I have a 57 chevy.I am in the process of rebuilding the motor for it.Tell me what you think about this odd combo the car had in it. I would like to hear the pros and cons.It has a chevy 400 block stock from what apears year 73-80.65 vette 461 heads stock as well. mild cam and weiand intake with 2 inch rise and holly 750 vac*** secondarys.Behind it is muncie m21 trans 3.73 gear ratio posi.
I'm no pro at anything so i'll just give my personal thought's... For the most part i see nothing wrong with what you have. A 400 isn't a bad motor at all, and the 461 heads are great for GM casting's..One thing i would check is to make sure they drilled the steam hole's in the heads though.. 400's have 2 small holes drilled between the bores, and the heads have to have them in them as well for proper cooling, and if i'm not mistaken, without those hole's you may have an overheating problem, or head gasket issues down the line...i could be wrong and if i am i will learn something here too.. Is the intake a single or dual plane? If its a single i'd lose the riser as it's only going to bump your rpm range up and with a single plane chances are its already a bit high for a fairly mild motor. The 750, again, on a mild motor may be a bit much..BUT, the vac secondaries will be more forgiving than mechanical. Cam choice is probably the most important aspect though, so it wouldn't hurt to know the spec's of what your going to use. That alone will have everything to do with the additional item's used, like intake and carb choice and valve springs. Do you know anything else about the motor, like what the comp ratio will be when done? The gears are a good choice for driving and having fun... The 4 speed is a give in...wouldn't have one any other way.. I get too technical when it come's to motor's i guess..But there's just nothing nicer than a motor that's thought out with everything designed to work together.. Just my 2 cents
Yes the steam holes are drilled i drove it all summer in las vegas never went about 210.mechnical fan no clutch direct drive.i rejetted in from 72s to 68s.Single plane intake.Comp in in the range of 8-1 was looking into keith black pistons bringing it to close to ten.40 degrees total timing as well.thanks for the imput.
Just my 2 cents mind you - I don't think it is to odd. However, if you were looking to do something.....well.....you could get a 350 & transfer over the 400 crank,etc... and build your self a 383 OR you could get a 350 crank for the 400 and build a 377....
Excellent street combo you've described. Build the 400, don't be afraid. Unless big power for cheap scares ya.
In Vegas heat that's pretty damn good so you sure don't have an issue there Bumping the comp will be a huge gain over what you have.. Do you have a cam card for the stick your going to use?
With those heads you should have about 9:1 comp if your running the stock dished pistons. Flat tops ought to bump it up to 10. I ran the same basic combo in a 72 Nova for a few years. It turned a best of 13.01 on street tires and 373 gears.
I got a dual plane intake now.I am going to be running a 2.34 * 4.88 lift camshaft ,dual two 1/2 exhaust and magnaflow mufflers.My rev limiter set at 5800.Pics to follow soon Also running a stronger clutch.
I have to add. Don't be afraid opening the heads up. Go with the biggest valves and ports you can afford. Anybody tells you different just remind them what came stock on a 396. Heads are a HUGE deal on a 400 small block. Best comination I've had with a 406 is 441 open chamber heads cut for 2.05 valves and ported, with flat top pistons. The 488 lift cam is good, and you could put 1.6 rockers on it to give it a little more. The 461 heads will work but it may ping if you try running flat tops. You are hitting the 11to1 range unless you run dished pistons. Will a 400 damper work with the stock '57 front mounts? I've never tried. Jeff
I ran a .040 400 (408 ci) for years in a 67 Impala with a th350 and 10" 3500 stall ,12 bolt w/4.11 and 461 heads(steam holes drilled). The engine had flat tops with 2 valve reliefs and was just under 11.0 to 1 and had to run great gas. I ran a 480 lift 280 duration cam with a performer rpm intake......the car was a pig for weight and would have out run my drag car nova w/327 easy.The combo was strong indeed
Sounds like a cool combo!! Must have HAULED *** I had mine in a '78 malibu with a 4.10 ford 9" and a 2800 stall. It was a blast to drive!!! Jeff
Yes indeed the stock mounts will work i am using a stronger bushing setup though delrin.I pocket ported and polished the exaust ports only.taking nothing away from the short side.That process took me a long time.what a dirty job.Anyone ever thought about running on e85 fuel.Octane is around one ten or so and its cheap.You just have to feed it more.i might try it.Before i touched the motor it would get new mustang gts all day.
Have you seen the new Hot Rod? They have a good artical on running E-85. Lots of new stuff coming out now. I'm tempted.
Here is the pics of the motor i just finished.everything is fresh on motor took time to make it perfect. And a shotty picture of my 8 hour port polish job.I changed my carb for e-85 and am running 20 percent for fuel to it.I will let you know the numbers.
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