I'm undecided on which to put in, its a base monte carlo not an SS, which i know i will have to get a new rear if i get the 454, but what are the pros and cons of each engine.

 

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its been debated on here several times. even if it was an ss i would upgrade the rear. i believe the housings are the same the only difference is gearing and the carrier. personally i would say if you have money to burn build the big block. if your more on a budget go with the small block. the small block is capable of making comparable power figures for less. its a lighter motor which i would want considering the montes are over weight. if you have a v8 in it already it should be a direct swap. the price of small block heads compared to big block heads alone would seal the deal for me. im sure youll get a bunch of people that will tell you to go big block with no other reasoning than that they look impressive and are torquey. just my .02. good luck

 

If you don't mind working on the firewall to fit the 454 in there go for it. If not ,which I would do, stick with a 350 and stroke it and bore it...383

 

I say 350! There's a huge aftermarket and millions of tried and true mods for it, which makes it a better value. As 7801 said, you can also bore it into a 383 and probably get about 550-650 hp depending on the mods.

 

I agree with montyss02 so much aftermarket for a gm 350 it is the way to go. The 454 will also take up every bit of space under the hood.

 

454 if you feel like upgrading all your suspention parts and rearend, losing your ac, having to modify your heater box to clear the motor, new motor mounts, ect,

350 is the more money friendly option, no need to upgrade front susp, rearend could handle it but wouldn't be a bad idea to upgrade anyways,



either way it's your car do what makes you happy

 

350. stroked build rear, beef up tranny and u cant go wrong.

 

Yeah this is what a few of my friends have been saying, i think i will get put in a 350

 

the aftermarket is the same for bbc and sbc its the price difference thats the issue. heat and ac relocation isnt a huge deal all the parts are made to relocate it. this has been done before for quite a long time now. suspension should be done no matter what motor goes in it cause as anyone that owns one can tell you the gbody is sloppy. 383 isnt as simple as boring the block. youre going to need a whole bottom end and at that point you would want some real heads for the car not to mention some trans work ie converter,shift kit, and rebuild. 550/650hp would be a pretty stout 383 and pretty pricey. the big block actually looks at home in the engine bay with plenty of room to spare its not like youre stuffing the motor into a vega after all. if i were you i would first establish a goal for the car. obviously something realistic and something within your budget. do you want a straight line car, a cruiser, or pro touring car. from there you can decide what combo would be best for you. for all out acceleration and a motor that would be tame bbc is the way to go. its just pricey. a sbc can do just the same and be cheaper, but will be far more radical and less streetable in order to produce the same hp number.