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Working on collecting parts for a 454 swap into my '68 vert. I have some 049 heads that I am sending in for some new valves, and the shortblock is from a late 70's truck. I would like some advise on my intake, cam, and carb selections. I know that even with a low rise intake that I will need a bb hood. I have seen some threads recommending a performer RPM - is this a good option?
Our main goals are drivability and dependability - the current truck 327 without a choke is not getting it done .
Working on collecting parts for a 454 swap into my '68 vert. I have some 049 heads that I am sending in for some new valves, and the shortblock is from a late 70's truck. I would like some advise on my intake, cam, and carb selections. I know that even with a low rise intake that I will need a bb hood. I have seen some threads recommending a performer RPM - is this a good option?
Our main goals are drivability and dependability - the current truck 327 without a choke is not getting it done .
FWIW, I have a 72 cast iron 454 Corvette intake on my 68 w/BB hood along with a truck 454 block and heads plus 454 truck q jet. For a Sunday driver and going to shows, it works great and makes happy noises with the flowmaster exhaust. I believe these 454 truck blocks ran forever in trucks so it should last a long time unless you over rev it And the used 72 Corvette 454 iron intake was relatively cheap. The previous owner had an aftermarket Edelbrock performer 2-0 intake and a 1" (correction 1-3/4" not 1")high air filter that barely fit under the BB hood. I changed all that out to OEM parts and I am happy with the results. Depends on how much performance you are looking for I think.
Last edited by 20mercury; Dec 6, 2016 at 09:28 PM.
I think you should do alot more research before you buy any more parts,or proceed any further. I am not trying to be critical or negative but all the parts have to work in conjunction with each other or you will be disappointed in the results.I think 049 heads are closed chamber(not sure since it's been about 25 years since I messed with them)and a late 70's truck engine would have open chamber heads,and when you combine the two you're going to get very low compression(especially with truck pistons).A cam you select will have to work with that combo.the manifold will either have to be spread bore(for a q-jet) or square bore(for a Holley).There are people on this forum who can help you put together a good combo but it should be a package not single parts by multiple posters who have different ideas of a cruiser.It shouldn't cost any more to put a good combo together then a bunch of missed matched parts.I hope this bump to the top will get you some much needed help from the knowledgable people here
A small block to big block swap isnt just a plug and play conversion like many would think.
For starters, ALL your brackets and pulleys are different, and mostly Corvette specific. ($$)
Cooling components are an issues as BB radiators and hoses are entirely diffferent. ($$)
You are going to wind up needing a new hood or cutting a hole in the old one. ($$$ with body work and paint)
Stock heads, no matter how well worked, are going to be your limiting factor. You can get away with a custom Cam to match your stock heads (Look up Chris Straub at Straub Tech here on the forum) but a nice set of heads are what REALLY makes BB a powerhouse.
Dollar for dollar, pound for pound, you will be better off putting in a well worked small block for what you are going to pay in the conversion process, not to mention that everything BB costs about 40% more.
454 Build Help
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And the used 72 Corvette 454 iron intake was relatively cheap. The previous owner had an aftermarket Edelbrock performer 2-0 intake and a 1" (correction 1-3/4" not 1")high air filter that barely fit under the BB hood. I changed all that out to OEM parts and I am happy with the results. Depends on how much performance you are looking for I think.
