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350/396 engine swap

3K views 4 replies 3 participants last post by  smf396 
#1 ·
Hello everyone, i have a couple questions, and seek your knowlege for help.I just purchased a 1972 nova, and i am going to swap the 350 for a 396 now here is my questions ,do i need to change motor mounts? and do they make adapter brackets to be able to use the alt. and power steering pump off the 350 thanks for any help.
 
#4 ·
Welcome to the Team!

Yes a 496 will require BBC frame stands and interlocking motor mounts (a BBC will pull standard vulcanized motor mounts apart with engine torque). Check on Team Camaro for a wealth of information on buying the correct parts (you will have to check dimensions of the parts you buy for being correct as there are a lot of poorly reproduced parts out in the market).

I mention a 496 not as a typo but because a 396 is useless. You want a 454 with a quarter inch stroker kit (rotating assembly) because a BBC is very inefficient on pump gas. It was designed as a very high compression racing engine (13.6:1), and cutting the compression ratio in half to run on pump gas (454 truck engine has 7.8:1 compression) kills it's power potential. You have to make up for the handicap of dragging around another 220 pounds of cast iron over the front axle with building a bigger displacement big block.

A 406 SBC will just about double the power of a 396 with out the added cast iron handicap, so you don't want a 396 just the decal. A 454 looks just like a 402/396 from the outside and few can tell the difference even at a car show with the hood up. I ran a 582 with 402 decals, but I never raised the hood. No one believed the decal, but they never knew what I had until after it was too late.

I sent you a list of all of the parts you will need in the form of a car magazine article talking about a BBC engine swap. I suggest you print it out as I'm not going to be around much longer to send you a another copy.

Big Dave
 
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