Back to a 454!

[NF65Fleetside]

Been lurking around lately, nothing major to report on the truck so just admiring all the updates and newbs to the forum.
So I finally came into a bind where Im forced to do a swap. My 283 had some major malfunction a week ago and now is parked, not interested in finding out the true problem with it to fix so I am going to swap in a running used motor in the meantime just to get me back driving. I will tear the 283 apart and build it up into a hot lil street motor for a future project.
Right now I have 3 options of motors all from good sources...a 350, 327 and now a 454! All are complete and runners, not to say they are engines I could be worry free of, but something to just get me going until I can fully take my time to rebuild or get a true crate motor.
The 454 is a deal thats truely hard to pass up, since I would be getting it at a steal of a price. My dilema is that I need to know how my 3-on-the-tree will hold up to it (no aggressive driving but daily) Also what flywheel, pressure plate, and clutch disc would be needed to mate it? Any info would be great, and yes ive been trying to search but not getting specific answeres needed.

[rain_man]

if it was me i would go with the 327
i have always just thought they were the best bang for ur buck
plus if it is a daily u dont want to pay the gas for that big blook 454

[NF65Fleetside]

gas isnt really an issue, ive ran a 454 before and didnt burn a ton of fuel like people would expect because of it being a "big block".
Did a little more research and found out that the late 60's-early 70's c10's had 396 with colum 3 spd...thats the only info, cant find specifics as to parts needed. Still looking for a lil help.

[CVA59]

The 3 speed will work just fine with the 454. It all depends on how hard on it you are. Normal daily driving would be fine, however the first time you bust off into and get any amount of traction you will probably destroy the 3 speed. For a daily driver it would be fine. I have seen this done before with success. My dad ran a hopped up 396 with his factory 3 on tree for many years and never had any problems. Hope this helps.

However, i am with rain_man, I would go with the 327, those are great engines and still have a decent range of horsepower.

[72lb4x4]

I say 454...

If it was a choice of 327 and 350, I'd say 350. I have no idea why anyone would choose a 327 over a 350 other than nostalgia.

[NF65Fleetside]

thanks guys....so do I need to upgrade to an 11" disc?

[markeb01]

If you’re not going to beat it up, the smaller 10.4” clutch will hold up just fine. I’ve been running a 350 with a Richmond 4 speed for about 5-6 years and it operates like new, but then I don’t beat it up either. Back in the 70’s I actually put a hot 283 in front of the puny 3 speed torque tube transmission in my 54 Chevy sedan. Although I broke 13 of these transmissions in high school with a six, the one behind the V8 was still working fine after 3-4 years when the differential broke. The fact I didn’t beat it up was the reason it stayed together so long.

Regarding engine selection, it’s hard not to like the image factor of a big block under the hood. The trade off being the extra weight piled on top of the steering, increasing effort, and making the chassis even more nose heavy.

I’ve always thought the 327 was the pinnacle small block, they just did everything right and well remember a bunch of them screaming around town in my youth. For a daily driver however, it’s hard to beat the practicality of the 350, since just about every accessory there is will bolt right on, and the bolt on oil filter canister was eliminated. I know 350’s are far too common to be special, but there’s a reason for that popularity. Another downside for the 327 is the condition of the specific engine you’re looking at. Depending on how many times the block or heads have been resurfaced or milled, it can be frustrating trying to get the intake manifold to seal properly.

For my daily driver it would be another 350. If money was no object, I’d actually prefer a big block Chevy, or a 389 Pontiac, or even a dual quad Buick engine!

[jocko]

327 327 327 327 327 327 327 327 327 327 327 327 327 327 327 327 327 327!
But i might be partial to the 327...

don't get me wrong, i'm a big fan of big blocks - have had several in old impalas. For me though, small block just seems "right" in these ol trucks. But that's just me - you really can't go wrong (unless you put a F$%& in it...). Especially if it's a daily driver (then either small block seems more appropriate).

Sorry bout your 283 though, is it repairable?

[onequickchevy]

I thought for a while that I would stuff a big block into my '57 Belair. I then looked at how much it would change the vehicle. It's heavier, more expensive to build , less efficient, much harder on drivetrain, and back tires. Now, the last three don't matter a whole lot to me, but the first two really do. You can not beat the visual impact of a big block, but in regards to money spent for overall performance I still say small block. I also have never had good luck with horsepower and three speeds. But I am older and much more wiser now, maybe I should try again

[Captainfab]

If you do decide to go with the 454, you will need a flywheel specifically for a 454 as they are externally balanced. IMO the 3 speed will hold up behind the 454 if you don't have sticky or wide tires. The problem will occur when or if you catch traction.

[andyh1956]

you didn't tell us which three speed trans you had in your truck. if you have the old chevy crash box then i have info you can take to the bank. as a youth i had a pretty hot 283 in my '57 chevy, and it ATE crash boxes! they were cheap & i had already invested in a hurst mystery shifter for it so i kept picking them up & building them- some times several times a week! later i started trading for muncies & the 283 never killed one of those. it wouldn't make sense to me to have a big block under the hood & have to tippie toe around to keep from turning my trans to oatmeal. if you couldn't romp on it once in a while to show what you had then what's the point? my son shelled two in his '66 with the old 230 it had. i'm sure you would like a small block better, and if your trans still shifts from the column i THINK the linkage & big block exaust may intersect, but i don't remember for sure. not trying to influence your decision here, just giving you other things to think about. if you do install the big block, how about turning the headers up out the top of the hood & be sure to post photos!
andy

[NF65Fleetside]

love'n all the feedback, totally agree with all of you too wether it be the big block or small block.....I love my lil colum shifter, if I do go 454 and it blows up the trans then Ill just back it with a Th350 or 400 and convert to floor shifter. You guys will know what i went with by mid or end of next week, either way I will be stoked to be back on the road.
As for the 283, havent given it the time of day to see whats wrong with it...still in the truck, only moving on street cleaning days. I probably will give it to my buddy whos letting me do the swap at his shop.....dude built a 283 a year or two ago and that thing was a screamer! He laced it with a slight bore (forget how much), vortec heads, intake, 4bbl carb, and a cam grind just a tad over RV specs....and dropped it into a lil modified hotrod, screamer!

[Chevy Fleetside]

Here is some insentive.. Just in case you forgot what it looks like in the engine bay...