Can anyone tell me any major/minor differences between the 3 big ones? (B.O.P.'s 455's?) Any interchangability between the 3?
Everything is different. The blocks are all visibly different. Back then, everyone had their own engine design. Now it's just a corporate V8
Nothing interchanges. Intakes, Headers, and Internal engine components are different, and not adaptable at all. The only things that will interchange on the motors are accesories like the alternator and Power steering pumps, but not the brackets. Waterpumps are different too. COMPLETLY DIFFERENT DESIGNS NOT EVEN CLOSE.... You might as well consider them as different as fords and mopigs.
mechacode, I don't think you're understanding us. The motors are completely different. If you take a good look at the 3 455's and the 454, you'll see that the intake manifolds, the exhaust manifolds, and virtually everything that attaches to the engines are all quite visibly different. Different shapes and bolt patterns, nothing will fit. You can interchange Q-jet carbs, but the fuel entry and choke linkages will probably not line up. The starters are different, A/c Compressors might interchange, and possibly alternators. The water pumps are completely different shape. Like I said, maybe lifters are interchangeable, but even the chevy lifter has a different pushrod cup. What were you thinking of doing, if things did interchange?
Sorry if I offended or set anyone off because of my constant curiosity. Little things like the carb (/etc) and distributors and things like that was what I was wondering.
No one was offended, at least not me:laugh: Back in the day, everyone had their own engines, and cars had their own personality. Now everything looks alike, there's probably more interchangability now within the same make.
The only cars I saw when growing up were either crappy economy cars with ugly lines or the cars at the track (Jefferson County Speedway) and going with my uncle to his friends house to work on a car that raced there. (Kind of explains my *who-cares-about-show-make-it-go!* philosophy.) B.O.P. had the biggest engines (yea, not theeee biggest but you get my point) and that's why I'm interested in them and their interchangablity as their all 455's. I guess I figured that they were the same engine just in different cars (forgive me, I grew up in the engine sharing of the 80's and 90's).
Also don't forget that Buick-Olds-Pontiac (BOP) had the same bellhousing bolt pattern. I think Caddilac also shared this pattern.
This is a common misconception. Just because 2 engines have the same displacement, does not mean they are the same. I once argued with an older gentleman at a car show, because he told me that all 455's were the same engine. Engine displacement is calculated by figuring out the volume that is displaced by 1 cylinder, and multiplying by the # of cylinders in the engine. The volume of a cylinder is = to pi X radius(squared) X the height of the cylinder. The radius would be 1/2 the bore, and the height would be the stroke. There is an infinite # of ways to get 455 cubic inches. You can use a larger bore and shorter stroke, or a smaller bore and longer stroke. If you look at BOP 455's, you'll see they all have different bores and strokes, yet they are all 455's. That's where the similarities end though.
Sent my 425 Nailhead heads to a local machine shop for rebuilding. I didn't go back for a few weeks because the guy said it would be a while before he had time to look at them. When I went back, he had sold them to a 425 Caddy owner who needed new heads. I told him to go get them immediately! He said what are we going to do if they are on his engine and installed. I said don't worry about that one!!! They are totally different. If a machinest doesn't know the difference, then I suppose many people don't. Even the 425's were totally different. My last trip to that guy.:blast:
