I have run many 400 sbc's without problems. The only ones who have problems with them are the people who think they are 283's and scream them over 6500 rpm. I would build the 400. Get the 2 bolt block as it is stronger (the factory outer bolt holes in the 4 bolt go into a week part of the casting and crack under heavy use). Stud the mains for cheap insurance, make sure the heads are drilled for steam holes, and use 5.7" or longer rods. It will work fine. I have been using Scat rods for everything for the last little while and have had zero problems. We also used a few sets of Howards and are quite pleased with them also.
Junk yard 350 vortec roller blocks - ( 175.00 for a complete engine and you should be able to get 150 by re selling the heads, a few bucks for the accessories, and the OEM mini- starters- so they end up being free) Add fresh chain,oil-pump, rear seal, your prepped heads, your choice of cam & Supercharger. Blow it up, & get another one out of the truck and swap your parts- probably make the next round too. I have a 350 roller block here with 180,000 miles. No ridges, still see hone marks and had good compression and oil pressure - not any remarkable wear on the bearings either.
Yep, its a truck block, which is why they ARE better than a production 350. Many aftermarket blocks have siamesed cyl's because it makes a stronger cyl. wall and ties the whole block together better. With a 5.7 rod, the rod ratio is 1.425, a 632 big block is 1.410 and people build them all the time. With a 6.0 rod, you get a 1.600 rod ratio, and a 350 is 1.638. The two bolt blocks are stronger in the main webs because the outer main bolts on a four bolt, go right through the weakest part of the web. Our current '56 engine has a '76 "817" block which many would say is one of the lesser of the casting #'s. At .040 over (4.165) it is .160-.180 thick on the minor thrust side, and .200-.217 thick on the major thrust. Its .150ish in a couple spots at 2,5,7,&10 oclock but its .400+ thick at the siamese, so much for the "817" myth. Many aftermarket alumimum blocks come with only .125-.150 thick sleeves in them, and they move all over the place. Cubic inches are the quickest/cheapest way to increased power/tq, and the bigger bore always lets the heads breath better. As already said one of the main problems is guys build 400's that actually make power in the 6000-6800 range, but regulary turn them 8000 rpm and swear they pull/make power to that rpm. The engine we built for my sisters car makes peak power at 5800! We build another last year with a .030 production "509" two bolt, Scat econo 4340 forged crank, our new 6.0" Bullet/Carrillo rods, 10.6:1 Bullet piston kit, Isky 246@ .050/.625 lift Hyd. Roller with the fantastic Morel lifters, a very nice Milodon "Box" pan with a full kick out, Air Wolf 230's that flow 350 cfm, single 850 GoldClaw Holley on a ported Weiand tunnel ram. Made 636HP @ 6600rpm & 580 lb.ft. @5100 rpm, on crappy California 91 octane unleaded "peemium". I know for certain the average guy out there, would put way to much gear against this engine, try to turn it 8000+, and kill it in no time. Here is a pic of that engine.
I notice that all these testimonials for great output and durability 400s are using other than the short rods (5.565 IIRC) that are stock in a 400. These longer rods mean special aftermarket pistons, and somehow I've gotten the impression that the OP is looking for low buck (relatively) solutions.
Phil has already had his "Fill" of production rods by now I'm guessing, so even mentioning using the factory "short" rod is pretty much mute at this point. I believe that Phil is at the point of using some sort of aftermarket rod. You can buy an H beam Scat/Eagle for 450.00 or less and it would cost you nearly that to ressurect as set of production rods with aftermarket bolts today. You can buy our CP Bullet piston & ring set for a little over $600.00 and a crappy ole TRW and high tension "tractor rings" will cost you 75% of that. You can spend $250+ freshing a cast factory crank with a gillion cycles on it, or you can buy a Scat/Eagle for nearly the same price. I get your point about "on the cheaps", but typically what happens is within a year or two, a guy has bought and wrecked $3500-$7000.00 dollars of parts that were junk in the first place, and instead he could have took a little bit more time, saved some money, done some horse trading and built a quality engine that will make the "Beef" I've been talking about and live to tell the tale. At least, built a good short block, and later on, when money permits, you can upgrade the cyl. heads. Last note. If you built a 355 & a 406 with low budget cheap parts, and the same basic recipe, I'm pretty sure the 400 would slaughter the 350, and do it with less gear in the rear, and less valve train damaging rpm. The three biggest oopses that are made with 400's in my opinion are 1. Not near enough cyl. head (remember a 396/402 production head would kill a production small block head in the flow dept. 2. Alot of people really miss it on the camshaft, as a rule of thumb most engines reach max piston speed a 65-75 degrees from TDC. The difference between a 3.48 stroke (350 chevy) and a 3.750 stroke (400 chevy) is gonna be about .125-.150, meaning the 3.750 stroke is accelerating the piston a bunch quicker. Now if you had a cam with optimum open & closing sequences for a 3.48 crank, that cam is NOT going to be optimum for a 3.750 crank. Most "catalog" camshafts are a compromise for all the engines in a given engine family so this means 3.00 stroke(265) to 3.750 stroke (400), and these "catalog" cams are all too often what