Engine, Engine Accessories, Cooling, and Exhaust -

When it came time to choosing the engine setup, I knew it had to meet the following requirements: 

1.  Big block (easy power and less common)
2.  Around 475 to 550HP, 525 - 600 ft/lbs torque.  Nice rumble but still very street-friendly.  No more power than that because I'd have no way of transferring it to the pavement with my street radials and I don't want spend too much time at the gas pump.
3.  Carbureted.  Maybe fuel injection later down the road(those Hogan units are gorgeous), but keep it simple for now.
4.  Forged bottom end, aluminum heads
5.  At first, I was just going to build my own engine as I have built 2 big blocks before and I enjoyed the process.  However, after spending weeks pricing out different scenarios, I realized that it would cost me nearly the same to build my own engine as it would to purchase a GM crate motor.  By purchasing the assembled crate motor, I wouldn't have to worry about clearances and I'd get a warranty for basically the same price.

So it came down to the GM ZZ454, the GM ZZ502, and a few others.  At that time, it seemed like a lot of people were using the ZZ502, so I didn't want to be just another Camaro with that engine, so I decided on the ZZ454.  People had a lot of good things to say about the engine, I think it met my needs perfectly ,and it didn't seem so common so I went for it.  After receiving the engine, I did the following to it:

1.  Replaced the oil pan and oil pump pickup to fit the 69 Camaro
2.  Painted the engine in high-heat blue to match the color of the car(as best as possible)
3.  Ordered the GM 'Chevrolet' aluminum valve covers and had them eventually painted with matching body color paint
4.  Designed the engine compartment to be as clean as possible by re-routing hoses and hiding electrical wires
5.  Used a lot of stainless fasteners, hose fittings, and billet pulleys and brackets
6.  Purchased NOS Big block 69 Camaro motor mounts and transmission crossmember to ensure a guaranteed fit

Other than those highlights, here are the details:

