Well while out cruising around today I spyed an old chevy school bus c60. The guy let me take a look at it sitting in his back 40. Its a big block. Somewhere I would guess in the 60's. I tried like hell to get the casting numbers off of the motor, but to no avail after an hour. The motor is stuck back in the bay pretty good. I tried to crawl under it and look for it with the mirror on the stick even the fancy one with the light, but still no luck. I guess that they could of came with a 366 tall deck or 427 tall deck or 454? Does anyone have a tall deck with some dimensions on it so I can find out if it is a tall deck? Or does anyone know or messed with these before? I am not at home so I cannot measure my own motors.

Thanks

jenks

Take a look at the height of the block above the waterpump. Tall decks have a big space between the waterpump and the head deck. Regular blocks don't.

You'll need the casting number to tell if it's a 366 or a 427, but id'ing a tall-deck is obvious, once you see it. :D

Look for the dual-thermostat intake, it's wild-looking. :D

An easy way to tell a tall deck is just between the timing cover and intake manifold is a small threaded pipe plug, only found on tall deck big block chevys.

buy it you can buy good intake's and such for the tall decks.not a big rever but lots of torque

why the fuck would you put an intake on a stock td??

if you just want to piss money away ill pm you my adress!

the 427 td is a good motor to get if you want to build a BIG bbc motor, like 500+ci

if not leave it stock or find a used intake and get some spacers but keep it cheap. but i wouldnt bother.

a stock tall deck industrial engine will have tiny port cylinder heads. itll make great torque, but will not rev past about 4500 even with an aftermarket intake.

to make one run, buy a 4.5 stroke crank, bore it to 4.375, and you will have a 540 inch motor that will rev to 6000rpm with smallish rectangle port heads, and pull ANYTHING you have. some camshaft adjustment may be required, longer rods, forged pistons, and a decent intake will also be required. as will a damned big carb.

edit: thats if you get lucky and have a 427 tall deck block. the 366 isnt worth much.

especaily becuase scrap prices have drop so low.

Well thanks to all the help. I have been searching. Definately would like the big cubes that would be for sure, the biggest that I found suggested for crank size was 4.375 but I trust grumpy if he says a biggin will fit. I think I can get it for next to nothing. I will try and take a peak again tomorrow since it was raining like a mother and crawling in the mud didn't help today. He said he had some records on it that he was going to look at and see if he could find anything.

Ya and scrap prices do suck and I have a trailer full and then some to go in after strippin down two of my trucks.

I have some spare parts that I am trying to sell that probably work pretty good just to have a runner.

thanks to all
later
jenks

That could have the big input shaft 465 too. Does it have a flat adapter plate on the block and a huge bellhousing and flywheel?

I don't know jack about manuals. I believe it has a 4 speed and looks kind of large. I will see if I have my camera with me and maybe I can take some shots and post them up. It has two flat fronts and sunk in the mud so it is a pita to get under and I am not the biggest guy but big enough that I don't fit well.

later
jenks

im betting it has a 5 spd clark or an allison.


short deck blocks will only allow a 4.375 stroke, but a tall deck will allow up to a 4.5 inch stroke with some grinding.

It wouldn't surprise me at all to see a 4 speed, especially if it has a two speed rear end coming out of that vintage. I actually drove an '85 that had a 4+2 still. I'll give ya $20 for the tranny depending on what bell it has. :D

*edit* I should point out that while some of the 4 speeds were big input SM465's and a few NP435's, not all of them were. Those two transmissions kind of meet their match in a fullsize bus application.

If you are getting the engine grab the power steering pump too. big flow, great for hydro assist or full hydro.

Sorry no updates today. Fricking no rain all day, half hour before I get of work and guess what!!!

later
jenks

I took some pictures today. Well from what you guys have told me it looks like a tall deck. I just have to figure out which one. The trans is an auto (don't know what other than frigin huge), but the bolt pattern looks funky. Any ideas. I cannot tell if there is some kind of adapter plate or not. I stuck my camera behind the odd bank cylinder head and snaped about 15 pictures but was not able to come up with the casting number. Is there other locations that they are that I am not looking?

http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj21/jenx21/SANY0194.jpg

http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj21/jenx21/SANY0195.jpg

http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj21/jenx21/SANY0196.jpg

http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj21/jenx21/SANY0204.jpg

http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj21/jenx21/SANY0205.jpg

http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj21/jenx21/SANY0206.jpg



this is the back of the trans where it bolts to the motor. It doesn't look right

http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj21/jenx21/SANY0207.jpg



later
jenks

so, you have an allison and a tall deck.

on the passenger front of the block, in front of the cylinder head and on the block deck is a pad with some letters and numbers stamped on it. get the last 2 or 3 letters off of the block and look them up by googling "bbc suffix codes"

So will I be able to get a TH 400 to bolt up to it?

thanks
later
jenks

yes, you will.

the trans and bellhousing can be sold to recoup some money. Those Allisons are heavy duty medium truck transmissions, and are coveted in the towing community.

