How do I get ~450hp out of Merc 454 -95?
 

How do I get ~450hp out of Merc 454 -95 without getting too poor doing it?!

I have been thinking of some kind of supercharger but doesn't really know where to begin... What else do I have to change with the engine to get a supercharger to work?


Thanks,

Tomas

Re: How do I get ~450hp out of Merc 454 -95?
 

Give us what you have to work with. You can do this very easily with a 174 blower or work a small amount and do it N/A.

Re: How do I get ~450hp out of Merc 454 -95?
 

Is it a 7.4, 300 or 330 hp 454, or a 365 hp motor?

Re: How do I get ~450hp out of Merc 454 -95?
 

I'd like to know this too.
I've got a 454 365mag. No blower for me though.

Re: How do I get ~450hp out of Merc 454 -95?
 

Had a 174 B&M on a stock 330 that dynoed 450hp. Only thing changed were exhaust valves to inconel.

Re: How do I get ~450hp out of Merc 454 -95?
 

It really depends on your budget and if your starting with a mag motor or standard big block. If your starting with a std motor you might be better to sell it and start with a 502 mag (for the price difference between your old motor's value still running-1000-1500 $ and a long block 502-5200$ (4000$,) you probably would spend that much in exhaust,headwork etc and still have a tired cast piston,cast crank motor that can't take much abuse. Let us know your hours on motor,mag or std and your budget,Smitty

Re: How do I get ~450hp out of Merc 454 -95?
 

I did exactly what you did on my Scarab 21. I started with the 1991 454 Merc Bravo 330hp! The reason why I wanted to stay with the 454 vs. the 502 is I wanted to keep the blower under the engine hatch with no protrusions. The 174 would fit. I was aware that it had cast pistons and crank and not so great exhaust valves! I figured what do I have to lose, if I blow this one I haven't lost anything! I can still use the parts on a properly prepared engine! I installed the 174 on the bone stock motor. Updated to a blower carb that Teague custom marine tuned for a blower, added a Holley red electric fuel pump in addition to stock. Went to a full MSD ignition system! (If I did it again today I would have use the DUI ignition from performance distributors) Changed the prop, set the timing to a modest 28 degrees total advance and 5 psi of boost! RESULTS! Don’t know the horse powers gain, I did get an additional 12 mph on GPS! I was Happy! I ran it without a hitch for three years, and logged 226 hours on it without a problem! I only wanted a year or so! The final demise of the engine was a corroded Merc exhaust that led to a hydraulic lock! Which I didn't care because I had a new motor on the stand! I am sure I am leaving something out, if you have any concerns or questions please ask!


Bryan

Re: How do I get ~450hp out of Merc 454 -95?
 

bpine,it sounds like that worked out good for you,the 502 is identical to your 454 in external dimensions though so you wouldn't have had to worry about a engine hatch problem compared to your 330 hp motor.

Re: How do I get ~450hp out of Merc 454 -95?
 

Just glad to hear about those big block dimensions....
I was thinking of replacing the 396 in my Chevelle with a 540. I was very concerned about getting that thing in the engine compartment. :D :stupid:

Re: How do I get ~450hp out of Merc 454 -95?
 

Donman,i was trying to clarify something to bpine because he said "i stayed with the 454 vs. the 502" because of engine hatch clearence? After re-reading his post i see he meant the 174 blower would clear (which would be too small for bigger motor).sorry to insult your intelligence,Smitty

Re: How do I get ~450hp out of Merc 454 -95?
 

Arcticfriends,
This has really sparked my interest, as I am going to take out my 502 mag and rebuild it. When I look at the picture on your profile I am assuming it is a 502 mag efi with a turbo of some kind. Do you have any advice for me? Sorry to interupt guys. I am somewhat on the same page as I am ready to take the engine all the way down and build it right, due to 20% low compression. Is the 502 mag efi engine a good one to build with a supercharger and maybe expect 600 hp?

Re: How do I get ~450hp out of Merc 454 -95?
 

