Like the question states, where can i find a 396 or 454 in a junkyard? What cars (or trucks) did they come in, and which cars would be the easiest to find them in?? THX

 

My brother in law has a 454 in a 78 Chevy pickup that he had built a few years ago for very high performance. He has only put a few thousand miles on it. He says the power band is in the higher rpms around 3k and up, so it's not a good boat puller. He spent about $3K doing it and would like to sell it and put a 350 in the truck and sell the truck. I think he might sell the engine for $1k. I'll get you his number if you would like. bgmoss@networld.com

 

There hasn't been a BBC in a car since 1974. 1/2 ton trucks stopped getting them somewhere in the early or mid 80's. 3/4 ton and up are still getting them. You need to be a little carfull with truck engines. Bigger trucks have tall deck engines. Although they can be used, the decks are .400 taller and need special con rods, intake (or spacer plates) and a few other parts.

Tall deck blocks are favored by some racers also. A 427T truck block, 7.0 liter, can be bored out .125 and have a stroker crank installed to produce 540 cid or more.

Many truck engines also have small peanut port heads which are good for door stops and boat anchors. The heads are designed for bottom end torque and die out around 5000 rpm making them very poor performance parts.

Find an engine from anywhere in the 70's and you should have no problems building a good big block.

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Stephen's racing page

87 IROC-Z Pro ET Bracket Race Car
383 stroker (carbed) with double hump cast iron heads and pump gas
454 Big Block buildup now in progress for the 2001 racing season

Best results before the 383 blew up
Best ET on a time slip: 11.857 altitude corrected to 11.163
Best MPH on a time slip: 117.87 altitude corrected to 126.10
Best 60 foot: 1.662

Racing at 3500 feet elevation but most race days it's over 5000 feet density altitude!
Member of the Calgary Drag Racing Association

87 IROC bracket car
91 454SS daily driver
95 Homebuilt Harley