If it's a 366, don't bother. As has been mentioned, they have tiny bores and nothing can be done about it.

I will check that front pad tomorrow hopefully that will be the money shot. Or a big disapointment.

Later
jenks

Just cause its a 366 doesn't mean its crap. yeah, the over bore isn't worth shit, but they make good pulling, torque motors and even better boat anchors.:flipoff2:

(picturing a 366 TD motor on the end of the anchor chain on an aircraft carrier)

look inside the red box.... the one on the angle...

oh.. forgot..

a 366 will probably have a 9 quart oil pan, will absolutely have a 3.76 stroke crankshaft thats difficult as hell to balance, and desirable truck rods, for a milder big block using 3/8 rods. beam is wider in the bolt shoulder when viewed from the side... hard to explain.

an industrial bbc will have 4 bolt mains on ALL caps. even the rear cap.

I found a 366 in Cuba on a deployment. it was in a school bus in the naval station junkyard. I stole the oil pan and crankshaft. the pistons were siezed in the bore, and I had to break the block to get the crank out. I kept the caps, too, and made 100 bucks on them. The crank is now in my racer, and has been since 1996. still using the oil pan too.

Good God man. What did you break the block with? A truckload of HE PD 5 inch rounds?:laughing:

Or did you just get fed well as a child...

Now you mention deployment, and Cuba, so I am gonna go out on a limb here and try to guess what branch.

Too educated (or it would seem) to be a grunt or a marine, not enough of a pansy ass to be a Chair Force prom queen.

A little too hamfisted (your above post) to be a sailor, but apparently enough of a scrounger and thief NOT to be a sailor. So I am gonna have to say either USMC or USN. I'm undecided.:D

Ya I don't know why I didn't think of the suffix code. Hopefulley she hasn't been decked. Well we shall find out soon enough.

Later
jenks

He has sausage fingers that are really good at grabbing things (like a throat, for example).

That transmission is an Allison AT54x. I can't tell for sure which one it is, but it really doesn't make much of a difference. It'll have 4 speeds, no overdrive, and no lock-up on the converter. I believe the TC should have a stall speed in the neighborhood 2900 rpm. Yes, I said 2900. The only flavors of TC's I've seen for them so far are 2700 RPM and 2900 RPM. I have the 2700 RPM stall in my bus with a 2600 RPM redline.

Well the good new is that it wasn't decked, the bad news is its a 366. If I didn't have bad luck, I wouldn't have any. Thanks to all for the help. As always back to back yard scoping to find that deal.

Thanks to all again.

Later
Jenks

Good God man. What did you break the block with? A truckload of HE PD 5 inch rounds?:laughing:

Or did you just get fed well as a child...

Now you mention deployment, and Cuba, so I am gonna go out on a limb here and try to guess what branch.

Too educated (or it would seem) to be a grunt or a marine, not enough of a pansy ass to be a Chair Force prom queen.

A little too hamfisted (your above post) to be a sailor, but apparently enough of a scrounger and thief NOT to be a sailor. So I am gonna have to say either USMC or USN. I'm undecided.:D

None of the above. US Army.

Deployed to Cuba for the “Cuban-Hatian Relocation Vacation” in 1994-1995.

I took a sledgehammer to the block to disassemble it. Seems to have worked.

Sorry, I guess I was way off.:laughing:

the 427 would have the same 3.76 crank....

there is 2 reason people want the td blocks,

they all had forged cranks as well as the short deck 396, 402, 427.

and the 427 block itself for the big cube possibilities.

short deck blocks will only allow a 4.375 stroke, but a tall deck will allow up to a 4.5 inch stroke with some grinding.

I know guys put the 4.5 stroke in factory tall decks, but not grinding into the main oil'ers on a non-marine block is tricky

I know guys put the 4.5 stroke in factory tall decks, but not grinding into the main oil'ers on a non-marine block is tricky

yup, it is. Im not to sure i would enjoy risking the block for a few more cid.. 4.250 or 4.375 would do just fine, anyway.

just a little more, a little more, shit. Hey, go grab another block of the shelf:laughing:

There is one in Cuba laying in about a million pieces supposedly.:laughing:

some casting work needed*