slow winter 455 build

[Dennyboy]

picked up a 69 455 complete motor from a guy for 200 bucks. The guy buys storage lockers and stuff but didn't know anything about motor. lower end looks recently gone through, heads are clean but i will get them worked. Came with the bigger valve C heads, yes i measured them.

I am still tearing down the motor but so far so good. Ide like to get as close to 500HP as possible and keep it on pump gas. I don't want to bore it over. I'm not really setting a goal for horsepower but as close to 500 as possible.

What I am wondering is?

1. What cam would you get
solid? hydraulic? No roller
2. What CFM carb?
3. Any machine work you would do?

 

[Dennyboy]

nothing huh? well ive gotten the motor all the way apart and will start measuring this weekend sometime i hope. the lower end has new bearings and rings and turned over good and there is no scoring in the cylinder walls.

I'm thinking i will be reusing the stock lower end. I'm thinking that maybe 500 is a little much to ask for without boring the block from what ive been reading. I'm not looking for a race car just a weekend street warrior.

any help is appreciated!

 

[rccktmn2]

IMO you should be able to easily get between 450 and 500 on a stock bottom end with a BBO depending on how much you want to spend. The stock pistons are good for 8.5:1 compression so they would definately have to go, you can go up to 10.5:1 on pump gas, you can also go as far as .125 over on a stock big block without any major modifications. The majority of your power is going to come from your cam and top end, the compression ratio I would think would have to come up from the stock 8.5, the heads definately need a good bowl polishing or blending, gasket match the intake, definately need aftermarket intake (edelbrock makes a few nice ones), nice set of roller rockers, headers, with the cam I would call Dick Miller, Rocket Racing performance, or BTR and see what they recommend, they all have good websites. Another good website is realoldspower.com, there are a lot of good racers that could give you real numbers on what you want to build, ultimately it comes down to how much you want to spend though. Good luck.

 

[olds307 and 403]

Actually the stock pistons should be small dish for 69. That means mid-high 9's, I believe. Measure the dish and make sure. Bowl work, as said, is your best investment. The Torquer single plain will pull a few more horse power than the Perfomer. M+J Proformance makes .011" shim head gaskets, perfect with stock pistons .025"-.030" in the hole. Olds like big carbs, the 830 Quick Fuel has been recomended by a few people. Sounds like a good score.

 

[rccktmn2]

Good point, I missed the 69 year, that should be a small dish unless someone changed it, definately measure it or check with your local machine shop they may be able to look up the numbers or google it. I've also had pretty good luck with an 800 QJ on mine with good street manners, holley's for some reason I couldn't get to do very well cruisin, better gas mileage and response at lower rpms with the QJ, just my opinion. I would look at the dual plane performer or something low on the intake manifold so you don't have to do any hood modifications, again just my opinion. M + J as stated is also a good place to do business with.

 

[L92 OLDS]

heads are clean but i will get them worked. Came with the bigger valve C heads, yes i measured them.

I have 1200 into a set of #5 heads and I did a large amount of the porting work myself. My next build will get either Aluminum Pro Comp heads or Edelbrocks. Unless your doing a concourse restoration, why mess around with old iron heads? You will have less CR / detonation issues with aluminum heads. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Blake442]

I've got an 850 Holley 4150 double pumper with only about 1000 miles or so on it.
I know you're fairly local, so shoot me a pm if you want to buy it...