.....now I'm going to bed!
454 brain fart ???
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 1,909
Likes: 6
From: Lake Arrowhead - Georgia > 72 Base Coupe & 74 BB Roadster
454 brain fart ???
This is not a very good pic, but all I have right now. Look at the camshaft hole. See the 2 small threaded holes at the 3'oclock and the 9'oclock positions. What are those for...maybe I am just really tired! I'm going to bed. 
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 1,909
Likes: 6
From: Lake Arrowhead - Georgia > 72 Base Coupe & 74 BB Roadster
Thanks though.
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Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 1,909
Likes: 6
From: Lake Arrowhead - Georgia > 72 Base Coupe & 74 BB Roadster
I think you might be correct.....This is my first assembly from a bare block. I honestly do not remember a retainer plate and I have searched in my "well organized" stack of parts from the dissasembly. I don't have one. If a BB 454 does not have a retainer plate....I needs to know. Can't find mention of it in the assembly manual for the 454 - 74 model. Maybe someone with more experience than me (which ain't hard to find) will straighten me out.
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 24,125
Likes: 15
From: Columbia Missouri
Maybe they made provisions for one and never installed them. I know nothing og Chevy big blocks. But, on a Cadillac 472, it looked very similar, close bolt pattern and casting, and I removed a cam retainer plate. Maybe it's cast and not used for some reason.
Pro
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 511
Likes: 0
From: St. Louis MO
I think its used only in roller cam applications or heavy duty truck apps. I'm rebuilding a 454 currently and it didn't have the retainer plate. However my gen 6 block with roller cam has the retainer plate, the spaceing for the bolts are the same but they clocked it 90 degrees to clear the new locations of the oil gallies of the gen6 block.
Here's a pic of the gen6 block, you can easily see the same bolt pattern and there is a retainer plate for the roller cam in this block. It also requires a special upper timing chain sproket due to the smaller cam bolt patter since the retainer plate makes the snout of the cam a smaller diameter.
Here's a pic of the gen6 block, you can easily see the same bolt pattern and there is a retainer plate for the roller cam in this block. It also requires a special upper timing chain sproket due to the smaller cam bolt patter since the retainer plate makes the snout of the cam a smaller diameter.
