I have a super nice '73 (I know it's the wrong year) Cutlass that just cries out to be a "sleeper"...no rust...71K one owner miles..never hit or dented.....It's dead stock except for the exhaust system...found an F block (standard bore) 455 that magnafluxed perfectly clean...talking to a friend that has built several and done similar conversions and looking for around 450-500 hp and maybe 500 torque...Just in the early talking stages right now but wondered if anyone has done anything similar? Like I said..just looking for a sort of sleeper....Older guy here that is just wanting a bit more of a go toy than what the car is right now..thanks for any comments.

 

Its been done countless times, very easy swap.

 

Considering that it was a factory option in 1973...

400 HP and 500 ft lbs were also factory numbers for 1970.

 

You may also want to look into rear gears. Most base Cutlass models had 2.56 or so gears.

 

There's nothing wrong with a '73. My dad had a '70, '73 and '77 442's. In fact when I was born, my first car ride was in a brand new '73 442. Good luck on the project, a 455 will be a super easy task.

 

following along, The Saloon style, has been growing on me more and more over the years, I would LOVE to get a 73 and drop a 455 and a 4 speed, in her, I know the pedals were made but probably very very hard to find, I wonder if you could use the 72 pedal set up? anyway I digress following along on your project.