[SlinkyBMX]

I thought of a few parts I could get for it:
Edelbrock Pontiac 326-455 non egr performer intake
Edelbrock Performer Cam
Hooker Comp. Headers

I'm not sure what to use for a carb, rockers, ect. I want to keep the use of my shaker.

And also in choosing the engine. Long or short block, someone please ecplain the pros and cons. I belive it has to do with the stroke.

Thanks again

[MetalHead175]

A short block is the rotating assembly without the heads, or anything up top. A long block is heads, intake carb, pan, etc.

[TA454]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Heff:
Another problem could be height differences between the 454 and 455...i can't find any info on that. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

A 454 with dual plane intake ( performer RPM or similar) fits under the stock hood just fine. Shaker needs to be mounted to the hood itself. as the carb does not line up with the shaker base

[Thumpin455_GTO]

For $3000 you can suck the headlights out of a 454 with the same money in it. I can find expensive places to quote to buy parts too. Shop around and you will see what things really cost.

How fast do you awnt to go? Got an idea as far as an ET?

The performer intake will work great. You can run some ported iron heads like 6X or 5C and make good power. To get only 350hp you dont need much for head work.

I like the Summit 2802 cam, you will need a small stall. Somewhere between 1900-2400 rpm, and with a 455 you will be able to keep the gears you have, (unless they are 2.56's Bonneville here we come!) but 2.73 to 3.42 will work just fine with it. Roller rockers are good but only the roller tip ones will fit under stock valve covers. Poly locks will need taller covers or spacers. I am running stock rockers on my GTO's 455. Its built very similar to Jim Hand's 455's. It makes alot of grunt down low and has put the 4200lb GTO thru the 1/4 in 13.51@105 with 2.93 gears and a 1900 stall stock GM converter. I have since switched to 3.42's but havent made a pass with it yet.

Get it balanced and use good parts, it will last forever. If you want a detailed description of my 455's just drop me an email wfo71@hotmail.com. The GTO has a $1700 455 with cast pistons and the Bird had a $2700 455 with JBP iron 670's 288-296 cam forged pistons, cast rods, torker II/850 holley and a 2100 stall that ran 11.71@115 weighing 3700lbs. That one with low CR heads would work really well for you, but run mid 12's.


TA454, how much you have in your 454 and what you run with it? I am only curious cuz I am workin on a new 455 for my Bird. I would be up for some grudge matches just for fun and finger pointing. New engine is more $$$ than I have spent on the entire GTO tho... which isnt really much.

[TA454]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Todd S.:
For $3000 you can suck the headlights out of a 454 with the same money in it.


TA454, how much you have in your 454 and what you run with it? I am only curious cuz I am workin on a new 455 for my Bird. I would be up for some grudge matches just for fun and finger pointing. New engine is more $$$ than I have spent on the entire GTO tho... which isnt really much. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Total bill for my rebuild in 2001 was $4000
That was for a new stroker crank, H- beam rods, JE pistons & pins , C&A ZGTF rings. freshen up heads which were new iron merlin oval ports in 95 so add $1200( what the heads cost in 95) New comp solid cam & lifters, timing set, All machine work Bore & Hone, clearance block for longer stroke/rod clearance. Assembly and gaskets.
I will admit my setup is a little mismatched. i am only running an 850 DP should probably use a 950 or larger. Also have smaller headers than optimum only 1 7/8 instead of 2 1/8. I also skimped on the cam only went with a solid instead of roller. But all of the mismatched components are simple fixes. The car would probably like more converter as i am only running a 3500.
But even with being under Carbed, Cammed, Convertered, and exhausted. My car has run a best of 10.74 on the foot brake with open pipes. And a 10.78 on the trans brake thru mufflers. Weight is 3600 lbs. suspension is Ladder Bars and coil overs with 29x9 hoosiers.
I thought of stepping it up but figured why bother. high 10's is good enough and running ultra conservitive will extend the duribility. Another plus of running conservitive is maintenance. I can get by all season only having to adjust the valves mabey 2 times.
I dont like to work at the track i take the hood off for tech and to remove or install air cleaner.
Grudge racing is always fun.

[BVR421]

TA454, high 10s @ 3600lbs gets my respect. no denying the potental of a big block. Did you swap that motor in or buy it that way? Your car sounds like my 76 was a few years ago, backhalfed with a BBC. It ended up a full tube car by the time I bought it as a roller this summer. With all the details Ive gone thru to convert back to Pontiac power, I cant imagine doing the job with a car still in street trim. Bad enough on a race car. Ive seen a lot of Pontiacs with BBs but it always looked like a lot of work when cameros are so easy to find.

