help me spend my money at summit racing**** update

[79elky454ss]

I am getting my parts list together for my 454 refresh project.My donor engine is on the stand (1988 truck engine with good compression test and ran well inthe suburban) and should be stripped down and cleaned up this weekend. That means I need parts to put it back together. Please comment on the following. (keep in mind I want a tourquey,streetable,budget minded, reliable engine that wont leak oil)

Summit brand cam and lifter kit sum-k1300. Are summit brand parts good quality? this kit is about 1/2 the brand names for a very similar grind.

Timing set, true roller vs. double roller vs, gear drive

Distributor, stock hei from my 79 305 vs. ebay hei ( about $50) vs. summit hei. or none of the above

Fel pro 1 piece oil pan gasket about $40 is it worth the bucks, I dont want a leaker

Timing cover, stock vs. after market

Intake manifold, summit has their own for around $150 (dual plane) vs. brand names.

Carb What brand what size? I am way lost on this one

Thanks Greg

 

[megaladon6]

you get what you pay for. summit parts are quality, but not as high-quality as the good name brands. but, if you are not racing you should be fine. i'd go with the double roller chain set. your 305 distributor won't work with a big block without new springs and advance weights and vac advance. i believe that the summit hei with adjustable vac advance is $90 and covers the 454. the fel-pro gasket is excellent! it seals extremely well and has torque limiters in it so you can't crush it, making it (supposedly)reusable.
as for carbs: the math formula is cfm=(rpm x cubic inches) x VE% / 3456
so for your engine approximately 5500x454x85%/3456=614cfm that's assuming a standard volumetric efficiency of 85%. if we go with 100% it's 722cfm. if you go with a q-jet, you don't have to worry because it's self metering, but they are a pain in the *ss to tune and they have a unique bolt pattern. i would go with a 670 holley truck carb. [/u]

 

[87MonteSS]

I find the Q-Jet to be much easier to tune than a Holley. Well, maybe not easier, but the Q-Jet tune is good for a wide range of temperatures where the Holley likes to be at the tuned temperature and has fits if there's a 10+ degree temperature difference.

 

[megaladon6]

i think it comes down to personal experience. you are right about the temp/tune differences. it's due to the self metering ability of the q-jet, thats why alot of companies used it OEM. i just don't find it worth the time and aggravation to get it right. again, personal opinion. the holley's are known for a normal person to be able to easily tune and rebuild. if i had a friend who's really good with carbs i might go with a q-jet, but my holley works quite well.

 

[79elky454ss]

Thanks for the input
yes to the summit cam and the felpro 1-piece pan gasket and adjustable hei

now the carb, if it helps I dont drive this car in the winter (salt). I was looking at holley but have seen rebuilt Q-jets at summit (im not a summit wh*re but the store is 1/2 hour from me) I also found a 750 cfm holley new w/manual choke on ebay for 239. btw the summit intake is dual pattern.

Love the help keep it coming

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Well, for an HEI, I would spend a little more and get one from MSD. It's a better quality piece than the Summit one and not much more. Your 305 HEI is probably the same as the one off Ebay, so if you want a stocker, just go through the one you have. For a cam, I would spend the extra cash and get one from Comp Cams. Which one depends on what you have and what you are trying to do with it. If you are keeping the truck engine's low compression ratio and peanut port heads, try to get one with a wide lobe separation angle, wider than the 110 degrees most generic cams have as it will help with low rpm cylinder pressure, idle quality, etc. For the intake, the Summit piece probably isn't too bad, but you do get what you pay for. I have compared Professional Products intakes to the Edelbrock products they are ripping off and found theme to be of a much poorer quality than the original. It's better than stock, but not as good as Edelbrock or another major brand. You also need to be sure you get the intake for the correct deck height as truck engines ( as far as I know) all have a taller deck height and therefore need either a different intake or intake manifold spacers. Use a good double roller timing chain. Gear drives are noisy and take more power to drive. Their only benefit is that they do not stretch and therefore keep dead accurate cam timing over the long haul, but in a mild street engine you will likely never notice any real benefit. Go for the best gaskets you can as it is one job you do not want to do twice-especially the oil pan! For a carb, I am a Quadrajet fan. With gas prices being what they are, it offers the best fuel economy, not to mention idle quality and a lower base idle speed as compared to square flange carbs. This is due to the smaller primaries and the effect they have on the vacuum signal at low RPM. They are far more sensitive and need less engine speed to draw fuel from the float bowl. Timing cover? Unless you have a roller cam or a gear drive, just use the stock one. Cheap aftermarket chrome ones are made from thinner gauge steel than stock and tend to have sealing problems compared to stock. The same goes for cheap chrome valve covers. Stock or cast aluminum are both better choices for sealing.

 

[79elky454ss]

Hey 85cutlass I was looking at comps 268 bbc cam and was comparing it to summit's grind almost dead nuts match numbers wise with 110 lsa which you said was important with the low compression+small heads. The cam is also something I dont want to redo. Also I think the tall deck bigs were 366 and 427 but I may be wrong

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

I dunno, I always thought the 454's were too. As for the cam, which Comp are you comparing it to, the High Energy, Xtereme Energy or Magnum? It is also important where the opening and closing points begin, not just gross lift and duration. Comapre the overall timing events on the cam card as well-i.e. opening point in degrees and closing point in degrees. The thing about the XE cams is they have very aggressive opening and closing ramps which tend to build more power than earlier designs. I am very happy with mine and was shocked at just how much more torque it has compared to the older Crane design I was using previously as they both are pretty mild, smooth idling cams.

 

[megaladon6]

85cutlass, i know the name of the post is to help him spend money, but relax a little! :lol: from what he's said he just want a torque engine on a budget. the summit cam in a 454 will more than do that. if he wants to really get power out of it i agree with you, but he doesn't need it yet

 

[79elky454ss]

Thanks for all your help I just picked this order up today:
FPP-1884R Oil Pan Gasket, 1-Piece, Rubber/Steel Core, Chevy 1966-90, Big Block, Each $36.88 Monday

FPP-2904 Rear Main Seal, 2-Piece, Silicone, Buick/Chevy, V6/Big Block, Each $13.95 Monday

MEL-IS-77 Oil Pump Driveshaft, Chevy, Big Block, Each $11.39 Monday

SES-3-90-08-003 Oil Pump and Pickup Assembly, High-Volume, Chevy, Big Block, Kit $66.95 Monday

SUM-171200 Rod Bearings, Direct Replacement, Standard Size, Bi Metal, Chevy, Big Block, Set of 8 $15.39 Monday

SUM-172200 Main Bearings, 1/2 Groove, Standard Size, Bi Metal, Silicon Aluminum, Chevy, Big Block, Set of 5 $19.39 Monday

SUM-G3510X Oil Pan, Steel, Natural, 4 qt., Chevy, Big Block 1966-90, Each $30.95 Monday

SUM-G6610 Timing Chain and Gear Set, True Roller, Double Roller, Steel Sprockets, Chevy, Big Block, Set $37.95 Monday

SUM-K1301 Cam and Lifters, Hydraulic Flat Tappet, Advertised Duration 276/286, Lift .500/.500, Chevy, Big Block, Kit $89.95
I got a little suprise the oil pump came with a hardened driveshaft, so I have an excuse to go back to return the melling part :lol: