[mgarblik]

Originally Posted by nas t eh

Even if you’ve got stock factory 4 bolt caps and bolts for free?

40+yrs ago I picked up some 4 bolt caps off a junk yard 428.
I have always planned to rebuilt the 455 from my car with those caps, but maybe they are not worth the cost of machining to fit them to the block?

I do have them in place on the bare block and I was surprised at how close to correct they look and feel. I know they have to be properly fitted, but it really is odd how close to true they seem to be.

If you have a set of stock 4-bolt caps, I would consider using them. It costs about $200.00- $300.00 to fit, line bore and line hone a block in Ohio. Be aware fitting the thrust cap can be difficult with stock caps. Aftermarket caps come wide so they can be faced to match the block. Stock caps have already been faced for a different block. If that cap is already too narrow for your new application, that can get tricky. Believe it or not, I have successfully swapped say the #3 cap to the #4 position if it's wide enough. Then faced that cap for the thrust position. Re-number the caps and your all set. The former thrust cap in the #3 position doesn't know the difference.