[TA454]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by BVR421:
TA454, high 10s @ 3600lbs gets my respect. no denying the potental of a big block. Did you swap that motor in or buy it that way? Your car sounds like my 76 was a few years ago, backhalfed with a BBC. . <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thank you
respect is a little hard to get round here if you dare to be different. Or vary from what is considered to be the popular opinion.
Actually i saved the car from the crusher. Mine is also a 76. originally a 455 4speed car. The guy i bought it from beat it to within an inch of its life. Obvously i knew the prevous owner he said the motor had a bad knock. I never even drove it figured what the hell $750 for a solid body was a good deal 14 yrs ago. Then it sat in the driveway for a couple of years. One of those I will get to it "SOMEDAY" deals.
My father had an old 454 and TH400 out of an old suburban in the garage. He also has a 73 455 4speed TA that upon retiring is going to restore. since that is a more desirable car figured my motor would be better used as a spare for his car. After all at that time they were only getting harder to find. Plus i had no intention of remaining anywhere near stock.
Needless to say in went a stock 100000 mile 454 from a 73 burban. A little tweeking I got it to run 13.3 still on a stock motor. Then like anything else once you get hooked just keep adding to it.
Actually it was not a lot of work. The factory fuel lines are too small to properly feed any kind of high HP motor so the relocation of them is a nonissue. Most people put battery in trunk anyhow again a nonissue. infact the handeling of the car was great when i first did it with stock suspension. had great road manners and that stock truck motor got 15 mpg even with 4:11 gears. The only "street trim "item i did not keep at first was the AC.
It was a basic case of making due with what i had available. Had the original moror have run i would probably went that way.

[WDCreech]

I wasn't going to post on this, but TA454, you said respect is a little hard to get "if you dare to be different". Look around, the majority of people, put Chevys in anything. For the same money, a Pontiac will "suck the headlights" out of a Chevy. To be different one should run whatever brand engine came in the car. I have a lot more respect for someone that has a 454 in a shoebox than someone that has one in a '40 Ford. If you want to run a Chevy, put it in a Chevy. Please....

[TA454]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by WDCreech:
I wasn't going to post on this, but TA454, you said respect is a little hard to get "if you dare to be different". Look around, the majority of people, put Chevys in anything. For the same money, a Pontiac will "suck the headlights" out of a Chevy. To be different one should run whatever brand engine came in the car. I have a lot more respect for someone that has a 454 in a shoebox than someone that has one in a '40 Ford. If you want to run a Chevy, put it in a Chevy. Please.... <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
That is why YOUR car is YOURS and mine is mine. I have no more right telling you what you should do with yours than you do telling me what to do with mine. The original post was an inquiry into how to do the conversion. i stated FACTUAL info. Others had to interject with their personal OPINIONS.
Hot rodding is a lot like Burger King "...have it your way and i will have it mine.
i am not intolerant as to how people participate in the hobby. As i see it any car that is kept out of the junk yard. and away from the crusher deserves some degree of respect.And their owners who are preserving our heritage deserve to be commended.
There is alot more work that goes into doing a conversion than just replacing one component with the exact same thing that it came with.

[Thumpin455_GTO]

TA454 you can run whatever engine you like. I for one just dont like workin on Chevy engines. Not as good engineering IMO. Especially small blocks, I just cant stand having to pull the oil pan to change the cam. Doesnt make sense to me, among other things. So my preference is Pontiacs, and I put them in everything. I dont like the extra work involved with putting a Chevy in a Pontiac and it makes me sad when I see a sbc where a 400 or 455HO once sat, especially in GTO's. For some reason I didnt mind the extra work of putting a 400HO in my 76 shortbox 1/2 ton, maybe its the pulling power it has now and good mileage that made it worth it.

I just dont agree with lets throw a chevy in there because its the only way to go fast. Thats the attitude I have read in magazines and heard on the street. Like a guy running 13.8 in an 86 Monte can tell me much about goin fast when my 455 ran 11's for $2700. Like I want to spend more to go slower, it doesnt make sense to me.

You hade a 454 and a body sittin there with no engine. Makes sense to me. But when you already have a 455 and you pull it for a chevy, then I wonder about the sanity and forward thinking. Or is it just following the crowd? Theres not much that is different about putttin a chevy in something. I just like my Pontiacs, they go fast for cheap. BTW the new engnie should be a tad faster than the old one. I'll let ya know how it runs in a month or so.

[Mr. P-Body]

Todd, there ARE ways of getting the timing cover off the small block without pulling the pan. Moroso even makes a "modified" one for that very purpose.
TA454, I must echo what another has said. You're not "daring to be different" by shoving a rat in ANYTHING. I've seen Mustangs lately, with BBCs in them. Virtually ALL of the "modern" street rods I've seen (built in the last three or four years) have 502 "craters" in them.
I also agree, it's your car, do with it as you please. But don't try to sell the "Chevy is better" around here, as you're talking to deaf ears. Pontiac people like Pontiac motors, as well as Pontiac style. It's an attitude thing.
As a professional engine builder, I can tell you for sure. Big block Chevy is one of the finest power plants ever designed for automotive applications. The single biggest drawback is the weight. MASSIVE. But tough as nails, and puts out SERIOUS power when properly built.

