Street-able NA 454 7.4L build

[Schurkey]

With ANY engine, ANY timing set...best practice is to degree the cam so you know that the cam is properly synchronized to the crank.

 

[Frank Enstein]

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/cca-01-410-8/make/chevrolet

CHEVROLET ARP 135-7102 ARP High Performance Series Rocker Arm Studs | Summit Racing

Free Shipping - ARP High Performance Series Rocker Arm Studs with qualifying orders of $109. Shop Rocker Arm Studs at Summit Racing.

www.summitracing.com

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-g6803-k x2 with

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/pqx-1200247 on top to lock the rockers

CHEVROLET COMP Cams 85401-16 COMP Cams Evolution Series Hydraulic Roller Lifters | Summit Racing

Free Shipping - COMP Cams Evolution Series Hydraulic Roller Lifters with qualifying orders of $109. Shop Lifters at Summit Racing.

www.summitracing.com

CHEVROLET Cloyes Gear 9-3510TX9 Cloyes Street Billet True Roller Timing Sets | Summit Racing

Free Shipping - Cloyes Street Billet True Roller Timing Sets with qualifying orders of $109. Shop Timing Chain and Gear Sets at Summit Racing.

www.summitracing.com

The above for a roller retrofit. Or you could use

Summit Racing SUM-K1300 Summit Racing™ Classic Cam and Lifter Kits | Summit Racing

Free Shipping - Summit Racing™ Classic Cam and Lifter Kits with qualifying orders of $109. Shop Camshaft Kits at Summit Racing.

www.summitracing.com

Summit Racing SUM-G6610R-9 Summit Racing™ True Roller Timing Sets | Summit Racing

Free Shipping - Summit Racing™ True Roller Timing Sets with qualifying orders of $109. Shop Timing Chain and Gear Sets at Summit Racing.

www.summitracing.com

To stay with a flat tappet.

I recommend the rocker arm upgrades listed.

you will need to measure for the correct pushrod length.


Either way I recommend advancing the cam 4 degrees so your computer won't lose it's mind!

 

[Amsterdamned96]

I know a guy who has made serious power with peanut-port heads. Buying a set of his peanut-ports will cost serious money. (Plus shipping to Spain.)

VortecPro - Racing & Machine - Homepage

Without bigger valves and bowl work, the peanut-ports are unlikely to flow enough to make use of a bigger cam.

I had a boat with a hot-rod (240-ish duration at .050) cam and peanut port heads. Would not go over 5K rpm. Removed the peanut ports and the hot-rod cam. Installed oval-port heads and a very mild roller cam. Got ~5100--5150 rpm out of it afterward. (Still disappointed.)

Mating a "1000 cfm" intake to peanut ports seems to me to be a mis-matched combo unlikely to work well.

When I put a roller cam into a Mark IV, I used the step-nose Gen 6 cam core, the Gen 6 thrust plate (block already set up for thrust plate) and the "special" Gen 6 timing set. I had to use aftermarket Lunati "retro-fit" hydraulic lifters since the block doesn't accept the OEM dogbones and spider. The Gen 6 cam core had the cast-iron distributor gear and rear journal pressed-onto the steel main part of the cam core, so the distributor doesn't have to use a bronze driven gear.

Remember, Gen 5 uses a "net lash" valvetrain--NON ADJUSTABLE. So either your camshaft has the same base-circle as the stock cam, or you need to convert your rocker stud system to the older style that can accept changes to the lifter preload adjustment.

This was a dozen years ago. No promises on cam core availability now in the Biden Supply Chain era.

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Hey, thank you for your input. I’m looking at a hydraulic roller cam. A bolt-in replacement originally made for the 454SS. It’s mild, I hope to benefit in terms of longevity/mpg from the roller valvetrain and increased lift.
This is the profile;

.550/.480
209/222 .050
111 LSA

I’ve heard that the ported peanut ports will do fine with a high-flow square port intake and that I’m supposed to use a square intake gasket. I understand this is not optimal port matching but there’s a chance it’ll flow alright.
I hope that the ports will flow fast and that the mild roller cam will do me a bit of justice in terms of power as well.
Your kind of giving me the impression that this rig isn’t worth upgrading to roller. To me it seems like the best way to increase MPG and potentially Hp without deviating far from the original intented valvetrain behaviour.

Edit: do you suggest I invest in heads instead of upgrading the valvetrain and camshaft? I’m worried this is my best shot at passing technical inspection. Aftermarket modded isn’t generally allowed in spain. Keeping the stock heads but improving their internals seems like my best shot.

 

[618 Syndicate]

What kind of inspection will be conducted? If it's a visual one only then ported factory heads are definitely your best bet.

 

[yevgenievich]

Doubt anyone will really know what heads you have if they are painted same color as the block. Better heads and higher lift cam will go unnoticed

 

[Schurkey]

I hope that the ports will flow fast and that the mild roller cam will do me a bit of justice in terms of power as well.

I wouldn't expect to gain MPG. You might gain power. Will the power gain be at an RPM level that's helpful in a pickup?

Your kind of giving me the impression that this rig isn’t worth upgrading to roller. To me it seems like the best way to increase MPG and potentially Hp without deviating far from the original intented valvetrain behaviour.

It's not that the truck isn't worth upgrading. It's that your government has left you no way to do it legally, which means no way to do it without cheating. Which means the most-effective methods--which are also the most-obvious--can't be used.

Much like California.

