ok thanks so that summit racing radiator would be enough to cool even the 502hp 454?

do you think 502hp and 570tq is streetable though? and can i use my MSD HEI distributer from my small block on the 454 but i would add a 6AL box to it?

 

Streetable? I think it can be run on the street, but it wouldn't be my choice. As I mentioned before, it's fun at first, but after awhile that much power seems to be more work than fun. If you're determined to get it, go ahead, but lots of torque and hp mean lots of gas and repairs. My wife's brother has a 1970 Nova with 454 running dual 600's on a tunnel ram and lots of HP. Seems like he never wants to drive it when we go to a cruise in together. Always wants to take my car because it's too much hassle driving his Nova with the 500+ hp 454. You just can't relax with that much power on the street. Even the 454 is a whole lot of motor at 455hp, and I'd tend to go for the lower 425hp version myself.
The 350 and the 454 or larger displacement BBC based engines share a common distributor.

 

well its not given be driven alot. i mean i doubt i will go on any cruises with it but i plan on taking it out some in the summer and taking it to the track a few times too what kind of repairs would be needed if the rest of the car is built up too?

oh wow i bet thats a sweet nova why couldnt i relax with that much power if the car is built up to handle it? well i wanna go for a 455-502hp 454..im just not 100% sure on which one..and dont you have a 460hp 427? lol how does yours handle on the street?

Do the 305's also share a common distributor?

 

No replacement for displacement as 1971BB427 said. You'll enjoy it a little more as the torque is instant and right there as soon as you press the pedal. Plus you'll have the HP that you'll want. It'll be nice and streetable from the looks of it. I didn't see that much information on the cams such as duration but I think that would be a determining factor also. I have the feeling that the small blocks will be pushing the edge of streetability. You want something that behaves on the street and makes you want to drive it. If the engine bucks and carries on then that's no fun. I had that the other night when I tried to go into sixth gear a little too early and dropped below 1000 RPM's. Sucks when you can't use something that you have readily available imho.

This is also why I'm not stroking my small block 406 to a 434. Too much trouble for the gains. After talking to a local performance shop and a couple of guys who run them they say they're good for the drag strip but not too good for a street driver. Two of the three told me that unless I want to tear it down every 8 months to a year that it's not worth it. It's different when you do a tear down after the season's over on a race car versus when you do it for your street car that you drive regularly.

Won't he have to get different motor mounts for the big block to set the engine correctly? I remember talking to bowtie guy about it and he had to use a different set of motor mounts. Does it set the engine's rear mounting surface more forward or back? If so this will change the mounting point of the transmission crossmember and it will need to be relocated.

 

This is what BowtieGuy said about his setup when I asked about a conversion:

 

I think I would have to lean towards the big block as well. My stroker is built up pretty nasty, but my car wouldn't be very much fun to drive any long distances. To get more horses out of a small block, you're really pushing it hard and to the limits. I recently got a ride in a friends BB 71 Camaro. And even though I'm pretty sure our two cars would be a fun and close match up, his just felt like it was "loafing" along compared to mine getting pushed to the edge.
And I believe the differences in the big block engine frame mounts is that they kick the engine over to the passenger side a touch to help clear the steering box and brake booster.

 

thanks kyphur and camaro69..ive decided on getting a BB now as well..im torn between the 455hp or 475hp 454 or 470hp/525tq 509? do you think any of these would have good street manners?

 

i hope that the conversion isn't too big of a pita lol

also i found out that the 509 with 470hp and 525 tq has a comp flat tapped cam with 276/282 duration and .510 lift along with 9.8:1 compression.

 

Ok, since I've done a few conversions in Camaros from SBC to BBC I'll tell you what I've done.
First, there's no magic to motor mounts. If you have the std. small block frame location mounts, then simply use SBC engine mounts. If you try to use BBC engine mounts, then you'll have to take the frame mounts off and change to the BBC frame mounts. Why bother, when the SBC mounts bolt right on a BBC and to the frame. Get polyurethane or Moroso solid steel, but stay away from Energy Systems SBC mounts, as they have clearance issues.
Headers or stock manifold will drop right in, and the Doug Thorley headers I used dropped right in from the top! Just pulled the spark plugs and slid them into place, bolted them up and put the plugs back in.
You'll need to reroute your alternator wiring from passenger side to driver's side, as that's what all the BBC Camaros used. The alternative is to fabricate a altenator mount for the passenger side, which is what I chose. I just mocked up a mount, tacked it together on the engine, then removed it and welded it up. I didn't want the alternator above my PS pump, so chose to do it this way. Two others used the stock alternator/power steering pump brackets and relocated the wiring. You choose what you want.
Engine location doesn't change, so nothing to change with the tranny. Simply bolt it up. I did have to change the radiator to the big one, and that meant cutting out the core support on every swap. 5 minutes with a jig saw or Sawzall. Then some filing and paint.
Anything else is optional, depending on what you want to do with the exhaust and rearend.

 

Yeah, I think I would listen to someone who has actually done the conversion (1971BB427) over someone who has just heard second hand what it takes (me).

I mean it's even in his frickin' name!

With that said I don't think you'll be upset with either choice you make as far as the BBC's go. I was wanting to go 496 but this 406 kind of fell in my lap. Now if someone wants to trade a 406 for a 454...