big block chevy

[mrhino]

Hey big block guys. Im a little out of touch on big block values so maybe you can help me. Had a guy offer me a disassembled 454 the other day. the bare block is on the stand with suppose-ably all the machine work done. says he has a whole bunch of parts to put it back together and wants 2k for it. and all he can tell me is it has chrome valve covers. at first i dissimiss it. but than the entrepreneur in me takes over. so I go into his basement and take a look see. well this is what i find: Brand new comp cams hydraulic flat tappet cam and lifters, new victor jr eldebrock manifold, Eagle steel crank, he says engine was bored and it has new pistons. I did not see the pistons or rods and he doest know how much it was bored. I also saw a pair of Dart Pro 1 cast iron heads (bare) says he has new valves and springs but didnt see them either. aluminium water put looks like Meziere (only saw the Back side of it), Chrome alternator, 2 MSD billet Distributors, 6al box, he says "A big Holley carb" although we couldn't find it at the time. a couple of new ARP boxes, and 2 fabricated aluminum valve covers not chrome as he stated.

As im righting this I probably just answered my own question, but iv wrote to much to delete it all now. What do you guys think all this would be worth. Is it worth more put together or in pieces?

[86 K-10]

i would just buy all the stuff i know for fact is new or usable. if you really want the block, have it inspected before you pay...then verify the type of pistons/cam/heads he's got if you expect to put it together "as-is"... it sounds like there's some good stuff there, good luck

[tucsonjwt]

Home built engines are hard to price, especially because the components package is not engineered and warranted to work together. Unless you must have a mega horsepower big block, I would just look for a good used 454 with all the fixins in a truck. They are relatively cheap out there due to high gas prices. Unless you are racing your vehicle, a stock 454 has plenty of horsepower for whatever you need.

[shipma2]

is it a low compression block? yes home built blocks can be a bit sketchy at times. have it inspected by another professional. some of those 454s can be hard to get power out of due to the compression ratio, i have a smogdog 454 and it does not have alot of power, torque wise im sure it has a decent ammount. anyways get it checked out