[Thumpin455_GTO]

Agreed there are ways to do it, but millions of sbc in cars and trucks dont have the trick parts on them. To me getting a good seal without pullin the pan down in front and losening the entire thing is annoying at best.

TA454 has a good running car, its just one that I wont build. Different is putting anything else into a Chevy. lol...

[Herb Hagan]

You can run whatever you want, but you can't come play with the rest of us at any of the Pontiac events, NO BB CHEBBIES NEED APPLY!
Herb

[TA454]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Goatnad:
You can run whatever you want, but you can't come play with the rest of us at any of the Pontiac events, NO BB CHEBBIES NEED APPLY!
Herb <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


Since when?
You gotta read the rules a little better.
I have been to them all MANY times. The ONLY exclusions based on brand of motor is the quick 16. At Norwalk and VMP.
Kinda funny how my car wound up on the flyer for the Island Dragway show. HA-HA!!
Thera are a lot more of us than you think at the "Pontiacs Only" events. The only differance is I DO NOT hide it. If you do enough poking around at the events you will find others with BUICK, OLDS, what ever lurking under the hoods of a lot of cars that are not "supposed" to have them.
Like i stated earlier the original post was an inquiry into how to do the conversion. I stated factual info others had to interject with personal biased/ignorant/intolerant opinion.
personal opinion has no connection to fact.
After all that IS what this entire forum is all about hobbiest aiding other hobbiest in the preservation and improvement of old cars?
P.S.
herb see you at the pontiac events next year BUDDY!!

[a-train]

I have a 454 in my 80 and I really like it. (I don't have times or anything so don't ask.) My car originally had the 301T motor, aka 'the anchor' in it. It ran for 160,000+ mile - barely, but it still ran. I actually started out wanting to get the 301 rebuilt. My motor guy told my that I probably wasn't gonna get too much out of the 301 without spending $$$ and he didn't know of any 400s or 455s for sale or trade around there. He suggested a BBC and guaranteed me I'd love it. I have never thought twice about yanking the 301 for the 454 and so far have no desire to switch it out for a poncho.

I'm not saying one is better than the other, but like TA said if its your car do with it what you want.

[78 GHOST]

TA, you're doing what makes you happy and that is what matters.

Andy, that is a beautiful car. Too bad your machinist couldn't/wouldn't find a Pontiac for ya. 400s and are plentiful and powerful.

In my opinion, you gotta work with what you have first and foremost. Some people aren't made of money or can afford to go through a new engine. THAT I can understand.

Chevy's are fine engines. Pontiac's are fine engines. I think the determining factor in this is more directly related to how well the package is selected, prepared, and tuned.

Even if Chevy and Pontiac power offered identical power, I'd side with Pontiac due to many differences that simply make sense to me. Not pulling dist. to change intake. Front cover arrangement. etc.

[bmpmdf]

HAVING BUILT ALL OF THEM, I STILL PREFER THE PONTIAC V8. IT IS A BETTER DESIGNED ENGINE. TOO BAD THE AFTERMARKET DIDN'T MAKE DESENT PARTS FOR IT FOR 30 YEARS. BUT THEN, WHEN CHEVY GUYS ARE BUYING AFTERMARKET PARTS JUST TO KEEP UP WITH STOCK PONTIACS, I GUESS THE AFTERMARKET FELT THEY OWED THE CHEVY GUYS.

[Banditone]

Being a purist I would never stick a Chevy in a Pontiac-there was a local street racer HERE that owned a 74 455SD TRANS AM that would smoke a 70 LS6 454 CHEVELLE by an average of three car lengths every time-the CHEVELLE was souped 12-1 comp.HOLLEY 850 4.88 gears etc.-the TRANS AM was setup to HO RACING SPECS-KEN CROCIE-you might even remember him --- 3.55 GEARS-12 BOLT -HO RACING CAM 550 LIFT -RHODES lifters HOOKER 2 Inch prim. headers--TORKER INTAKE-Worked 800 QUADRAJET-3500 STALL-full manual valve body etc. simple bolt on stuff-the owner of the T/A mentioned how the CHEVELLE would be smoking the tires trying to catch him coming out of the hole--79 T/A with the 455 get a set of CROWER RODS -very reasonably priced-A NODULAR CRANK-pretty stout piece--I've seen these cranks in big PONTIACS etc--so they should be plentiful--work with a GOOD local PONTIAC MECHANIC or try PAUL SPOTTS etc.--they'll set you up right-with out breaking the bank .Heres a great pic of a 73 455SD TRANS AM pulling a holeshot .

[Banditone]

Keeping the beast under control .

[T/A462]

Look at the smile on the passenger. That cracks me up, lol. TA454, high 10's is great, very respectable and probably faster then most people here.