451 Stroker

[heyoldguy]

Some times having a stack of old magazines laying around can cost you a lot of money.

My oldest son was shuffling through a pile of old magazines and found one with an article showing a 440 build-up that my Dad had done. He says, "Hey Pop did this back in 1982, can't we do the same thing?"

Yeah we can son, but we're gunna need cylinder heads to get there, 'cause Pop got 630 hp @ 7000 rpm and 593 lb/ft @ 4600 rpm. We can't do that with anything we got setting around here right now.

So he got out Dad's old porting tools and began destroying cylinder heads he was pulling off cars out back. He even had one that looked like a loaf of sliced bread when he found a bandsaw.

When Dad passed years before he left behind a flowbench. My son kept track of the results as he ruined head after head. Months later he finally said, "Can we use these?" He had a set of 452's flowing 290 cfm @ .700"

So we put it together.
                 
             1974 400 block bored to 4.375
             440 steel crank ground to 400 main size
             Scat 6.76 H-beam rods
             Ross forged flat top pistons, 9.5:1 compression
             Ported 452 heads
             MP M1 Single Plain
             950 cfm Quick Fuel 4150
             Crane Gold Race 1.6:1 rockers
             Comp XR292R Street Roller 254/260 @ .050", 620"/627" lift w/1.6:1 rockers

Our first engine!

We didn't catch Pop and his 12.5:1 compression, Clay Smith Roller cammed extravaganza, but...we...came...close.

             4000rpm     546.4 tq     416.1 hp
             4100          553.8         432.3
             4200          573.4         458.5
             4300          574.4         470.3
             4400          578.2         484.4
             4500          585.6         501.8
             4600          587.5         514.6
             4700          583.7         522.4
             4800          567.1         518.3
             4900          568.5         530.4
             5000          555.2         528.6
             5100          555.6         539.5
             5200          562.7         557.1
             5300          561.9         567.0
             5400          549.9         565.4
             5500          547.2         573.0
             5600          553.9         590.6
             5700          544.8         591.3
             5800          545.5         602.4
             5900          544.0         611.1
             6000          537.4         613.9
             6100          534.3         620.6
             6200          523.1         617.5
             6300          506.7         607.8
             6400          499.5         608.7
             6500          490.2         606.7
             6600          480.7         604.1
             6700          471.2         601.1
             6800          458.3         593.4

That was our first engine. Eventually with the very same short block, bigger cam and a different top end, it went 595.1 lb/ft @ 6300rpm and 775.2 hp @ 7200rpm on 93 octane......but......that's another story.

[Budnicks]

Your Pops & your son sound like great guys... That's a great combo for what it is, I wish me & my Pops had that kind of relationship, my step father was a gear head growing up & taught me a lot, but my real father "Pops" that I take care of now, is not really a car guy at all, but he's starting to pick it up in his old age... He's even starting to watch pass time regularly now & seems to really enjoy it....

[heyoldguy]

Hey, if your Dad is lettin' you care for him, that's really great. My Pop was too independent to willingly do that. Sometimes I wonder if he died earlier than he could have so's I couldn't serve him. But maybe that is just my weakness talking.

[Budnicks]

Hey, if your Dad is lettin' you care for him, that's really great. My Pop was too independent to willingly do that. Sometimes I wonder if he died earlier than he could have so's I couldn't serve him. But maybe that is just my weakness talking.

My Pops excessive alcohol use really bothers me, don't get me wrong I'm no tea totaler either, but what are you going to do he's his own man, you can't break them 70+ year old habits...

[500Jon]

Hey OLD GUY,

Can we have the 'other story' now please???
Gonna be doing a 452, 400 build and I would like those big numbers LOL!!!
I'd be happy with 700hp and 600tq as its a light car...

500Jon