72 LS5

Cool!!! Did you hand out the FGMCC cards?

Finally got our first "cold" front! Low 80s instead of high 80s, so I piled the kids into Blue this morning to take them to school/work. The car died in front of the house. Endless cranking, with neighbors watching, finally started with a huge black cloud. Able to limp back into the driveway, stalled, and push into the garage. Probably dirt in the needle and seat. Carb is coming apart tonight. Thank God it didn't happen in traffic! Not a proud day for Big Blue.

Great looking Monte! Want to sell me that rear trim above the bumper?

Mike - so your MSD is spot-on from your download, that's good. I'm going to have a factory style tach when I install the gauge package in the future, so I won't be putting too much stock in the accuracy. As long as I trust the 6AL box, I'm good. Sam - with the HEI gutted and MSD hooked up, I wasn't sure you could still use the negative side of the coil. I have the tach hooked to the port on the box.

Nice work! How does it sound?

I put a second hand MSD6AL box in ol Blue a few months ago and it had a 6000 pill in it. A few times the tires broke loose and the tach swung past 6 grand and I didn't feel the limiter kick in. I've been real careful not to over-rev it and figured the MSD may not be working 100%. So this weekend I bought the set of 5000 rpm pills and stuck a 5600 in there, again the needle went past 6k. Finally, with the 5200 pill, the limiter kicks in just shy of 6000. Dang - my tach must be waaaaaaaay off. Like almost 600 rpms off. It's a VDO that I've had in the car for probably over 20 years. My question is this: Can I be confident that the MSD box is giving me the correct rpm for the limiter?

Cory: I think you are on the right track given your hp levels and intended use. My local buddy and club member (Jay) has a 72 402 Custom with a 200 r4. He loves it. You have his contact if you have specific question. I had one in my 85 Monte and loved it. Don't hold me to this, but I thought you could use the factory crossmember holes and even a TH400 drive shaft..? Can anybody confirm? Now, if you were to hit power levels of 500 +, then I'd consider TH400 and GV. It's on my list.....after paint.....and ac.....and gauges....etc

Nick - the drawbacks to iron heads is the weight and detonation. If you truly have 12.5 pistons, not sure you can throw on the iron heads and not ping. You will have to do the math. Aluminum heads will allow you almost a full point higher compression, without pinging - so you would be able to keep your bottom end.

The good thing about using what you already have as a base is that everything fits and you won't be hit with tons of hidden costs. Changing motors means changing exhaust, pulleys, brackets, mounts, fuel delivery (for an LS), etc. Maybe consider aluminum open chamber heads with a compression of 10.5 - I have 10.6 and run 93 octane no problem. You need to get the part number of the pistons, with the cc of the dome, and plug it into the compression calculator and see what your C/R is with a 116 or 119 cc head. Open chamber heads, a dual plane intake, 750 carb, 2200 converter, and a 3.23 gear would be a cost effective solution. That mechanical cam would need to be toned down, too. A more street friendly hydraulic would fit the bill.You would still be able to roast the tires at will. Or, keep the rear gear (what is it?) and the TH400, but add a gear venders overdrive. Not cheap, but you will save the cost of a gear swap. You may have better luck selling your stuff while its on the car in running condition. Good Luck! Mike

Jim - every time I up the engine size (or power), I never regret it! The big block looks totally at home in the Monte and is pretty easy to work on, even with AC. It's actually a better fit than in a Chevelle, as the front cross member is 4 inches ahead of where it is in the Velle, so you have more room for a 6 qt pan and more header space. Without going into a lot of detail, you should change big block springs. Of course you will need all the bb brackets and a big block fan shroud. The Turbo 400 should fit fine on the cross member but you will have to use a different factory mounting point. If you could find a bb drive shaft, you won't have to mess with your current shaft. You may want to get the correct electric kick down switch for the 400 that attaches to the gas pedal. Correct tranny lines may be needed, also. What else am I forgetting? Oh, you may want to run a bigger fuel line (from 5/16 to 3/8) depending on the power level. Hope this helps. Lots of the parts can be found right here on the forum. Another option would be to run the 468 with the Turbo 350 until that blows up, then do the 400. If you are running street tires and the turbo 350 is built, it may last quite a while!

Just keep using that oil with the zinc additive!!! My 454 ate a lobe with regular oil....I'm still kicking myself for that.

Davey - but will his 69 427 block have the provisions to accept the "dog bones"? And there's no bosses to bolt down the plate that holds the keepers.

......and it probably still stops shorter than Big Blue!

I want to hear it!

Cory - that looks killer!!! I dig the tag too.

What a monster! That is some serious power!

Congrats on the new personal best!!!!

I vote for the "Dare To Be Different" and go with 2 4s if you got 'em. They are small enough that it just might work nicely. It's over-the-top on an over-the-top motor. Sure, a single 4 will run better but what's sexier?

I have got to get a wide-band. That's the only way to really get it dialed in!

Wheelies in tandem - super cool!

Are you using the Gen V heads that came with the motor? If you use earlier Mark IV heads, you have to use a specific gasket to ensure the larger water jackets of the Gen V block are covered.

Any Gen V or VI 454/502 pan gasket should fit. I'd either get it from a gm dealer or through Jegs or Summit. A parts store will probably have to look it up by vehicle, which won't work.

Awesome!!!! BTW, what do you set the lash at on your motor?

That's a lot of work!

I agree with Sam. If you look at what GM did to make the 396 a real contender with the L-78 - it made its power in the upper rpm band with high compression (11:1), bigger heads, and a solid cam. That's not the best recipe for a heavy Monte. 454s are plentiful and will give you more streetable bang for the buck.