im looking to get an 85-91 camaro and tossin in a big block. ive read a lot of the bbc posts, but most are questions guys have about swaps in progress. what have you guys that have completed the swap usually end up payin? im talkin motor, trans, fuel, suspension, and any labor that you might have sourced out. would it be smarter/easier/cheaper to go 383? thanks in advance.

 

you can put a price tag on a swap . its expencive all the way around , if you can do all the work your self , engine could be like 5 grand its self for just parts or more , then making the thing fit with a coustom exaust , i think it would be better to build a built up 350 / 383 / 400

a local guys putting BB in his 3rd gen , and so fr he is 4 grand into the engine work , and building up his susp / chassi , clearins issues , its alot of work and time , its alot of cash to , i wouldnt even start untill i had at least a min of 6 grand to play with to get ya started

 

Minimum cost might be $2000-$3000 using a junkyard, non rebuilt, cast iron manifolds etc. Depends what you need to pay for the engine. It wouldn't be any more powerful than a mild SBC. Since you would want to have it rebuilt with a bit or performance, cost can increase dramatically. Machine shop rates just for labor may cost about $2000. Expect a minimum of $5000 if you're going to use a tricked out BBC. The higher the performance of the engine, the stronger the rest of the driveline needs to be. High end of the scale means replacing the entire driveline. A bolt in 9" or 12 bolt will put you back at least $2500.

 

i appreciate your quick replies. i would like a mild daily-driver type set up. big hp numbers are great, but im lookin for something close to 400-450 rwhp, its the torque i really want. nothing too radical. the price of the t-56 i want is probably out of the question, so i was thinking th400 or 480le. i would also replace the rearend, maybe 9", if need be. so would about 6500-7 get a nice starting price?

 

I pushed a built up 10 bolt into the 11's so a 9" or 12 bolt isn't really required. 10 bolts have also been broken by stock SBC on the street so it just depends on how you drive.

TH400 would be your best choice for a tranny. It will take a lot more abuse than a TH350 even in stock trim. The 4L80E will need a computer to operate which will just add to the cost. It's also a big heavy tranny and not really designed to be in a car even though people still swap them in.

Buy a new stock replacement long block 454. Install a good aluminum intake on it like a Performer. Minimum 750 carb but an 850 will feed the BBC better. Buy some swap headers. The Hookers are the cheapest but are also the worst fitting.

Drop it in the car. The hardest part will be accessories. None of the SBC accessory brackets will fit on the BBC so finding factory stock brackets or buying aftermarket brackets will be needed.

That will be your very basics. There's always nickel and dime stuff that just can't be calculated. Lots of chrome dress up stuff isn't needed but can really add to the cost.

Don't expect a BBC swap to be a weekend job. Read the sticky on doing the swap. If you're only doing it on weekends, expect it to take a few months.

 

what year long block? what about the stock cam, what type of power will it make with everything hooked up with a true dual exhaust and headers? would it be cheaper to get the 454 HO crate engine than get the long block, then intake, and all the other accessories? thank you for your help

 

so you want a daily driver big block....you might want to consider a truck...

 

yeah, i bet that would be pretty quick huh, a big block truck. im looking for an alternative the the countless 383s roaming the streets.

 

406, 415, 421, 427, 434 sbc..

 

I went the big block route and love it! I started with the idea of a 454 then decided on a 496. I spent about 6 K for my 496.

 

I'm up to a 540. That's almost to the limit of a short deck block. I can still punch it out to 565. Anything bigger and you need to go with a tall deck block. 572, 632 etc.

 

why would you want a truck? why not have the same motor in a camaro?

 

Big454 that thing hauls!! is it streetable at all with that cam? i want a big block for the torque, plan and simple. 400-450+ ft-lbs at 3000 rpm, somethin like that.