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stock 454 vs. TBI 355

J

Jeromy Gibson

1/2 ton status
Joined
Apr 17, 2003
Posts
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Location
Amarillo Texas
I would like some advice from guys that have been there. I have a 355, flat tops, and the top end off a 91 TBI 350. I just got done doing the TBI conversion and took it out to the mudbogs and sucked water into the engine. Now it makes a really good misqito fogger. I was going to just hone and re-ring it, but a friend offered to give me a 454 that needs to be gone over.
So my question I guess is would I be better off with a fuel injected 355 or a carbed 454? And then in the future could my wiring harness from Affodable Fuel injection be made to work on a 454?
 
TBI to TBI, a 350->454 swap should be pretty easy with the existing wiring. Of course there are other differences, but wiring alone should be pretty similar.

If you don't *need* or desperately want the larger displacement, (in other words, what do you do with it?) I say stick with the 355 if you were happy with it.

My opinion using a carbed 454 vs. an injected 350, is that I like the 350 better. That's for all around use, and very dependent on how the engine itself was built. Towing, turning huge tires, etc., a carbed 454 built right would certainly be better.

If the 355 was in good shape before, is it possible that nothing real serious is wrong, or did you hole a piston or ruin a bore? I know, being optimistic, what can I say. :)
 
will eventually be running 42s with 6.17 or 7.17s, the truck is off road only. Like everyone I always want more power. I am trying to build a well balanced truch that will do Mud and climbing equally well.
 
I personally would go with the 454. Gotta love the BBC !!!! But keep in mind, there is all the acc brackets you'll need if they're not included with the 454. But if you have too rebuild each, I'd go big block, build it for monster low end torque.
 
Well I have just begain to drive my FI 454 and WOW........way more lowend torque, don't have to even try and the rig just go's. I would go 454, carb for now then aftermarket FI of your choice when you save up enogh$$$ cuz it ain't cheep but the throttle resonce of a good FI setup is amazing!! :bow:
 
I went from a 98 vortec motor(carburated) to a 454, difference was night and day for me. But I have 4.88s and 42s, with a sm-465. The 350 had enough power offroad, but getting to the trail the bb torque made the truck much more driveable, I ended up shifting a lot less.
 
I put a 454 in my 82 and the difference was night and day......
I just give it some gas and it jumps. I'm BB all the way now.
My rear tires are bald bad, and I could never spin them before

IMG_0678.jpg
 
Any guesses on a price difference between building a BBC vs a SBC. I thing the machining would be the same... are parts much more. I thing I am convinced to go with the 454 :D but I have no experience with a big block.
 
To get BBC troque & HP out of a SBC you will have to buy highend parts for the SBC. Were as with a stock 454 rebuilt with lowend torque in mind your costs would be less...not accross the board but I would guess you could rebild a 454 cheeper than a screamin SBC build up...
.02c
 
Im not sure, But I paid $50.00 for a rotting 78 GMC 3/4 ton.
the motor and trans were in great shape :D . If I was smarter
on 4X4's then, I would have pulled the rear axel to :doah:

I am going to put a towing type cam in it, and a 750 carb with intake.
Prices for BB cost alot more that Small blocks. But its easy to pull alot
of HP from a BB with out all the cash it would take in a small block. :thumb:
 
big_truxx said:
go BBC!!!! on a 4 door dually the 454 will spin all 4 rear tires at your command when the 350 will not ;)
Click to expand...

Stock 350 vz a stock 454 will get its ass beat every time... But the carbed bbcs weren't firebreathers by any means. about 260 hp at the flywheel and around 410 ft lbs. If you ask me, depending on what the 355 has on it, i would take the FI 355. I think for the price of a stock rebuilt 454 you could have an sbc with almost identical tq and a lot better hp and get 6 mpg better but it all depends on your FI setup. Once you decide to build a motor for power and keep FI it gets expensive.... Ask me how i know :deal:
 
dirtwarrior17 said:
Stock 350 vz a stock 454 will get its ass beat every time... But the carbed bbcs weren't firebreathers by any means. about 260 hp at the flywheel and around 410 ft lbs. If you ask me, depending on what the 355 has on it, i would take the FI 355. I think for the price of a stock rebuilt 454 you could have an sbc with almost identical tq and a lot better hp and get 6 mpg better but it all depends on your FI setup. Once you decide to build a motor for power and keep FI it gets expensive.... Ask me how i know :deal:
Click to expand...

my dad said that the factory manual told him 265hp and 350tq. and I have been told by someone on here that his factory manual said 235hp and 380tq... and this is for an 89 454 tbi. granted w/ a couple small mods it is soooooo easy with the 454 to make 350hp and 450tq :D just put big valves and a port job on heads and throw a set of headers on and you are @ that # ;)
 
Not really worried about making gobs of power, my 350 just had flat tops, small cam, stock 91 heads and stock TBI injection. I think a stock 454 would have all the power I need......well for a little while. I mostly want something reliable. With my suspension 45-50 mph is scary enough. but with a 454 I might be able to take it out of 4 low.
 
big_truxx said:
my dad said that the factory manual told him 265hp and 350tq. and I have been told by someone on here that his factory manual said 235hp and 380tq... and this is for an 89 454 tbi. granted w/ a couple small mods it is soooooo easy with the 454 to make 350hp and 450tq :D just put big valves and a port job on heads and throw a set of headers on and you are @ that # ;)
Click to expand...

What you don't realize is that a STOCK BBC is about twice as much as a stock 350 so they even each other out. My manual says 230 hp and 375 ft lbs for a carbed bbc and since gm takes their ratings at the back of the tranny its more like 410 ft lbs and 260 hp.

What is your price range?

Even tho a Big block makes anybody a hero I still think a hot smallblock would be easier and cheaper.
 
Price range = time frame....the engine was a bone stock 454 out of a 84-86 2wd dually, it ran when it was pulled and I am not real sure why it was pulled. I am going to have my friend drop the pan and take a look inside and see what he thinks..........crossing my fingures I can buy a carb and drop it in. Should know by the weekend. If it needs freshened up, that might be cheaper than a full rebuild on my 355. Right now I have about $400, I will see how far that gets me.
 
If you're starting over a BBC makes sense, I'm already setup for a SBC so building a Rat is outta the question, but heres a few links to wet the whistle..

http://popularhotrodding.com/enginemasters/articles/chevrolet/bigblock/

http://www.popularhotrodding.com/enginemasters/articles/bigblockshootout/

http://chevyhiperformance.com/techarticles/148_0506_hot/index.html

http://www.superchevy.com/technical/engines_drivetrain/completebuilds_testing/index.html

http://chevyhiperformance.com/techarticles/148_0507_vortec/

the list goes on n on, i recall 1 of my mags building a healthy rat for $2,000 fully assembled...........don't remember where i saw it though. :crazy:
 
Well

The FI system from the 355 should swap in. The TBI systems from chevy we're clones of eachother with bigger bore sizes. Find the computer from a 454 FI, the wiring should be a near exact match(at least I can't see why they would change anything), and the intake/throttle body. Wiring should be similiar..
 
Even if you run the stock Quadrajet carb on the 454 I think you'll be happy. I went from a 350 carbed to 454 carbed (reblt with an RV torque cam - so alittle above stock but not much), like someone said - night and day. Carb never gives me problems and the truck is so much more fun to drive. MPG is about the same.
 
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