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600hp+ Torqstorm Supercharged Engine
Pontiac V8 600hp+ Torqstorm Supercharged Engine
Boost on Top of Cubic Inches — 600hp+ Torqstorm Supercharged Engine for Pontiac V8s
Boost on a Pontiac does not have to mean a race engine. This is Butler's 600hp+ TorqStorm supercharged build, laid out part by part: a 455 block stroked to 467-474 cu. in. and assembled at 9.3 compression so the blower has somewhere to work on pump gas.
The list covers the boost-specific decisions as much as the hardware. Butler spec MLS head gaskets, ARP 4-bolt main studs, race main bearings with extra clearance, short-travel hydraulic roller lifters, a high capacity oil pan and a charging system that can keep up.
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More About 600hp+ Torqstorm Supercharged Engine
1. Why Blow a 455
A 455 already makes torque. Adding a centrifugal supercharger to 467-474 cu. in. is not about rescuing a small engine, it is about stacking boost on displacement that already has the airflow to use it.
| Who this suits | an owner who wants a big power number without a radical cam, a loose converter or a compression ratio that demands race fuel. |
| Street manners | a centrifugal blower builds with engine speed, so the engine idles and drives like a mild big-inch Pontiac until you ask it for boost. |
| The trade | boost changes the rules on compression, head gasket sealing, bearing clearance and cooling. Every one of those is a line on this list. |
2. The Short Block, Built for Boost
The bottom end is Butler's balanced 467-474 cu. in. rotating assembly for the 455 block, on a 4.250" stroke.
| Bore and stroke | 4.181" to 4.211" bore with a new cast or forged 4.250" stroke crank on 3.25" mains and a 2.200" big-block Chevy rod journal. |
| Compression | built at 9.3, which is the whole point. Butler mills the Ross piston to the target rather than accepting whatever the head chamber gives. |
| Rods and rings | 6.800" bushed full-float rods, pin fitted, with file-fit rings so end gap is set for boost, not for a naturally aspirated engine. |
| Main studs | an ARP 4-bolt main stud kit. Under boost the mains see loads a factory bolt was never asked for. |
3. The TorqStorm Supercharger Kit
The blower itself is a single supercharger kit built specifically for the Pontiac 326-455, which is what makes this a bolt-on rather than a fabrication project.
| Pontiac-specific mounting | the bracketry is designed for the Pontiac front cover and accessory layout, so the belt path and the water pump still work together. |
| Intake | a single-plane Edelbrock Torker II manifold, which suits a blow-through combination better than a dual-plane street intake. |
| Accessory drive | a keyed Saginaw-type power steering pump with a remote reservoir, and an alternator with the output to run ignition and fuel under load. |
4. Sealing the Combustion Chamber
Under boost, head gasket sealing is the first thing to fail and the most expensive to learn about.
| Head gaskets | Cometic MLS gaskets with a chamfered bore, 4.225" bore at .040" thick, built to Butler's spec for 400, 428 and 455 blocks. |
| Head fasteners | a proper head bolt or stud kit sized for the head you are running. This is not a place for reused factory hardware. |
| Rear main seal | the one-piece dual-lip Viton seal for 3.25" main blocks, which is the 421, 428 and 455 part, not the 3.00" main version. |
5. Oiling and Bearing Clearance
More cylinder pressure means more heat and more load on the bearings, and the oiling system on this list reflects that.
| Race main bearings | Clevite 421, 428 and 455 race mains with .001" extra clearance, half upper and lower groove. Extra clearance is deliberate on a boosted engine. |
| Oil pan | an 8" high capacity Canton pan with the matching pickup, for volume and for keeping oil at the pickup under load. |
| Pump and cam bearings | a high pressure Butler oil pump and a fresh set of Pontiac cam bearings, with Driven break-in oil for the initial fire-up. |
| Lifters | short-travel hydraulic roller lifters, which control the valvetrain better than a standard-travel lifter when cylinder pressure is high. |
6. Ignition, Starting and the Front of the Engine
The supporting hardware is the same Pontiac-specific list as any Butler build, with a few boost-driven choices.
| Ignition | a complete MSD Pro Billet kit, with the BOP composite .500" distributor gear so a worn bronze gear is not feeding the oil system. |
| Damper and flexplate | an SFI approved harmonic damper and an SFI approved neutral balance 166-tooth flexplate, because the assembly is internally balanced. |
| Cooling and front cover | a high-flow aluminum water pump, a new 11-bolt timing cover with divider plate and sleeves, and a mini starter to clear headers. |
7. Dress Parts, and the Questions to Settle First
A blown engine still needs everything a naturally aspirated one does, and it has fewer safe guesses than a naturally aspirated engine.
| Valve covers | stock chrome or Butler fabricated aluminum in two heights, with a CNC billet fill cap. Check clearance over the 1.65 rockers before ordering. |
| Gaskets | 5/16" thick high density valve cover gaskets, intake gaskets with heat crossover block-off plates, and a full set of block plugs and seals. |
| Crankcase ventilation | a 90 degree PCV valve with the valley pan grommet, and breathers sized for an engine that will see boost. |
| Fasteners | stainless accessory bolt kits, a cam bolt, thrust plate and fuel pump eccentric, crank bolt and washer, and flexplate bolts. |
| Fuel | pump octane sets the ceiling on boost and timing. Decide it first, because compression was already chosen around it. |
| Heads | chamber volume and port size change the compression and the boost response. Butler specifies the head with the piston, not after it. |
| Drivetrain | converter stall, gear ratio and tire size decide where the blower is actually making boost on the street. |
Settle the fuel system, the intercooling or lack of it, and the octane you will actually run before you order. Compression, boost level and ignition timing are one decision on this engine, and Butler would rather have that conversation before the pistons are machined.
Not sure what your Pontiac needs?
Call our tech team at 866-762-7527. Tell us your engine, heads, car, and power goal, and we will put the parts together as one combination that works.