Okay, you guys that know me can attest that I care little about a Chevy engine. Not that they are bad, I just like other GM divisions a bit better. But...I picked up this engine this morning becuase I just couldnt p*** it up. See, it was in a seriously trashed 81 Monte Carlo that got impounded and ended up at the recycler after the owner went to jail on a drug traficking charge. When the forks went through the windows and it was raised up to go in the crusher, I saw the header collectors underneath and told Bob to sit it back down and peel the hood off. Well, the first thing that caught my eye was the Holley Street Dominator and double pumper, so I made my mind quick that I'd pull some parts before it got mashed. You know, tradin stock is always nice to have. Anyway, I then saw the orange paint peeking out from under the greasy blue paint and wondered...hmmm... Took a quick look and saw the camels on the heads and decided the engine was coming home. I ran the casting numbers on mortec.com and came up with the following; block- 3951511 - 1970-73 400 4-bolt (it is stamped 259 on the pad in front of the right head, could be 2259 because the 2 is stamped twice but they overlap) heads- cast 3927186 - 69-70 302/350, 64cc camel-hump Fellers, tell me what I got and a ballpark of the value. pleeeeez Hey, if it was a Nailhead I could tell you everything you wanna know, but I don't do bowties so I'm a bit lost! hehe
I'll give you $50. I can be there this weekend to "Take it off your hands". need anymore cool old tools? Oh...about that Headlight bucket.....?
Damn, there goes the $5 I was gonna offer him. LOL From the numbers and descriptions alone it sounds like someone might have built themselves a stroker motor. People like that 400 block for that, especially a 4 bolt main. But you may have to pull the pan and heads and get to measurin' to find out for sure. I'll let the guys who are intimate with SBC numbers make the final call but it sounds su****iously like that to me. Congrats on a great junkyard find, BDE
400 blocks are nice and getting harder to find. if the motor can be just be freshened up after inspection by diss***embly meaning the cylinder walls are not scored, the rod and crank journals/etc. are fine, no broken rings, etc 150 bucks for master rebuild kit all new bearings/rings/gaskets/oil pump/etc. clean it well have the heads gone through at the machine shop maybe 120 each to freshen em up - bam - you've got a motor that would cost you 2500 bucks to put together yourself from scratch including machine work, parts, heads, etc. - that's if you had to go out and buy the block to start with I just did a rebuild on my SBC that I had. At the machine shop I had the block bored, new cast pistons installed on the rods, hot tanked, deck surface gone over, crank journals polished, new cam bearings installed, freeze plugs, bought two new stock replacement heads, new rod and main bearings, etc - the bill was 800 bucks with everything still unn***embled. Then I have put in another 400 or so in buying parts like the summit cam/lifter set, water pump, new harmonic balancer, head gaskets, oil pan, new ***embly bolts, oil pump and pick up, timing chain cover, timing chain set. The heads are nice - everybody wants the camel hump **** - depending on their condition. The machine shop could tell you how many times they've been gone through - can you tell if they have had flow work? New and better iron sportsman II heads can be had for 750 bucks - so I wouldn't value them higher than that - it would probably cost a minimum of 300 to have them gone through - if new valves are required this number would go up- so like they are I'd say the heads are worth 200-400 bucks depending on their shape. Just the bare block freshend up is probably worth 500 bucks just my two cents and an honest look at what **** costs
You could probably get around 300 for a bare block. 400 4 bolts are getting scarce. The heads are a different story. They are worth alot to a guy is trying to restore a old Z or something. You won't know much with out taking it apart.
Without hearing it run, and parting it out. You should get up $700-800 (fire sale) if all part's are good.Header's incl. Sound's like you need to hang around this yard more offten.
One thing to check for are steam holes drilled in the heads to match the steam holes in the block. 400's had siamesed cylinders and they put extra holes in the deck to keep air pockets from forming where the cylinders meet. 400 heads have these holes, other small block chevy heads don't and really should have them drilled if they are used on a 400 block.
The only way to tell a 400 apart from other SBC's externally, is on the side of the block, the 400's have 3 freeze plugs, some 400's only have 2 but their is a casting for a third... Matt
Thanks for the info fellers. I think I made out ok with it. I see the intakes on Ebay bringing more than I have in it! [ QUOTE ] Sound's like you need to hang around this yard more offten. [/ QUOTE ] I stop there every morning on the way home from work Casting number on the crank is (best I can tell) 3861528D. I can't find that number on mortec.com or anywhere else on the web though. It is .010 under. Cylinder walls look great from the bottom side, no scuffing on piston skirts. I went ahead and put it on a stand and I guess I'll plumb and wire it to see how it runs. I can't tell from the bottom if the cam is OEM or aftermarket, but I can't imagine someone building this engine up like they did and leave a stock cam in it. I'm not even going to tell you guys what this thing cost me, but I'll just say I feel like I robbed ol' Bob. I'm going to roll the car over in the morning and see what rearend and ****** it has under it. I bought a posi from under a 80 Cutl*** a couple weeks ago for $20 Hey Stevie, what kind of good ol' tools you have to trade?? Ray
Is that an offer??? Checked the casting date codes on the heads, one is H 12 9 and the other is H 29 9. From what I've gathered that is August 12 and 29 of 1969. Correct me if I misinterpreted. Haven't pulled a head to see what size valves it has in it because I'm going to go start/run it for a bit first. Haven't really decided whether I'm going to leave it together or part it out. I have a feeling if it runs good as is, I'd be better off leaving it together and let some fellow rodder have it at a bargain. Ray
Sorry but no, but if you find someone who will trade Nailheads for Small Block Chevys let me know, I can get them a bunch of them..
[ QUOTE ] Sorry but no, but if you find someone who will trade Nailheads for Small Block Chevys let me know, I can get them a bunch of them.. [/ QUOTE ] Yeah, that's like saying I have a Toyota to trade for a Mercedes Hell, you never know what's out there though. I'll trade this bowtie off for Nailhead, Rocket, or 50's Caddy speed parts, early Ford suspension parts, Model T parts, etc. Or, I may just drop it in the 48 Pontiac sitting in front of the shop and throw together a quick driver.
[ QUOTE ] Is that an offer??? Checked the casting date codes on the heads, one is H 12 9 and the other is H 29 9. From what I've gathered that is August 12 and 29 of 1969. Correct me if I misinterpreted. Ray [/ QUOTE ] Ray, I think that a 1969 head would have the accesory bolt holes and not be the camel hump type. I've been away from small block trivia awhile, so I might stand to be corrected on this though.
Those particular heads have accessory holes and hump, according to what I'm looking at and what it says on mortec.com per mortec.com 3927186....69-70...302/350......Camel hump,64cc chambers,accessory holes Ray
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