Decided to make the drive up to Long Beach today morning for the Ecology Swap Meet and came home with a little more displacement than I was planning.



Here's what I've been able to figure out so far from the casting numbers on the blocks and heads:


4 bolt main iron block 454, pulled out my calipers and seems to be bored .030 over. Block is VERY clean, minimal rust or buildup in any of the water passages. NOT a heavy duty truck block from what I can tell, so I can run a lower intake manifold.


Oval port cylinder heads


Cylinder head casting #


Block casting #: 1978 - 1985 production run from what I can tell


Block VIN - having trouble tracing what this actually came out of.

Any help in finding any additional information on the setup?

All told I got the whole kit and kaboodle for $400 cash. Decent deal?

I've never built up an engine before, what should I look at for rotating assemblies, intake manifolds, etc.

Pumped to hopefully put together a big block for the 72!

 

Good deal - that's about the going rate for a good 4-bolt block.

 

Not around here, that bit would cost you at least $650. Good find if not cracked anywhere.

 

Decent deal. I picked up a complete 454 with the same heads off craigs list a month ago for $350. But mine ended up to only be a 2 bolt. Prices I hear run from $250-500 most places.

Start looking for your pulleys and brackets. I thought I was doing good because mine came with them but then found out they are corvette specific.

I'm still waiting for my machinist to be able to get to mine.

 

I dug out my 1974 Motor's Repair Manual. The prefix CKJ comes back to a 1973 8-350 with turbohydramatic trans with 175 HP. It was installed in Chevelles and Monte Carlos. That certainly doesn't match up to a 454 big block. Better check that block, again, and see what you have. I don't think GM used the same prefixes on different engines in other years. My Motor's manual has never steered me wrong. But then, someone may have restamped your block after machining and made a mistake in what they put on it. Good luck either way.
Duane

 

Thanks man, very interesting to read that. In my limited research, I saw that CJK was a prefix for Chevelles, but hadn't been able to find anything for CKJ.

I'm sick as a dog right now, but I'll get down to the garage ASAP and look for any other markings.

 

A 445 block is a great foundation. Find a GOOD machine shop and get it checked out well, line bore it, machine the lifter bores, zero deck the block. Check the bores for roundness and see if they need to be bored....afterwards, make sure the hone it with a torque plate to the size that you need for your correct piston to wall clearance.

Now you need a Scat Forged 4340, stroker rotating assy.... 4.25" stroker crank, 4340 I beam rods(6.385"), and some Mahle 10.0-1 comp, coated stroker pistons(4.31" I believe). Get it all balanced locally, machine the block up real nice and you will have a solid bottom end that would easily hold 800+hp...

Then take those 781 Ovals, have some port work & bowl work done on them, install 2.19/1.88" valves, a GOOD set of springs that match your cam, mill the decks down some to cut the 119 cc chambers down a bit.. and you are on your way to making 600hp....

Ofcourse there is a lot more to this project then I mentioned but this is just the basic stuff..... Just do lots of research before you buy your parts etc......You have a good set of parts to start with...

 

Yup, also have Motor's repair manual's from the era 73' & 78' and both show engine code CKJ as a 73' 175 hp 350, as "Duane" mentioned. The valve's look puny and with 4 bolt main's, probably a truck motor. Either way, the block look's good with unspun bearing's.

 

Good for you! Doesn't matter what it came out of, the block is a good deal if usable. You can do a rotating assembly kit or go a la carte, but before buying anything I'd take it down to an A+ machine shop and have it fully checked out. Then, if it's good to go, you'll need to establish at how much over the cylinders clean up. The block should tolerate .060" over, but I'd try not to go further than necessary for available slugs. You can often step up in .005" or .010" incriments with customs, but they do cost more. Should you elect forged pistons (best for any sort of perf build IMCO) I'd suggest 4032 alloy low expansion ones.

Next, you'll need to decide what stroke you'd like - 3.76" (427), 4.00" (454) or 4.25" stroker - and whether a cast crank will do or if your build needs a forging. Note that while many are internally balanced, 454 cranks are externally balanced and require specific balancers and flywheels. Standard rod length for both 427 and 454 strokes is 6.135", and there are selections to fit most any budget. If you go 4.25" stroke you'll want 6.385" rods (putting +.250" longs in my 427 redo). FWIW, if you choose to go a la carte I've got a set of 3/8" bolt factory rods available, and can install new OEM or ARP bolts, rework the big ends, and/or full float them (w/ or w/o bronze) upon request.

Once bore and stroke are established, you can dial in your compression ratio (CR)/cam combo, including hyd vs mech and flat vs roller. I'd take theoretical Dynamic Compression Ratio (DCR*) into account to help get that right, but as it's only a theoretical number be sure and get plenty of sound advice too. A lot depends on your goal as to what's going to be the right call, but don't overlook that your heads are ultimately the limiting HP factor. I'd determine pretty much all of the above before finalizing the intake and carb, as you want the whole package to match up well for best results.

Last, but not least, it should go without saying that setting a budget will make a lot of decisions for you. One item on which not to skimp is machining. That said, keep in mind BB's usually cost more than SB's to build up. In any event, there's plenty of good books on building BB's which are worth your while, and I'd suggest The Step-By-Step Guide to Engine Blueprinting by Rick Voegelin be on any first time engine builder's reading list. Don't know just where you want to take it, so I've been fairly general, but hope that helps you make good choices. Happy motoring!


TSW

 

Thanks for the informative post! Just finished ordering the recommended book and several others off Barnes and Noble's website.

I definitely agree with needing to set a budget and doing as much research as possible. Luckily, I have a running 350 in the vette right now, so I have nothing but time when it comes to putting together the 454 and making sure I do it right.

As for what I'm looking to do - I'd like to build a solid, reliable 450ish horse / equivalent torque engine that I could drop into my 72 and have some worry-free fun with. A little higher-revving setup would be fun too.

I'm pretty handy with a wrench, but never have attempted to build an engine, so any wisdom you guys could impart on me would be much appreciated.

 

the book (bible) to buy is how to hotrod a big block chevy by ed staffel..jmo...

 

450 crank HP is NOTHING for a 454... I would shoot for atleast 500-550hp. But if you are on a super budget, a stock rebuild on a 454 with a little cam and decent valve job will make 450....

But since you have no crank or rods, it makes no sense to NOT build a 496....if you are going to buy a new rotating assy anyway, there is not much if any more cost associated with going to a 4.25" stroke.....if you are on a tight budget, go with the Scat 9000 cast crank/steel rod combo. Use some good forged pistons. Even a basic rebuild and light port/bowl work on your 781s and a medium sized hyd flat tappet cam would get you 525-550hp in a 496 and still be very economical to build. Ofcourse real heads and a real cam will net you another 100+hp.... All depends on your budget and needs. But 550hp in a big stroke big block will drive like a stocker.... Hell my 650hp basically drives like a stocker with just a little lope at idle...

Build your bottom end right first...then down the road if you decide you want more power, you could always change your heads/cam.

No reason to build a 454 if you don't have a crank....