When to upgrade big block internals

[bwindy]

What is your opinion on when to upgrade the crank and rods in a big block Chevrolet (1975 454). In other words how much power can a stock crank handle and the same for rods. Is anyone running a 700 hp engine with a stock rotating assembly with success. I do not want to have an expensive crank and rods just to say that I have them. Thanks

[*rayman*]

i'd also like to know some details on this.

[MarkM66]

I guess it's up to someones opinion, what they want to risk, and what type of rpm's you'll be running.

I was recently reading a "How to Build BB Power", or something like that, and it states a cast crank and 2 bolt block can handle 600 hp. After just recently tearing down a 454 with a cast crank and 2 bolt block, I'd tend to believe that, or more. The journals on the crank are huge, and the main caps are very large to. A two bolt bbc should never be compared to a two bolt sbc, those main caps are puny to say the least.

I'd guess if you added splayed main caps to a 454, and run a forged crank, you could probably through just about anything at it.

You could ask over here, http://speedtalk.com/forum/index.php

There are some real engine guru's over there, :thumbsup: .