Hey Olds family. I'm in need of some answers please . Ok I've had fun With my 455 in the 79 cutlass but I want more . My 455 is out of a 73 delta 88 So my questions are 1: is 600 lb. ft. Of torque at 3500 rpm doable? 2: Is the elderbrock rpm heads the only goto for 455 builds or can I use my Ka heads (freshen up) . 3: is bored 60 to much on this block ? Will it run hotter cause of thinner walls ? Bottom line I'm wanting to get some serious torque around the 3500 rpm range . I'm not a hp guy I'm a torquer , my main reason for loving olds .Any suggestions please .

 

I have seen lots of dyno test in the 550-570ish range. But unless you have a ton of suspension work and lots of tire under the car, I seriously doubt you can tell the difference between 550 and 600lbs-ft of torque. Steer the front end with the steering wheel, steer the rear with the throttle!!

Im sure Mark will have some input, I have no doubt he has a max torque engine recipe.

 

With the basic equation you'll need to be making 400hp at 3500 to get 600 ft-lbs.

 

Easiest ways to make 600tq at such a low rpm would be either a Torq storm blower setup or a stroker kit.
As mentioned 560-570 is doable with a base 455 with headers etc., but to get above that you’ll need to change the combination as described.

 

ok so 550 lb. ft. Is ok . Who is mark ?

 

Mark = cutlassefi

 

ok 550 lb. ft.will be the goal . Any suggestions on pistons , bore , top end kit , roller rockers? Would fleshing up my Ka heads to roller rockers be good idea ? I'm wanting to stay as close to all olds as possible, like maybe just aftermarket intake if possible . olds block , heads and quadrajet?

 

thanks

 

 

You may want to talk directly to Mark (cutlassefi) about a combo. He's a reseller for a few companies.
I doubt it would be easy with the stock heads. You'll need a somewhat aggressive cam, so your idle will totally change. Don't forget this is an old platform - it's not like getting 600 lbft out of an LT7.
By comparison, I built a 440 (stroked small block) with, in my opinion, going about as far as you can with a street-friendly build. Total build cost was easily >$15k, but I went overboard on some things like using a diesel block. And it "only" makes 500 ftlbs at 3000, and peaks at about 520 HP around 6100. This is MUCH more than the car can handle on the street ('72 Cutlass).

 

I built a 455 with stock heads, stock intake and Quadrajet and made over 600 torque and over 500 HP using a stroker kit.
Engine runs perfect.

 

But how many cubic inches is it with the stroker kit ?

 

Exactly. Pretty much what I said, blower or stroker, about the only ways to get to 600lbft.

 

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