So i bought my father in laws 68 and he already has a 400 in it. I also found a 454 that a guy might sell me. it will need completly rebuilt. So should i just build up the 400 or go for a full rebuild on the 454. Just looking for ideas and exploring my options.

 

Post in the 1st gen section tech sections or the General Tech section. Also post more details like what you want out of the car and your budget. The 454 is a more powerful motor but the are very pricey to build. As long as your goal is not a insanly fast 1/4 mile car the Small block 400 will be a lot easier on your wallet. Both of these motors are well liked and have huge followings.

Both of these motors are torque monster so as you hopes of a "more powerful" motor goes up the cost of the trans and rear to support are going to rise very quickly.

 

welcome to the forum, moved your thread to the first gen section for ya. thanks gorn. you should get good help here from the guys. read the rules when you get time. thanks and enjoy the forum.

 

Thanks for the help guys and sorry about posting in the wrong section. this is my first time on a forum so i am trying to learn about it.

So i was leading more towards the 400 before and i think that is what i am going to do. Now, i have been out of the business of building cars for about 5 years now and have lost some of my knowledge over the years. So what gears should i put in the rear end. i am hoping to find a posi track for it too.

 

yes the small block will be a lot cheaper on you and you can always build a bad *** small block. it was me I would keep the 400, can have both show and go.


what gears do you have now, what kind of trans. size tires? will you be doing a lot of highway driving? Depends on how you use your car

 

Not sure where's everybody getting there info , you can build a 454 just as easy as a 400, i can go as far as saying even cheaper, there's tons and tons of parts out there for the big blocks Download Howards Catalog
info@cnc-motorsports.com

and when you are done the horse power and Especially the mega torque that baby will have, no small block will be able to match.
Good luck

 

I get my info from building motors for race cars for years. An upper engine kit from Elderbrock for a big block can cost $1000 more then the same one for a small block. The Carb needs to be bigger the exhaust needs to be bigger the trans and rear need to be stronger everything about the build will cost more. Heck just a set of valve cover can cost X2 as much

Another thing is we know the era of the 400 but if the 454 is a smog era truck motor he will have to replace a lot of parts. A stock SBC 400 with a Cam and an intake can be a pretty bad motor with some head work. A 8.5:1 compression 454 smog motor on the other hand is going to need a lot of help. Neither the 454 crowd or the SBC crowd should be dismissed as an option.

 

Upper engine kit? not sure what that means or how to interpret that.
i have dabbled in a few small and big blocks the latest a vette supercharged small block at 750 rwhp and my sons 68 camaro supercharged big block at well over 900 rwhp so i think i know what i am talking about.

Heres the thing, big blocks are a dime a dozen ,they are everywhere,(and not tall blocks ) parts are as cheap as small blocks, they are also everywhere, what it comes down to is this, the dude is trying to get some good info so he can decide what he wants to build and what power level he wants to be in and have fun.
There's no substitute for cubic inches

 

+1 same as above from experience building and racing em

I am not dogen a BB, but to change from SB to BB is also going to cost in getting the car set up for it. suspension, and trans, drive shaft. and lets not forget gas consumption.

 

I never meant to dog the big block, as I said they are both very viable options. They both have huge followings and you can argue semantics all day long. I have read 100s if BB vs SB threads. I do not think I have ever heard the argument that a big block was cheaper to build then a small block. Most guys I know that love their Big Blocks and will tell you it is a great sand box to play in but don’t forget your wallet. Within two basic designs, we know what 400 but we have no clue what he wants out of the car and what his budget is. The reason the SBC is so popular is because it is the cheapest motor to modify.
The reason the big block used parts and engines are available and cheap is supply and demand. Most guys are going to the LSx motors and everything Gen motor wise is dropping in price. But the price of used parts is not going to help with new things like an upper engine kit (Heads, intake and Cam)