basic HPO 454-468-496 BBC engine build up for the street

[grumpyvette]

most guys will want to start with a basic salvage yard core or an engine they all ready own.

you may want to read thru this link, as SOME of the oval port factory heads have some performance potential,if correctly matched to the correct components after some port & bowl clean up and valve back cut work has been done to increase flow rates


READ THIS
http://maliburacing.com/patrick_budd_article.htm

http://www.chevyhiperformance.com/tech/ ... index.html

viewtopic.php?f=69&t=1420

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/power-from-a-stock-454.16370/

http://www.dragzine.com/tech-stories/engine/ultimate-guide-to-budget-bbc-cylinder-heads-under-2000/

viewtopic.php?f=87&t=951&p=1627&hilit=+block+compare+heads#p1627

viewtopic.php?f=44&t=101

http://www.chevyhiperformance.com/tech/ ... index.html

http://www.chevyhiperformance.com/tech/ ... index.html

http://www.chevyhiperformance.com/tech/ ... index.html

viewtopic.php?f=53&t=9986&p=38689#p38689

READ THIS LINK
viewtopic.php?f=53&t=5563&p=16836#p16836

theres always a compromise that needs to be reached between cost,durability and power levels, and drive-ability on a daily basis will favor restraint in some choices of components given the basic application, you don,t need to spend a ton of cash,and you'll want to compromise heavily towards maximum durability and low maintenance even if it costs you a few peak horse power, so keep the piston speed under about 4200fpm and the valve train rpm limited to about 6500rpm or less when selecting components.
you'll want to concentrate the hp/torque curve in the 3500rpm-6300rpm power band when building a basic street performance big block, but it should have a a few key components ,that maximize your power potential while keeping that durability high on your list.
Id suggest you start with a 9.7:1-10.3"1 compression 454-468-496 BBC combo,(keep the choice of cam and compression ratio matched so the dynamic compression ratio falls in the 7.9-8.1:1 cpr range and the quench in the .038-.044 range) because you'll want to run pump gas and not worry about detonation issues,and you'll want to run semi-reasonable priced components to keep the cost down.
because the 4.25" bore blocks that came with the 427-454 engines are cheaper and far easier to locate than the 4.5" bore blocks that came with the 502-509 engines and theres not much sense in building anything less than a 454 displacement or a combo with much under 10:1 compression,unless you supercharge the combo, because the more compression up to the detonation threshold limitations, your octane limits you to the more torque your displacement can usually produce. but obviously theres options
you'll usually want good flowing oval port heads in that compression ratio and displacement range.
you'll want a dual plane intake to match the basic rpm and street application, keep in mind that while a good single plane intake will produce a bit more peak hp but the trade-off in lost low rpm response is not always a good trade on the street.
you'll usually want, a flat tappet cam, as it keeps costs lower.(I generally prefer solid lifters with EDM, oil holes and keeping the duration on the cam so the dynamic compression stays at or under 8.2:1 and bee-hive springs can be an advantage in some applications as the peak loads can be lower while still maintaining valve control in the upper rpms., but ID suggest a minimum of a .600 lift clearance with a .700 lift clearance in the valve train as preferable if you want to maximize port flow rates, most oval port heads pretty well max out near .600 lift but the aftermarket aluminum oval port heads like BRODIX,AFR,TRICKFLOW sell have far better mid and upper lift flow than most reworked stock oval port heads.

http://www.shafiroff.com/rotators/bb_rotator.asp

http://www.adperformance.com/index.php? ... ath=71_232

http://www.speedomotive.com/s-7-big-block-chevy.aspx

http://ohiocrank.com/chevbb_rotate.html

heads

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/TFS-41300001/

http://www.jegs.com/i/Brodix/158/2061000/10002/-1

http://www.airflowresearch.com/index.php?cPath=68_121

http://www.profilerperformance.com/bbc-heads-174.html

intake
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/WND-8019/

OR

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/EDL-7561/

rockers
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/CCA-1620-16/

carb
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/HLY-0-80531/

good cams in the correct range to maximize results with low cost in mind for the application, obviously your rear gear ratio, car weight,transmission, and displacement and compression effect choice so discuss this in detail with the cam manufacturer


