Trade help!

[86hasel]

Hi, so I'm new here, but here goes...So im looking into buying a 88 cutlass w/ a built 1970 olds 455, built th400, spooled 12 bolt, and some serious money into turning it into a drag car (roll cage, seats, gauges, weight reduction, tubbed) All for $4500. I already own a 86 monte carlo ss. All stock w/ the wimpy 305, th200r4 and 10 bolt rear. Me and my dad want to build a (streetable) drag car. Is there any reason that i couldnt make that 455 a 500hp drag car, rivaling all those built 454's? Or is there some incredible, atrocious design flaw in a 1970 olds 455 that i've over looked? Also, how much more difficult will it be? I know olds 455's are more rare, but are they just impossible to find parts for? Would it be far more expensive to build a 455 rather then buy and build a 454?
Also, 550hp would have to be practical, not 550hp @ 7,000 rpm. So...either build my monte from the ground for years and god knows how much, or buy a half finished cutlass which could be impossible to ever build the way I want. Thanks for an suggestions or advice.

 

[knowyourenemy66]

Sell the olds 455 and build a chevy 454--Anything is possible today, it just depends on your bank account!

 

[BPTTONE420012]

chevy parts are more readily available, and cheaper... if you are going for budget power, chevy is the way to go... now of course there will be the naysayers that hate on the easily workable, no imagination chevy blocks, blah, blah, blah... but, i say, build what makes you happy... personally, i would want to build another chevy, this time a BBC, but then again i am a no imagination having monkey with a wrench... and if you are going to build your monte, go chevy... but, if you could afford getting the cutty too, then buy it and finish building it, never hurts to have more than one gbody

 

[86hasel]

Thanks for the advice!
P.s. Love your monte in your profile picture, looks wicked tough

 

[BPTTONE420012]

thanks, i get ALOT of sh*t cause of the paint scheme, and i planned on painting it black, but too many kids smile, wave, and point out my car to their parents, and chics seem to like it too, so the orange with purple flames is gonna stay...

 

[BMR Suspension]

Welcome - we got a Big Rear Bar to get rid of the G-Body Shuffle

 

[BPTTONE420012]

wait, you mean to tell me spray painting my anti sway bar bright orange didnt help??? lol... BMR has alot of killer parts, wish i had the funds to buy them, but for now my monte will stay with the few little upgrades she has... larger anti sways out of i forget what, a different steering box, and shaft (best upgrade ever), the few t-top anti rattle bars... next thing i want to do is some suspension upgrades...