Nicks Garage 383 build

PRH said

I think the Pontiac enthusiasts missed the point of that story……..and that the motor in question was not a SD that was getting a rebuild.

It was a bread and butter 455 that the owner wanted built to the 500hp mark.
Shop A failed the test with a 315hp effort.

My question to the installation shop was, why did the owner accept it like that?
Nothing about the build was what he had asked for.
When the builder showed him the dyno sheet, the owners response should have been, “call me when you find the missing 150hp”.

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Just FYI, I'm not a Pontiac enthusiast, and I understood that the 455 you worked on was not the SD version.

I'd also point out (not to you, but to some of the others) that a motor will make more power on an engine dyno with no accessories and dyno exhaust than it will make in the car with all accessories, engine driven fan, full exhaust system, hot underhood air, etc. Essentially, the difference between gross and net horsepower. So the 310 net horsepower SD 455 was a lot stronger than the non-SD 455 that made 315 on an engine dyno.