BBC 454 block

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Dragsinger
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BBC 454 block

Post by Dragsinger »

I am out of the loop in ref to BBC.

My first desire is to find a nice, standard bore, four bolt, 454 block that will run standard with a.001 - .002 hone.

Beyond that, other than the original Mark IV design, what other BBC blocks will accept common BB parts
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Dave Koehler
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Re: BBC 454 block

Post by Dave Koehler »

I would think a std bore these days might exist,,,somewhere but it has to be the proverbial Unicorn.
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Re: BBC 454 block

Post by Bossman »

i know a guy that has a shed with about 50 / 454 blocks he bought every engine he could find back in the 60's & 70's i can check with him and see what he has only problem they are in south louisiana freight might not be worth it
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Re: BBC 454 block

Post by Dragsinger »

I am in East Texas and would drive to South LA if the deal and parts were what I want. Please send me a PM with his info
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Re: BBC 454 block

Post by Dave Koehler »

Curious. Why the insistence on a std bore?
That is just going to make it probably shockingly primo priced and it still requires all the std "blueprint 101" procedures.
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Re: BBC 454 block

Post by Mechcanic »

Easy to find a Gen VI BBC. All four bolt mains, improved oiling via priority main oiling, one piece rear seal, std. Hyd. Roller cam, serpetine belt system (if you get the entire engine) and better cooling. It is supposed to be a nice improvement over gen iv with a few limitations. From everything I read most gen iv parts will fit it with the exception of the crank timing cover, and timing chain. The upside is you do not need a cam button since the block has a built in thrust plate. I bought mine for $750 complete with all accessories injection intake, throttle body and serpentine drive. The block has 65k on it and still has factory crosshatch in the bores. Oh the blocks were available on trucks and buses from 1996-2000. Avoid the gen V block it has problems with sealing on many heads. It does have a one piece rear main seal, and improved oiling as well but not much else....Good luck with your search.
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Re: BBC 454 block

Post by Dragsinger »

Thanks to all for the notes. I have decided to buy a new Dart block.
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Re: BBC 454 block

Post by gnicholson »

you are going to buy a new dart block to build a 454?
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Re: BBC 454 block

Post by RevTheory »

How sturdy are the Gen 4 cranks? What are the hp and/or rpm limits on those things in internally-balanced, n/a trim?
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Re: BBC 454 block

Post by In-Tech »

Hi Rev,
I can't speak for NA, back in the day I used to run a 6223 stock forged 3.75" crank to 11,000 rpm each pass at 35 lbs boost with 11.5:1 compression, alum rod, and never cracked it. Mine never detonated though.
Heat is energy, energy is horsepower...but you gotta control the heat.
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Re: BBC 454 block

Post by RevTheory »

In-Tech wrote: Tue Feb 19, 2019 9:38 am Hi Rev,
I can't speak for NA, back in the day I used to run a 6223 stock forged 3.75" crank to 11,000 rpm each pass at 35 lbs boost with 11.5:1 compression, alum rod, and never cracked it. Mine never detonated though.
Wow! I bet that was a blast \:D/
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Re: BBC 454 block

Post by Dave Koehler »

Ditto. Did the same thing. One must remember that is all we had. Aftermarket forged and billets were still in the future.
I remember watching for cracks in the cranks when using an aluminum block.
If you saw scratches on the webbing from the counterweight flex it was time to consider magging the crank.
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Re: BBC 454 block

Post by In-Tech »

yep Dave, the shorter stroke with more journal overlap didn't hurt either. Little 440 cu in 284/302 @ .050 on a 12 with 990 irons and lots of epoxy, managed to run mid 6's. :)
Heat is energy, energy is horsepower...but you gotta control the heat.
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Re: BBC 454 block

Post by pdq67 »

OP,

I did it this way.

I bought a used early '70's MK IV 454 P/U block,.

Bored it .030" over and installed a 4.25" stroked crank in it to make a 496".

For the price of making a 454, you can almost make a 496 nowadays and make some big power easy, imho.

Mine is just a great big, "tow-truck", engine that per D2k should make 550 Hp at 5500 rpm and 580 T at 4500 rpm. 9.5 to 1 CR and just an old CC 282S solid lifter cam. NOTHING fancy at all. Oh, I do have cast-iron Merlin ovals on it as well as 1.75" 4-tube long tube headers and a Strip Dom and a 3310-2 carb on it.

Only reason I went with the Merlins was because a guy here in town told me that it was gonna take a long time and a lot of money to rebuild my good -781's so go figure, screw him...

pdq67
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