big block vs small block

[custom442]

fords blow *ss. The only thing good about fords is the early roadsters and model t's. And I'd never put a ford engine in one.

I've never seen a camaro look like this^ theres at least half a dozen that look like that at UH. I see more riced out mustangs than civics. The new 5.0 is great, otherwise fast fords are few and far between here, mostly some dick that thinks his 4.6 gt with exhaust is the greatest thing ever and gets waxed by a stock prelude or something

 

[SScamino]

Big inch small blocks are better than both... Contradiction I know.

 

[84sbcregal23deg]

Big inch small blocks are better than both... Contradiction I know.

they are wayyy cool! theres a company selling grudge engines on racing junk, 454 small blocks, 900 hp N/A! i think they cost like $16,000, but still ****ing badass!!

 

[othtim]

I love this thread, just sayin'.

I just finished building SBC. cost was about 1800-2200 bucks. I got a low-mileage short block, but the only parts in the whole motor I ended up reusing were the rotating assembly, piston rings, cam, and the oil pan.

1800-2200 bucks got me:
rebuilt vortec heads. I ended up buying another set of new pushrods and lifters as well, I didnt like the ones that came wwith the rebuild.
all the gaskets and such for the rebuild
dual plane edelbrock performer manifold
rebuilt quadrajet
new valve covers, new brass and AN fittings, new wire looms, new wires.
new MSD dizzy
new ARP bolts for everything in the motor
new ARP bolts for everything on the outside of the motor
cloyes timing chain
melling HV55

motor pulls hard. should put out about 330 hp/380 tq. ish. hasn't been dyno'd yet.


With a Big Block, Good luck finding
A) low mileage short block (ie under 60k miles)
B) quality rebuilt heads for 200 bucks



BB's are great, but if you don't have the money to make it a 500HP machine, don't bother, IMO. Just too much money for a young guy like me on a budget.

 

[G-Body_Vet]

BB's are great, but if you don't have the money to make it a 500HP machine, don't bother, IMO. Just too much money for a young guy like me on a budget.

T'is true. Can't beat the SBC bang vs buck. Parts are plentiful and cheap compared to most other makes. Being that I'm a little older I have more time to play with something different. When I was a younger guy I didn't have a back-up car if my daily went down. Same day mods, repairs and swaps became the norm.

I can take as long as I want to finish my 455 without sweating it now. If it takes me an extra month or two to buy pistons I can do it.

 

[othtim]

When I was a younger guy I didn't have a back-up car if my daily went down. Same day mods, repairs and swaps became the norm.

Yeah, this. This is exactly how it is, lol. SBC, something breaks, I'mg uaranteed to be able to find parts. I want to get a second car, a big caddy, and do a big block properly. 🙂

 

[fatso86]

see the thing with the 350 chevy small i have... i want 350 hp out of my 350 chevy...if iwas to rebuild it i would need to get heads...intake.... pistons.....i would want my cr to be a the least of 9 to 5 and you got to remember im starting with a crap 1976 chevy 350.... put if i rebild the 455 olds big block the only thing i will have to buy is some headers and intake

 

[G-Body_Vet]

the 455 olds big block the only thing i will have to buy is some headers and intake

What are the chances that you'd stop there though? What started up as a mild build for me turned into a set of worked iron heads with $1100 into them. Since my heads are ported & gasket matched, it only made sense to port & gasket match the intake too. I could've gotten away with stock internals, but a lighter, balanced & forged rotating assembly makes more sense now. Since I'm investing in good parts, I want quality/meticulous machine work too. I'm also going to buy a rebuild kit for my Q-jet that's calibrated for my set-up. Since the machine shop doing my work has a distributor machine I'll have that dialed in too.

Not exactly the cost efficient build I had in mind, but I will say this....
When it's done I'll have a reliable. powerful, crisp responding engine. Although it's just a street car, my build mirrors a mid 11's set-up.

Overkill for the street...maybe. But it comes down to building what you want.

 

[papabearxl]

I just plan on turning my 71 455 core in for $500 to rockauto (or someplace similar) and buy the long block for $1500 and be done withat aspect. Even if it is left at the stock compression ratio, as it has been said before, a stock 455 in one of our cars will move it along very well.

Just my $0.02..


**unless someone buys it and the THM 400 from me before I am able to shell the $1500 out for the long block, that is...*

 

[pontiacgp]

does the $500 core drop the price to $1,000 or is it $1,500 plus the core?