SBC 350 to 454 chevy in g body cutlass

[gbodyera]

My buddy has a G body 87 Cutlass and is changing his sbc to a bbc. When we swap the chevy 350 for a 454 chevy into the Cutlass,what do you need to do? Does he need different motor mounts or need to remove anything for the big block to fit? his block also has headers.

 

[patmckinneyracing]

The motor mounts should be the same for the sbc and bbc. If he has AC/heat air box in the engine bay, he might want to get rid of that. My M/T valve covers barely cleared and still put a hole in the air box. Once you get rid of that air box you will have so much space you won't know what to do with. Make sure he also has a 3 core or better aftermarket radiator to handle that big block. Trying to cool it with a 2 core ain't gonna fly :shock:

 

[gbodyera]

Is that all? I know he has all of his heat and air things gone already.Will his headers clear? He has regular full length headers.

 

[gbodyera]

Also, what about new coil springs. Can we put those on after we put the block in?

 

[patmckinneyracing]

It would be much easier putting those in while the motor is out of the car, but you can do it after if you want too. If the headers are manufactured specifically for his car, then they should clear. I'm running full lengths in my malibu and they were made specifically for monte carlos, el caminos, and malibus. There is always the possibility that he could run into clearance issues. Seems to happen when it should be a simple swap.

 

[gbodyera]

Do we have to pull the trans out with the motor? Its a 350 turbo trans and he's using it with the 454.

 

[patmckinneyracing]

I got a 350 transmission in my car as well. It is much easier just pulling the transmission out with the motor. To reach some of those bolts and to reconnect the transmission to the motor while the transmission is still in the car can be a real pain in the a**. Just take'em both out.

 

[dan2286]

It would be much easier putting those in while the motor is out of the car, but you can do it after if you want too. If the headers are manufactured specifically for his car, then they should clear. I'm running full lengths in my malibu and they were made specifically for monte carlos, el caminos, and malibus. There is always the possibility that he could run into clearance issues. Seems to happen when it should be a simple swap.

Not really. The weight of the motor can be a big help when putting them in.

 

[patmckinneyracing]

It all depends on how you do it. Since the car is probably gonna be on jack stand when you replace the springs, then the weight of the motor doesn't really matter. I was thinking more on the safety side.