http://www.cranecams.com/?show=browsePa ... e=camshaft

http://www.lunatipower.com/Product.aspx?id=2135

http://www.crower.com/misc/cam_spec/cam ... 8&x=29&y=6

youll need a decent 7-8 quart oil pan that fits your chassis

match the combo to an auto trans with a 3000rpm stall converter or manual transmission, and a 3.73-4.11:1 rear gear


http://www.steveschmidtracing.com/short-blocks.html

http://www.worldcastings.com/products/m ... locks.html

http://www.shafiroff.com/shortblocks/540_shortblock.asp

 

[grumpyvette]

Id suggest a 30-35 lb BILLET, SFI certified flywheel and a decent blow proof bell housing
and a sfi certified damper, and 11" clutch if its an manual transmission. and a QUALITY BRAND TORQUE CONVERTER with anti balloon plates designed to handle 550-600hp and similar torque if its an auto transmission

heres some ideas
http://www.popularhotrodding.com/tech/0 ... ntake.html

http://www.jegs.com/i/Hays/490/10-235/10002/-1

naturally youll need to match the cranks INTERNAL OR EXTERNAL BALANCING, when selecting a damper and flywheel, and its best to have the total assembly balanced

http://www.jegs.com/i/ATI/085/917060/10002/-1


how the big block and small block engines differ. The answer is not in displacement. A small block Chevy motor can be stroked and bored to over 400 ci (as evidenced by our high-performance Chevy engines). No, it comes down to bore centers. and much stronger OEM blocks and generally better flowing heads, The small block has bore centers spaced 4.4 inches apart. On the big block, those centers are at 4.84 inches.

keep in mind your basic BBC With more metal separating the bores, there's extra space for cooling galleries and added potential for boring-out. Further, more metal means a stronger block. If you're looking for big horsepower from your muscle car motor, a big block might be the way to go.

IVE built at least a dozen 489-496 bbc strokers and the longer 6.385" rods, vs the stock 6.135" rod length and larger counter weights on the 6.385" combo make the whole deal easier to clearance and balance

 

[grumpyvette]

your basic old school 489 BBC build
(4.25" stroke in .030 over 454 with big port rectangular port head engine with a cam similar to the G.M. 3959180 ZLI cam)
keep in mind you don,t need to spend a ton of cash on a big block chevy to make respectable power,in a street car, that will allow you to impress the local crowd with burn outs on your street tires, what you do need to do is carefully select matching components in both the engine and drive train
the keys are matching the rear gears, compression, head flow rates and exhaust flow to the cam and intake selected.
many big blocks were factory built for low rpm torque , and durability and as such the cam is rather mild and the compressions rather low compared to what might be ideal in a hot rod that might weight 1000-1500 lbs less than the truck you found in the salvage yard, where the engine came from.
many of the more current engines have non-adjustable valve trains (mark V) and peanut port heads, so youll want to research your options and what your dealing with, before you start writing checks for components, because unless you understand your restrictions and options,and correctly match all the components to their intended use your going to be wasting cash.

 

[grumpyvette]

I'd point out I build a lot of 454-468-482-496 BBC engines , so Ive got a bit of experience in what works,
heres what ID suggest, for a street/strip combo mostly used on the street, concentrate on maximizing the mid range and average torque curve without overly hurting the peak power, you can basically assume the lack of low speed torque will not be a huge factor, look theres hundreds of combos you could use and some are better than others, none are perfect, the key is providing a fairly consistent selection in matching the head flow, compression ratio,cam duration, intake intended rpm band, and gearing to match the intended power band while keeping the cost reasonable and durability reasonably high.
get the compression up around 10.3:1-10.5:1 minimum, get the quench in the .040-.044 range
that would most likely require a piston with a small 20cc dome
Id suggest the 6.385" rods with the 7/16" rod bolts
youll want to use a 3000rpm stall converter stall or manual transmission and a 3.90:1-4.11:1 rear gears
http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/engine-balancing.3900/
BUY these heads
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/BRO-2061000/

