454 build?

[big10ratrod77]

hey yall
within the next year were going to build the 454 in dads dulley,

and i was wondering what would be some good parts to add to the engine couse we want to pick up some power but keep it streetable (as streetable as a 454 can be) so i know how to port and polish so thats definatly gonna happen. but the only other engine ive built is a plymouth 225 slant six so im lost over here in 454 land trying to figure out what a good towing cam would be(still have no clue) and what kind of intake maniflold. i want to keep the q-jet couse i realy like the carb.
so heres a few questions i got
how much compression can i run with the cast iron heads.
do roller rockers help eny with power and how?
what is the stock rocker ratio on our 454?
what would be considered a towing cam? (its had a cam swap but this cam dont have alot of bottem end torque)
and what brand of headers and what type of headers would work best with a towing application(i dont like warped leaky headers)?
so eny suggestions would be very apreciated
and i want the engines apperence to look mostly stock like a sleeper kinda if you know what i mean

[grinch4om]

do a stock rebuild, little more cam (210@.050 dur.500 lift)...weiand intake for the peanut port heads, good Q-jet or spreadbore holley....headers, good dual exhast minimum of 2 1/2 inch pipe, free flow mufflers of your choice. HEI distibutor or MSD ...this makes for a solid fun reliable truck motor. there tons of other ways to make power but this is an inexpensive solid method

[big10ratrod77]

so whats up with the peanut port ive herd of them but i have no clue what they are?

[budgetstperformance]

there are three different style intake ports
1. square port you will find in hot rods like 454 chevelle
2. oval port dont know much about these
3. peanut is standard for 454 truck motor since 1975. it restrictive which build torque for towing

[1985LT1_C10]

if your gonna port the stock heads bump the valve size up to 2.19/1.88 i/e. this will help tremendously. the best head numbers are 041 and 781 these heads when ported and larger valves make huge power for the size of the truck and im assuming your keeping the gearing fairly high stay with a short duration somewhere below 220 @0.050 lift generally should be around .500 the shorter duration will keep the power lower in the lower rpm range. as for the intake i have had luck with the edelbrock performer. go with 1.7 rocker arms. roller tip or even stock stamped are fine...dont have to go overboard if your not building a screamer and any header with 1 7/8 primary tubes are what id look for and im glad to see that your gonna use a q-jet!! hope this helps

[big10ratrod77]

do these engines have dished pistons from the factory? i know the 350s did couse i want to go a little higher on the compression side of things

[bigarmzz]

Originally Posted by 1985LT1_C10

the best head numbers are 041 and 781

its been awhile, but i think they were 049's, not 041's werent they?

[po_bird]

Originally Posted by bigarmzz

its been awhile, but i think they were 049's, not 041's werent they?

you are right. it is 049

[GCncsuHD]

I believe they do, subscribing to the thread, I plan on building a mild big block in the near future for my 78 K30.

[SSC's76]

Well this is what I suggest seeing how towing is what were looking to do with the truck. As long as you stick with a cam in the 220@.50 durration with the 454 it will work very well. That may seem big but were looking at a 454 not a 350 the 100 extra cubes needs a little more lift then your run of the mill 350. Stick to a small free flowing intake the the edelbrock performer intake. This is a great intake on a BBC much better flow then a stock intake and about 20lbs less weight. Headers are of course upto you. The flange area has a better mounting surface on the BBC so headers on a BBC arent as leaky as SBC applications so wall thickness is more important then flange in this choice. Heads as long as they have a 2.19 intake and 1.88exh vale in them like mentioned above will work great and have plenty of flow just gasket match them. Going all out on a tow rig isnt nessasary. Id go with stock pistons most are either small dish mostly ive seen flat top with small valve releif area cut into them. A lower compression engine is better suited for towing since its not going to be as picky on the quaility of fuel. Trust me there nothing worse then having a trailer behind you pulling a grade and having to back out of the gas becasue the engine starts to ping. Stock compression will be fine shoot for a max of 9:1. Other then that you may consider upgrading the 30 year old HEI to a new Accel unit to give a properly working distributor is great to have but of course may be nothing wrong with the current one.

[streetstar]

Originally Posted by SSC's76

Well this is what I suggest seeing how towing is what were looking to do with the truck. As long as you stick with a cam in the 220@.50 durration with the 454 it will work very well. That may seem big but were looking at a 454 not a 350 the 100 extra cubes needs a little more lift then your run of the mill 350. Stick to a small free flowing intake the the edelbrock performer intake. This is a great intake on a BBC much better flow then a stock intake and about 20lbs less weight. Headers are of course upto you. The flange area has a better mounting surface on the BBC so headers on a BBC arent as leaky as SBC applications so wall thickness is more important then flange in this choice. Heads as long as they have a 2.19 intake and 1.88exh vale in them like mentioned above will work great and have plenty of flow just gasket match them. Going all out on a tow rig isnt nessasary. Id go with stock pistons most are either small dish mostly ive seen flat top with small valve releif area cut into them. A lower compression engine is better suited for towing since its not going to be as picky on the quaility of fuel. Trust me there nothing worse then having a trailer behind you pulling a grade and having to back out of the gas becasue the engine starts to ping. Stock compression will be fine shoot for a max of 9:1. Other then that you may consider upgrading the 30 year old HEI to a new Accel unit to give a properly working distributor is great to have but of course may be nothing wrong with the current one.

Thats some solid advice SSC ---- no sense in trying to turn a mule into a race horse, but a couple of smart mods may augment its towing ability.

[LiveAnimals]

My 454 is basically stock, it has a mild edelbrock cam with roller rockers, edelbrock mani and holley carb, LT headers to a stainless X-pipe to flowmasters. Its a very torquey p/u, but cruises just fine. Oh it also has 3.73s

[JCampbell]

Subscribed...

[57NAPCO]

I'm getting ready to put together a 1976 GMC 1 ton dually I bought from a member here. Very excited I just ordered the engine build from Mark in Colorado, a 454 putting out 455HP and 550 Ft Lbs of torque with an 8.5 to 1 comp. Having a turbo 400 built also.

[b454rat]

Yeah 049 and 781 heads are about the best large oval port heads without spending crazy money. 9:1, mild cam, intake, headers, good exhaust and you will plenty of power.

[80SPORT]

By far your best value is to purchase the 502 HT crate motor from GM part #88890534;Brand new,warranteed for 2 years;no oil leaks;hydraulic roller cam;just add a dual plane intake and edelbrock carb.You cant beat cubic inches in a tow vehicle ....I would not even put headers on ...they leak and pop gaskets after a while ...just put a good dual exhaust on.

Nice truck ....77's are a one year truck with the yellow in the trim

[dan76]

While you're at it, consider going for a NV 4500 trans for the OD.