New engines and trannys and brakes for the GMC

thomas g. warner

New member
Mar 24, 1998
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someone posted information ashort time ago on installing a chev 454 vortec
engine into the GMC. At the time I was not interested but am now having
second thoughts. Does anyone have any info on how to do it? Will it bolt to
the toro tranny?

Looked at a 1996 Cadillac with the Northstar engine and tranny and boy is it
nice. Would it ever be nice in a GMC? wonder if that would fit. what an
engine and very tough

Has anyone came up with a GM disk brake setup from another GM vehicle that
can be installed on the rear bogies easily?

Time to look for another project.
Tom & Marg Warner
Vernon Center NY
1976 palmbeach
 
Tom

It sorta will (bolt up to the transmission, that is.)

Obviously, the crankshaft and the torque converter's centers must be on the
same axis. This is determined on both the Chevy and the BPO
(Buick/Pontiac/Olds) and Cad applications by a dowel pin on each side. The
pins are pressed into the block and the bell housing of the transmission
fits over them. There is a 3/8 24 bolt above and below each of the dowel
pins, plus a couple more bolts along the top of the bell housing.

The dowel pins and the two bolts on each side nearest the dowel pins will
line up just fine between an olds/cad transmission and chev block, and the
shafts will be in alignment. The torque converter will bolt nicely to the
chev flex plate (flywheel) if you have the right one.

The only problem is that the bolts (4 in all) along the top of the bell
housing don't all line up. It wouldn't be a major task to make a plate from
say 1/8" steel to interface the two and give the bolts a place to go; such a
plate may already be available commercially. But since the dowels and 4 most
important bolts do line up, it would be a very easy project.

Of course, having done that, you'll then have to adapt the engine mounts and
do a lot of engineering to make all the accessories work. Probably not a
terribly difficult job.

The 454 is a terrific engine and would be a very good choice if you were
starting from scratch, but, frankly, the 455 olds is an extremely good
design also and since parts are readily available my advice would be to run
it forever. But I'd like to see one that had been changed over just so I can
say I've seen it. I've had some good times wringing out 454's...and L/88
427's, etc. I am a great fan of the big block chevy.

Travis

- -----Original Message-----
From: Thomas G. Warner
To: gmcmotorhome
Date: Saturday, March 27, 1999 6:13 PM
Subject: GMC: New engines and trannys and brakes for the GMC

>someone posted information ashort time ago on installing a chev 454 vortec
>engine into the GMC. At the time I was not interested but am now having
>second thoughts. Does anyone have any info on how to do it? Will it bolt to
>the toro tranny?
>
>Looked at a 1996 Cadillac with the Northstar engine and tranny and boy is
it
>nice. Would it ever be nice in a GMC? wonder if that would fit. what an
>engine and very tough
>
>Has anyone came up with a GM disk brake setup from another GM vehicle that
>can be installed on the rear bogies easily?
>
>Time to look for another project.
>Tom & Marg Warner
>Vernon Center NY
>1976 palmbeach
>
>
 
I know that the 455 is a terrific engine, but have been thinking about
buying another coach and trying to stuff the Cadillac Northstar engine into
it. Boy would it look terrific. that is one beautiful engine. 200MPH land
speed record with it, maybe.
>Tom
>
>It sorta will (bolt up to the transmission, that is.)
>
>Obviously, the crankshaft and the torque converter's centers must be on the
>same axis. This is determined on both the Chevy and the BPO
>(Buick/Pontiac/Olds) and Cad applications by a dowel pin on each side. The
>pins are pressed into the block and the bell housing of the transmission
>fits over them. There is a 3/8 24 bolt above and below each of the dowel
>pins, plus a couple more bolts along the top of the bell housing.
>
>The dowel pins and the two bolts on each side nearest the dowel pins will
>line up just fine between an olds/cad transmission and chev block, and the
>shafts will be in alignment. The torque converter will bolt nicely to the
>chev flex plate (flywheel) if you have the right one.
>
>The only problem is that the bolts (4 in all) along the top of the bell
>housing don't all line up. It wouldn't be a major task to make a plate from
>say 1/8" steel to interface the two and give the bolts a place to go; such a
>plate may already be available commercially. But since the dowels and 4 most
>important bolts do line up, it would be a very easy project.
>
>Of course, having done that, you'll then have to adapt the engine mounts and
>do a lot of engineering to make all the accessories work. Probably not a
>terribly difficult job.
>
>The 454 is a terrific engine and would be a very good choice if you were
>starting from scratch, but, frankly, the 455 olds is an extremely good
>design also and since parts are readily available my advice would be to run
>it forever. But I'd like to see one that had been changed over just so I can
>say I've seen it. I've had some good times wringing out 454's...and L/88
>427's, etc. I am a great fan of the big block chevy.
>
>Travis
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Thomas G. Warner
>To: gmcmotorhome
>Date: Saturday, March 27, 1999 6:13 PM
>Subject: GMC: New engines and trannys and brakes for the GMC
>
>
>>someone posted information ashort time ago on installing a chev 454 vortec
>>engine into the GMC. At the time I was not interested but am now having
>>second thoughts. Does anyone have any info on how to do it? Will it bolt to
>>the toro tranny?
>>
>>Looked at a 1996 Cadillac with the Northstar engine and tranny and boy is
>it
>>nice. Would it ever be nice in a GMC? wonder if that would fit. what an
>>engine and very tough
>>
>>Has anyone came up with a GM disk brake setup from another GM vehicle that
>>can be installed on the rear bogies easily?
>>
>>Time to look for another project.
>>Tom & Marg Warner
>>Vernon Center NY
>>1976 palmbeach
>>
>>
>
>
>
Tom & Marg Warner
Vernon Center NY
1976 palmbeach
 
