I plan on aquiring a 400 shortly and building it up when time is free and to make a killer, BUT Streetable motor. I've wanted to for awhile and figure with the IROC runnin fabulous with the built 355, it would be nice to have a spare or better motor on hand. Anyway, I want streetable 1st and performance 2nd. I'm looking for the most HP I can using alum heads and quality bottom end parts and would like to top it off with a stealth ram setup. This motor setup too would not be a daily driver, but a nic weather cruiser and track car, both drag and road racer. Okay, now that I've announced what I want and my goals to accomplish, what have any of you guys built combo wise and what would you use. I don't know 100% yet if I would supercharge it, but I'm leaning towards yes, if I will only occasionally drive it and still race it a few times. NO Nitrous, just either NA or SC later all on pump gas and shooting for a nice neighborhood of 500Hp in NA form. Is that attainable or out of the question?
Oh and before this would be installed, an 8 pt cage and all the stiffening and safety goodies will be installed.

 

Anyone?

 

It's not that hard to do. I had a 406 in an S10 that was well over the 500 hp level. What exactly do you want to know?

 

I want to ask/know:
Head selection from alum.
popular cams
comp ratio for a blower
carb or stealth ram and waht do I need to supply if buying the upper and lower plenum?

 

if u want, email me at falcon978@aol.com and ill email u the stuff in my 406 so u can get an idea of what to look at.

 

A good reasonably priced setup: 10:1 eagle rotating assembly, 4 bolt splayed conversion, Topline 220cc heads. That's an easy mid 500hp motor that will burn pump gas and be driveable. I would strongly advise against the Stealth Ram though. It's runners are too long and small for a big inch motor.

 

Thanks so far, but if a stealth ram is no good for a big mouse motor, than what should I run, injection wise, a TB from edelbrock or someone ruputable?
The motor I will be aquiring is a '72 400 out of a chevelle with the turbo 400 installed all for 600 bucks.

 

I wouldnt recommend using a FI system on these motors. Ive seen plenty of guys try it and they all end up going back to a carb. I have had plenty of luck with my setup (not sure how much power im pushing) but i love it. SB 406 with KB flat tops, eagle crank, doug herbert solid roller cam, pro-topline 200cc runner heads with 2.05/1.60 valves, rpm performer and 850 demon. This setup runs 7 flats all motor in the 1/8 in a 3800lb 75 camaro. Im soon going to a team G intake to compliment the high flowing heads. Also remember there's gonna be alot more torque so be sure to build the tranny and rear-end accordingly.

 

I have seen a superram setup on a 406 engine with a blower. BTW, you want to keep compression lower than 10:1 for a blower.

 

Here's an FI 400 combo I screwed together for my brother's 87 GTA a few years ago. We used the TPIS MiniRam since he already had it laying around. Made over 400HP (flywheel) at only 5000 RPMs using a teeny-tiny cam. And what was even more astounding was that it laid down almost 480 ft/lbs at only 2700 RPMs (the lowest we could get it to stay in 3rd gear on the dyno). The torque curve was flat as a pool table up to 4700 and then sloped off gradually as the cam ran out of lungs.

TPIS Miniram (used a chip that was burned by TPIS, mail-order, to run it)
Trick Flow Twisted Wedge G2 heads (67cc chambers)
Cheap Federal Mogul 12cc dished hypereutectic slugs (9.9:1 compression)
Crane 266 Energizer flat tappet hydraulic cam (210/210 @ .050, 470/470 lift with 1.6 rockers. 110* LSA cam installed "straight up" at 110* ICA)
Rest of the motor was stock. And I mean stock "shortie" 5.565 rods, stock crank, stock balancer, flexplate. Nothing to write home about.

I think we spent a grand total of $800 on the bottom end and the cam was just something I had laying around out of another motor so I stabbed it in. Yes, a USED cam. And not even a good one for the application.

Later on down the road we yanked the small cam and shoved in a larger Comp Cams 270 Magnum hydraulic flat tappet cam (224/224* @ .050, 501/501 lift, 110* LSA, installed on a 107* ICA). We lost just a smidge of bottom end torque which made getting off the line easier. And we gained BIGTIME on the top end. The car would regularly trap 112+ MPH. Not bad considering the GTA was a big fat 3700 lb. slug even without a driver in it.

Not saying you want to build one just like it, but you might pick up a few ideas from out combo.