what is the biggest engine that i can fit in a 3rd gen Chevy nova?

[nate]

i know the motors they fit back then were 396, i was thinking about a 454 or 502. i do not wanna do any cutting or anything to make it fit. i just want the biggest engine i can drop in.
i would like an engine i can pickup somwere and build myself. so please dont post engines that cost thousands lol. just looking for size numbers

 

[kelly_f_1999]

pretty much know now pretty much any motor you want any of what you listed

 

[Mad Jack]

ZZ572. GM part number 12498793

The 396 that the factory put in this car was
30.5" long - From the front of the water pump pulley to the rear of the intake manifold

27" wide - From valve cover to valve cover

33" high - From the top of the air filter to the bottom of the oil pan sump. The 572 is about 1/2" taller than the other Chevy big block engines. The only time this becomes a problem is if you want to use a different intake manifold from the factory high rise. You usually need to use a special spacer to use a GM big block intake.

Another cool engine that could be used in this car would be the GM performance parts ZZ427. This engine is very similar to the 427 used in the late 60's muscle cars. It is under rated at 430 horse power, just like they under rated their engines in the early 70s. This engine would have the same dimensions as the factory installed 396. This engine is similar to the L72 427 used in the Yenko 427 SC Nova. GM part number 12498793

There is also an anniversary edition 427. This is similar to the all aluminum ZL1 427 used in the COPO ZL1 Corvette. I would expect this one to be the most expensive of the bunch. This is a limited production engine and won't be available for very long. GM part number 19166392.

Expect any of these engines to be rather pricey. However you will quickly learn that horse power costs money. So how fast do you want to spend.

 

[Dan W]

The new crate motors are the same block as the 396, a drop in swap.

 

[pedro7of9]

all big blocj chevys r the same outside....366...396...402....427...454....502....578....615....
All SB chevys r same outside......well until LT LS series

 

[Jackson]

all big blocks such as the 396 have the same outside dimensions with different dimensions on the internals.. If you want the biggest cubic inch engine that would be the 572/720r produces 720 hp and mountains of torque on premium gas.. also the 572 is like a 9.4L

 

[mikey]

Do you really think we believe you are capable of building the engine yourself and do not know that big blocks are all big blocks? Good grief. Look in late model trucks for a 502 or a 454 and start from there.

 

[Dave R]

hey dummy! that 396 is the same block as the 454 502! in terms of size!

the internals are diff but from the outside you cant tell the diff!