I wouldn't put money into that engine. But like Kamma said exhaust is one of the basic things you need for any engine to make hp. Plus further down the road when you want to put in a real high perf. engine, the exhaust will be there. Lightning headers are cheap and offer real header performance. Maybe find something used in the classifieds. Then do hyd. flat tappet cam, carb, intake. Don't count on more than 450 hp from that engine. Good luck.

I've been down this road before and I'm sure many others have too, so in my honest opinion, I would recommend that you hold on to your money and leave the boat just as it is. You could possibly play around with props and pick up a few on top, but I think the gains that you'll see with $3500 will not be up to your expectaions, not to mention shorten the life of your engine and add unexpected problems. Good luck.

I would take the 3500 and go to casino ,try to win .
That will make your boat faster.
If you lose, at least you had some fun ,because 3500 will not get you anywhere with a stock 454.
Headers help the breathing but not make you faster,if so maybe 1-2 MPH.
Not worth it.
Give me the $$$ and go racing with me.
It will be enuff for 2-3 races.

There ya go.

I would put in the bank and wait until something breaks.....We all know something is, and soon!!!!!