Engine and accessories
Component	Description, Part number, and Source	Price		Opinion
GM ZZ454	From Summit Racing, includes shipping to my door, unloading to garage	6375		So far I've had some difficulties getting the engine to not have a slight bog
	ZZ 454/440  Technical Information			when I hit the accelerator hard.  I've tried 3 new carbs, different plugs,
	Horsepower 440 @ 5250 RPM			different timing settings, new wires, stock ignition vs. MSD 6AL, and
	Torque 500 @ 3250 RPM			different squirters and cams in the carb.  I've gotten a lot of the bog to
	Max. Recommended RPM 5500 RPM			go away and it's close, but I still can't get over the hump.  The engine
	Compression Ratio 9.6:1			also runs a bit 'rich' and feels like it's only running at about 70%.
	Block 12550307 Cast Iron - Four bolt mains			I hope soon to get it tuned properly because it's been a bit frustrating.
	Crankshaft 14096983 Forged Steel			I'm sure I'll figure it out eventually.  Other than that, the
	Connecting Rods  10198922 Forged Steel			engine has been great with no leaks or any problems.  Stock valve
	Pistons 10215228 Forged Aluminum			covers are the ugliest valve covers ever so I had to get some new ones.
	Piston Ring 12523921
	Camshaft 24502611 Hydraulic roller steel cam;
	Lift: .510" I, .540" E.; Duration @ .050: 211 I, 230 E.
	Timing Chain 10114177 Single Roller
	Cylinder Heads 12363390 Cast aluminumer 110 cc combustion chambers
	Intake Valves 12366986 2.19"
	Exhaust Valves 12366988 1.88"
	Rocker Arms 12368082  1.7:1
	Torsional Damper 10216339 8"
	Flexplate 10185034  14"
	Valve Lash Net Lash
	Fuel 92 Octane
	Spark Plugs #4 Rapid Fire Gap .045
	Ignition Timing 16 at idle at 36 at 3000 RPM
Air Fuel Meter and Data Logger	FAST Dual Air Fuel Meter and Data Logger system, Ebay	345		Super helpful for diagnostics and tuning.
Carburetor	Holley 750CFM, 4160, electric choke, vacuum sec, HLY-0-80508S, Summit	290		Great carb, easily adjustable, however I'm still suffereing from an engine bog.
Air Cleaner Gasket	FelPro,  FPP-2104, Summit	14
Carburetor Tuning parts	HLY-121-135, HLY-122-72, HLY-122-74, HLY-122-82, HLY-20-12, Summit	65
Fuel Pump	Holley, Summit, 110 GPH, HLY-12-454-11	82		Fit great, works good so far.
Fuel Pump Push Rod	Comp Cams Chromemoly Bronze-tipped fuel pump pushrod, CCA-4607	15
Fuel Filter	Mallory Comp 140, MAA-3140	90
Fuel Filter Fittings	Various, Summit and Napa	20
Fuel Lines	Summit Dual Fuel feed line with pressure gauge,SUM-G3120	38		Fit great, works good so far.
	Aeroquip 3ft Braided fuel line, AER-FCA0603,Summit	16
	Aeroquip Nickel Plated fuel line fittings, 1012,4032,(2)2005, Summit	40
Distributor - GM HEI	GM Part # 93440806  - www.gmpartsdirect.com, plus shipping/handling	193
Spark Plug Wires	Taylor Spiro-pro 8mm,male HEI/female socket,73053	64
Spark Plug Wire separators	Taylor, TAY-42700	15
Spark Plug Wire Billet looms	Billet Specialties polished billet aluminum wire looms, BSP-69523	85		Fit great, works good so far, although they get a little warm.
Distributor hold down clamp	Summit 400505, billet aluminum with hardware	21		Fit great, works good so far.
Grounding Strap Kit(3)	Classic Industries, CA69GS81	20
Wire heat protection wrap	Summit, RUS-629110, 1/2" x 120"	25
Wire heat protection wrap	Summit, RUS-629060, 1/6" x 36"	10
Wire heat protection wrap	Summit, RUS-629080, 1/3" x 36"	9
Wire heat protection wrap	Summit, RUS-629150, 3/4" x 120"	35
Pulleys, Brackets	March Serpentine Billet System, BBC, long water pump, Summit MCH-23050	510		Fit perfectly, although difficult to get power steering pump belt tight.
Power Steering Pump	Summit, Chrome, Saginaw Keyway, Summit SUM340103	161
Power Steering Pump hoses	Local Parts store	17
	Classic Industries, 71 Nova PS pressure hose, 70254	16
Alternator	Powermaster, 100Amp, polished, 1 or 3 wire, Summit PWM-27294	130
Belts	Serpentine for Alternator and Power Steering	28
Starter - Mini Hi-Torque	Tilton Super Starter, TIL-54-20001	413		Originally had a Powermaster PWM-9000.  The Tilton is 2.5 times more
Starter Heat Wrap	DEI Versa Shield, DEI-010402, Summit	27		expensive but 2.5 times better.  The heat wrap totally eliminated hot start
				issues.  Sold the Powermaster on Ebay.
Valve Covers	GMPP Aluminum valve covers, Part # 12371244, Ebay	230		Beautiful covers.  Fit great.
Valve Cover gaskets	Fel Pro, Summit, FPP-1635	42		Not a drip, worth the money.
