big blocks...

[doo142]

Originally Posted by nlped

But the sound of a Big block with a healthy camshaft can't really be beat... Just sayin'

Right on bro!! With a 6 speed to back it up, love it!!!

[Heavymetl]

http://ls1tech.com/forums/forced-ind...kes-920rw.html

Originally Posted by Fitz

At 500 you are STILL 150 HP away from that big block. And It does it reliably on pump gas. The main difference is the torque. Your turbo smallblock will peak at about 450 ft-lbs. That big block peaks at 650 ft-lbs and it is torque not horsepower that gets you off the line.

Ok, I'll bite. #1 Big blocks are great. I have nothing against them. I used to dream of having a big block and thought they were the only way to go.

#2 I purposely fudged WAY LOW on my previous LS turbo power statement so as not to sound foolish to the unitiated. How does 920 rear wheel horsepower on a $150 4.8 grab you? Sounds unbelievable doesn't it? It's not. GM really outdid themselves with the LS platform, and we should all be thankful.



I've been extremely fortunate to have participated in Hot Rods Drag Week. Let me just say to dismiss a turbo LS as not being everything and more (except the sound!) of a big block is a bit naive. The general has offered the gift of ludicrous speed, in both big block and LS form. We should all be glad were not Ford guys. ..

[57taskforce]

Haha! I thought ford stood for first on race day??? At least that's what they'll tell you!... We all know the truth here tho! Amen we've been blessed to be able to go fast pretty easily with multiple engine platforms!

[imjeff]

Originally Posted by hamjet

Big blocks are nice, small blocks are nice, Dressed in chrome, dressed in orange, stock, sooped up, open the hood and everyone got one. you know what to expect. I'm going the other way. (my wife wants to know why I always have to be different).. Just got the 3x2 bbl setup comming. can't wait!

Giddy up!

[no1udknow]

I agree that LS motors can make colossal power... but at what cost? If I put the same amount of money into a big block, as they do to make an LS produce 1000 HP... what would I have? There is no replacement for displacement I understand that. It comes back to the rice burner 4 bangers making 300 HP... I hallways tell those guys "great, you spent $2000 to make as much HP as a stock v8. If I spent $2000 on my v8 I could make 600-700 HP."

[leftybass209]

Why has this turned into a debate about ls vs big blocks? I say pick up your roller big block and have a blast!

[1972RedNeck]

And you guys think 700 ft. lbs. of torque is impressive...

[72chevyk10]

the only way someone could force me to run a ls in my truck is carb'd and 427ci+. next engine under my hood is gonna be a 489... or maybe a 540... also the roller cam is the only REALLY important part. the roller rockers only pick up something like 5hp on a mean engine. im running a roller cam and normal type rockers and it does just fine

[no1udknow]

Originally Posted by 1972RedNeck

And you guys think 700 ft. lbs. of torque is impressive...

are you referring to your 4bt?

[Already Gone]

Originally Posted by hamjet

Big blocks are nice, small blocks are nice, Dressed in chrome, dressed in orange, stock, sooped up, open the hood and everyones got one. you know what to expect. I'm going the other way. (my wife wants to know why I always have to be different).. Just got the 3x2 bbl setup comming. can't wait!

So you are going to put a 3 Deuce 409 in your truck.. Cool !!!!

[hamjet]

I wish it was a 409, but its a 348 which I dropped off this morning to be bored .030. Yes, it will have 3x2s on top. Love the look. Just a mild cam for a daily driver..

[Already Gone]

Originally Posted by hamjet

I wish it was a 409, but its a 348 which I dropped off this morning to be bored .030. Yes, it will have 3x2s on top. Love the look. Just a mild cam for a daily driver..

Nothing wrong with a 348 and thought it may be one as well. In 1971 I had a 58 Chevy Impala 2 door with a 348 ( 4bbl 250hp) and 2 speed powerglide trans. I drove the crap out of it ( as most 22 year olds did back then) and blew up the powerglide and a lot of the gears were split in half ..

[jetboat 4]

small blocks are for cars BIG BLOCKS ARE FOR TRUCKS, as simple as that !

[CC69Rat]

Ok, I'll play - the turbo LS motor spec is right on and no disrespect to the LS guys out there. You can make a ton of power with those engines. I get it..

But - put the same turbo on the big block and what happens? With a nice set of heads and the right ' old school tuning ' from the old timers I'm good with my BBC.

Honestly I don't know enough about the LS motors to even talk about them but how can they be as fuel efficient as people claim when the Z06 factory window sticker doesn't claim the same mpg rating overall? Just sayin..

[Alex V.]

X2 on 1996. Any 454 marked as a Vortec or Vortec 7400 should have a roller cam. (You'd also get the better-flowing Vortec heads with that package.) Not sure about previous versions or some of the late 80's/early 90's hi-perf car variants, but I believe in trucks the flat-tappet to roller change came with the Vortec induction system in '96.

My BIL's family has a '98 K2500 Suburban w/454, and with the only upgrade being Flowmaster exhaust it'll flat haul their 32' cargo trailer. Gets 14 MPG or so empty, with 4.10 gears. 250,000 miles and counting.

Two pages of discussion and only one other direct answer to the man's question... tisk tisk.

[Mick Je]

My 454 .40 over Gen. 4 Big Block

-GM Truck Heads
-Hydraulic Roller
-Comp Thumper Cam
-Steel Crank
-Aluminum Forged Pistons

Engine Dyno:
375 HP
475 Torque

[Mick Je]

On Dyno

[toolboxchev]

Originally Posted by Mick Je

My 454 .40 over Gen. 4 Big Block

-GM Truck Heads
-Hydraulic Roller
-Comp Thumper Cam
-Steel Crank
-Aluminum Forged Pistons

Engine Dyno:
375 HP
475 Torque

What kind of drive ability are you getting with your set up? Mileage? Rear Gears and Trans?

[kehstr]

i would recommend going away from a v-belt if you do the swap, and go with a ribbed belt, they are so much easier to install, and just look better in my opinion

[Doug's68SS]

serp belt setup

[Mick Je]

Originally Posted by toolboxchev

What kind of drive ability are you getting with your set up? Mileage? Rear Gears and Trans?

7.5 mpg which is a little worst than my 402 that was 8. I have a TH-400 trans. I currently have 3.73s but want to drop down to 3.42s, I'm spinning 3000 at 70 on the fwy and would like to drop down. But in all it sounds mean and cruises. I put polyurethane engine mounts but I put a new stock style trans mount. Doing polyurethane all the way was TOO MUCH vibration!!!

[68350]

Big blocks are so much fun! Can achieve a lot of torque out of them!

[Mick Je]

Originally Posted by Doug's68SS

serp belt setup

What serpentine set up is that?

[1972RedNeck]

Originally Posted by ho70

depends on what you want
small block good driver
ls good driver good hp
big block old school torque, hp and looks, but gas suffers as does driveability

How do you figure driveability suffers? Is it because the wheels never hook?

[davepl]

Originally Posted by 1972RedNeck

How do you figure driveability suffers? Is it because the wheels never hook?

Because people pick the cam third from the bottom of the list in the Summit catalog, run no choke, no heat stove, no thermac, no heat riser, and then compare it to the LS motor with all of it's warmup equipment (mostly software though!) and complain it's not as driveable.

A big block with a factory-calibrated Q-jet drives like an LS3, it just gets a lot worse mileage. It's when kids monkey with them and rip off all the pieces that don't make power that you wind up driving it with two feet so it doesn't stall, and that gives them a bad name.

Properly set up, they should run perfectly.