Edit: do you suggest I invest in heads instead of upgrading the valvetrain and camshaft? I’m worried this is my best shot at passing technical inspection. Aftermarket modded isn’t generally allowed in spain. Keeping the stock heads but improving their internals seems like my best shot.

Your best hope is that the folks doing the testing don't know what that vehicle is supposed to have for equipment. If they don't put a magnet on aftermarket aluminum heads...would they suspect they're not original? Would they know a big, free-flowing exhaust that has catalytic converters in it isn't stock?

 

[Amsterdamned96]

I wouldn't expect to gain MPG. You might gain power. Will the power gain be at an RPM level that's helpful in a pickup?


It's not that the truck isn't worth upgrading. It's that your government has left you no way to do it legally, which means no way to do it without cheating. Which means the most-effective methods--which are also the most-obvious--can't be used.

Much like California.

Your best hope is that the folks doing the testing don't know what that vehicle is supposed to have for equipment. If they don't put a magnet on aftermarket aluminum heads...would they suspect they're not original? Would they know a big, free-flowing exhaust that has catalytic converters in it isn't stock?

They’ve made no problems about the free-flowing exhaust thus far or the mpfi intake manifold. The exhaust manifold looks okay in terms of shape, it’s not too restrictive. It was previously wrapped. Also not a factory appearance but no comment was made. I think I’ll stick with the heads and cam, unless someone can tell me more.
The cam produces peak torque at 3300rpm and peak horsepower just over 5000. The horsepower and torque figures are within the bounds of a stock 4L80e. It’s a high velocity low rpm cam that I believe has similar valve overlap to the factory one and only increases the lift and valve response, if I’m not
mistaken.

I dobt anyone would inspect the headers with a magnet but there are casting numbers so even a visual would suffice, no?
I’m not too worried but it justifies sticking with the peanut ports for now. Hopefully they’ll do. I’m figuring out the compression ratio. Anyone able to refer to a writeup or video on how to choose the right injector. The previous was 38lb/hr. I’m uncertain as to wether or not I should go leaner.

 

[BeXtreme]

Hey, thank you for your input. I’m looking at a hydraulic roller cam. A bolt-in replacement originally made for the 454SS. It’s mild, I hope to benefit in terms of longevity/mpg from the roller valvetrain and increased lift.
This is the profile;

.550/.480
209/222 .050
111 LSA

I’ve heard that the ported peanut ports will do fine with a high-flow square port intake and that I’m supposed to use a square intake gasket. I understand this is not optimal port matching but there’s a chance it’ll flow alright.
I hope that the ports will flow fast and that the mild roller cam will do me a bit of justice in terms of power as well.
Your kind of giving me the impression that this rig isn’t worth upgrading to roller. To me it seems like the best way to increase MPG and potentially Hp without deviating far from the original intented valvetrain behaviour.

Edit: do you suggest I invest in heads instead of upgrading the valvetrain and camshaft? I’m worried this is my best shot at passing technical inspection. Aftermarket modded isn’t generally allowed in spain. Keeping the stock heads but improving their internals seems like my best shot.

uhhh, there is a guy here in Oregon that just built an engine and used a square port holley intake on peanut port heads. He had MASSIVE vaccum leaks that made it only want to run at 3,000rpm. When he pulled the intake off and checked the gasket against the intake, there were huge gaps where it didn't seal. You could probably get it to seal by using the square port gaskets, but the ports are no where near each other between the small oval and square ports.

You could always just try and find a donor Gen VI long block. Then you can drop in a ZZ502 cam with no other changes and you'd be good to go.

 

[Amsterdamned96]

uhhh, there is a guy here in Oregon that just built an engine and used a square port holley intake on peanut port heads. He had MASSIVE vaccum leaks that made it only want to run at 3,000rpm. When he pulled the intake off and checked the gasket against the intake, there were huge gaps where it didn't seal. You could probably get it to seal by using the square port gaskets, but the ports are no where near each other between the small oval and square ports.

You could always just try and find a donor Gen VI long block. Then you can drop in a ZZ502 cam with no other changes and you'd be good to go.

Thank you for your input, I've read different things about square intake ports and ported peanut ports. They don't flow optimally at the mating surfaces but the higher flow intake pretty much allows the peanut ports to do their thing. I draw this from someone else's forum post about racing rigs from the 70s so by no means a reliable source but considering it'll seal with square port gaskets and it's what I have, I'm going to roll with it.

I've realized I'm getting into the ballpark of spending enough to buy a 2nd hand gen VI yet I haven't found anything reasonable/worthwhile here in Europe.

Edit:
Not extensive but a dead thread on another forum with the same question https://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/general-q/171794-peanut-port-options-2.html

 

[BeXtreme]

Thank you for your input, I've read different things about square intake ports and ported peanut ports. They don't flow optimally at the mating surfaces but the higher flow intake pretty much allows the peanut ports to do their thing. I draw this from someone else's forum post about racing rigs from the 70s so by no means a reliable source but considering it'll seal with square port gaskets and it's what I have, I'm going to roll with it.

I've realized I'm getting into the ballpark of spending enough to buy a 2nd hand gen VI yet I haven't found anything reasonable/worthwhile here in Europe.

Edit:
Not extensive but a dead thread on another forum with the same question https://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/general-q/171794-peanut-port-options-2.html

Here is what the other guy had with the square port intake and peanut heads. It was not even close. I just recommend you check both the intake ports and the cylinder head ports against the square port gasket. It MIGHT work with minimal restriction of the port. All I can say for sure is that the rectangle port intake WILL NOT seal with a peanut port gasket.

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