nobudget

I bought a Gen 4 long block 1990 454 365 hp said to have low hours but who knows. Had heads sent out ,just to do valve job and shave 30 thousands off checked seals and for cracks they are fine , this was on advice from a friend!
I have my heads back and now Iam wondering if I should run a bigger cam and if so what cam lift and duration should I go with?
Will I need better springs,push rods, and roker arm's.
I have the Alum Elderbrock Perfomer RPM intake and 650 Deamon carb now, and a Alum Elderbrock Victor Jr. and a Deamon 850. Imco exhaust , standard ignition right now, to work with. I would like to make 475 hp or a little better?
What is my best avenue for reliability and cost?
I am wanting to keep the boat one more season and sell it,I dont want things to come a part ,but I would like to keep my cost low.
Where do I go from here?

puder

you coudl always go with a small blower

Whiteknuckle

I don't know why you would want to go through all the upgrades for just one year. You most likely will not recover any of your expenses when you sell the boat, but thats up to you. It sounds like you have a 454 Mag. If you want to up grade camshaft and valve train, go to Ultradyne's website. They have a good selection of BBC Marine cams. Give them a call or write them a note, they are very helpful. Yes I would change springs and push rods at the very least with a new cam and lifter set.
You will need at least a 750 carb.

nobudget

Thanks :Whiteknuckle and Puder Yes the motor is a 365 mag.
The reason I am doing this ,is do to the fact that my original motor is done, shot, toasted, long story totaly my own fault.

I'am thinking ,having the heads shaved might not have been such a good idea,but Iam into it know. With the motor on the stand now, with no heads on and everthing being easy to get to,This is the time to have some upgrades done,but want to stay fairly cost effective.(what ever that means) any and all advice I would welcome Thanks

Crazyhorse

It's just my opinion that the quadrajet would serve you well, even with a mild cam upgrade. I've had very good luck with them. If you've got a Holley around, I'd be interested in your thoughts as to the difference in performance between the two. Post here if you do.

nobudget

Puder next boat will have a blower,or twin 2.5's.
I really intended to sell this boat over the winter until the motor trouble. Look in to older 24 skaters love them boats wife hates them, but I really want a cat for next year.She likes the AO so something tells me thats where well end up. Hopefully I wil not do anything to dumb this year, but I have plenty of time to screw something up by then.
Thanks nobudget

nobudget

Crazyhorse: I will most likely have the chance to runs some different carbs .I will try to put that Holley on and give it a go.
The Deamon carb is the best thing on the whole boat, love those dam things. Out of the box and on very few adjustments never a problem. If I run some diffrent Holleys I will give you the results.
I will do the testing with all things being equal.

Any advice on where I should go from here on my motor.
Details are in the top post.

Thanks: nobudget

JimV

Nobudget, this is KAAMA (I'm at JimV's shop and using his computer). My cousin has a couple of NEW Ultradyne hydraulic flat tappet cams that would work very well in your 454 that he's not using. These are what Merc used in their 440hp cyclone engines back in the eighty's. They make AT LEAST 440hp and will make 475hp with ported heads. If you plan on making this kind of hp from a 454 you MUST run at least a GIL or other good aftermarket exhaust system. This cam will make power up to about 5600rpm. We have used this cam many times in 454's in years past. Ultradyne calls it their 288/296 cam.....duration at .050 is: 231*intk/239*exst lift is: .550"/.575" on 112* lobe seperation. If you call Ultradyne this cam will cost you about $175 or so. My cousin will sell his for $140...BRAND NEW IN THE BOX! Let me know. Mark "KAAMA" 616-291-7932

Crazyhorse

Is that a 3/4 cam or full race cam?

fstboater

I think that is a 13/16 cam I have used the next one larger runs very well likes around 5600 or more though.