The 454 Is Finally Done, & Runnin, Pics

[Avery4jc]

Thank you all for all the compliments. I have all the specs at work. I know most of them, but want to give you everything at once. I had the motor professionally designed by a race shop. I told the guy that I was looking for a lot of bottom end. I told him that I would like to still drive at least 55 on thr road, but when i hit that beast in the mud, I wanted women and children to run inside. It has instant throttle response. I bought it off of ebay from an 80 year old lady who lived in Georgia. Her name was Gloria. She took it out of an old Corvette, and kept it in her mobile home for 2 years. I bought it for 500 dollars. I will post all specs for you tomorrow.

dang! I wouldn't want to meet her in a dark alley at night...

Oh and to you guys talking above...what does "781" actually stand for? Or is it just the part number for the heads?

-Avery

 

[k20]

781 is the last 3 digits of the casting number on the heads, 781 & 049 are large oval port big block heads, the more desireable of the stock style heads, atleast for motors that arent all out racing

 

[Avery4jc]

781 is the last 3 digits of the casting number on the heads, 781 & 049 are large oval port big block heads, the more desireable of the stock style heads, atleast for motors that arent all out racing

Were they a factory option or something or was it just specific models in specific years that had them?

-Avery

 

[Greg72]

Where they a factory option or something or was it just specific models in specific years that had them?

-Avery

They're an iron factory head....not really like a COPO option or anything like that....certain years and vehicle applications got them, they just end up being a good flowing factory head....

BTW -> I have a set of 781 heads on a 454 that I just bought. It came out of a '76 Suburban. If you are buying a used motor, always pull the valve covers and check the casting numbers on the heads. Finding a set of 781 heads on a junkyard motor makes the score that much sweeter....

 

[steve_kibbe]

Yea, my bbc came out of a 78 burb 1/2 ton

 

[bowtiepower00]

The 781's are good for a factory offering, even better with a little cleanup work. The thing is, how much money are you going to put into them? A decent port and polish at a machine shop with new parts can run over a thousand dollars. Iron aftermarket heads can be had for a couple of hundred dollars more that flow significantly better. For under two grand (a lot of money- I know) you can get a set of aluminum heads that flow very well, shave 50 lbs off your frontend, and resist detonation much better. IMO, put the money that you'd spend on a roller cam, and put them into the heads at the start. You can always step to a roller later, or get more work done on a set of aftermarket castings to get even more power. If you're going to spend several thousand dollars on a HIPO build, what's another couple of hundred? If you're on a budget, I'd give the 781's a valve job and slap em on.

 

[k20]

yeh w/ 781's or 049s, stick a set of 2.19/1.88 valves in, and maybe do a gasket match on the manifold & the heads. I did, works just fine for me.