Happy Independence Day! I was driving hame from work in the Chevelle a few months ago and noticed I didn't have any oil pressure. I checked the gauges, dipstick, etc. I noticed that my billet distributor was raised about 1/4 " from the intake and figured that it just wasn't spinning the oil pump shaft.
I flipped the cheesy "dress-up" distributor bracket over and bolted it back down (since it bent up during the event) and turned the engine over again. It started right up.....with no oil pressure and no funny sounds. I shut it back off and looked under the hood again. The distributor was raised up again. Well, I called my wife and had her bring my truck and the tow rope to get me. I hooked up the mess and pulled it home. On the bright side, the wife FINALLY got to drive the Chevelle.....at least steer. Many tests later I discovered that the splash shield in the stock oil pan broke loose from the spot welds and wrapped around my crank, dimpled 2 pistons, scratched up at least 1 cylinder wall, shaved off the bottom of the oil pump (that would explain things), and filled up the bottom end with little shiny metal shavings. My mechanic/ mistake corrector said it would cost about $6000.00 to get the 454 back to working order and suggested I look at crate motors as a cheaper/better option. My rebuild on the 454 was done in 1986. I selected Basko Performance Engines to build a new motor for me as they have a good reputation and are close to me here in the Phoenix AZ area. They are also putting a lot of work into my Edelbrock square-port closed-chamber heads. They are in the process of building me a Merlin "Big M" 565 ci cast iron engine with a solid roller cam, steel crank and JE pistons. I picked up a new Proform 950cfm carb and am anxious to get everything back together. I am currently running a Muncie M-21 but have been looking at the Tremec TKO-600 5-speeds for a while and am contemplating a swap. My question of the day is: Should I invest in a good blow-proof bell housing while everthing is apart, and if so, which brand is recommended? Will the same bell housing fit both the Muncie and the Tremec? Thanks for the help and have a safe holiday, Steve
