My 454 build

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

HotRodPC

Administrator
Staff member
Admin
Joined
Aug 29, 2010
Posts
47,017
Reaction score
9,020
Location
OKC, OK
First Name
HotRod
Truck Year
85 K20 LWB
Truck Model
Silverado
Engine Size
454 - Turbo 400 - 3.73
Are the pistons oversize at all? .030 over? Standard? If they're oversize I'd save them too. I've done some pretty good very cheap budget builds in the past. I've had buddies blow engines similar to this and trash the whole short block. Their pistons were TRW Forged .030 over and 1 piston was trashed, a couple rods etc. I'd buy 1 .030 over TRW Forged piston about $20 then bore a standard block .030 over and their pistons pressed on my reconned rods, then buy a re ring kit, timing set and oil pump. Use my good heads off another engine, install new valve seals and my good race cam with a new set of lifters and I had a brand new engine for pretty damn cheap. Amazes me that people toss pistons like they do. I can see if it were a race engine with NOS or Boost, but basically stock engines don't heat pistons like race motors do, and they just don't wear much at all. It's the rings that ride in the cylinders and wear. A little piston skirt wear doesn't make a piston unusable with a new set of rings. I have even used good used race pistons that had about 10-15 passes on them. They were still perfect and made a good street/strip engine that had a big cam and no NOS.
 

rumblebox

Full Access Member
Joined
Feb 13, 2015
Posts
164
Reaction score
42
Location
Victoria, TX
First Name
Carlton
Truck Year
74
Truck Model
K20
Engine Size
468
Are the pistons oversize at all? .030 over? Standard? If they're oversize I'd save them too. I've done some pretty good very cheap budget builds in the past. I've had buddies blow engines similar to this and trash the whole short block. Their pistons were TRW Forged .030 over and 1 piston was trashed, a couple rods etc. I'd buy 1 .030 over TRW Forged piston about $20 then bore a standard block .030 over and their pistons pressed on my reconned rods, then buy a re ring kit, timing set and oil pump. Use my good heads off another engine, install new valve seals and my good race cam with a new set of lifters and I had a brand new engine for pretty damn cheap. Amazes me that people toss pistons like they do. I can see if it were a race engine with NOS or Boost, but basically stock engines don't heat pistons like race motors do, and they just don't wear much at all. It's the rings that ride in the cylinders and wear. A little piston skirt wear doesn't make a piston unusable with a new set of rings. I have even used good used race pistons that had about 10-15 passes on them. They were still perfect and made a good street/strip engine that had a big cam and no NOS.
The pistons are standard flat tops, but the full set i have are standard dishes. I'll probably sell them since hypereutectic domes are still pretty cheap.

Sent from my LG-H910 using Tapatalk
 

rumblebox

Full Access Member
Joined
Feb 13, 2015
Posts
164
Reaction score
42
Location
Victoria, TX
First Name
Carlton
Truck Year
74
Truck Model
K20
Engine Size
468
So i took the crank out of the RV engine, and the thrust bearing was worn down to the welds and ate away most of the crank thrust surface. So that crank is trash too.

Sent from my LG-H910 using Tapatalk
 

HotRodPC

Administrator
Staff member
Admin
Joined
Aug 29, 2010
Posts
47,017
Reaction score
9,020
Location
OKC, OK
First Name
HotRod
Truck Year
85 K20 LWB
Truck Model
Silverado
Engine Size
454 - Turbo 400 - 3.73
Turbo 400's are known to eat up crank thrusts. Whoever got that transmission, you need to let them know that transmission pump needs a fix. I forget exactly what the fix is, but there is a fix for that problem. It has to do with drilling a hole bigger in the pump IIRC.
 

rumblebox

Full Access Member
Joined
Feb 13, 2015
Posts
164
Reaction score
42
Location
Victoria, TX
First Name
Carlton
Truck Year
74
Truck Model
K20
Engine Size
468
Turbo 400's are known to eat up crank thrusts. Whoever got that transmission, you need to let them know that transmission pump needs a fix. I forget exactly what the fix is, but there is a fix for that problem. It has to do with drilling a hole bigger in the pump IIRC.
It's long gone. The motor had been sitting around in a shop for like 10 years.

