454 daily driver?

[gnvair]

Do you go carb or swap in all the wiring stuff too and keep it efi?

Go carburetor. Cheapest and easiest way to go.

 

[bob64]

There are some other things to consider when swapping to BBC. They are heavier than an SBC and this has a very large effect on things like stopping, handling, ride height, suspension wear. While some of the changes are not as noticeable, they are there and need to be considered. I put a 454 BB in a 78 camino I had and over one year, here's what I had to deal with:

• Ride height in front dropped jut over two inches as soon as the swap was finished.
• Lower ride height caused front to bottom out when road was rough and crushed the stop bushings after a couple of weeks.
• Replaced front springs with after markets rated over 100 lbs stiffer and replaced stop bushings with poly bushings. Ride height acceptable after this but wasn't really happy with new handling.
• Front shocks couldn't handle the extra weight and the ride went mushy right away.
• Driver side shock seal broke and started leaking about three weeks after change.
• Replaced front shocks with aftermarkets to correct ride.
• BB headers didn't fit right. Had to ding one drivers side tube to make fit.
• Fried the TH350 trans after just over 1,000 miles. Replaced with track built 200R4.($1200 plus shipping)
• Scragged front universal joint after trans was replaced and had to install new one.
• Driving the BB was less fun than a hot SB would have been because it was WAY too much motor for the way I drove the car. (323 single track rear)
• Because I didn't have the money to spend on other upgrades, I had the slowest BB in my town.

After just over a year, I swapped back to an aspirated SB put the BB in a friends 78 Malibu track car (which I got to make passes with too)
Ended up changing springs in the camino again to get back close to what I had originally.

My point is, changing to a BB is going to have an effect on other things, some of which may cost money you may not have or don't want to spend.
My experience with the BB has kept me from putting an LS in my 78 Malibu.
I don't know computers, I have a shi*load of early SBC parts and I like having an engine under the hood that I can fix without having to get someone else to answer questions about things I don't know.
Finally, as far as performance goes, I can run with most of the rodders in my town if you group us by total dollars spent.

For every bad story there are good IMO. Honestly fried transmission, shock an universal, chalk that up to bad luck.

I enjoy the ride an power of a 454/468bbc (aluminum head) in a g-body(Cutlass) . Would l drive it everyday, yes, is it heavy in front end, yes but it doesn't bottom out even with 2 batteries(moving to rear its a traction thing) an 3 core copper rad.

I even ran it with the little single tire fire 7.5 2:14 gears for a year and then swapped it out. Just know it's limits!!

 

[Max Headroom]

That may be true when new, but mine had about 60,000 miles on them.
The point I was trying to make was that there can be unintended consequences and expenses to making a big change and that deserves some thought and consideration.
It's easy to tell someone who isn't sure or doesn't know about something to "Go for it." or "If that's what you want you should do it."
However, statements like that usually come from people who know what they're doing, what to expect when they do it and how to fix what might go wrong.
Some noob tries the swap, runs into trouble and doesn't have the no-how or the dollars to fix the problem and they could find themselves walking to work.
I will always advise a careful approach because when I first started with cars, there were a couple of times where I ended up walking to work.
It ain't fun.

 

[bob64]

That may be true when new, but mine had about 60,000 miles on them.
The point I was trying to make was that there can be unintended consequences and expenses to making a big change and that deserves some thought and consideration.
It's easy to tell someone who isn't sure or doesn't know about something to "Go for it." or "If that's what you want you should do it."
However, statements like that usually come from people who know what they're doing, what to expect when they do it and how to fix what might go wrong.
Some noob tries the swap, runs into trouble and doesn't have the no-how or the dollars to fix the problem and they could find themselves walking to work.
I will always advise a careful approach because when I first started with cars, there were a couple of times where I ended up walking to work.
It ain't fun.

You are correct in your thoughts, but no matter what you build there will always be issues that you'll have to figure out an times you'll might have to walk, that's just part of the hobby. But then again it's 2019, internet an cellphones.

I don't know the OP or anything about him but l will aways say don't go the long way to get to where you really want to be.

 

[Dayzedandkonfuzed]

I dropped a 454 in my Malibu and didn't spend too much. Daily driven 8 months of the year, 100 miles a day on twisty roads. Just a stock 454, used the TH400 from the same 2wd truck. Needed to shorten the driveshaft ($60) change the front yoke ($60ish i think,) 4 core aluminum rad ($500,) biggest sway bars I could get (about $300/pr for belltech solid,) Modified my stock crossmember, braced the front jounce bars together and installed a "trailer hitch" style brace out back.

Mileage definitely isn't great. Running on propane I'm getting 14mpg with 2.28 rear gears. On gasoline you should see a little better than that if everything's tuned well

I don't mind how it handles now, but there is definitely room for improvement. Haven't done anything to the suspension aside from the sway bars and new front shocks. I did have some clearance issues between my wiper transmission and distributor cap, which I think I can blame on my home-built crossmember, or because the TH400 is so big the motor couldn't tilt forward to where it should be. Once I got the distributor clocked almost perfectly straight, there was no more issue.

https://gbodyforum.com/threads/my-1980-malibu.40376/page-3

 

[carl]

Hello guys, I swapped in a 454 about 6 yrs ago with no regrets. no its not my daily driver because i took out the air conditioning & heat .(very stupid of me). Before i did the change i replaced all the suspension with new stock stuff & a 3 core radiator and transmission cross member for the 200r4and carb brackets. Turna hooked me up with a set of headers from a A body & it was all easy to get done. The car sits fine & handles fine stops great i think the weight was about 150lbs more than the SBC. It might sit an inch lower than the SBC at most. yeah I did have to replace the transmission with a built 200r4 but that's about it. The stock MC rear is still alive & well because i don't let it hook up, i have normal size tires that effortlessly get roasted once in a while. The fuel milage isn't good but neither was the SBC. If your worried about that get a Toyota.

 

[TURNA]

Hello guys, I swapped in a 454 about 6 yrs ago with no regrets. no its not my daily driver because i took out the air conditioning & heat .(very stupid of me). Before i did the change i replaced all the suspension with new stock stuff & a 3 core radiator and transmission cross member for the 200r4and carb brackets. Turna hooked me up with a set of headers from a A body & it was all easy to get done. The car sits fine & handles fine stops great i think the weight was about 150lbs more than the SBC. It might sit an inch lower than the SBC at most. yeah I did have to replace the transmission with a built 200r4 but that's about it. The stock MC rear is still alive & well because i don't let it hook up, i have normal size tires that effortlessly get roasted once in a while. The fuel milage isn't good but neither was the SBC. If your worried about that get a Toyota.

Holy smoke where u been???

 

[Dayzedandkonfuzed]

The car sits fine & handles fine stops great

Mine didn't stop great, at least not without smelling the pads burning. Of course I can't go anywhere around here without going down 2kms of steep hill. I did a C5 front brake conversion

 

[bob64]

Mine didn't stop great, at least not without smelling the pads burning. Of course I can't go anywhere around here without going down 2kms of steep hill. I did a C5 front brake conversion

Ya you live in road rally area, up's, downs and corners!!

 

[carl]

Holy smoke where u been???

Hey TURNA, I been same place, same car and a 85 monte also.I had to retire so i have time to play with these cars again. I just hope i have the money & a few good days to finally get some work done on this MC. I been stopping here in all along seeing what's up.