hey guys....454 question here (newbie)

[confucius_Sez]

well, i've bought my uncles '76 LWB rust bucket with a 454 in it. it has no overhauls from what he told me, just timing chain and another minor replacement.

my question is, what options were offered in these year motors? by that i mean, are they strictly 2-bolt mains, or could i have a 4-bolt under there. also, im not certain if i heard that the '76 454 is the only motor where i can bore it ?.120? is that right??

im debating if i should keep this bad boy or sell it. if i were to keep it, how much would it cost to keep it at a mild 400 HP or around that? i have another addiction for speed, just want something with some umph. know what i mean?
but if i were to sell it, what would be a good, fair asking price if there's no cracks in the motor or nothing bad, cuz isn't this a good crank (if so, im not sure which is better, steel or cast?)

anyways, im surprised i haven't signed on this board lots earlier. i have an '86 silverado SWB that misses me babying it. (that's what happens when you have kids i guess) well, i hope i can be somewhat beneficial and helpful......if not, i'll just sit back and learn to what ya'll have to say............
and HI FROM HOUSTON!!! WELL, BAYTOWN ACTUALLY!!

[Tom]

Ok to answer your questions in order:
It could have either a 2 or 4bolt main

Lots of 454's can take a .125" overbore, but not all. The only way to know is a sonic check. All 454's can go at least .060" over. Only go as much over as needed when rebuilding, usually .030"

It would be fairly cheap to get 400hp. It should have oval port heads, so a good rebuild using 9.5:1 compression, a cam with about 230-235*@.050 duration, 2.19/1.88 valves in the heads,a RPM intake and 1 3/4" headers should get you 400hp.

Steel is better then cast as far as most everything is concerned.

As for a fair asking price, I have no idea. Way too much unfortunatley [for people like me!]

[old Rusty C10]

ya want an estimate of what the truck is worth post a few pics and welcome to the board

[confucius_Sez]

im not selling any truck...the '76 is a rust bucket (literally) and im keeping my '86.........

so here's what i'll do......(or does it matter) i'll pull it out with the trans (i think 3 speed) and find some numbers and is there any site that'll tell me what these numbers mean.

and just for my knowing, is it true that the crank is worth 600+ $?? im not trying to make money here. but im considering either buying a GM Goodwrench 350 (330HP) with a 3/36 warranty ($2,200) or fixing this 454 up that i already have. something mild as stated above, maybe hotrod it everynow and then, or trailer my bike, the real go getter!

i'll get some pix of it soon. now that i think about it, all i have pix of is my bike. i'll post that up.......unless it's forbidden since it's foreign.... :p
but thanks for the replies....maybe i can get a few more

right now i wish my truck could even get the 3rd gear scratch in 1st gear 305 H.O. : pisson:

[rage'nrat638]

don't think that crank is worth 600.00...is it gold????
maybe only to you????
454 is a great engine...about 5000.00 to stroke it to 496....
3800.00 for a good rebuild...by a shop
check your numbers here
http://www.nastyz28.com/spmenu.html

[confucius_Sez]

no,i thought that's what i've heard. musta been a wives tale...or tail. oh well......thanks mark