ok since i bought my car ive wanted more power and i feel the 350 isnt big enough to blast this car down the road as it needs.so my question is to all the 1st/2nd gen owners who have had a 350 then swapped to a 454.so all im wandering is would it be more beneficial to stay with the 350 and build it or drop the 454 in it and be good? till i get bored of it, thank you all for your time

 

Build the 350 plenty of parts that are cheap and easy to find.

 

i dont personally own a 1st or 2nd gen monte, but the 1st gens arent as heavy as the second gens. i think theres pros and cons to either setup. the 350 is going to be cheaper to build and lighter. the 454 has the cubes so it should be the torquer motor but its going to be heavier, and bbc parts are definitely more expensive than sbc stuff. not to mention if you do a big block and its making silly power youre probably going to want to run a 400 trans or beef up the 350. now car craft recently did an article on a 454 crate which all be it didnt make amazing power made more than enough to propel your car down the road and it was less then 3g. which would give you money to put a real cam in it and what not to pump it up a bit. personally im a small block man. you can go with one with a short stroke and have it rev like a psycho or go with one with a long stroke and have it make tons of torque way down low. theyre cheap, relatively light, found almost anywhere, and can make as much power as a big block. heres the article i speak of. now granted its advertised at 400hp/500tq minus the carb but on the dyno made 441hp. anyway you look at it with a little diet should be more than capable of putting that car into the low 13s high 12s, and be super tame while doing it. a 440hp 350 cant lay that same claim.
http://www.carcraft.com/techarticles...ild/index.html

 

thanks for the replys.i know sbc can make power..but the 1st gen mc is about 3450 on the showroom floor.but i personally am a big block mam..i already have a 454 just needs rebuilt so either i can rebuild the 454 or buy a 350 crate.talking to my dad a rebuild is about 1k and a 350 crate is more than i can afford..a grand is gona be scraped outa corners and would be pieced together.but im goinna look at that article.i think the big mc's need the big blocks..but im a old school guy.so more cubs=more power to me..take care all and thanks again

 

good luck with it. its good that you already have a 454, but to make it worth while it needs a set of heads. thats where the problem lies with bbc stuff. everything is more expensive. certainly heads are more expensive. cam, headers, intakes its all more expensive than small block stuff. that g will probably get you machine work and the bottom end freshened up, and maybe the factory heads, but to me it seems for not unless its a 454 that made some power from the factory ie LS4,5,6.(LS6 obviously highly unlikely) it would suck to rebuild a smogger 454 put a cam in it and it make 350hp and weigh a ton doing it. at 3450 youre not talking an insane amount of weight and a small block with some cubes will definitely propel that thing. personally id save up, sell the motors you have, and invest in one thats done. from past experience its a ton of work and money and in the long run could have bought something better for less. for the money i have tied up in my motor i could have bought a desirable year/body muscle car that was 99% done. not trying to talk you out of it. father son **** is awesome just trying to brace you for it.

 

i you REALLY want to make power and can wait, i would say save your money and get a wrecked TBSS with an LS2. Swap over everything. That also includes all if the computer stuff that goes with it and trans. Your going to make around over 300HP easy and get great gas millage.

JMHO.

 

im not a big electrical guy. i plan on re-running all the wiring from bumper/bumper at some point.but wiring is always a pain in the as*.even if it is a painless harness.but with the 454 needing rebuild id really love to learn, even if it costs me more.i love turning wrenches and all.and doin it with my dad would just be the bonus of it all.i plan on doing everything to my car myself/have someone show me.i thrive to learn and it would save alot of money.bout the only thing i wont do is bore out the 454 block..but every idea is worth speaking.i would like to get ahold of a ls series.thanks again for the ideas and thoughts.

 

I have a 70 Monte Carlo that had a 400sb in it when I bought it and in 1997 I had a 396 BB rebuilt and put in it as well as a 400 turbo tranny out of the same car. It has way more power and is funner to drive. You will want a 400 turbo tranny to handle the power and be more reliable. Everything bolted up fine. I had to move the tranny crossmember and have the driveshaft shortened. I also had to buy a big block fan shroud and attach it to my factory shroud extension. If you have a 10 bolt rearend, it might not hold up under the added power and torque of the BB. My car had a 12 bolt RR in it already. I love the first generation Monte's and have owned mine for 23 years.

Wayne