SB Chevy/BB Chevy Question? (1 Viewer)

[TJ]

I have a Pro Stock (72) Vega that has BB Chevy Motor/Mid plates and was wondering if the plates could be used for a SB Chevy?

The front plate(s) are two pieces that do not interfere w/ the timing gears/water pump area, as they bolt to the two threaded holes on the front of each side of the block..Hope that makes sense..
I am not familiar w/ SB Chevy stuff so any info is appreciated
Thanks...

 

[FABMAN]

I have a Pro Stock (72) Vega that has BB Chevy Motor/Mid plates and was wondering if the plates could be used for a SB Chevy?

The front plate(s) are two pieces that do not interfere w/ the timing gears/water pump area, as they bolt to the two threaded holes on the front of each side of the block..Hope that makes sense..
I am not familiar w/ SB Chevy stuff so any info is appreciated
Thanks...

Your rear plate will fine, you will have to make front plates and mounting location since SB is shorter in length. Just make sure the motor is square with
chassis angle of motor stays same as BB your taking out. You can leave the BB mounts there, someday you may want to put a big motor back in the car.

 

[TJ]

Jesse,
Thanks for the info and I will probably use the BB Chevy as they are evrywhere very cheap..
Just thought I would ask as I have a Patterson SB Chevy/ex PS Truck motor that I could put in to make it more original but I will have to do some research first..Thanks again

 

["Dr. Dirt"]

Terry,
That Patterson piece has enough output to beautifully run that Vega down track. You might find you have as much fun with it as you could building the Big Block. The boys just built a small block for a race boat they are assembling from scratch and that little mouse will rival most of the big blocks we've built for our previous boats.

Like Jesse stated, you will need to only build front plates but carefully line the block up with the balance of the power train before drilling the final chassis mounts so as to eliminate all the possible angles in your drive trane. Even if you run a drive shaft with universal joints, they rob horsepower somewhat. The more angle, the more robery.

That Vega sounds like a really fun project! If you need parts, call me first since we have accumulated more than one shop should have and I'm easy:
Here's the boy's small block:

 

[TJ]

Bobby,

Thanks for the response...Your boys SB Chevy looks very nice as most of all the stuff your family builds..
The Vega is strictly for turning a profit and am aching to get it done...Have been procastinating (sp ck) and surfing the net too much over the winter...
I kind of wanted to 'slow the Vega down as the previous owner had it running 8.20 e.t.'s...Way to fast for the average buyer..and I am to tall to fit 'safely' in the car or I would keep it..
If I have any questions or need advice I will contact you..
Thanks again..

 

[FABMAN]

Terry, what year is the car. Was it raced in Pro Stock, if it was by what driver.

 

[TJ]

I do not know who drove the car as I picked it up (Title auction) from a meth addict who was forced to sell as he was losing everything/home/job/etc and did not know what I was getting into but was very surprised on the condition of it once the cleaning began...Sometimes cleaning up someones else's stuff is a major hassle but so far the car is solid and I will take pics and try to post..
I just pulled the Dana 60-Ladder Bar set-up yesterday morning to inspect and vacuum 20 years of cat hair and retired black widow webs..Every nut/bolt needed impact assistance..
I was told the car ran P/S in the 70's but I cannot be sure as the car has functional glass except for the lexan windshiled but the car is fully caged/all aluminum w/ a fiberglass front clip...The front clip is from a early Corvair and the car is super light and wants to hook/launch sitting on the garage floor cause when I push down on the rear of the car the front-end lifts off the ground minus the motor..
I will try and post pics later after I am cleaned-up..

 

[stanman]

Terry,

You're not going to get any more for the car with the ex-PST motor than you would with a nice big block. And the ex-PST motor is worth more on its own than it would be in the Vega. Plus, the new owner may not want to do a bunch of maintenance. An ex-PST motor is going to be high maintenance if you run it in the RPM range it was built to run... valve springs and lifters aren't cheap.

What type of transmission are you putting in the car?

Plus, I doubt the suspension would be tuneable for a combination like the ex-PST motor.

 

[TJ]

Greg,
Thanks for the input. Patterson told me the SB Chevy they built would unload the car to much w/ the lenco trans and basically said what you suggested to go w/ a BB Chevy (700 hp) and a glide/brake to run SG/SC..
I will probably sell the car less motor/trans and let the buyer do what they want as this project is being done here @ home instead of the shop and my wife wants her parking spot back...And I have no desire to campaign this car.
The weather is warming up and I have been burning the midnight oil.
I will try and post some pics soon.