I'm gonna build my first BBC and want to know from all the guys out there with 496's....... do you wish you went bigger?

I have a good 454 stock block that i've had for years but I might sell it and step up to a Big M. Yes its more money but it'll remove the CI limitations plus have a ton of advantages. If I went with the block i'd limit it to a low deck build and 4.25 stroke.....probably a 565.

I race 1/8th mile, pumpgas, driven to the track.

Hard to answer. The first question is how much HP is your car set up to handle?

Hard to answer. The first question is how much HP is your car set up to handle?


Perfect first question :thumbsup:

Up until this year I always believed a 540/555 was the way to go, but I have since changed my mind. A good running 454/496 is quite a bit cheaper and not that much slower in a typical street/bracket car.



JMO.....



bob

I most dearly want to make a 588" standard deck height block "Tow-Truck" engine just for the fun of it.

4.625" b x 4.375" s = 588"..

Nothing fancy, 10 to 1 or so CR., big cheap 360 cast-iron heads, a Strip Dom and a 950 cfm or bigger carb., smaller BIG headers and a solid lifter cam like this is all..

290/255/300/260, 110/106, .600"/.600" net lift!!!!!!!

Like I said, a great big lower rpm "tow-truck" motor..............

Install it in a dualie pulling a 30 foot goose-neck tailer and go!!

pdq67

1.5 miles per gallon :D

car will be stock suspension with caltracs, DA shocks, subframes, 12 bolt w/spool, and turbo 400.

I prefer the 4" stroke of a 454. You'll find out soon enough that a 496 is going to be hard to hook on small tires.

Here's a pic of mine leaving on 9" tires.

http://home.centurytel.net/40Coupe/images/highres/Camaro/IMG_6421.jpg

valid point on hooking up, theres no denying your setup.....one of the best on this board.

Wheres Ron498? He's got his car hooking well.

Ron's got a good running Nova. His combo is under 10:1 compression and runs on pump gas.

I most dearly want to make a 588" standard deck height block "Tow-Truck" engine just for the fun of it.

4.625" b x 4.375" s = 588"..

Nothing fancy, 10 to 1 or so CR., big cheap 360 cast-iron heads, a Strip Dom and a 950 cfm or bigger carb., smaller BIG headers and a solid lifter cam like this is all..

290/255/300/260, 110/106, .600"/.600" net lift!!!!!!!

Like I said, a great big lower rpm "tow-truck" motor..............

Install it in a dualie pulling a 30 foot goose-neck tailer and go!!

pdq67

Don't get me started again :p

I believe one of the main advantages of an aftermarket block is bore size. Horsepower comes from airflow, and you can get big airflow with a big bore. It allows you to run trick heads made just for a bigger bore. If you're not going to step up to a set of these heads (they're pricey), I would stick with your stock block.

Here's my theory on how to decide what engine to build: first identify a horsepower goal. Then determine what CFM you will need to reach it. Then you'll have an idea of what heads you need and you can work backwards from there.

Hey guys.

I'm set up pretty similar to Garret, but it's a Nova, so the wheel base is a bit longer.
I think the key to hooking the bigger engine lies in the torque converter. If you stay a bit conservative, you can't punish the tires quite so hard. But still have the power to run real fast after the first 60ft.
Another thing that probably helps me is the dominator carb. It's probably not as tourquey at the hit as the smaller carbs are.
I have discovered after running the bottle, hook gets pretty iffy. But then even a 100 shot adds a huge tourqe increase right at the hit.
Garret has put a ton of effort into his 468.....and setup...and it shows!

I'd really like to try a 565, but that's just not in the budget.

Ron

CID to $$$ with a mostly stock chassis car, I think a 496 build will be best suited for you.

More adavantages to a Big "M" block than just the number of cubes. As mentioned, bore on a BBC is critical due to valve size. The more cfm you can suck through the heads the more power you can build. Stroke will effect cash flow and RPM shift point (I think there is an inverse relationship there).

I built a 582 and wish I had not hogged it out as much on the first pass, as ring seal is more critical on larger bores. I think a 572 with a 4.375" stroke would have been perfect in a short deck block.

Larger Dave

Larger Dave, are you having leakdown/blowby/ring seal issues? I know a lot of folks running the 4.600 bore with no problems.
One other thing that hasn't been touched on is the superior iron that the aftermarket and Bowtie blocks are cast out of. Talk to the guy at your shop that either bores or hones 'em. It takes a guy at the hone that knows what he's doing, even with a 3" mandrel, there's a bit of tool drift at the bottom of the bores that needs to be straightened out with the hone.
And once you've got that bad-boy block, the sky's the limit - they're all rated at 2000hp, some more!

Sure would like to buy a reasonably priced ready to go, CGI standard deck height BB block that would offset bore to 4.75".

I'd install a 4.375" crank and make a 620.2" motor..

Ain't gonna happen tho UNLESS I win the Lotto so's i can buy a Machine Shop and learn how ta do it myself!!

pdq67

I'd be willing to bet my little nothing special 468 is quicker/faster than GM' 572/720 and does it for half the cost!

Garret has the set up for hookin the torque for sure! I have found that the power is not as important as the susp. set up. My 555 made 602hp with 493tq on a chassis dyno on pump gas. BUT Garret is still going faster than me mostly due to his Superior 60 ft times! The only reason I can think of for you to go to a bigger motor is if down the road you wanted to go even bigger yet you wouldn't have to start completely over

Having owned a blown 540, I'd say stick with the 496.

The 540 revs noticeably "lazier" than the smaller cube rat. I also think that at some point ,too much torque makes it more and more difficult to hook consistently. Just my 2 cents.

Actually the fastest rat I've driven was a 468 with 12:1 CR, a set of ported/polished GM heads,and a reasonably stout (700 lift) roller cam with single 4. Great throttle response, hooked every time,and ran mid 9's at 142 in a 2600 lb car and glide. It was also very easy on parts,running a full season before we re-ringed it.

thanks for all the replies, I'm gonna use my stock block and do a pumpgas 496. I only run eigth mile so I need a strong consistent launch with the stock suspension. I also like the idea of doing more with less.