Excaliber,thats a procharger m-3. Procharger claims 685 hp w/stock exhaust at 7-8 psi boost. Your 502 is a excellent candidate for supercharging,just read a few of the threads on here,Inconel valves with a wide contact margin on heads are important for longevity and ditch the low tension metric ring pistons while rebuilding your motor,they cause more problems with oil control on 502's than anything else. The whipple charger looks like a cleaner install (less screwin around),i'm not partial to procharger but it doe's work good (once you get the bugs worked out). If your block has no real ridge in it when you rebuild it,j/e makes a .004 over piston with std rings that drops in after honing with a torque plate. Keep in mind your supporting equipment (steering,outdrive etc) will have to be upgraded once you get the thing making good power ,a fast boats no fun if it's sitting around with a blown up outdrive or is out of control with stock steering!!

Re: How do I get ~450hp out of Merc 454 -95?
 

Here is a better pic.

Re: How do I get ~450hp out of Merc 454 -95?
 

I have a slightly used(50hr) pair of polished M3's, polished intercoolers(504?the big one) with or without the carb box or EFI attachment and a pair of semi prepped 750 DP Holleys. I am thinking about selling because I have 2 much on my plate as is and may be moving soon. It has polished mounts and some of the spacers /brackets I have fabbed.Also the crank pulleys. They are the 5 psi but can be raised later with a change to the pulley on the blower. Supposed to add 50% with no mods. Go to procharger.com,,these reatil for 6K each when polished.I have $6,800 in all of this and just want to break even.My email is [email protected]. Thanks,Allen

Re: How do I get ~450hp out of Merc 454 -95?
 

Thanks for all the answers! I've got a 454 330hp. I would like to spend as little as possible (boring I know...), but it would be fun to see what you can do without getting too expensive.

If I go with the 174-blower, what else do I need to rebuild/change with then engine? And what costs are we talking about in that case?


Thanks,

Tomas

Re: How do I get ~450hp out of Merc 454 -95?
 

Tomas, here is a great reference guide that hits it right on the money! From B&M before Holley bought them! I also have the Teague prepared Holley out in the shop on a shelf dialed for that motor, I believe a quick going through and you would be on your way! I would let it go cheep! I believe you can get away with this combination in a light boat and if the driver always kept in the back of his mind "" I DON'T HAVE INCONEL VALVES!"" The key is to keep the boost down around 4 pounds! If you can’t read the chart let me know and I can e-mail it to you! Its great info! It specifically addresses yours and all Merc motors! And you are right that the 174 is not a great SC to put on the 502! This at the time did what I wanted! I wanted the looks of a root! The additional power, I figured I received the best bang for my buck! I am sure there are more choices out there, so what fits your needs the best, is the right answer for you!

Bryan

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...l/scarab26.bmp

Re: How do I get ~450hp out of Merc 454 -95?
 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...carab26002.bmp

Can you read me now! :crazy:

Re: How do I get ~450hp out of Merc 454 -95?
 

Thanks alot bpine! But the pic was a bit hard to read... :p I would be very thankful if you could email it to me at: [email protected]


Thanks

Re: How do I get ~450hp out of Merc 454 -95?
 

What kind of amounts ($) are we talking about for the stuff I need? I assume that I have to change the carb and perhaps the fuel-pump?! Please correct me if I'm wrong! Is there anything else?

Thanks again!

Re: How do I get ~450hp out of Merc 454 -95?
 

Lets see, minimally:
177 supercharger $2000
Carb $600
V6 ignition module $300
Bigger oil cooler $250

You could add a cam, valves, valve springs too.
Exhaust probably wont make much difference at 450hp.
Gary

Re: How do I get ~450hp out of Merc 454 -95?
 

Anyone know if a 174 would work on a motor with 9.25 CR? It does have forged TRW's and Ferrea superalloy (not inconnel) valves. Cam is slightly larger than a magnum cam - 112 LSA, 229/239 dur, around .525 lift if I recall correctly. Stock exhaust with silent choice. Boat weighs around 4200 lbs.

Re: How do I get ~450hp out of Merc 454 -95?
 

If you get a good set of heads,nothing fancy but not the little ones,raise your compression to 9.5:1,put in a cam about 225/235 @.05 with 5.50" lift and some Rev marine or similar exhaust you can have 450hp pretty easy,forged stuff is really not ness. in this range and the cam will kill a little of the compression.

