Rebuild the 454 as a 496. The 496 gives a better bore/stroke ratio when compared to a 502 and you can easily make 600 HP with a 496 running on premium gas. The torque will be out of this world. If you have all of the smog equipment no one will ever know what the displacement is or how much power it is making.
I know a number of guys who run 496's in SS and SG. They launch, hit the throttle stop, shift the glide to high and let the thing pull. A 496 SS car will run in the low 9's easily.
Randy
p.s. Put a 4L60E behind it from SW. They are good to around 650 HP.
