Will a big block Chevy Fit?

[Guest 240zedbbc]

Hey guys I'm pretty new to the z car scene but I must say the 240's look awesome! I hope to get one to work on. My question is this: will a big block Chevy fit in these cars? I did a search but nothing came up. I'm toying with the idea of possibly putting a 454, 496, or 540ci motor in there. Thought it would be interesting. If not I'll probably get a 383 stroker motor with around 450 horses. That would still be a lot of fun. But I really do fancy having a bbc thumping under hood. I could get one that is built well, cranks out over 600hp, and is very mild mannered on the street. I also plan to road race this thing as well. It would be tons of fun.

 

 

 

Thanks guys!

[dr_hunt]

Yup, it'll fit. There is a site called Barkley racing, he has a z that's named ratzun. Used to run low 9's in Kansas. I think this question has been asked before and I believe there is one or two other guys in this forum running big blocks. Other than that I dont' know much about any parts availability to convert to a BBC. For the SBC and SBF there is ton's of stuff. I believe the SBC is the most popular route.

[80LS1T]

Yes it will fit..........No it will not fit with out a lot of fabrication.

 

If you going to road race with it you will not want a BBC over a SBC. And you dont need 600HP for a road racer. IMHO

 

The BBC is great if you ....

 

A. want to be differnt(very few of these coversions),

B. plan to do a lot of drag racing or,

C. like to fabricate....cause it sure wont fit very easy unless you are a very good fabricator(when I say fit good I mean... set back and dropped down as far as can be......not just dropped in and cut a big hole in the hood so you can put the aircleaner and intake on!)

 

 

Guy

[Michael]

I have a 454 BBC in my 280Z. As mentioned already , it will fit, but will require some cutting and welding. With the engine dropped low enough such that the bottom of the bellhousing hangs just slightly below the frame rails, a 3â€-high drop-base air cleaner on a Holley 4160-type carb on an Edelbrock Performer-RPM intake will stick about 1†above the hood. A low-rise intake might actually clear the stock hood – barely.

 

It’s not necessarily true that running a big block is the death knell for road-racing and handling in general. With any V8 swap, you’re automatically in a SCCA class where being competitive is basically impossible. From that point of view, a big block is no worse than a small block. Good handling – in terms of good front/rear weight distribution and low polar moment of inertia – will probably require relocating the firewall. And the engine will have to be mounted to the frame rails, not to the steering crossmember (as JTR does it for small blocks). Aluminum heads also help.

 

So why go big block? Well, the best reason is if you’re already experienced with big-block muscle cars, and want to carry that experience over to Z’s. Many veteran engine builders prefer big blocks, for their added durability in stock or nearly stock form, for the opportunity for much more efficiency cylinder heads, for the tolerance for more aggressive cams. But it’s definitely lots more work in a Z swap.

 

Examples of successful BBC swaps on this site include Brad Barkley and Ron Jones. Ron’s car ran something like 8.60 in the quarter mile. Both cars were dedicated dragsters, with solid rear end swaps. Mine still retains the original rear end, 3.54 R200. But my car only ran about 20 miles, on a stock 454, before I wiped the cam. For the past 4 1/2 years I have been rebuilding the engine....

[TheNeedForZ]

The "ratsun" dr_hunt mentioned...watch the videos, yes it does wheelies.

 

http://ratsun.com/

 

cheers

[Guest 240zedbbc]

I see that it will be a lot of trouble fitting a bbc so I'll get a sbc 383 instead. Thank you very much from preventing me getting in way over my head.

 

 

 

I'm excited by my new project. Now I must find and purchase a 70's 240 from the western states preferably.

 

 

 

Thanks guys!