[GSFMECH]

Well you can't take the drag racer out of me and after about 4 years of this old 350 I had to have something a little stronger. I had a lot of big block leftovers from my racing days so I whipped up a 454 for it. Ernie (HuggerCST's brother in law) had already bored a spare block .030 over for me a few years ago for a set of LS-6 pistons I had. These are the open chamber style and are about 10.5:1 w/ 781 heads. They are forged TRW's and I had them fly cut years ago for a monster cam. Only problem was I was missing one because I had busted one at the track in Eunice and took them out and re-bored that block and stepped up to some 13:1 pistons. They had only a few passes on them. Ernie had one in a cabinet in his shop and he gave to me. I was lucky because the new style they sell now are a lot different. The rods are re-sized truck rods w/ ARP bolts. Ernie fly cut the piston, balanced it to match and mounted it to the rod. I had a steel crank wrapped up under my bench that I thought was rusted but when I cleaned it I found it was coated with cosmoline and it was perfect. It was a long story how I got this one, some of mine and Kevin's trading. I had several sets of 781 heads around so I cleaned a set up, installed new guides and did a 3 angle valve job (I have my own valve grinding machine, guide cutter f/ PC seals, installers and spring testers and stuff to do big blocks). I bolted this junk together with a mild speed pro cam (about 520 lift). We hit the Pate swap meet again and found an old Torker intake with the canted mounting flange and nice set of the old chrome GM valve covers like the old Chevelles and Camaros ran. I also spotted a set of full length BB truck headers and picked them up for 30 bucks. I've had so many of those old cyclone and blackjack headers on big block trucks I had no trouble spotting them. I had a leftover 850 double pumper Holley from drag racing and rebuilt it. I still have jet kits and a bunch of Holley tuning parts in my shop. I picked up a Pertronix at a swap meet and that's planned for later, I'm still running points. I had a leftover 400 turbo and rebuilt it with a home brewed shift kit. I build it myself and use all the tricks B&M does except for the big sprag. I've had them hold up with some pretty stout big blocks. I don't like them to shift hard and rattle you but I like them to shift fast. I also have it rigged so it won't shift by itself into second, anyone who has ever fooled with a 400 knows what I'm talking about. Mine will stay in first if you hold it down until YOU shift it. Anyway I used the 350 turbo converter for just a touch more stall speed. I also had a one piece drive shaft for a 400 turbo laying around from years back. I scrounged up the detent switch for the gas pedal to make it like stock for the passing gear. I then started hunting up all the rest of the goodies. I already had a set of big block pulleys, and alternator brackets, I even had the correct 72 only upper alternator bracket. I got a complete power steering set up from Wynne with the remote reservoir and he hooked me up with the 72 only big block motor mounts. I had a set of BB 68-71 mounts and sold them on eBay. I got a big block fan shroud from Wynne and I scavenged the AC brackets off eBay. I also fabbed up a new 2 1/2" mandrel bent exhaust system using elbows and pipe from JC Whitney and some Summit turbos. I wanted this build to look like something from the 70's (note the white headers)and everything on it was available when I was in high school except the TT-11 wheels, even the B&F Goodrich TA radials were around then. Anyway it turned out good. The mild combo with that big old honkin carb will fry the tires as long as you want to do it. Next is a posi because I almost ruined my right rear tire. This thing will get with the program.