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Chevy Big Block Crate 454 Engine - Import Killer, Part 2

925 hp from 454 ci

Photography by Matthew King, Steve Dulcich
  • 116 0309 Afr 3A Z
    The AFR head swap was simple, with the only major change being the need for two extra-long head bolts per side [inset] to fasten the outside row of bolts along the exhaust ports. These longer head bolts are required on many aftermarket big-block heads, and are available from AFR when you order the heads. Unlike earlier GM Gen V big-blocks, the 454 H.O.'s Gen VI block accepts all Mark IV, Gen V, and Gen VI cylinder heads without interchange issues.
    116 0309 Afr 3A Z
    The AFR head swap was simple, with the only major change being the need for two extra-long
  • 116 0309 Afr 3B Z
  • 116 0309 Afr 5 Z
    For all the testing with the factory iron heads, we used the stock, nonadjustable stamped-steel 1.7:1 rocker arms. The AFR heads are set up for a conventional stud-mounted adjustable valvetrain, so we enlisted a set of Crane's Widebody Gold series aluminum rocker arms. With this combination, we were able to reuse the same stock-length pushrods with the hydraulic roller camshaft. When we swapped in the Crane solid-roller cam, we needed to substitute 0.100-inch longer pushrods to maintain proper rocker-arm geometry.
    116 0309 Afr 5 Z
    For all the testing with the factory iron heads, we used the stock, nonadjustable stamped-
  • 116 0309 Afr 6 Z
    AFR's Tony Mamo, the chief designer of the company's line of big-block Chevy heads, brought a few sets of AFR intake manifold gaskets with him. We tested the AFR 305 heads with two intakes: an Edelbrock Performer RPM dual-plane, and a Victor Jr. single-plane (see Dyno Results chart). As expected, the single-plane gained high-rpm power but sacrificed low-end grunt.
    116 0309 Afr 6 Z
    AFR's Tony Mamo, the chief designer of the company's line of big-block Chevy heads, brough
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