Yep...a 440 4-spd would be cool...but I'd almost bet that he paid less for the 454 than a BB car bellhousing...

Can't argue with you, and it would be pointless, but I do have an issue around here somewhere from the mid-50's and one of the feature cars was GM product with a flathead in it. I also recall a close friend's dad saying they pulled the flattie out of one of his Grandpa's old trucks and threw it into an old Dodge sedan body they were given. For sure, it wasn't necessarily the mainstream thing to do, but it was done.