BBC 396 slug or not????

How will it run? Fast. How will it sound? Like a *****in 60s big block. Will it beat a 454? Not if the 454 owner knows his ****, but I find that the prevaling BBC street guys are more interested in bling vs "sting". A 540 in the wrong hands will get it's *** handed to it. The 396 has that 3.76 stroke and will wind up over 7K with the right valvetrain. Then what? Those heads have your blood pressure up and your senses on kill, that's what. They'll pull well past the valvetrain's ability to keep up.

I think it would be way kool to take a trip down memory lane. To say "396" with same vim and vigor as we say "327" or "283". You're not trying to set a record are ya? You just want a fast car, right? If it's not fast enough for ya then something's wrong. The worst mistake you can make is to judge the engine based on a phonebook full of opinions. You already think the heads ****. I think that's just because some magazine or someone that really wants em is saying it. All the really fast guys ran "square port" BBC heads. The low lift flow numbers are still impressive, better than ovals. "Yeah but the velocity is..." **** that. Velocity schemlosity. Go for it and laugh at the rest as you pull away in the middle of 2nd gear.

 

The original poster cant give it away with the ****ty economy were in.So me being the OP may just use it and find out for myself if its slug or not.

 

You need better pics, plus I think your selling yourself short on it. If its #rd the way you say (not doubting) you are sitting on a mint if your patient and market it correctly. This isnt the forum for this motor in the fact its rare IMO.

 

Good thread to read. Great info. I will post more shortly on my 402 that just got put in my old school 69 Nova

 

Old thread. However back in 69 we raced at midnite on the Hwy 62 11 point river bridge. Many brand new vehicles Road Runners , chevelles, GTO,s Mach 1 mustangs ect. and the fastest was a 69 Nova 396 four speed. Never seen him get beat by anything. The guy worked at the time at the frozen food locker . In later years he ran the machine shop at the NAPA parts store. And he knew his stuff.

 

Installing an old school build. Actually it’s got about 600 miles in 1990 then pulled. Looked good internally so I’ve continued the day 2 look with MT covers. Carbs are 600 hollies that have been converted to dual feed. 11 to 1 dome pistons and closed heads. Was 425hp [emoji4]


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Funny - in the mid 70's 396's were cheap cheap - everyone wanted a 350 or a 454.....same with those old M-20/M-22's - the Turbo 350 or Turbo 400's had come into their own and those were in demand and not an old Muncie....that helped me alot on my 1964 SS build about 1975/76........

 

Shoot, I’m a Small Block Chevrolet guy, but I sure wouldn’t throw a 396 out of bed for eating crackers!


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In this day and age what with all the mega inch BBC engines the lowly 396 is a big of a step child.
Wait for it..........back in the day (1972), an acquaintance of mine had a close friend with a 396/375 hp/4 speed Camaro (I know), not sure if it was much more than a "day two" car but it was known as a car not to be messed with (owner too).
The car met its end when said acquaintance borrowed it and proceded to run off the road and into a tree at a very high speed, he was very lucky to have survived it as the car was tore up pretty good.

 

I'm gathering a parts list for my 396 build, the engine is still stuffed in the corner of my garage. I'd like to get the cubes up as high as possible without having custom pistons made up and keeping the bore to .030 over. Any 396 I have ever seen on the street has run pretty well. They were almost always best in the Novas.

 

I have 2 of them. Both cast in 69. The first one I got is still STD bore and it was reworked in the 70's and was parked under the bench where I found it. Had a 512 fireball II Crane cam in it, sadly one lobe is bad and the heads need rework but its a project. I found a 2nd engine, a e .030 over 396 that's pic above. It was built in the late 80's. driven for a summer and then pulled and put in a garage where its sat.
This thread has spoke volumes the last couple of years for me. "if your not a 427,454 or 502, your nothing"
My little 425 396 is about to show its stuff.

 

The 396 & 402 has the same stroke as a 427. The 402 in my 71 chevy truck . the upgrade on the heads caused its demise. the hard valve seat came loose & it dropped a valve. Ive got a 396 block that will get bored to a 402. Ive also got a NOS never been bolted on a engine dual 4 BBl intake. edelbrock intake. The guy I got it from insisted it was for a 348.

 

Mine is a '66 vintage 396/325. I last had it in a Nova stock car I ran at Islip, NY. 427 L88 solid lifter cam cut by Chet Herbert, the good steel heads, forget the numbers. They need to be gone through, but my brother says the casting numbers are the ones I want. It pulled strong until I spun a rod bearing in it.

I'd like to get it to 10:1, of course new forged pistons and good rods. I have a few Howards cam packages book marked that should be nice, rollers of course. The cam needs to be cut for the rear oil groove. North of 450 HP would be real nice. I'm at a crossroads with the crank and rod length. If I stroke it (rods or crank) then I have to get pistons with the right compression height.