH better than WD-40. WD's life on parts is limited to a couple of months at best and I've had this stuff on a block in my garage for going on 3 years and it looks exactly like the day I first sprayed it. I also use latex gloves and smear grease on all machined surfaces (bearing bores, etc.). Good luck with your build and keep us posted on what parts you need - there are several of us here that have been working on engines for years and have plenty of spare parts for CHEAP. Good to see you working on a real engine rather than pi$$ing your money off on a winged fart pipe jelly bean car.