454 INSPECTION

I JUST BOUGHT A 454 BB AND IM FIXING TO INSPECT IT THE BEST I CAN WITHOUT TEARING EVERY THING APART. DO YOU GUYS KNOW WHERE IS SHOULD LOOK FIRST FOR POSSIBLE CRACKS OR MAJOR WEAR OF DAMAGE BEYOND REPAIR..I WILL TAKE OFF THE HEADS TODAY TO MEASURE THE PISTON CYLINDER BORE. BEFORE I PAID THE GUY HE TOOK OFF THE INTAKE AND OIL PAN FOR ME AND EVERY THING LOOKS GOOD. DIDNT SEE AND SLUDGE ON PAN, NO OIL ON BLOCK, AND UNDER THE INTAKE LOOKED PRETTY GOOD(NO BUILDUP). CASTING NUMBERS SHOW THE BLOCK TO BE FROM 72 TO 79 MANUFACTURE. GUY SAID IT WAS IN A MOTOR HOME THAT HAD 60,000 ON ODOMETER.. I THOUGH IT WAS PRETTY GOOD DEAL FOR 400 BUCKS. COMPLETE ENGINE MINUS INTAKE. GOT ALL THE ACC BRACKETS, FLYWHEEL, AND EVEN A TURBO 400 HE SAID WAS BOLTED ORIGINAL.  

I think you should definitly pull the heads, look at the bores for ring grove, if all is well go ahead and have the heads checked,when I am working w/bbc heads I have them pressure tested. pull a couple of the main and rod caps being a motor home engine. as far as the cam I would replace it any way.Good luck w/your BBC  

For four hundred bucks, even if the rest of the engine was trashed, the block is worth the money. What is the casting # on the heads, it is located under the valve cover on each head. I can tell you more about the engine with this #. JW.  

353049 is the casting numbers for the heads. will my 700lb engine stand hold up the big blocks weight..  

ok i just took off one of the heads and didnt see any deep scratches in the cylinder walls(if thats what you mean by ring grooves). also i really couldnt see much of a ridge at the top of the cylinder either. i measured the bore with a digital caliper and it is stock 4.25. .so happy about that. you just dont know or maybe you do..if your on this web sight you probably do.   ok.. the head looked pretty good. no visible cracks. just normal looking carbon burn..i guess thats what that black stuff is. what is that.  

"049" heads are one of the best large oval port heads Chevy made. I was thinking that since it came out of an RV. that it would have "peanut ports", but to your benefit, it doesnt. The engine sounds like a good find and some 1972-73 454's had steel cranks. Tap the flywheel flange with a hammer and see if it rings (steel) or is a dull thud (cast). Either way, it's a good find and I wish you luck with it. Any other questions please feel free to ask.  JW.  

I attempted to use a typical 700lb 3 wheel stand on my first BB build, fortunatly my hoist was handy when it started to fold down while torquing the heads. The stand was scrap after that, I would recommend a 1200lb stand. Be careful when torqing the head bolts down to 90 ft lb.  

Yeah, you gotta have a 1200 lb rated stand for a big block.

All big block Chevys have steel cranks from the factory. Some low horse blocks do have two-bolt mains though.

The 70s blocks are suually good, that was before the tooling started wearing out and GM was having problems with core shift during the casting process. You've defintiely got a good foundation for a motor build!  

1973 was the last year for a standard production 454 and that includes a four bolt main block, to have a steel crank, with the exception of some High Perf marine engines. Anything after 73, count on it being cast.