Author Topic: 409,421,428 0r 455 which 1...... (Read 573 times)

WilldCrd · « **Reply #15 on:** July 10, 2004, 03:01:37 PM »

Just so everyones on the same page
The optional 455-inch four-barrel engine isn't much of a performance engine and actually offers little more for the enthusiast than the base 400-incher. The SD-455, however, is something else. It pumps out 310 net horsepower.
BIG differnce between the 455 and the 455 SD

excerpt from a 73' magazine article about the LeMans GTO and 455 SD:

And, it's actually no less economical to operate under normal driving use than the consumer-oriented 455 four-barrel engine. It can be had with air conditioning, full power, 3.42 limited slip rear and a choice of M-20 four-speed or three-speed Turbo Hydro transmissions. Features that make the SD-455 a genuine performance engine include four-bolt main caps; screw-in oil plugs; provision for dry sump lubrication; nodular iron crank; forged steel rods with 7/16-inch bolts; forged aluminum pistons with high-rev rings; HD oil pump; flow-bench-designed heads; high-lift cam with big valves; big headers and exhaust pipes and a revamped Quadrajet intake system.

source

Personally I prefer the 73' Trans Am that came with the 455 SD
A buddy of nime took a 455 SD and dropped it in his 79' Trans Am with some added modifications that car ran like a bat outta hell.....till his wife tottaled it :-(

NUTTZ · « **Reply #16 on:** July 10, 2004, 03:08:05 PM »

Acually it was an Astra, I know I own one o' dem POS.

NUTTZ

QUOTE]Originally posted by GtoRA2
Wildcrd,
I am fairly sure the SD 455 was only put in 73 and 74 firebirds.

I could be wrong though hehe

72 should have been the last GTO. The 73 was so smurfy It hurts to look at, and the 74 was a POS nova! [/QUOTE]

NUTTZ · « **Reply #17 on:** July 10, 2004, 03:10:00 PM »

My Dad owned a 62 pontiac catalina w/ a 421,, What a BEAST!!!!!!!!!!!

fastest production car of it's day.

NUTTZ

Quote

Originally posted by demaw1
of the choices u gave i would go with a 421 it is reliable can be built some, 455 is one of the first smog motors so no, my dad had a 421 in our 65 bonneville it ran well of course u know these are the weakest of the big blocks? 372 dodge good luck

NUTTZ · « **Reply #18 on:** July 10, 2004, 03:11:53 PM »

WE HAVE A WINNER!!!!!!!!

Grown up thats what we joy rided in a 57 olds. I remember the oil breather tube under the motor always blew smoke out.

It's still in the neighborhood.

NUTTZ

Quote

Originally posted by lazs2
Ok... the car that came with a 371.. That is easy, it was the 57 olds. There was a J2 version that had a tri power and 312 HP. I put one of these in a 57 chevy I had the heads shaved and it was 60 over.

I own a 327 in my Healey (331) it is a good motor. I also have a 454 (468) The new gen big blocks are about the best tho. crate 572's

440 mopars were very good as were the hemis. The SOHC 427 Ford was a monster. Pontiac allways made old tech perform... 421 was a good motor as was the 455.

There are lsi motors that are getting up to 406" and 550 HP. This is an all aluminum motor. Blown or turboed they are getting 700 hp on the street. Fairly cheaply too.

you can buy crate motors that are blown with 1200 hp for the street.

Big blocks are for making big holes in the air. you don't need a car that looks melted to punch holes in the air if you have 500+ ftlbs of torque.

lazs

Captain Virgil Hilts · « **Reply #19 on:** July 10, 2004, 03:15:00 PM »

The Pontiac version of the Nova was the Ventura, I had one with a 307 Chevy in it. With some work it went 9.00 in the 1/8 mile. Stupid drunk woman hit it and ruined it.

The Pontiac Astre was a Vega. It was a good place to put a small block Chevy. Bolts in with V8 Monza mounts. Use an early Nova rearend. Built a bunch of V8 Vegas.

Dago · « **Reply #20 on:** July 10, 2004, 03:42:50 PM »

Quote

The 427 Ford was a SOHC, not a DOHC

Yeah, you're right. My mistake. The DOHC is the engine series the new 427 is modeled upon. Something like 590 horses now I think.

dago

SFRT - Frenchy · « **Reply #21 on:** July 10, 2004, 05:02:06 PM »

I always eard many good things from the chevy 350s.

My formula 1973 has a 455. 250HP and 370Tq, stock. I doesn't seem much, but this torque is amazing. You can be in a slope and still burning rubber accelerating like a maniac.

I was thinking to get this setup

But I don't know much about engines. I targetting the 500HP/600Tq range. The car is my daily driver, I don't want to spend millions on the engine, nor refuel after each burnout.

The Tomato came with a Ford 302, we are putting a 351W build to 580HP. that's all I know for now:)

Captain Virgil Hilts · « **Reply #22 on:** July 10, 2004, 05:38:43 PM »

Avoid magazine engine build ups like a dose of the clap. Those clowns are as full of crap as a Christmas turkey.

If you build a Pontiac, buy aftermarket steel rods. Stock pontiac rods, with the exception of older (pre 1960 or so) engines and the 455 Super Duty have cast steel rods. These are by far the weakest parts of the engine, and the most likely to fail catastrophicly. For anything other than stock usage, forged rods are manditory if available.

If you are worried at all about fuel consumption, don't build a big engine.

Roscoroo · « **Reply #23 on:** July 10, 2004, 06:02:06 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Captain Virgil Hilts
Avoid magazine engine build ups like a dose of the clap. Those clowns are as full of crap as a Christmas turkey.

If you build a Pontiac, buy aftermarket steel rods. Stock pontiac rods, with the exception of older (pre 1960 or so) engines and the 455 Super Duty have cast steel rods. These are by far the weakest parts of the engine, and the most likely to fail catastrophicly. For anything other than stock usage, forged rods are manditory if available.

I'll agree with alot of the articals on pontiacs are junk .. but as for the rods yes there the weak link .. the 59-62 forged rods are good ,then most of the 455 sd rods are great (note there are 2 batches that were forged that are junk, i think it was the "d or E" castings but do the research the years have made my brain soft ) as for everyday street performace and red line respected racing well the nunzi peened and polished cast rods will work great up to 550 hp

Masherbrum · « **Reply #24 on:** July 10, 2004, 09:47:28 PM »

Something about the 351 Cleveland. Ahh, that's a beautiful engine.

Karaya

lazs2 · « **Reply #25 on:** July 11, 2004, 09:22:19 AM »

well... Hot Rod just had their pump gas drags... if you didn't get into the 9's you weren't competitive.

There were 3 mopars in the top ten and all were 500 inch crate hemi's originaly. The winner and most of the rest of the 50 cars were all big block chevy with a scattering of small blocks and a few fords.

The Big block chevy is still the best deal around and getting even better. You can dump one into any GM body. For big inch motors you can build anything but your best bet is allways the big block chevy. Crate motors are making mor HP than we could build back a decade ago.

Small block fords and chevy's are cool too... I am seriously thinking of building one of those 427 chevy small blocks or an ls6 406 and six speed for the Healey but... the 327 is so darned nostalgic... I even have an old manafree 4 2's manifold for it and, at 2200 lbs the puny 400-450 hp it puts out makes for a decent ride.

lazs