Vacuum caps	Various sizes, Summit, HLY-26-105	8
PCV Valve	Summit Billet Aluminum, Summit, SUM-440308	19
Breather	March Billet Aluminum, Summit, MCH-9795	35
Valve Cover Grommets	Moroso Baffled Grommets, Summit, MOR-68775	5
Intake Manifold Vacuum fitting set	Summit, Stainless steel, 90 degree, 3 pieces, PRS-1042, PRS-1052, PRS-1044	53		Expensive but quality stuff.
Heater Hose fitting, intake manifold	Summit, Stainless steel, 90 degree, 1/2 NPT, 5/8 hose, PRS-1037	26		Expensive but quality stuff.
Heater Hose fitting, water pump	Summit, Stainless steel, 90 degree, 1/2 NPT, 3/4 hose, PRS-1050	33		Expensive but quality stuff.
Heater Hose	Local auto parts store, 5/8 and 3/4, about 6' length of each	30
Water neck	Summit SUM G3801, chrome, 15 degree	8
Thermostat	Jet Performance, Stainless Steel, 180 degree, high flow, Summit, JET-10171	14
Air Cleaner Assembly	Holley Powershot Air Cleaner Assembly(blue material), 3", Summit HLY-120-146	62		Did not like "HOLLEY" writing on filter top, but used drop base and filter
Air Filter Top	Proform, PRO-141-307, Summit	48		Preferred a 'Chevrolet' script on the Filter top, so purchased this one
Additional Air Filter	Holley Powershot Air Filter, 3", Summit, HLY-220-5	40		purchased extra filter for car shows and photos
Air Cleaner Nut	Proform "GM" nut	11
Oil Pan Kit	GM 4-quart kit, Part # 12495360, GMPartsDirect.com, , plus shipping/handling	182
Oil pan drain plug gasket	Classic Industries, G8757	2
ARP Engine Bolt Kit	Summit ARP-535-9601, Polished Stainless Steel, Hex point	110
	Includes motor mounts, intake, headers, valve covers, oil pan, timing cover
	water pump, thermostat housing, fuel pump, distributor, alternator brackets
GM BB 69 Motor Mounts	Ebay - GM NOS big block motor mounts, 3990918 (new # 3962748)	187		Worth every penny.  Engine fit perfectly.
Big Block Engine Frame Brackets	Ebay - GM NOS big block frame mounts, 3980941 L, 3980942 R	77		Worth every penny.  Engine fit perfectly.
Motor Mount Bolts	ARP, Classic Industries AR43315, Stainless, Summit	14
Bright Blue Engine Paint - 4 cans	Summit, VHT-SP732 (2)	32
TOTAL		10437
Cooling System and Hoses
Item	Description	Price		Opinion
Radiator	Ebay, Aluminum Radiator for BB, with heavy duty tranny cooler	366		Fit great.  Very happy with it.
Fan	GM 18 1/4" seven blade, Classic Industries G8354	84		Still the best bet.  Electrical fan setups are expensive and overrated.
Fan Clutch	Thermal, 3" depth, big block application, Kragen parts store	33		Works great so far
Radiator Cap	Summit, Billet Specialties, BSP 75120	20
Temporary radiator cap(break-in)	Local auto parts store(lever style for easy pressure release during breakin)	7
Fan Shroud	GM NOS, Big Block 69 Camaro, Ebay	95		Fit perfect.
Catch Can	18 oz, Summit SUM-300101, polished aluminum	46		Pretty piece.  Good deal.
Upper Radiator Hose	Classic Industries, MH106	10
Lower Radiator Hose	Flexible, from local auto parts store	18
Shipping (Summit) (Multiple)		44
TOTAL		723
Headers and Exhaust
Item	Description	Price		Opinion
Headers	Hedman 66001, ceramic coated, Summit, 2" primaries, 3" collector	485		Gorgeous headers.  I have very easy access to my spark plugs
				which I'm very happy with considering the primary tube size.
				Had to ding in 3 locations:  2 near the steering box and 1 on passenger side.
Exhaust system	Flowmaster American Thunder, 2.5" Header-back, aluminized, Summit	292		Not so sure about these mufflers.  They sound okay, but I think I might be
	FLO-17129(67-68) doesn't have long & ugly stainless exhaust tips like '69			able to do better in the future.
	Comes with DeltaFlow 40 series mufflers
Different mufflers, larger/quieter	Flowmaster 50 Series, Stainless Summit FLO-842551	212		A little too big.  I could get them to fit, maybe, but it's very difficult and I
	Didn’t fit well so I sold on Ebay for $160	-160		couldn't use heat shields which were very important for me.  Maybe the
				larger-than-stock driveshaft didn't help either.
Header Reducers	Hedman HED-21112, Ball and Socket Flange, 3 in. Inlet, 2.5 in. Outlet, Aluminized	25		Not sure why they gave me such small one with the headers, so I had to
				order these.
Muffler Heat Shields	Flowmaster Muffler Heat shields, reduce cabin temperature drastically	55		Worth every penny.  Greatly reduced floor pan temperature.
Shipping	Summit	21
TOTAL		930