396 or 454

So I got a 72 Chevelle and I'm looking to fix it up and throw either a 396 (402) or a 454 into it. I got the car from a guy who put a 472 out of a caddy into it. I was wondering what would be the better choice. The 454 or the 396? Or if somebody knows some secret about this 472 to make it put out some competitive hp?


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The 472 makes competitive torque. Geared right and w/traction, it will turn respectable times in the quarter mile- even stock. Modifying a Cad is expensive, but if the engine is sound, valvetrain mods including a cam, headers and intake (keep the Q-jet, and tune it) can have you in the low 12's w/o drama.

If your going to spend the big bucks to build a big block you might as well do the bigger engine, the 454. Will cost the same to do either one, go for the cubic inches.

Okay so the 472 isn't a bad choice if I'm willing to fork out the money to work on it and fix some of the little things wrong that the previous owner did to it. But how does it stack up to the 396 and 454?

i am sure youve heard "there is no replacement for displacement" somewhere before. the caddy engine i don't know much about but the 454 is a better choice than a 396. thats like going with a 305 over a 350, there's no good reason for doing it! put the right trans and gears(highway gears) behind a 454 and you are good as gold. if you have the funds to build the caddy engine then i'd just stick with that. just my 2 cents.

So the general consensus is definitely 454 over the 396 if I do a swap. If anyone knows anything useful about the 472 I'd be appreciative, cause in in the dark on this thing's track record, like is it prone to any problems and what can I expect hp and torque. I haven't really gave this car a good running b/c its currently very poorly mounted and needs a little care before putting it to a test.

If you asked 50 guys, 45 of them will say choose the 454. Unless you have a particular fondness for a Cad engine, go w/the BBC. And as has been said already- for the street especially- displacement rules.

Now if you have an open mind, do a search here and elsewhere for Cad engine mods, etc. There are at least three companies currently doing Cad's. Maximum Torque Specialties (MTS) is one I've dealt with in the past.

HR Mag TECH ARTICLE VALVE TRAIN CAM ETC.- http://www.hotrod.com/techarticles/...n_camshaft.html

MORE VALVE TRAIN- http://www.popularhotrodding.com/en...e/photo_14.html

CAD FORUM- http://www.cadillacpower.com/forum/...561ced9ca577e02

TECH/CASTING NUMBERS, ETC.- http://www.cad500parts.com/tech/EngineIDPages.pdf

The Caddy is a great engine, and many hotrodders would love to have it, but it's not a good choice for your car, and the 454 is a much better choice for the reasons already explained.
I would pull the Caddy and advertise it on your local Craigslist for sale. It should bring enough money to get you into a good 454 easily, and then you'll spend much less to go from there.

So as it turns out my brother just so happens to have a 454 engine in a truck that he never uses and is willing to trade engines flat out. Any reason I shouldn't take the engine out if this truck? Not sure what kinda wear or tear is on it or even what year it is. Is there any thing I need to look for on the engine or watch out for?

IF the 454 in your bro truck is running its most likely in the same stage as the caddy engine. They both will need tlc. Pull the 454 and ditch the caddy motor. Parts are more accesible for the 454 and cheaper

It depends on what your plan is for the 454. As it is I'd guess it wont give the power you're hoping for, and I wouldn't go through putting any engine in my car without freshening it up, and checking things out. I would plan on pulling the engine down and checking bearings, crank, having it at least honed and re-ringed, go through the heads, or get better heads if they're smog heads, cam/lifters, intake, etc....
You can easily make the 454 a very nice street/strip engine with a little money and labor.

Those are all things that I planned on doing for the most part anyway, unless of course I got a hold of one pretty much done alreafy. Do you have a particular company or brand that you have dealt with before that you trust and like? Because there's so much out there for a 454, and this is my first time really doing this. Never actually done any performance upgrades before.

When I rebuilt my 427 12 yrs. ago, and my 327 last fall, I ordered Summit kits with forged pistons. The prices on their complete engine kits are tough to beat, and if you do the labor part correctly they have proven to last for me.
The kits are pistons, rings, bearings, oil pump, all gaskets, so you'll need to have machine work done prior to ordering so you know the ring/piston and bearing sizes. Cam/lifters will be separate, and there are numerous suppliers that can offer dependable cams for whatever your application will be.
Heads again depend on application, and how much power you want to build. Stock heads will probably get you close to 400 hp with the right cam, intake, carb and headers, but if you want more then you'll either have to go to older BBC heads, have your's reworked, or go aftermarket.
A Sealed Power kit from Summit runs less than $640 and includes forged pistons.

You can get parts fairly cheaply online for a 454...

There was an article pasted on here and with a couple of grand and some work you can turn a 4 bolt 454 into a 800+HP machine...

Do you think its a good idea to get a stick rebuild kit and just rebuild it? So I would know exactly what in working with all around. I found one for $400, and money isn't really a big issue anyway if you have any better suggestions.