I have a 350 and a 400, both have 4 bolt mains.
Have a 1967 chev c10.

Should I make the 350 a 383?
Should I use the 400 and bore .030 over?

Looking for power!

 

I've heard the 400 can have some problems due to the design of the block it self.

I read over an article in HOTROD, last month I believe, where they talked about the problems of a 400 and the reasons that dart produced a new 400 sportsman block.

Anyway, how much power are you looking to make. Either one would be good for decent power. Radical power on the other hand may be a diffrent story.

~Jim~

 

I know the 383 is less expensive to build, but i also know "there is no replacement for displacement" as they say.

good torque from the 383

Trouble with the 400 block, is that with the long stroke/steam holes in the block and whatnot?

Ill have to check out hotrod.com

Power levels @crank approx 400-420hp/tq.
want to use the thumper cam.

 

If you are only looking for 400hp and 420tq then you can use either engine and get there quite easily.

In that case I'd probably go with the 383. Reasons being: More avaliable parts, cheaper to build: going to be above your power requirments.

If you really wanted to, I'd say you could probably build that 383 to make close to 500hp on a budget.

~Jim~

 

What cylinder heads are good for 400-450 hp?
I know good aluminum heads run $900-$1500.
What heads can i use to get good performance on a "budget"

 

What is your budget?

Are you going to stick with a LT1 platform or SBC?

do you want 450 rear wheel or fly wheel?

Does your budget include upgrades you'll need to make to the trans and rear end?

~Jim~

 

This is a gen 1 small block, going into my 67 c10.
The heads/cam lt1 is in my 95 z28.

I want my heavy truck to haul ****, but also be streetable.
This will mostly depend on cam profile/size, I am looking at the comp cams thumper line of cams I love a Narrow LSA!

Just wondering what block is best in your humble opinion, and do you know of any good heads assembled, At a budget price, budget under $700-800.
Is this even a possability? I have iron heads that I can home port.

I have lusted over the AFR,Brodix,Edelbrock..ECT

Pro comp heads cheap, *** crap?

Would like to go all USA.

 

The 400 is fine and would be my choice, but one additional machining operation is required to use it in a street car. As you probably know, the deck has additional steam holes. In a race car these can be plugged. In a street machine, corresponding holes need to be drilled in the head. Of course, the gasket also needs them. Any decent machine shop will do this and it shouldn't be expensive. Or, it's a pretty easy DIY. You can use a 400 gasket for a template.

The large crank pins are easily dealt with as well. Just get the extra large bearing inserts made to allow use of a regular one-piece rear seal cranks. The extra cubes are a great thing on a street machine. Use the 400, IMHO.

Rich

 

Not alot of people run the 400, was this because are not as prolific as the 350? The 400 bored .030 over is this 406? is .040 408 or 409?

I would assume the larger cubes are better on the street for power without having to "ring the engine out" at higher rpm.

What engine rebuild kit do you recommend, Crank/rods/pistons?
May re-use stock 400 crank, but it is old and has been stored out of the engine. It may have been stored laying on its side.

Thanks for any input.

 

as history has it the 400 ci small block was allways installed in passenger cars only with no high performance version available from the factory. the 400 small block used to be refered to as the siamese block a siamese bore block is one where there is no space between cyls for water to curulate chev 400 cu in small is a siamese bore block most engines have water flow around cyl bores siamese bore block tend to run very warm when they older as weep holes between cyls get closed off with rust deposits. they used to be prone to cracking inbetween the cylinders due to their closeness. they were plentifull back in the day and no one would touch them as a high performance application with so many 350s around also. im not even sure you can bore them 30 over without trouble

 

The 400 can be very appropriate for a street performance build. Race blocks use siamesed cylinders. I am not sure of the max overbore for a 400 block, any good performance machine shop will know. The crank can be reconditioned, but if it's a cast crank, it isn't worth it. That will cost as much as a new cast 350 crank and the bearing inserts are not that expensive. I haven't seen them for a while but I would be surprised if they aren't still available. Again, consult a good performance machine shop. I like the 400 - the big bores help the heads breathe. I wouldn't use it for a race motor, but otherwise I would strongly consider it if I already had the block and it was in decent shape. As with the crank, if it needs extensive reconditioning it's another story.

Rich

 

for the street you can built the 400 for bout the same price as the stroker. granted the 4 bolt 400 blocks arent as good as the 2 bolt, it will work. get an aftermarket crank with 3.75 stroke and a set of 5.7 rods(same rods you would buyfor the 383) for your 400 and pistons for the 5.7rods which can all easily be bought for $1000. have the heads drilled for steam holes and youve 23 extra cubic inches for really close to the same price as buying the stroker kit, other than the rotating assembly all the parts are exactly the same so why give up the C.I.

 

Why Is the 2 bolt 400 block better?