454 Opinions ?

I've been doing some thinking about sticking a BB in something. My local search is coming up thin for something reasonable ( to me). I have however been seeing the Gen 5's listed more in the lowend price range, I know they have some after market parts problems and are an EFI engine, but have any of you guys ever ran one in anything and have any opinions on them??
Thanks Joe

I think that would be a very cool project. I am definitely no mechanic but I bet it could be done, it just might be expensive??

Look for a donor vehicle.
Often a decent motor alone will run ~2000.
You can often find a running vehicle for that or less and get all the added parts.
Look for something that is mechanically sound but not popular. A big ugly truck is probably the best, since BB cars tend to be expensive. Motorhomes are a good source too, if you can tow it and get rid of the carcass.
I saw a few 454 engines in your area on craigslist for 800. What is reasonable to you?

The big ugly truck option is what I have been looking for around here, old farm stuff. I still have a few Farmers to check out,,so far the only thing I have found was what I think is an old ford flat head V8 sittin in a dark corner of a potato storage. The reason I ask about the Gen 5 or markV is that some running engines seem to hit the 3-600 $ range compared to the mark IV s which might be as much as 500 for a bare block without the bearing caps even ! BB chevys are something I have had very little exsposure to. Dodge ,Pontiac and Ford I have messed with. Besides half the fun is the search if your not in a hurry.

Here ya go....

Seem to be a few of them around... And cheap too!

http://jacksonville.craigslist.org/pts/1964104231.html

Think I will call on that suburban tomorrow ! heck I could scrap the rest out for better than 1/2 that lol, still wondering about the gen 5 tho ,,,lol

mark5 bb has 1pc rear main and there is not alot of aftermarket parts for them to be put in cars. now to put in a van or truck wouldnt be a big deal at all, you have to run an elec fuel pump, and im not sure who makes a carb intake for one but prob check the hot rod forums and that will help. im on pain meds and my spelling isnt making sense. if you wanted to go efi on iy i would go with a p/u set up, ecm and stuf. great torque motor not a high hp engine but you arnet drag racing either

Thanks Jeff, Right I'm not drag racing ,, Torque and Sound is what I am aiming at. Bump up to a newer larger gas tank with the elec pump. I wouldnt mind trying my hand at something more techy .

They aren't cheap, but there are big inch small blocks.
Sound, torque and an easier package to install.

Example:
http://www.racingjunk.com/category/92/Drag_Racing/post/1121869/427-434-SBC-COMPLETE-SHORT-BLOCK.html

Since this is a thread asking for opinions, here is mine:

The big block chevy is a great engine choice... for a chevelle, truck or motorhome.

A 454 would not fit well in our vans. You would also probably have cooling problems. Everything is more expensive for BBC compared to SBC. You go to all this added hassle and expense, for what?

To me, a well built 350, 383 or 400 smallblock chevy makes much more sense and would be way easier and cheaper to install.

I'm already running a mouse motor in mine, Whats making me think BB is the 66 I picked up with a big gaping hole in the floor where somebody did a hack start to a V8 swap. its a blank slate and I like playing with ideas.

Not tryin to steer you away from your thoughts,a Rat motor in a Rat Rod would be awesome,but you might need a lil help in the underside/sprang area too.Sure the weight factor is there.Would steering link get in the way of motor placement.
Beings how your thinkin big,drop a 502 FI crate motor in there.

you only have to use a elec f/p due to there not being a mech fuel pump boss on the block. if you go carbed you can use a frame mount pump no prob. i think a bbc would be great man go for it, put in a nice bapity bapity bump stick a set of hedders and flo-pro 2 chamber mufflers and you got some sweet music. it can be done! small block strokers are great and ive built and ran many, but low end torque is the goal in our vans not top end power, a gen 5 454 you would be talking 440-500 ft pounds at 2800-3500 rpm depending on the set up,buddy when you hit the loud pedel that will put a smile on your face that cant be removed with a jack hammer and your tire guys kids will have a better christmas. its a win win deal for sure!

Okay what I picked up is a markIV. It was a TBI engine , it is a remanufactured engine. I popped a rocker cover and the pan off and its clean as a whistle, took one rod cap off. the engine has been used for sure, it's already turned down .020 at the rod and I havent checked a main yet. some scoring on the journal but I have seen worse, also some scoring in the cylinders at the skirt position, again not all that bad from what I can see from the pan, I am not seeing anything yet that says it shouldnt run okay. No sign of oiled up plugs or exhaust ports. I'm thinking it will be a good starting point and figure on some work to it down the road.



The dead wieght

Still debating on hunting up the parts for a TBI or doing the edelbrock/carb thing.

Nice, thanks for the pics... please keep taking them as your project progresses. I'd say just run a carb, way less hassle

If you are going to go aftermarket carb, (terible on gas) why not consider aftermarket electronic fuel injection. Holly and all those aftermarket peolpe make TBI systems for those engines. Simple too, and even less hastle then a carb.

M1D

I actually was thinking about that real hard ,, but plans have been put on hold, like Gman I have a boat anchor. It was a pretty dissapointing morning, I pulled the center main cap and it was badly scored, I thought ok maybe a crank kit, Got to thinking , seeing as it was remanufactuered at one point , I pulled the heads, sure enough , it was bored .030 over. the first few cylinders I inspected looked great, got to the other side, #2 has a wicked crack near the bottom of the bore and 2 others have a wierd line in them. All in all it is not a rebuildable block. back to the drawing board.

Like me Joe sometimes it's better and cheaper to walk away

Well I have spent a week going back and forth checking and double checking, rationalizing and finally got myself about 50% convinced what I thought was a crack is nothing more than bad water damage from the engine setting to long at one point in its life. Sooo,, I took it to the machine shop I had redo my heads on the 350. They believe it to be water damage and are in the process of cleaning the block and seeing if it can be honed out without getting to large for the .030 over flat top pistons that were already in it... more to come. I should re-title this thread "Gettin' Stoopid"

More on "Gettin' Stoopid". After a good cleaning some scratches showed up in the cylinder walls, so it's getting bored .060 over, so next week will be picking out a rotating assembly kit seeing as the crank is junk anyway. In the meantime about all I can do is this.

My son-in-law Randy has been playing with his new airbrush.

I got the rotating assembly ordered Friday. Machine work might be done next week.

Digz very cool!!!!

Really Nice. Too bad you got to cover it up with the doghouse lid.

Yeah isnt that the truth ! Going to steer away from any chrome if possible on this ,, Thinkin now it's going in the orange van, but that wont be till next fall, will be re-engineering a complete new DH for it , got some plans going that will be unfit for anything conventional anyway. This isnt going to be a quick build ,, my wallet ain't that deep that fast. Just going to get all the ducks in a row until it happens, I have a TH400 to go behind it , so new mounts there and going to slide the engine back at least 10 inches., Have to squeeze the biggest radiator in I can also. Disclaimer: Nothing is written in stone.