[D Stroud]

I'm shootin for 480ish HP. Do you guys think this combo will get me there?

-2 bolt 454 Block
-Stock cast crank
-Unported 781's with the big vavles (unshrouded)
-Stock resized rods w/ ARP bolts (would the bolts be overkill with cast crank? - I'm thinkin the money may be better spent on the valvetrain)
-Speed Pro .215 dome Hypereutetic pistons
-Lunati Voodoo 60203 cam 268/276 227/233 .542"/.554" 110/106

(May bump up to the 60204 cam - 276/284 233/241 .554"/.572" 110/106 - any input?)

-Stock HEI Distributor
-Performer style intake with Big Q-Jet
-and of course headers with probably Dynomax Ultraflows.

The rest of the combo will be a Beefy 700R4 with 2900 stall through a 3.73 Posi 12 bolt. (I have a 3.42 rear gear availible also - which would be best for mainly street use with ocassional trips to the local 1/8th mile track).

Thanks fellows for any input!

 

[surfingreg]

Hey There.....Here is what I used in my setup....haven't dyno'd yet, but all the info we looked in motors that had been dyno'd were in the 550hp range.....we went a little better on cam but used different springs....I have absolutely ZERO complaints...I too am running a beefed 700R4 w/2600 stall converter and 3.73 rear 12 bolt posi....Mine is street drive w/occassional (in the spring) trip to local 1/8 mile strip......Good luck.....
Greg

73-79 454 CHEVROLET BLOCK BORED .030 OVER (460.39 CU.IN.)
NEW CAST IRON CRANKSHAFT (STD/STD)
PIONEER DAMPER AND FLEX PLATE (BALANCED W/CRANK)
NEW EAGLE CONNECTING RODS (BUSHED)
KEITH BLACK HYPERUTECTIC PISTONS W/ FLOATING PINS
TOTAL SEAL STREET RINGS
COMP CAMS XR288HR HYDRAULIC ROLLER CAMSHAFT
EDELBROCK PERFORMER RPM OVAL PORT ALUMINUM HEADS (9.8:1 COMP)
COMP CAMS VALVE TRAIN W/BEEHIVE SPRINGS
MANLEY STAINLESS STEEL VALVES
EDELBROCK PERFORMER RPM INTAKE MANIFOLD
HOLLEY 750HP CARBURETOR

 

[mr 4 speed]

I'm shootin for 480ish HP. Do you guys think this combo will get me there?

-2 bolt 454 Block
-Stock cast crank
-Unported 781's with the big vavles (unshrouded)
-Stock resized rods w/ ARP bolts (would the bolts be overkill with cast crank? - I'm thinkin the money may be better spent on the valvetrain)
-Speed Pro .215 dome Hypereutetic pistons
-Lunati Voodoo 60203 cam 268/276 227/233 .542"/.554" 110/106

(May bump up to the 60204 cam - 276/284 233/241 .554"/.572" 110/106 - any input?)

-Stock HEI Distributor
-Performer style intake with Big Q-Jet
-and of course headers with probably Dynomax Ultraflows.

The rest of the combo will be a Beefy 700R4 with 2900 stall through a 3.73 Posi 12 bolt. (I have a 3.42 rear gear availible also - which would be best for mainly street use with ocassional trips to the local 1/8th mile track).

Thanks fellows for any input!

It will probably be a mid/low 12 second ride easily,and have tremendous torque/throttle response.Better buy stock in tires
Pretty much an open chamber version of mine with the VooDoo cam.

 

[Motorhead62]

You mentioned saving money on rod bolts! Bad idea! The rod bolt is the most important bolt in the entire engine. Either buy new performance rods or have the stock rods rebuilt: resized, shot peened and ARP wave-loc bolts installed.

DON"T SKIMP ON THE RODS!!!!!!

If you run the 3.42 gears and the 700R4, I would go with the smaller cam selection.

Don't run the performer intake, use the Performer RPM Air-Gap.

Some guys can get a Q-Jet to run okay, but I hate them. I would use either a Holley Avenger 770 or a 750 Edelbrock Performer for the carb choice.

Good luck

 

[GRN69CHV]

If you are going to resize the rods, then at least use the ARP replacement bolts. ARP also has Wavelok and Wavelok Pro. Recently I posted about a stress test I did on some old stock 3/8" bolt truck rods. The 3/8" bolts took 110 FTLB torque to break. My guess is the ARP's are in the 130 - 150 range. Point is, once you get them torqued correctly (strectched), they will not move. Cheap insurance.

PS - limiting factor on a stock cast crank is RPM for a N/A motor. Doubt you will ever have a problem if you keep it at 6000.

 

[greg_moreira]

If you want that kinda horsepower definitely step up to the larger of the two cams. Also, Id get into more headwork than just large valves. Work on that short turn radius and open up the throats a bit at least. Use a high rise style dual plane like the performer rpm....the regular performer just aint gonna cut it. Id use the good bolts too....cheap insurance.....and those stock cast cranks can take a good beating, so it wont be the weak link assuming all is well. Make sure that compression checks out at a solid 10:1 or better and of course, experiment with the tuneup.