buy this cam
http://www.cranecams.com/product/cart.p ... il&p=24459

this intake
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/EDL-7561/

this carb
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/HLY-0-80531/

rockers
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/CCA-1620-16/

find a decent 7-8 quart baffled oil pan, that fits your chassis, and full length headers etc. and a minimum of a dual 3" exhaust,
the result will be a torquey BBC engine that will smoke the tires easily but still be driveable on the street in your car/truck
yes you could produce more power with a single plane intake, more cam, better heads, etc. but the object is to produce a dependable and impressive power level on a reasonable budget with off the shelf components

just some info, if you we building a BBC for the track, your looking at a much different deal,you can take the combo above and make these changes, a 496 BBC will perform very well with a fairly tight LSA of about 106-108 and some fairly serious duration, (250-265 @.050) and with higher compression levels, (lets say 11.5-12.5:1) and some small rectangular port heads, or large oval port heads, like the smaller rectangle port BRODIX,TRICKFLOW,AFR, or profiler or larger oval port heads in the 280cc-320cc range, but a combo like that will really shine with a solid roller cam, a 4500 stall converter,a 4.11:1-4.56:1 rear gear ratio and a decent dominator style carb (950cfm-1100cfm)on a single plane intake


intake
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/EDL-2927/?rtype=10

heads
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/TFS-41400002/
or
http://www.airflowresearch.com/index.php?cPath=68_74
or
http://www.profilerperformance.com/bbc-heads-174.html

"youll need the optional roller can springs for a .750 clearance"
cam
http://www.cranecams.com/product/cart.p ... il&p=24647

carb
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/HLY-0-8896-1/

rockers
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/CCA-1620-16/
get the rocker stud girdle youll need it at those lifts and spring loads

yes you'll boost upper rpm and peak hp noticeably over the milder combo above but youll also lose a great deal of it street drive-ability

 

[grumpyvette]

If your thinking about using a set of OEM, 781 stock heads, be aware they take some port and bowl work to maximize flow and that port and bowl work plus the cost of the heads, better valve springs,larger valves retainers, and checking clearances etc. are mandatory,and can easily run close to the cost of the aftermarket aluminum heads that have greater potential and less weight, and are far easier to repair if damaged, OEM BBC 781 heads have fairly small ports at about 256cc, that make the longer duration cam have less effect on the low rpm power, and the longer duration tends to help overcome part of the restriction in the upper rpms, making a longer duration cam act differently than it will with heads that breath better
those 781 heads are some of the better stock oval port heads but they need to be ported rather extensively to come close to the aftermarket head flow levels, slap a good large oval port or small rectangle port head on the same engine and you frequently loose a bit more off idle torque but gain significantly more mid rpm and peak rpm hp if the other parts selected allow the aftermarket heads to breath to their full potential. keep in mind as head flow rates in ports increase the time required decreases allowing a shorter cam duration, and a shorter cam duration allows you to shut the valves faster and capture and burn a higher percentage of the cylinder volume


IVE HAD VERY GOOD RESULTS with both the TRICKFLOW 280CC aluminum heads, and BRODIX smaller rectangle port heads and EDELBROCK AIR GAP OVAL, or RECTANGLE PORT INTAKES , (MATCH THE HEADS) on 468-496 BBC engines using about a 10.5:1 cpr and cams with tight 106-108 LSA and duration ranges in the 240-260 range depending on application
http://www.summitracing.com/search/Prod ... toview=SKU

viewtopic.php?f=55&t=624&p=11495&hilit=volumetric#p11495

viewtopic.php?f=52&t=1070

http://www.cranecams.com/userfiles/PP0811A_SinglePages.pdf

http://maliburacing.com/patrick_budd_article.htm

http://airflowresearch.com/articles/article073/A-P1.htm

http://airflowresearch.com/articles/article076/A-P3.htm