Well he is my delima, I am deployed to Iraq right now and have some time to save money and decide what to do. So for starters do I take the 350 and turn it into a 383 stroker or do I go with a 455 big block. Has anyone done the big block swap into a small block equipped car and what are the cons of doing this. What tranny and what gears. Any info would be helpful. It's going in my 77 pontiac ventura (nova). Thanks for any advice.  

If I remember correctly, a '77 Ventura/Nova is an X-body chassis. It was never intended to take a 455, so isntalling that motor might present some problems. Plus the fact finding a good 455 Pontiac motor might be a problem and cost some money, you'll probably be better off building a 383.

What motor is in the car now?  

You are correct about the x-body chassis. It is running a 350 w TH350 tranny. Weiand intake and 4BBL carb, headers and cherry bomb pipes. MSD ignition, distributor, and wires w/ NGK plugs. It runs awesome. It is running the 2.73 highway gears in an open rear end. So that's gotta change. But I want more speed,horsepower, and torque. I want to be able to warn passengers that the chance of whiplash is great whenever they sit down in the car.lol  

A big block swap will be quite costly, and the 383 should be enough to give you some nice get up and go  

Well it seems that I am running a 2 bolt main 350 and will probably swap it out for a 4 bolt main to do the 383 stroker. Now just to figure out if I should stay with the TH350 or swap that for a TH400 or 700R4 tranny. Then the next thing is to figure out what gear ratio is gonna give me that kick and still retain highway ability.  

Actually, if your not looking for really high power levels, you might want to consider replacing the main bearing bolts with a set of studs from ARP. Theit ARP2000 alloy studs should be plenty strong enouth for most any reasonable street build. you should really only need to go to a 4 bolt main if your going for some serious power and RPM use.  

The big-block into the X-body isn't a difficult swap, since it's basically the same engine compartment as the '67 - '69 Camaro/Firebird.

The cost, however, is a big difference. By the time you get heads, rotating assembly, carburetor, intake, and headers, you're looking at a $5,000 to $8,000 build for the big-block. If you want a Pontiac instead of a BBC, it will be even more.

The 383 could make well over 500 hp on pump gas with the right parts, and would be cheaper and easier to swap.

Then there's the car itself. I love the way the '77 Ventura looks, so I'd probably spend the money, build a 455 (or larger) Pontiac, and go hunt down some 5-liter Mustangs. All your headers will be '67-68 Firebird pieces too.  

Respectfully, I disagree with all the above, including Mr. Hunkins.

A 455 Pontiac is probably THE cheapest motor to build, for a mild (mid-12 to high-11) street car.

You can build it with nearly all stock parts.  The blueprint has been around for 20 years now.  Get a 455 block (or a 400, and a 4.21" stroke conversion crank - which are now EASY to find), and top it off with some late70's "low compression" heads off of a 400 (such as the 6X castings).  On a 455, these heads yield 8.9 to 9.5:1 compression when used with readily available flat-top pistons.

The only aftermarket parts you really need, are a set of GOOD valvesprings.  A set of Harland Sharp roller rockers are a cheap investment and come with good locking nuts, just get a set of 7/16" rocker studs to go with them.

Use a cam close to the factory "041" (about 230-233 duration @ .050" on the intake).  You can even use a factory iron intake (a pre-EGR version will make a bit more power) and a Q-jet.  

These combos make ALOT of power at a lower rpm than most anything else.  This allows you to run really mild stall speeds and gears - which SAVES you money.  A 2000 stall and 3.08 gears will be enough to run mid-12's.

Keep in mind that 455 Pontiac is physically the same size as the 350 Pontiac (as well as the 326, 400, etc.)

Lee  

Well, your 350 is a great motor to start with.  I would recommend going with the Eldelbrock RPM kit with the 750 carb.  If you have the money I would go 30 over on the pistons and new rings.  Then go with a 373 rear gear and sub frame connectors.  This will put you in the mid 12s with alot more you can do.  Changing over to a big block isn't a problem, but you may not be realizing the extra front end weight you will be picking up.  I'm sure you will love the sbc setup.  My 70 nova loved this setup, wish I had stayed there.  The next level cost alot more money.  Just thoughts from a AF guy.  

I have one question that I need to ask. How much do you plan on having to spend on your engine? That factor right there should be considered before you make any decisions on what engine you wish to use. Also qonsider your final intended use. Do you want something that might be more efficient than a big block, or do you want a real torque monster?  

Your best "bang for the buck" will be to change the rear gears to a lower ratio (higher numerically).
You can then step-up to an aftermarket cam and matching stall speed, (as a step 2 or the same time - if money allows). The third step would be a set of aftermarket heads. The combination of these 3 steps will make a marked differance in your 350!

If your budget allows to build a new shortblock with aftermarket heads and also changing the rear axle and transmission and/or swapping to a bigblock - then you have to consider all the options mentioned already. You could even consider an aftermarket sbc block and at least 407 ci or more (if you're married to the idea of an sbc)
I wouldn't build a 383 sbc without also using a set of aftermarket heads on it.  

Well due to some unexpected funding issues with family (typical with everyone) I am now starting over saving for the ventura's heart build/transplant. Not much time left here in iraq so I am considering building the 350. I figure the weiand intake I have is good enough but the Q-jet has gotta go. So a new carb. I have also though of doing a basic rebuild on the bottom end and going with AFR heads (unless someone knows of a cheaper equal). Mounting a 200R4 or 700R4 (the 80's era monte carlo SS came with the 200R4's so there must have been a reason (more research there). Also doing a interior rear seat delete to minimize weight. I do know I have to rebuild the front end(lotz of play in the steering wheel). I'll probably keep the same rear end for now just because of the rising gas prices. But all in all I figure a low budget build and a decent tranny with the front end rebuild will probably take what I can save up for now. Also I found a 77 trans am for 10,000.00 and had thought of selling the ventura and my beloved bonneville ssei and getting that and just enjoying commuting in a real muscle car til I can get more saved up for a real build.  

there is no small block or big block Pontiac. A 455 will bolt up just like a 350. ALL DIMENSIONS ARE THE SAME! All pieces external are the same. Only difference between a 350 6x head and a 455 6x head is combution chamber volume. I would build a 400 block with a Butler 4.250 stroker kit. Get 461" out of a 400 block. That's what I run. I make 562hp 578 lb-ft on pump gas. why spend the money on a 350? 400's came in everything. I run a T350 trans too. Have a short block put together and put a set of Edelbrock heads on it.Spend the money and have the bearind and piston coatings done. only couple hundred bucks and worth it.  

Could I get some nfo on pontiac strokers? I have a 400 just laying around that could make some real power over these sbc strokers. I,m glad to hear about the 6x heads i dont remember the combustion size but the valves were 2.14/177 if Im not mistakin. Im building a 93 firebird and it seems wrong not to go pontiac.The car weighs 2300lbs with no motor/tranny and the rear end is 323 ratio. My budet is the real issue here and I would appreciate any advice.