help with big block chevy

[gcallahan]

hey guys, im building my 69 camaro for a street/road coarse car. im starting with a 1984 2 bolt 454 thats .030 over. I have a stock crank and pistons and rods. also have edelbrock performer intake (2161) and matching cam/lifters (2162). i have a set of 3993820 heads that are stock. what piston would be recomended? i figured that the stock ones are 8.5-8.7, but could be very wrong. and would the procomp aluminum, 300cc intake, 115cc chamber 2.250 1.880, heads be a good choice for this motor? one more question, is my holly 750 vac secondary big enough?

[Josh]

The 750 is fine for a street car. I have one on my 454 and it runs strong. If you told us the cc of your combustion chambers and your valve lift it would be helpful..

[gcallahan]

Thanks Josh, the 820's are 113cc and the cam as listed on edelbrock's site is;
ENGINE: CHEVY 396-427-454 V8
RPM RANGE: Idle-5500

Duration at 0.006" Lift: Intake: 292° Exhaust: 302°
Duration at 0.050" Lift: Intake: 218° Exhaust: 228°
Lift at Cam: Intake: 0.295" Exhaust: 0.295"
Lift at Valve: Intake: 0.500" Exhaust: 0.500"
Timing at 0.050" lift: Open Close
Intake: 0° ATDC 38° ABDC
Exhaust: 53° BBDC 5° BTDC
Centerlines: Lobe Separation - 114° Intake Centerline - 109°
Also I am running a Munci 4 speed and 411s in a 12 bolt.

[theRG]

Street/road course is kind of a broad brush stroke, but it sounds like you are looking for a mainly street engine that you could open track/autocross on the weekends. It looks like your also on a tight budget and I understand the urge to stay very inexpensive, but you get what you pay for, and if you spend a little more upfront than you will save in the long run. I would have Pro-Gram main caps (center 3) installed and have the block align bored/honed, Mahle Power-Pak flat top piston and ring kit, Comp 270s or 282s solid flat tappet camshaft, and K1 connecting rods to replace the stock connecting rods.

The crank is probably good, I would have a machine shop do all the regular checks and polish it. As for the cylinder heads, just Google Pro-Comp heads and you will understand why they are so cheap and sold mainly on ebay. Your money is better spent on a nice set of Edelbrock Performer RPM heads, AFR heads, or refurbishing the stock heads.

The best thing you can do is write out your goals and once they are clearly defined go to a reputable machine shop and let them know what you want, what parts you will be using or are thinking of using, let them know your overall budget and try to work out a good build plan.