So my friend from New Mexico calls me and tells me that a lady thier had a cutlass with a 454 and tranny that got shot up, and its been sitting a year and she just wants to get rid of it, and she only wants $75.

Naturally im like HOLY ****ING **** ILL BUY IT.

So, will it fit in my 84 Z28, any special mods to do it? Whats the rated HP at? Will my 10 bolt rear end handle it?

 

 

I've been looking at many threads and have come up with the following information:

The 454 will bolt right in.. thats about all i know

Its coming out of a cutlass and runs and drives. All I want to know is how hard is it to get it in my 84 Z28 and what i'll need to complete the swap. So far iv figured that headers are going to be my biggest problem.. is that correct?

 

as far as i know you will have to cut metal and a lot of it

 

Didn't the sticky in this section help? BBC Swap Info

 

ok, first off stop eing so general.

What do you want to know?

As for your axle, none of us know what condition it is in. New it would probably be fine. If it is real old, and you like to use sticky tires and have a lead foot, no, it will break. All you can use is logic here, that is what seperates the "car guys" from the new guys.

As for headers, why is that your biggest problem? There are a few companies that sell BBC convertion headers for our cars. YOU WILL HAVE TO BUY SOME.

This is not going to be a cheap swap, STUFF WILL HAVE TO BE CHANGED/UPGRADED.

That is a great deal on the motor, but thats doesn't mean all the parts are going to be cheap, those headers are going to be around 400 easy. Then you need to have some if not most of your pipes made custom. Might as well go all the way and rip the pipes off and start over. It will be easier. Your tranny will hold for now... but still have to be carefull. All else shoud be fine.

You might have to cut some stuff on your K-member. If you are ever planning on going tubeular up there, DO IT NOW. you will save a lot of hastle.


It is great that you found a sweat deal on a BBC, but just remember that is is just one part of the whole equation. If you dont have the $ to finish the project, don't start. Grab the motor and set it asside till you do.

Hope this helps. Later

-Dennis

 

A Cutlass with a 454. Hmmm, sounds pretty fishy to me. Now, a Cutlass with a 455, that I could imagine. Much more likely, too. If that's what it is, $75 would be the first payment for many, many lessons on how initial price has little to do with final cost.

Maybe it is a 454, but I'd be very cautious about considering it for a 3rd gen until confirmed.

 

That satement about initial investment and final cost...

It was magical. That is what I was trying to say above. Just cuz one part is cheap doesn't make the whole swap cheap. Not even close.

Also yeah, def. make sure you figure out what the motor is exactly. Get cosdes off the block and heads.

 

my friend down thier is going to be checking it out much more closely to make sure, then we'll go from thier.

 

Sorry if I've asked this before, but where in Nebraska?

 

Lincoln, Nebraska

 

It may be quicker, cheaper, and easier to find an engine there and install it instead. It would certainly be quicker, cheaper, and a lot easier to find a 350 to build and put it in.

It's been over 20 years since I lived in Lincoln, but they used to have some pretty good junk yards around there. Certainly are in Omaha.

 

yea u pull it in omaha iv heard is great, but i dont feel like spending 30 in gas to drive thier and back lol.

im thinking if i buy it and get it up here, ill just resell it and use that towards a 305 from nebraska engine (.40 over w/ a step up cam, about 290 to the wheels), or build a 350. i just dont want much over 300 hp, cuz then you start puttin too much power on your differential and tranny :-\

 

But you'll spend a couple of hundred getting an engine and tranny from New Mexico sight unseen?

Getting an engine for dirt cheap might sound like a good deal until you realize how much is required to rebuild it. It can be cheaper to just buy a crate engine. A good running BBC (not some worn out high mileage engine) should be at least $2000. Add some bells and whistles since nobody really wants to drop in a bone stock engine and the price starts to go up.

 

A 454 will definitely fit a 84 Z28, because my parents have one! Their 454 powered car has 4000km total on it (on the body), and is supposedly mint.(I have seen pictures) The car is currently in the garage of my parents house in Ontario, north of Toronto.
It was custom built by some guy, who tried to sell it at auction. When it didn't sell my mother offered 9k for it, and the guy took it. My dad says the car is pretty scary to drive, but since I haven't seen it I can only take his word for it.

 

We know a 454 fits in 3rd gens. There's a sticky on the topic. Stephen races one.

What's being questioned is whether a Cutlass would have a 454 in it or a 455 (haven't mentioned it yet, but it could be a 350 or even a 307 - yuck!). Even if it's a 454, getting it from New Mexico to Nebraska without knowing its condition may not be money well spent.