If your gonna stick with the smaller cam and low rise intake without any real work to the heads.....itll be a grunter for sure and I wouldnt expect it to real pull down anything over 440 horses. Ever considered a solid flat tappet? Lunati has a nice 243/251 at .050, 276/284 advertised solid cam on a 110 LSA. Its number is 402A3.

 

[D Stroud]

Excuse my ignorance, but the rods that came with the block have already been resized and have new stock bolts in em. Can I still have the machine shop install the ARP bolts?

And, I have always gotten good results from the Q-jets and would like to run one which is why I was leaning to the Performer intake. Is the Performer RPM available with a spreadbore design? If not and if it would really make a difference, I could scrap the Q-Jet and go with a square bore carb. I’ve always liked the looks of the Speed Demons but have not heard good things about em as far as performance goes.

Also, the more I think about it the more I’m leaning toward the larger Voodoo cam. I would rather be on the high side of 450 hp rather than below it.

Also, any more input on which gear? The 3.73 is already set up but it wouldn’t be to much trouble to swap the 3.42 gear in it.

Thanks for the input.

 

[GRN69CHV]

New stock bolts are still very reliable. Big question here is how hard do you intend to turn it. Rods would need to be honed again if different bolts are installed. Like I stated, the old stock bolts took 110# torque to fail - over twice the required torque for rod installation.

 

[Motorhead62]

If the rods are already resized then they will be fine if the machine work was good. I read your post wrong. If you have 3.73 gears in the rearend, then the bigger cam profile will be fine. I also agree that a pocket port job on the heads is time well spent. You pick up 25 - 50 HP with just the extra head work (short turn radius and bowl work).

Good Luck

 

[greg_moreira]

Yep, eddy makes a spread bore performer rpm intake for the big block.

Heres the link from jegs.

javascriptpen_window('ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10001&catalogId=10002&productId=18718&parent_category_rn=&showValue=1&JegsPopup=ProductDisplayPopup')

So, they do exist and that would allow you to keep the Q jet that you are used to. The gears are good for the larger cam....wouldnt bother swapping them at all cause a 3.73 is just fine.

Finally, since the rods are already done, I dont know if Id worry about doing it again for different bolts. Starting from scratch it would have been a good way to go, but the stock big block stuff is descent so since youve already got it worked out....Id probably go with it the way you have it.

As far as other carbs go though...you have just got to know how to work them really. A lot of the name brand stuff(like holley and demon for example) make real good stuff. If you know how to work on them than you get great results.....if you dont know what to do with em than, than the results reflect that. This is how the message gets out that these carbs are no good....people cant make it work so they say its junk.

Lots of performance guys will look down on a Q jet carb. Think of all the nicknames....quadrajunk, quadrabog...... However, theres guys who know how to use them going super fast with a Q jet. If you are confident in your ability to work on a Q jet, than Im sure you can get real good results with one if you know the right way to modify them cause they are capable of going plenty fast when done right. A holley would be a better choice for a lot of people(cause a lot of people know how to work a holley....not as many can work a Q jet), but it would not be a better choice for you to use a holley if you can fix up a Q jet just fine, but dont know holleys or demons real well. See what Im sayin.

 

[D Stroud]

Thanks fellows!

I think I'm going to go with this

- keep the rods like they are
- use the 3.73 since its already set-up and ready to go
- go with the larger cam
- and try the Q-Jet on the Performer RPM Intake.

If I have any trouble with the Q-jet, then I'll consider swapping so something else.

Thanks again, and I'm sure I'll have plenty more questions to come. I just dropped the block and heads off at the machine shop this morning. I dread seeing the bill when its done.

I've gotten spoiled with building hot little small blocks for just over a grand.
I'll have more than that in this one after the machine work and I still have to buy the pistons, cam, bearing/gasket kit, and intake....and starter...and brackets...and a distributor......and headers...and exhaust...and....and.....crap, this is going to be expensive!

 

[greg_moreira]

Apparently my link didnt work. I copied and pasted it.....and ended up with an interesting little face in there! Eh well, jegs got em....jus check out the online catalog and they are easy to find. Oh yeah....big blocks may be pricy on some levels....but you will be real happy when you are done. Another thing, if you were to try and build a comparable small block...it would not be cheap to do. You gotta figure, at the power that big block can put out, no stock chevy heads are gonna keep up.....so you will be spending loot on good aftermarket heads......easily more than what you might have in your current big block ones. Plus, with the good heads and all the displacement, it will run hard even with a simple hydraulic cam. Youd need to step it up with the small block if you really wanted to pull down the numbers. Id be using at least a solid flat tappet if I were trying to make a small block compete with your big block. So, the big motor might be more expensive in some areas, but they can be cheaper in some areas too especially at your power level...being that a lot of the stock big block stuff is capable of the task at hand. If you dont beleive me, just try to build a reliable small block making 450 plus horsepower.....I wouldnt be surprised if it cost more when its all done(it will at least end up costing very similar). You will like the big motor!

 

[Motorhead62]

One thing is for sure, you will love the big block torque!!!

Good luck!!!