It really is a neat engine, with double overhead cams and 4 valves per
cylinder, very efficient. But it's only about 240 cubic inches; I doubt it
would do well at all in a motorhome application because of the
weight...Possibly, with proper gearing. It makes on the order of 300
horsepower, but torque won't be much because of the small size.

Travis

- -----Original Message-----
From: Thomas G. Warner
To: gmcmotorhome
Date: Saturday, March 27, 1999 7:20 PM
Subject: Re: GMC: New engines and trannys and brakes for the GMC

>I know that the 455 is a terrific engine, but have been thinking about
>buying another coach and trying to stuff the Cadillac Northstar engine into
>it. Boy would it look terrific. that is one beautiful engine. 200MPH land
>speed record with it, maybe.
>>Tom
>>
>>It sorta will (bolt up to the transmission, that is.)
>>
>>Obviously, the crankshaft and the torque converter's centers must be on
the
>>same axis. This is determined on both the Chevy and the BPO
>>(Buick/Pontiac/Olds) and Cad applications by a dowel pin on each side. The
>>pins are pressed into the block and the bell housing of the transmission
>>fits over them. There is a 3/8 24 bolt above and below each of the dowel
>>pins, plus a couple more bolts along the top of the bell housing.
>>
>>The dowel pins and the two bolts on each side nearest the dowel pins will
>>line up just fine between an olds/cad transmission and chev block, and the
>>shafts will be in alignment. The torque converter will bolt nicely to the
>>chev flex plate (flywheel) if you have the right one.
>>
>>The only problem is that the bolts (4 in all) along the top of the bell
>>housing don't all line up. It wouldn't be a major task to make a plate
from
>>say 1/8" steel to interface the two and give the bolts a place to go; such
a
>>plate may already be available commercially. But since the dowels and 4
most
>>important bolts do line up, it would be a very easy project.
>>
>>Of course, having done that, you'll then have to adapt the engine mounts
and
>>do a lot of engineering to make all the accessories work. Probably not a
>>terribly difficult job.
>>
>>The 454 is a terrific engine and would be a very good choice if you were
>>starting from scratch, but, frankly, the 455 olds is an extremely good
>>design also and since parts are readily available my advice would be to
run
>>it forever. But I'd like to see one that had been changed over just so I
can
>>say I've seen it. I've had some good times wringing out 454's...and L/88
>>427's, etc. I am a great fan of the big block chevy.
>>
>>Travis
>>
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: Thomas G. Warner
>>To: gmcmotorhome
>>Date: Saturday, March 27, 1999 6:13 PM
>>Subject: GMC: New engines and trannys and brakes for the GMC
>>
>>
>>>someone posted information ashort time ago on installing a chev 454
vortec
>>>engine into the GMC. At the time I was not interested but am now having
>>>second thoughts. Does anyone have any info on how to do it? Will it bolt
to
>>>the toro tranny?
>>>
>>>Looked at a 1996 Cadillac with the Northstar engine and tranny and boy is
>>it
>>>nice. Would it ever be nice in a GMC? wonder if that would fit. what an
>>>engine and very tough
>>>
>>>Has anyone came up with a GM disk brake setup from another GM vehicle
that
>>>can be installed on the rear bogies easily?
>>>
>>>Time to look for another project.
>>>Tom & Marg Warner
>>>Vernon Center NY
>>>1976 palmbeach
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>Tom & Marg Warner
>Vernon Center NY
>1976 palmbeach
>