455 swap in A -body

[nuklear2g]

first of all i would like to thank bob k. mando for responding to my last post .i found out that that my 64 skylark conv has a 300. right now i'm at a stand still , i want power and torque around 350 to 450 hrses ad torque. i really dont plan on selling the car so i really dont care if i swap out the engine for big power .from reading diff posts it seems all the hype is on the big 455 motor because of so many add on you can do to boost perf. would you still reccomend a 350 over a 455? on a cost perspective what would be the better swap for a budget build up. i want low compression to run reg gas .any sug on trans and suspension- to rear diff numbers would be a great help. i just want current perf to keep up with the big boys .

[ss-truck]

The 455 definately has its advantages ,but don't let the 350 fool you because it is smaller . i have one in a 71 Skylark that has run 11.92 in 1/4 . It is a very streetable motor and will run on regular gas but prefers premium . Its not too bad on the rest of the drive train because it does not have the monster torque of a 455 , but you have to make the decision what you want .

[bob k. mando]

on a cost perspective what would be the better swap for a budget build up.

you should probably be able to find a 350 for next to nothing ( nobody seems to want em ) ... or a core 455 for not much more. the 350 weighs well over 100lbs less than a factory 455 so you're going to save a bunch of weight in the nose of the car right there.

350-400hp should be easily attainable with the 350 from a competent engine builder / head porter.

it seems all the hype is on the big 455 motor because of so many adds on you can do to boost perf

yeah, but now you're not talking about a 'budget' build anymore. aluminum heads and whatnot are spendy. spring $5 for the www.TAPerformance.com catalog and take a look see.

straightforward head / engine work should price out approx the same. head work should be the most important thing for you on either engine. unless you're just going to spring for aluminum heads (which will outflow the factory iron pieces before port work ) which are only available for the big block.