Re: How do I get ~450hp out of Merc 454 -95?
 

Tom I just pulled out my receipts! Total cost was $3725.10
Blower marine kit 174 $1975.00
boost gauge 47.14
msd ignition system, dist,box coil rev limit,wires, box bracket, $684.00,
you can save some money here and go with the Performance marine dist, rev limit and wires for $509.00 ready to drop in and allot less wires to hook up! and in my opinion way better! I use this distributer on my 1400 hp gale banks twin turbo BB at 6500 rpm and 25 pounds of boost!
http://www.performancedistributors.com/
throttle bracket 19.95
fuel line, pump,bracket,check valve $250.00
Carb $500.00
8x2.5 flame arst $77.00
hope this helps

Bryan

Re: How do I get ~450hp out of Merc 454 -95?
 

Opps don't forget to re prop!

$500.00

Re: How do I get ~450hp out of Merc 454 -95?
 

i used the stock ignition on mine.

Re: How do I get ~450hp out of Merc 454 -95?
 

Love my DUIs, but an ignition upgrade is probably not necessary for a 4psi motor. I've used Tbolt and V6 modules with about 28 total timing.
Stock fuel pump should easily support 450hp.
The 300/330/7.4 has a wimpy oil cooler, definitely upgrade.
The boost pressure and an oil temp guage are really good ideas.

25psi boost! That scres even me! :p
Gary

Re: How do I get ~450hp out of Merc 454 -95?
 

Can anyone answer my original question? My engine already has about 9.2:1 CR. Is this too high to run a supercharger, even with 93 octane? Would 4 psi of boost be too much for this setup? Is so, do they make pulleys that will reduce boost below 4 psi?

Alternative would be to build a 502 and stay normally aspirated. My current 454 only has about 200 hours on it. It is based on a 2-bolt cast crank motor, but has forged pistons, polished & shot-peened rods with the ARP bolts, ported oval heads (upgraded to 2.19 valves), etc...

Thanks, Tom

Re: How do I get ~450hp out of Merc 454 -95?
 

I'm no expert, but iron heads & 9.2:1 with a blower doesnt sound too good to me unless you have access to 100+ octane fuel. Keep in mind Merc & Hawk used under 8:1 compression on their 177 blown, 5psi, 454, 525 hp motors.
My $0.02
Gary

Re: How do I get ~450hp out of Merc 454 -95?
 

Kind of what I thought, Gary. Just wishful thinking on my part - I've been a little disappointed in the performance of this motor since I built it. Better exhaust, Holley carb, maybe better heads might wake it up, but by then I'm heading down the path of a rebuild, at least with the heads. Oh well, should have built a 502 when I had the chance...

Re: How do I get ~450hp out of Merc 454 -95?
 

do a search on dyno's 330's on roids.....505 hp at 5600....

Re: How do I get ~450hp out of Merc 454 -95?
 

I didn't really count on this kind of interest in this tread...

I thank you all for the all the valuable answers. All I have to do now is to persuade my two "partners" in the boat... But since we have a 350 that we are gonna fix and sell during the winter, that shouldn't be a problem! :eureka:

It's pretty sad that here in Sweden the 174 costs about $4000 and a new carb is about $650. So Im gonna look around in the states for a good price since the customs and taxes ads about 30% if I import the parts...

The boat makes almost 60 with the 454 and a Mirage 27P, I have to get a 25P to get it up to ~4500rpm. So about 10-15 more I hope... But you never get satisfied! :D


Thank you all,

Tomas

Re: How do I get ~450hp out of Merc 454 -95?
 

Budman! I Agree with Gary 9.2:1 is asking too much for 92 octane pump fuel! At 9.2:1 and 4 psi of boost it puts you above the effective comp. ratio of 10.75:1 to run pump fuel! That added with the air-fuel temp rise and no inter-cooler, just not a good candidate for a blower on pump gas!
And Gary you are absolutely correct, that on the 330 upgrade no ignition change is required, but I just love those DUI so much, they are so clean and run so crisp, if my Hummer wasn’t a Diesel I would have one in that as well! Cheers! :D