Login to Add FriendThe Beginning
It started out as a project for my dad and I to work on together. We hunted all over ebay, and decided upon a 1957 Pontiac Starchief, not only because of the coolness factor, but also because it was the same car he drove in high-school and I was still in high-school when we bought the first car. The first car we got actually ran and drove, believe it or not. We even took it for a little joy ride around town with no plates, bumpers, or lights of any kind. The car then sat for over a year and my Dad stumbled upon another 1957 Pontiac Starchief, and from what we could tell, was in better condition rust-wise and had no engine or transmission. Since we planned on hot rodding it as much as we could, we had no need for anything but a rear end. We bought and retrieved it and shortly after stripped it. Somewhere along the way we mounted a set of TorqueThrust clone wheels.
The project sat dormant until I was well into college. Then one day it happened...
The Engine
I was visiting home when my Dad told me he had just bought a 454 Marine BBC and a forged crank. From there, the project finally got in gear. The block arrived and sat around for a few months until my Dad got a set of CNC ported Dart Pro-1 heads from my brother Darin at Reher-Morrison Racing. Shortly thereafter, the beast was born...
In those two pictures, we threw a few studs in the block and put the heads on it to get an idea of the future. Then we pulled it apart and sent the block and crank to the machine shop. The block was bored and honed, and the crank was magnafluxed, no turning required. :-)
I didn't get a chance to get many pictures during assembly. It didn't take very long.
Putting on the stud girdles. I had my side on so I stepped back to snap a picture.
The engine sitting there and ready to fire. You can see my Dad standing in one picture.
Engine Run-Down
Chevy Marine Block - Bored .090" over to 4.341" Bore
Eagle 4340 Forged 4.5" Stroke Crank
Eagle H-Beam Rods
J&E Flat Top Pistons 10:1 Comp
Dart Pro-1 Aluminum Heads - CNC Ported by Reher-Morrison Racing
Manley Stainless Valves - 2.300" Intake & 1.880" Exhaust
PSI Springs - 210lbs on the seat, 800lbs over the nose
Custom Ground Cam (Don't have the card... :-| )
Renegade Chrome-Moly 1.7:1 Roller Rockers
Performance Products Hurricane Single Plane Manifold
Holley 1050 Dominator
Then the engine was fitted in the car and mounts were made.
The engine came back out to prep and paint the engine bay, and, in the meantime, got itself a nice pair of new valvecovers.
Latest Progress
Engine is back in the car with the firewall holes filled and the whole bay painted. The brake booster is mounted. The alternator and power steering pump is on the engine. The power steering box is mounted. New shocks in the front with a beefier sway bar and nice polyurethane bushings.
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