Re: 400 chevy build

Posted by Mark - IN. on February 17, 2008 at 17:05:18 from (64.12.117.74):

In Reply to: 400 chevy build posted by caleb from pa on February 17, 2008 at 13:46:54:

You're not going to do much with a 400 small block unless you take it all apart and reinvent the wheel. There's nothing horse power about a 400 small block off of an assembly line other than potential...after you take it all apart and realize that you have a large bore small block's block to build from and nothing more, and it had better be 4 bolt main unless you plan to fit (machine) the thicker bulkhead 2 bolt main block with after market 4 bolt caps. Then you'll have to have the mains of a hardened 350 crank welded up and ground down to the larger 400 mains. That will give you a foundation for a 373" stock bore, 378" at .030 over, but you'll still need longer rods and new machined pistons to match the 202 heads you're going to need. And you'll probably need to grind the block to accomondate the better angled but longer rods. At that point, you will have a foundation to work from and build a mouse that roars. 475 HP from a stock 400 with cast low compression pistons, severe rod angles, and a soft nodular crank and scrap rods? Its your money, but unless you start from scratch, you're wasting your money and dreams on a higher HP and higher RPM cam for a low RPM bread and butter engine that won't have a clue or the foundation to support it. And if you do build a mouse that roars...you'll probably detonate that turbo 350 that will no doubt be mated to a rearend geared somewhere between high 2xx and 3xx instead of 4xx or low 5xx at the starting line. And if you do all of that, the gas station guy's gonna love you. Can a screamer be built from a 400's block? Absolutely. Have screamers been built from 400's blocks? Absolutely. But they've been engineered to function with complimenting components to include pressure in fitted rear tires, not by buying a over the counter cam and stall converter from a parts store or mail order.

You'll save a lot of $$$ and a broken heart if you at least start out with a 350, 4 bolt mains.

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