just curious if its even worth it. i have a 74 chevy half ton with a 454 bored over to 460, totally redone with power adders only needs headers and alum manifold to finish it, runs great. this summer im taking the engine out of my camaro for a rebuild, i was wondering since the trucks not really worth it anymore if it is possible to swap the big block in. would it be worth it because or the extra work and weight added? thanks

 

The swap really isn't that hard as far as I know. You can buy headers for a BBC in our cars. The trans bolt patterns are the same. You might want to put in a TH400 because the 700 won't stand up to that engine. You'll need a new driveshaft and tranny crossmember if you do the swap. You might also need a bigger/better radiator to handle the extra heat. There has been a lot of discussion on this. Just do a search for big block on this board. In my opinion it would be really cool, because you see a lot of SBC 3rd gens, but not many BBC cars. You probably won't be able to close the hood depending on the manifold you use. Some people say you need new front springs too, but I say it's a cheap way to lower the car. You'll have to get an alignment after that because the geometry will be all horsed up. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but all of the accessories bolt up too. My next swap is probably going to be a big block. These cars are already heavy as an anvil, so an extra 150 or 200 lbs isn't going to make a big difference. Especially if you double your HP.

 

Yep, it' worth it. All the info is on my page at www.koolmeister.com

Miles

 

It's not worth it unless you want over 500Hp. Otherwise, a small block is capable and easier to package in the car.

Leaving stock springs in the car will lower the ride height but the car will wallow a lot. It's best to match springs and shocks to the weight of the car for better handling.

 

You add about 100-150 pounds to the front of the car. Using an aluminum intake will decrease that. Shaving off more weight from an aluminum rad can make the swap closer to keeping the original weight.

The problem is that the block is longer. It mounts in the same position as a SBC so the extra length and weight goes forward.

 

thanks for the input, im still not sure on what im gonna do, i think it would be pretty cool to throw a BB in that car since like you said so many are SB. just curious to you guys with big blocks, how does it affect the handling of your car?

 

Do you know how much longer?

Ben

 

so my tranny and driveshaft would mount the same and stay in the same spot then? thanks for the info.
joe

 

The BBC is about 2" longer than a SBC.

It will probably make the car want to push in a corner (read: wants to stay in a straight line) but I havent driven one with a BBC, so I can't say for sure.

 

You may loose a slight bit of handling because they weigh a couple hundred more pounds, but if you use the right springs I doubt it would be real bad. If you get alum heads then you will be back down close to small block weight.

Ben

 

Accesory brackets are not a bolt on but the v-belt accesories are..

Daz

 

I say a BBC isn't worth droppin in the car unless it's over 700 HP, 500 HP is easy to get out of an SBC if you match parts properly. plenty of 377, 383, and 406 guys could tell you that. this 363 guy could tell you it too, I'd say I'm putting down around 440 to the wheels which is close to 500 HP at the flywheel. Haven't dyno'd the car at all with the new motor, but then again, I've had a best run of 11.6 so far, so I just did a simple calc to figure it out lol.