Sent from my LG-H910 using Tapatalk
 

rumblebox

Full Access Member
Joined
Feb 13, 2015
Posts
164
Reaction score
42
Location
Victoria, TX
First Name
Carlton
Truck Year
74
Truck Model
K20
Engine Size
468
It's long gone. The motor had been sitting around in a shop for like 10 years.

Sent from my LG-H910 using Tapatalk
But at least i have a good block and rods, and i sold the 236 heads for like $120.

Sent from my LG-H910 using Tapatalk
 

HotRodPC

Administrator
Staff member
Admin
Joined
Aug 29, 2010
Posts
47,017
Reaction score
9,020
Location
OKC, OK
First Name
HotRod
Truck Year
85 K20 LWB
Truck Model
Silverado
Engine Size
454 - Turbo 400 - 3.73
But at least i have a good block and rods, and i sold the 236 heads for like $120.

Sent from my LG-H910 using Tapatalk

The 236 heads are the Piss Nut port heads right? Aka Peanut Ports.
 

HotRodPC

Administrator
Staff member
Admin
Joined
Aug 29, 2010
Posts
47,017
Reaction score
9,020
Location
OKC, OK
First Name
HotRod
Truck Year
85 K20 LWB
Truck Model
Silverado
Engine Size
454 - Turbo 400 - 3.73
I wish I could afford some older 396 or even older 427 or 454 heads. It's hard to get excited with this 454 I have when it's got piss port heads on it. I'd put a mild cam in it and a nice intake and let it eat.
 

rumblebox

Full Access Member
Joined
Feb 13, 2015
Posts
164
Reaction score
42
Location
Victoria, TX
First Name
Carlton
Truck Year
74
Truck Model
K20
Engine Size
468
I wish I could afford some older 396 or even older 427 or 454 heads. It's hard to get excited with this 454 I have when it's got piss port heads on it. I'd put a mild cam in it and a nice intake and let it eat.
They have a lot of meat to work with.

Sent from my LG-H910 using Tapatalk
 

Honky Kong jr

Super Sarcastic Man
Joined
Jun 14, 2016
Posts
14,968
Reaction score
9,792
Location
Denver,PA
First Name
J-me
Truck Year
87
Truck Model
V10
Engine Size
Lil BB 407
They have a lot of meat to work with.

Sent from my LG-H910 using Tapatalk

Actually they don't it looks like it but to open them up to a standard oval port you would be threw the port. The peanut ports were cast different. Take an oval and a peanut and look at the combustion chamber side of the head at the intake ports.
 

4WDKC

Full Access Member
Joined
Jan 27, 2016
Posts
2,366
Reaction score
1,090
Location
Southern Florida
First Name
Kacy
Truck Year
1987
Truck Model
V10
Engine Size
350
How are you wanting to build it?
 

rumblebox

Full Access Member
Joined
Feb 13, 2015
Posts
164
Reaction score
42
Location
Victoria, TX
First Name
Carlton
Truck Year
74
Truck Model
K20
Engine Size
468
Ok so now I'm just going to buy an existing 496 i found, since i dont have enough useable parts from these 2 engines.

I'm going to pull it apart and mic everything just to be safe and to know what I'm actually working with. I do know it has 049 heads.

You must be registered for see images
 
Last edited:

HotRodPC

Administrator
Staff member
Admin
Joined
Aug 29, 2010
Posts
47,017
Reaction score
9,020
Location
OKC, OK
First Name
HotRod
Truck Year
85 K20 LWB
Truck Model
Silverado
Engine Size
454 - Turbo 400 - 3.73
Do you mean 396?
 

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
42,214
Posts
911,464
Members
33,718
Latest member
DamnTexan77
Top