Thread: New to the BBC scene...need advice

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I have almost no experience in building engines or hot rods.

I have recently aquired a 454 BB 2 bolt mane 74 model. The heads are 336781's I believe. My intake and crankshaft are stock (if that makes any sense). I've been given some flat-top pistons with stock (I think) rods.

The block, heads and crankshaft are currently at the machine shop. I told them that I didn't want anything special just to clean them up and check them out to make sure they'd work. The block is being bored out 40 over and the crankshaft is being turned. I think they're just tearing apart the heads to make sure they're still good and they're not doing anything special to them.

Now the questions: I plan on sticking it in a 81 Trans Am (Perfect condition but someone yanked the motor and the tranny). However to complete the block I still need a cam. I don't want crazy high performance right now I still just want to learn more about engines.

What cam and carb could you reccommend and do you know of any good deals that come with timing chain, gasket set...etc. to complete my motor. The heads still have the rocker arms and the springs are good. I think I might need push rods.

After the machine work I'll have a 2 grand budget. I have to get a tranny though. Do you think its doable or may I have to come up with some more money.

Thanks for the help in advance.

Also forgot to mention that I'm putting this thing on the street. I also have some guidance on helping me put it together and what I need however these guys that are helping me are trying to get me to build it hot and I don't really want to do so on my first go 'round.

I also know I'll be needing oil pump, oil, filters etc... I just want some advice on what you guys think I should do with it? My overall plan is to build this and drive it until I am able to save up some more money and rebuild the motor hot as hell. Eventually I'll find me a 69 Chevy shortbed to put it in.

I tried to post as much info as I could but if you need more just let me know. Any and all help or tips would be greatly appreciated.

I went thru this a while back with my "stock" 454, after lots of good info, I ended up buying a comp cam 268H. My thread concerning this topic is here:
http://www.clubhotrod.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30336

just all stock parts is fine no need for a hv oil pump i would use moly rings a good valve job them heads are the better casting for hp. i would O deck the block and cut the heads . a RV cam would do the job. i would use a roller cam .one of them take outs for $40 from comp. if they still have them . the retro lifters and front cam plate with the mark 6 chain set retro pushrods and you good to go. but you will have to run a electric fuel pump or buy a cam that the core has a fuel pump lobe on it to run the mechanical fuel pump it will blow the tires off the back of the car with a very mild 454 in good tune

After a little research I think I've found the cam and the carb that I want and I also found a nice intake that'll work with it.

Tell me what you guys think:

Carburetor, Performer/Remanufactured, 750 cfm, 4-Barrel, Square Bore, Electric Choke, Single Inlet, Each

Cam/Lifters/Timing, Hydraulic Flat Tappet, Advertised Duration 262/270, Lift .504/.510, Chevy, Big Block, Kit

Intake Manifold, Stage 1, Dual Plane, Aluminum, Natural, Square/Spread Bore, Chevy, Big Block, Oval Ports,Each

Now everything that my motor has now what kind of HP do you think I'll be looking at? The more and more I look at this stuff the greedier and greedier for HP I get...

Pat McCarthy is the acknowledged Big Block Chevy guru on this board and I usually stay out of BBC threads because of his vast knowledge and experience with these motors, but I just got a DynoSim software dyno package a couple of weeks ago and I just love to play with it. Not to say that it is as reliable as what Pat does, because he has dyno'd these motors on the real thing and I haven't.

I had to put your motor together and just see what could be done with it since I haven't done any BBC's.

This is probably a "down the road" build for you because the RPM manifold/850 carb/air cleaner I used probably wouldn't fit under the hood of the Firebird. Well, you could always run without a hood or fashion a remote air filter arrangement.......whatever. This build also uses large tube headers which probably won't find their way into the Firebird engine bay.
What I was trying to do was to build a maximum torque motor that could be used with a stock converter. This cam won't make the most hp, but it will make torque down low, where you can shred the tires on the street. I agree with Pat on the use of a roller cam, but I used a flat tappet hydraulic for this exercise. So here we go....
454BBC
336781 heads
Flat-top pistons, 8.50:1 static compression ratio w/113cc heads.
Edelbrock RPM intake
850 CFM carb of your choice
CompCams XE262, 262/270, 218/224, .504"/.510", 110.

RPM HP TQ
1500 127 443
2000 183 482
2500 231 485
3000 290 508
3500 353 529
4000 404 530
4500 442 516
5000 461 484
5500 428 408
6000 374 327

So, this cam is all done at 5000. Actually, it makes a peak of 465 hp @ 5100. Like I said, there are cams that will make more hp, but I wasn't looking for hp as much as I was low rpm torque that you could use with a stock converter.
Using stock type exhaust manifolds will drop hp to 392 and tq to 477. Using those exhaust manifolds and the low-rise intake manifold you mentioned would drop hp to 360 and tq to 470.

What is really amazing is that the cam I settled on is the same cam you mentioned in post 4. I went through 9 cams to settle on it.

Techinpsector1, I wish I had access to that software when I was making my decision...

BTW, I love your signature quote, couldn't be truer

Thanks for the info tech and paul. The roller cam would definitely be out of the question because no one I know of has experience installing those so I'd have no help there.

I also didn't realize the exhaust manifold would make that much of a difference. Would trying to fit those into the 'bird be out of the question? Also would you reccommend I use a different intake? Like a high rise intake? I still plan on using the same cam but like you said I want more torque than HP.

Another thing to remember is that I have a 2 grand budget. So getting the best components I can for as cheap as possible. I guess I'll have to worry about the tranny later but I think if I get the motor build it'll give me motivation to get a tranny.

tech I would appreciate very much if you could run the test dyno again with the carb I had posted and the best intake you can find that'd fit my engine and maybe give me some better number. I'd check it out right now but I'm at lunch. When I get home I'll search around.

Another thing I need to mention is that the hood of the bird is cut out and I'm guessing they were planning on adding a hood scoop so maybe adding that 850 you were talking about wouldn't be out of the question. For now I guess though just run the numbers with the 750 I posted a link to.

Thanks for the help everyone. This is really an exciting experience.

the flat lifter cam i like for build s like this is the 500/500 310/322 @050.222/234 on 115 we use to get them as take outs for $25 a cam and used some they work good in low cr builds