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454 Swap

The1980BEAST

The1980BEAST

1/2 ton status
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Ft.Worth Tx
Well figured out today that my engine is not a 350 but yet a 305 :o

Sad day, that being said I've decided that with my plans to eventually be running 40's that I might as well throw in the BBC. My question is where is the best place to find a 454, Junk yard, website , donor truck? What vehicles do they come in? Also what transmision / T-case works with it?

Thanks in advance :bow:

P.S. I found out the 350/305 delima via air filter :doah::o:haha:
 
I'd look for a donor truck - that's what I did. Good to get all the alt/ps brackets etc with the motor. Sometimes you can find a decently priced 454 truck in running condition. Bonus if the rad is good and useable.
 
^Good advice. I actually have a 9:1 489 cid BBC with all the accessories to put it in your blazer that I'd be willing to part with. It has about 3k miles on it. I'd take 4k for it.
 
I"ve seen whole donor trucks with 454 from $1500 in nice condition. Heck, sometimes even BBC K30 4x4 1 tons sometimes (rarely - but sometimes) for that price.
 
It would be alot for a donor. It's a fresh 489 with 3k miles on it. Scat 9000 4.25 crank, Forged pistons, 6.385 Capscrew rods, hyd roller cam, 781 heads, Weiand dual plane intake, Serpentine accessories.
 
every running k30 in texas is going to be 4000 plus. big10 trucks came with them if im not mistaken. 3/4 ton burbs had them, and of course 3/4 and 1 ton pickups.

i would also start looking for a th400 with the motor. if from a 2wd get it with the bolt on yoke, prety sure thst one a tcase bolts on to.

like said, be sure to get all the bracketry and crap the goes on it. and its a definate plus to get the 4 core radiator and the hold downs!! those are hard to find.
 
fmstruck said:
It would be alot for a donor. It's a fresh 489 with 3k miles on it. Scat 9000 4.25 crank, Forged pistons, 6.385 Capscrew rods, hyd roller cam, 781 heads, Weiand dual plane intake, Serpentine accessories.
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This equals not cheap. Big blocks are in a whole nother realm for prices
 
What would be the ideal manual tranny for a 454? Also would a TH350 work? If not
will the NP205 work on the TH400?
 
yes there are 205s for a th400 but your current one wont work without some mods.

youve gotta bore out the case for the input bearing and get a new 32 spline input.

for manual i would say sm465 all the way.
 
i have a sm465 to a 205 to a big block but in a first gen. blazer. the tranny is about bulletproof (about). P.s the work for a big block is well worth it in the end.
 
SM 465 is the tranny of choice. You need the tcase and adapter to go with it though. Yours will not bolt up. Some like NV4500s, but that and an aluminum Tcase get kinda long for a K5. I'd probably just leave the TH350 for now and accumulate parts until the auto gives up the ghost.
 
My Big Jimmy said:
i have a sm465 to a 205 to a big block but in a first gen. blazer. the tranny is about bulletproof (about). P.s the work for a big block is well worth it in the end.
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Like Big Jimmy and fmstruck say, 465 is the stout manual trans for the bbc. Also, I have known several fellows go from 350/383 to 454's. All were happy and only regret was they didn't do it sooner. Fuel mpg wasn't that much different but the torque gain was very noticeable. Remember, you don't need a fancy BB with lots of aftermarket parts or modifications. A stockish 454 or jsut a mild RV torque cam will do wonders compared to a sbc. Keep the 454 basic and you'll have longevity and reliability, and it won't be finicky (like some tricked out motors can be). Factory Quadrajet carbs are very reliable and simple, so don't shy away from carbed setups.
 
Slight hi-jack but since were on the 454 swap thing...other than the accessory brackets what else needs to be modified to get a bb into an 87ish K5? Just motor mounts?
 
Yes, should just bolt up. Good idea to get new motor mounts since you got it all out. I think they are about $10 each at most auto places?

Klink, the motor mount crossmember has a couple of different seets of holes drilled into it. The bbc will line up to one set of them. I can't recall which holes but it will be easy to determine when you start dropping the bbc in. Yeah, get some new motor mounts since they are inexpensive.

I've done several swaps (years ago) and it is an relatively straight forward. The BB drops in easy and bolts in. Just try and have all the accessory brackets for the 454, and like desertrat67 said, get the correct torque convertor and flexplate. Exhuast will need to be configured different off the manifolds, but other than that everything else bolts up.
 
Yes, you will need a flexplate for a 454 since they are externally balanced. Motor mounts are the same and bolt into the same holes as the SBC.
 
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