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280 ZT 454 need more power

First of all welcome to the forum. Second, you will need to define your budget. There are a lot of mods for a 454 but if you are going to repower, you may be better off pouring your money into a new motor.
 
The most basic & safest is the exhaust first. You will need it anyway if you want to build big power down the road. Then usually things like intake, fuel system or carb, heads cam, etc.. We sell these items & offer these upgrade services. If I can be of further help feel free to call me.. :)

Jamie / Lakeside Restorations 570-639-2628


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Heavy Handed said:
First of all welcome to the forum. Second, you will need to define your budget. There are a lot of mods for a 454 but if you are going to repower, you may be better off pouring your money into a new motor.
Click to expand...


Thanks, i don't know why i didn't join a year ago...lol.

I was curious if there were any changes i could do to the computer to add a little more power. I guess i should go ahead and look at adding better exhaust since it should work with the new powerplant. I want to go up to 500hp but i want to keep the reliability so i was thinking to stick with a factory mercruiser.
 
Lakeside Restorations said:
The most basic & safest is the exhaust first. You will need it anyway if you want to build big power down the road. Then usually things like intake, fuel system or carb, heads cam, etc.. We sell these items & offer these upgrade services. If I can be of further help feel free to call me.. :)

Jamie / Lakeside Restorations 570-639-2628

Thanks for the reply!

What do yuu have available in exhaust kits? I have through hull but the tips are muffled and i definitely will not be keeping them.

I was interested in anything i could do to tweak the 454 as is by adjusting the computer if possible.
Click to expand...
 
Fooling with the ECM on a stock engine is a waste of time & money for the most part. It would be more worth while & recommended when you have done many upgrades.

Depending on how far you really want to go sometimes getting a different engine is a more realistic option. If you are just looking for some extra power then enhancements are usually the way to go. This is also one of the reasons I recommend exhaust, this way if you decide to go with a bigger engine you can transfer it over, so it's not a waste..;)

Again, if you would like to look into it further with me feel free to give me a shout in the afternoon.. ;) Jamie / Lakeside
 
I have a EFI cam, ignition upgrade, performance exhaust and ECU recalibration that will put you over 400 hp. Just did one for a guy in IL. for a 280 ZT

I interested give me a call (909) 888-0055
 
mkhammer said:
I have a EFI cam, ignition upgrade, performance exhaust and ECU recalibration that will put you over 400 hp. Just did one for a guy in IL. for a 280 ZT

I interested give me a call (909) 888-0055
Click to expand...


I am interested. I will give you a call tomorrow or Friday.
 
Have you consididerd a Procharger? I know some people that use them on your motor with good results.
 
Prochargers are good blowers. If you are not totally into the mechanical aspect of your boat, you should have it installed and tuned by a pro that is well versed in supercharging. If you buy it out of a box and install it yourself without the knowlege to make it right, the results could be a disaster. There are some very good shops that could help you out, includind the supporting vendors here. Superchargers are awesome, but not entry level.
 
28checkmate said:
What can i do to squeeze more horsepower out of this 454/340 hp until i can repower?
Click to expand...
Big question: how many hours are on your motor???

... if it has quite a few, you'd probably want to consider pulling the engine and going thru it. You don't want to add a blower to a tired motor... if the hours are low a blower is a great way to get a little more hp outta it, imo.
 
I have decided to change out the cam, ignition and add headers and have the computer re-calibrated. I also plan to go ahead and go through the heads with the hours (370) i have on it. I think i will stay away from the pro charger for now.
 
28checkmate said:
I have decided to change out the cam, ignition and add headers and have the computer re-calibrated. I also plan to go ahead and go through the heads with the hours (370) i have on it. I think i will stay away from the pro charger for now.
Click to expand...
If you are going that deep into the engine you might as well do the bottom end also.It 's not going to cost that much more and you will have fresh power.
 
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