What do you think about a B&M 174 Supercharger on a 454 with a Mr. Gasket Air Scoop?  

It's fantastic.  

I don't have my old B&M Technical Guide handy, but as I recall, the 174 is a fairly low-boost piece on an BBC.

I think these old mini-blowers are okay for what they are (relatively inexpensive, old-style, non-charge cooled, low-boost blowers for carbureted cars).

But they won't stand a chance against a modernized, high-helix Roots, such as what Eaton has designed for the upcoming 6.2L LS9 (the problem is finding a "modernized" Roots that's big enough for a 454),an aftermarket 8-71 Roots blower (plenty big, but not nearly optimal from an aerodynamic standpoint), a Lysholm "screw-type" supercharger (nearly as efficient as a turbo, except for the extra parasitic losses to drive the supercharger and the packaging problem for fitting a charge cooler), or even a properly-selected centrifugal supercharger (although the B&M will likely have a touch more low-end torque because of its near-immediate "boost" curve).

On the other hand, if the B&M is cheap enough, it's probably worth trying out. Just don't expect much "boost" on a 454.

Also remember that without a blower bypass valve(somewhat dicey with a draw-through supercharger), part-throttle drive losses and charge heating will be higher (and off-"boost" M.P.G. lower) than with a more modern "power adder" set-up.

Another consideration is that the B&M intake manifold has virtually no runners, which costs from 30-70 h.p. or more over a supercharged or turbocharged combo with properly-sized intake runners.

Still, if the B&M is really cheap, there's a lot of fun to be had.  

Thank you dr511sjc_7!

It is rated at 3 lbs of boost. It is not a high powered Supercharger more of a "mini-Blower" as you say. It is actually in a Mariah jet boat. If I knew how to post a picture I would, or maybe that is not allowed on this site. I am big on GM vehicles. I have Owned 5 and one BBC Centurion jet boat.

B&M sold out to American Turbine I think.

It also has:

- American Turbine PK1001 kit-
- Place diverter
- Bassett Headers And Pipes.


GREAT POST, I RESPECT YOUR KNOWLEDGE.

Thank you GibTG.  

lol, I thought that such an extensive and detailed question deserved an equally comprehensive and descriptive answer...

"dr511sjc" did give you some good info though...  

I had one on a 454. It had a solid lifter camshaft, Rectangular Port GM Heads(Ported), 8.24:1 compression and a flowed holley making 1,040 CFM. It made 670 HP @6,500 646 lBS Torque. It made 4.5-5.0 pounds of boost on dyno. My friend had one on a 427 Nova. That car suprised alot of other guys in the area.