Good morning guys, Hope all is well on your side. So there it is ! I finally started my 430 build. I was considering switching the 430 for a 455 but these block are a bit hard to find here in Quebec so I decided to stick with what I have and to build it. The block was stock and it was drinking oil like a mack truck, this is the reason why I initially started the rebuild. Upon closer inspection the ring gap of every single ring was waaaay too huge, looks like someone re ringed the thing and messed up his job. So far here's the progress, oil mods are pretty much done : Oil5 by ghrp posted Feb 14, 2020 at 11:28 AM Oil4 by ghrp posted Feb 14, 2020 at 11:28 AM Oil2 by ghrp posted Feb 14, 2020 at 11:28 AM Oil3 by ghrp posted Feb 14, 2020 at 11:28 AM Oil1 by ghrp posted Feb 14, 2020 at 11:28 AM The setup will most likely look like this : Stock block 430 will be bored 0.030 over, pistons are Postons with stock rods and ARP bolts Crank was honed and resized ARP Main bolts Stage 1 fuel pump Edlebrock Performer Intake topped off with a built quadrajet HEI distributor All the gaskets were ordered at TA, and the TA baffle kit was added since I'm going to composite intake gaskets Clevite main bearings Double roller timing chain from TA Already got Doug's headers installed on the car, and a 2.5 inch dual exhaust as well, w/ two cherry bombs Here's where I need your help : - The gears are stock 2.73, I will most probably upgrade to 3.23 if it makes sense to you guys - The camshaft I had in mind is TA_290-08HL, which will require a torque converter for sure. Does it seems like a good choice ? If no, I am open to any suggestion. I am not exactly looking for a extremely high performance big cam, but would like something with a pretty rough/mild idle, and something that has peak horse power around 2000 rpm since it's definitely going to be the operating range of the engine. - For the heads I will probably go with EDL since I already have the Chevy rockers needed for this, and the TA looks awesome for sure but being a student right now the shipping price is absolutely killing me... I think the EDL one are a sweet compromise. (please don't throw rock at me ) Here's how the car looked a few year back when it was initially repainted 12 years ago : 30882000002_large by ghrp posted Feb 14, 2020 at 11:30 AM 30882000009_large by ghrp posted Feb 14, 2020 at 11:30 AM 30882000010_large by ghrp posted Feb 14, 2020 at 11:30 AM The paint has faded with the years, and the previous owner decided he didn't like the blacked out trim look so he sanded the trims... I'll go back to that blacked out look for sure. Let's discuss !
Thats one bad SLEDECTRA! Sine you are going with the chevy rockers, I am going to guess that you are going with 455 lifters and hollow pushrods for top end oiling? The 430 has an oil supply hole just above and forward of #1 cylinder which I am going to suggest you tap for a 1/8 NPT socket head pipe plug. The 455's maintained that hole, even with the different oiling system and its a place to leak through the headgasket and sit in the valley on the timing chest/water pimp area; always a mess there. Mine is now BONE DRY. I'll post pics later; I'm in the shop without pics right now. Really like that SLED. Dont go beyond a 3:23 gear. Even a 3:08 will suffice. Was it already bored oversized with STD. rings?
Thank you very much ! You are totally right about the plug, and the hole has been plugged as well : Plug by ghrp posted Feb 14, 2020 at 1:42 PM The block had never been bored, it was all stock when I got it. It just seems like that someone tried to rering the stock pistons at some point.
When they machined/cast the 455 blocks they only left one hole in place (that I know of or could find on mine!), and that was at #1, drivers side on the front. Yours looks like its at the rear; was there 2 or 4 holes on yours? Twenty years ago I had a 68 E225 with a 430. There was a cracked piston land so I replace one piston, rings, and bearings. I had the heads done (BBB right?). The guy exchanged the 430 heads for 455's. I used the 430 lifters and solid push rods and the heads didnt oil. The shop actually ate that whole job as much as I regretted that. Small shop with tall overhead. I did the labor again. Nothing made any noise for about 5000 miles tho. Then it was a boneyard set of 455 rockers and shafts, new 455 lifters and pushrods. The 430 heads went out to another job . What a learning experience that was!
Great question ! For the 430 there's a hole on both driver and passenger side. I think both have been sucessfully plugged, just have to make sure of this one.
Getting more HP is not simply putting in a big cam and getting what you want with no downsides. What you get is rougher idle and lower engine vacuum (think about your power brakes). That power peak of 2000 RPM has got to be a mistake, not even the stock engine had a HP peak at 2000 RPM, even the torque peak was closer to 3000. Put a decent sized cam like the TA290-08HL, and everything gets moved up significantly, not so great with your 2.73 rear gears. The Edelbrock heads are a great idea, but for aluminum, you want more static compression, at least 10:1. With that cam, even more, 10.5 to 11:1 I would think, why? Read this, http://www.empirenet.com/pkelley2/DynamicCR.html Not sure what Poston pistons are, but Poston has been out of business for a very long time. Back then, the pistons they sold had a compression height that put them about .050" in the hole at TDC, so your compression is most likely more like 9.5:1 if that. I think you need to rethink your plan. What is your elevation there in Quebec? Significant elevation will make your engine vacuum problems with that cam worse.
Hey Larry ! Hope all is well on your side. Sorry for being unclear : I didn't mean a cam that had peak horse power, but a cam that will most probably be used around 2000 rpm and a tad more. As I said I will most probably get new gears. The piston I am talking about are these one, and were sold by Craig here on the board : Here's for the elevation : https://elevationmap.net/riviere-du-loup-bas-saint-laurent-ca-1013016200