is bought for typical street/sportsman racing. I know lots of people have built 383's and 400's this way and are somewhat dissatisfied with the performance.., well now ya know why. 3. To much rpm! a 3.750 stroke small block with killer heads, cam, compression etc. is still, NOT going to make peak power way up in the rpm range, its just gonna make a crap load more from with a peak around, 7000-7500, and it'd be ok to turn 8000 to 8500 in the lights because the quality parts would take it. I've seen way to many of these type engines shifted at 8500 and turning 9000+ in the lights, and they aren't happy either. PS. As a side note, when I was a teenager, a buddy and I built a 400 as cheap as we could. Ridge ream the top of the bore, "berry brush" none job, clean factory cast dish tops, cheap cast rings, stock 5.650 rods, reused rod and main bearings, untouched 041 heads with lapped valves, an "Owens Orbit reground cam, 220 @ .050 x .450 lift, stock rockers and push rods, cast iron Q-jet manifold with a 750cfm Q-jet, Z28/SS factory open element air cleaner, log style cast iron exhaust manifolds. This went in a '65 ElCamino all steel including wheels (3400ish lbs.), 3.55:1 10 bolt with welded spider gears, long Hemi style mufflers. It ran 13.70's @ 102-103mph @ OCIR, and everyone we street raced swore it was a low 12 second car with a hidden nitrous unit. So.., I have been "on the other side of "the fence", I just learned over the 30 years since, what better parts will do.
built a few 400's no problem i usually fill the block up to the water pump, arp main studs 2 bolt mains because of cap walk any stroker kit with forge pistons use good bearings and check the clearance except Eagle as for the cam call your favorite cam grinder and get one for your application if there good they will ask you a list of questions,car weight gears,tires,heads, rocker ratio, carb size, fuel and track size
You are correct, I will be doing a 400 sbc with aftermarket rotating assembly. Picking up a 1973 engine tomorrow, not sure when the build will happen but it will.
One good thing with a hole in the block it makes for a convenient place to stick your pry bar while you take the pulley off. and here is my greezy, grimy 400 ci. builder, looks virgin and spins free
Here is another engine, a guy can't have to may right ? It's a bit of a mystery since the previous owner passed and took the info with him. It's an "010" block, 461 heads with guide plates and unknown roller rockers. It's got 180-185 lbs compression and an Offy dual quad setup. This will be the Henry J's get it mobile again engine but nothing more than cruising. If anyone recognizes those rockers let me know.
Hi Phil. Sorry to hear about the motor. I have had a couple 400 small block Chevys. Ran 5.7 rods in both motors. Both were good, strong motors. Unfortunately,you will need to buy the correct flex plate along with a new SFI harmonic balancer, as the 400 is an externally balanced motor.
dunno what they are but the off contact wheel marks say not guide plates? I can sorta see something, not sure.
Your rockers look exactly like the set of Ersons that I have. I believe mine say Erson, so yours might be knock offs. I can take a pic later. Hope this helps. Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad
Here's a couple picks of the Erson rockers I pulled off the net: Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad
Thanks, I had the car around the block a couple times yesterday. Other than forgetting the bolt by the fuel pump that weeps oil all seemed ok. Sure doesn't have the power of the old engine and that is a weird thing, but it's up and running again.
heres a good (short) read on a 400 ...http://www.carcraft.com/techarticle...ck_chevy_torque_monster_for_2500/viewall.html Drilling for Steam All 400 small-block Chevy engines use siamesed cylinder walls, creating pockets in the cooling jackets that require venting. These holes allow steam and air bubbles to vent vertically out of the block and into the heads. Unfortunately, neither the stock Vortec nor the Bow heads come with these steam holes. That means you need to perform this step. We used a stock 400 head gasket to mark the position of the holes, but note that holes closest to the intake side must be drilled at a 45-degree angle to contact the water jacket. The exhaust side holes can be drilled straight in. It's best to do this using a drill press, but since we didn't have one, we managed with a handheld drill motor.
Good to be up and running again. Won't be long and winter will be upon us. Drive and enjoy it while you can.
This is the version of that engine I am most wanting to replicate http://www.carcraft.com/techarticles/1306_19_single_plane_small_block_chevy_intakes_test/ the short block for sure with my top end, later change my heads out but I really want to keep my tunnel ram
Everybody know that the 010 020 030 on the chevy block is the mold number and not the iron alloy/nickel content. Just an old wives tale.
i thought it was more like "010" or "020" representing amount of nickel indicating negligible amounts of tin
One of my dad friends worked at the casting plant in ohio for engine blocks and definitively said to us that a 010 or a 020 under the timing cover or in the bellhousing had more nickle in it to make a harder block. It was a very small amount - like .010% and .020% Many of the high nickle blocks would have a 010 020 under the cover, which meant high nickle, and extra tin added so it poured nicer.
Guess what's in Feb 2014 Car Craft's blown up part of the month....ha ha Yes I'm laughing about it now !
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