454 powered 300zx

[shannonferguson2000]

Going to give her another chance, I'm a glutton for punishment, updates soon.

[SBC300]

I have a couple of driveshafts here that you will not break. If you want one I can send it. Give me a dimension from center of joint to center of joint and what output shaft you have.

[shannonferguson2000]

Sbc 300, Ill pm you about the driveshaft, Im in the process of trying to build a bulletproof cooling system and stuff the biggest radiator i can fit. I need to do alot of fab to the radiator core support and headlight housings to get some cooling efficiency. I decided to go full roller to avoid eating anymore cams.(I'm over full teardowns and bearings covered in fine metal) This time will be different.

[Ziggy1621]

Why haven't I seen this one before? Kudos on pushing the limits bro, subscribing

[t.mcginley.jr]

I haven't seen this either until yesterday, I read thru the whole thread and watched videos and was like HOLY f***

mad props man I hope it works out this time

[shannonferguson2000]

Machine shop bill almost made me pass out

[t.mcginley.jr]

For the 454? What all had to get done?

[SBC300]

Everything. I had a hard enough time with a small block.

[shannonferguson2000]

SBC300, dude I'm so envious of your car,I need to rip off your dash design(carbon fiber and layout, its the tits
The 454 ate the cam and a rocker arm causing major bearing failure and scratched crank(I never checked the spring pressure on the heads, those springs were for a tank or garbage truck which is what gave me all the troubles with the cams), I had to have the cylinders bored to .60 over so now its a 468ci, new cam bearings installed, new pistons,rods, valvetrain, balancing, heads done, decked and cc'd, all the new parts put me around 2 grand, not including the bulletproof transmission build.

[t.mcginley.jr]

Damn so the spring pressure was probably destroying the cam lobes constantly. Did you have to get another crank or just grind this one?

[DCaff300ZX]

Roller rockers should ease the spring rate issues with cams, most likely the springs were rated for high RPM as they should be but require the roller tip.
And after all of that, you're still rolling with Chevy?

[IonZ32]

I have a 350 with all roller stuff in my 64 Malibu. Good stuff for the street and strip. Highly recommended. Sounds like you already have it together though, the next time its out throw some AFR or Brodix heads on that 454. It'll really liven that monster up!

And hey! Chevy is the only way to roll with big displacement! Check out dragstrips, 90% of everyone out there are running BBCs

[shannonferguson2000]

After I recieved my block and heads back from the machine shop I discovered a few problem areas that contributed to the multiple cam failures.
1. The spring pressure was too great for a hyd flat tappet cam.(This was figured out when I had my heads rebuilt and that problem has been solved)
2. More important was that when i was prepping my block I remebered reading somewhere about checking all the lifter bores with a new lifter after having a block blasted and bored. I found that 3 of the bores had slight burrs that prevented the lifters from spinning as freely as the others. When matched to the old camshaft the burred lifter bores matched up with the worst lobes on the cam that had seen lobe failure.
3.Off the shelf oils contain almost no Zinc. I used rotella t for break in previoulsly but have come to discover it no longer contains the high zinc levels that older valvetrains require.This time I'm using VR-1 High Zinc along with a zinc additive.
THE CRANK HAD TO BE GROUND .010 DUE TO DEEP SCRATCHES FROM THE CAMSHAFT MATERIAL.
I decided against going retro-fit roller due to the limited cam profiles. I couldnt find any roller cams with mild lift for a daily driven vehicle. Also I dont need to turn high RPMs nor am I searching for power gains. My engine puts out more HP and Torque than any streetable tire can handle. THATS WHY I BUILT A BIG BLOCK 300ZX.( PLUS I HAVE YET TO SEE ANOTHER ONE)

[canadian booster]

sucker for punishment is right, but i'm still here also, cheering from Canada !

[SBC300]

I dont think any of that wiped out your cam. My guess is that its in coilbind due to shimming, incorrect rocker arm ratio, too big of a cam for the valve length, etc. Did you verify that you were not in bind?

[shannonferguson2000]

SBC300, The heads have been redone now,(new valve springs, valve job, surfacing). The gentleman I had work the heads said that when he tested the spring pressure, they were at 160lbs compared to 110lbs that are normal for a bbc.
The first and second cams were very mild .500 lift so im not sure if it was coil bind. Those heads were first bolted on with only checking lash, so I cant verify details(improper shims ect.)

I did recieve a huge BE COOL radiator and a SPAL fan module for my new cooling project ,With a good bit of fabrication by removing the rad core support and notching the headlight shelves it will fit at a slight angle.

I would estimate being back on the road in about 2-3 weeks. Ive been very anal about double and triple checking each system and also trying to improve those individual systems for maximum performance and durability.(cooling,electrical,transmission,ect.) No rush jobs here.

[SBC300]

Thats weird. I hope this one works out better!
I ran a 540 BBC with a solid lifter setup with over 300 lbs on the seat and around 500 open pressure for 3 years in my 69 Camaro with no issues. something wiped out the cams. I cant understand why 160 on the seat would wipe a cam. How many lobes got hurt?
Something bad was going on with the valvetrain,

[DCaff300ZX]

Ive been very anal about double and triple checking each system and also trying to improve those individual systems for maximum performance and durability.(cooling,electrical,transmission,ect.) No rush jobs here.

Great plan, with all of the time and trouble you have invested to this point you need that peace of mind.
Glad to hear you are still thrashing away, can't wait to see the results!

[shannonferguson2000]

SBC300, 3 lobes were in very bad shape and the lifters that matched those lobes were worn almost to the point of springs coming through the bottoms. I have many theories including poor break-in but nothing concrete, I performed a running valve adjustment(around 1000 miles) where I could have over adjusted the valve lash , I'm not sure.

[fiznowler]

This car is going to be pure beast!

[shannonferguson2000]

A quick picture after assembly, I went all black pearl this time.

[shannonferguson2000]

The new Becool radiator required nothching the headlight tray and also removing and rewelding the radiator cor support gussets on both sides. When installed with the fan unit I should have about 3/16 clearance to the water pump pulley.

[RubyRed300ZX]

Takes real balls to weld with the propane tanks that close to the car.

[RubyRed300ZX]

The more I think about it, I surprised a guy who has the balls to try to mash a big block Chevy into a 300ZX didn't just move one of those propane tanks in between the fenders and sit on it to do the welding between his splayed knees.

[t.mcginley.jr]

A quick picture after assembly, I went all black pearl this time.

Looks sweet! I'm guessing you triple checked everything this time?

[shannonferguson2000]

Those are air tanks bud.
Triple checked many times!
*edit* RUBYRED, NOBODY "TRIED" TO MASH A BIG BLOCK IN A 300ZX, I DROVE THE CAR FOR ALMOST A YEAR.

[shannonferguson2000]

Good food for thought for anyones high performance vehicle.

[shannonferguson2000]

Radiator mock up after removing the core support and notching the headlight tray and frame gussets.

[DCaff300ZX]

Cool, looks like the old school Z's with the radiator canted like that!

[shannonferguson2000]

Thanks Dcaff, hopefully its big enough to cool, I removed all the material that could be removed, angled was the only way I could fit high cfm fans, time will tell.