hey i wasnt sure were to put this but i chose here lol, but i have a 87 camaro with a 305 and carb, and was wondering about sticking in a small block 400 chevy 400 not a pontiac 400, but this is the set up i was thinking of going and was wondering if you guys think it will work or if the cam is too big ?? cuz its a very big cam lol, he has this motor for sale for 3,000 canadian just curious....oh ya fogot to mention will be running 373 posi and a 2800 stall with it, and either stock rocker of the 400 or 1.5's, if you need any other info for better input let me know

400ci sbc
RPM aluminum heads 2.02/1.60valves, 71cc Chamber, 177cc Intake Port
XE284H-10 cam
Weiand Excelerator intake
hyper pistons

specs on the cam are as follow:
XE284H-10
RPM Range: 2300-6500
Xtreme Energy Cam
Chevy SB
RPM Range: 2300-6500; Lift: .507/.510;
Advertised Duration: 284/296
Duration @ .050: 240/246
Lift: .507/.510
Lobe Center: 110°
COM 12-250-3


also a friend has similar set up but he has this cam but everything else is the same, and he has a camaro as well and runs LOW 12's with slicks and MID-LOW 13's on streets...

Manufacturer: Edelbrock
Camshaft Type : Hydraulic Flat Tappet
Basic RPM Range : 1500-6500
Camshaft Duration @ 0.050" I/E : 234°/244°
Advertised Duratation, Int. / Exh. : 308°/318°
Valve Lift : .488"/.510"
Rocker Arm Ratio : 1.5:1
Lobe Seperation Angle : 112°
Valve Lash Settings : .488"/.510"
Idle Quality : Fair
Lifters Included : Included

and i was just curious what you guys think on it cuz everyone is trying to get me to do this and that but the guy that has this motor for sale said he would sell it for 3,000 canadian everything all new

 

I have done this swap to a 400 in my 84 z28 and I have some hard numbers to prove what you can get with a few combinations..... But first, I will tell you a few things about the swap; This is for the most part a straight forward replacement for a 305 car, with a few minor details that are needed above a 305 to 350 swap.....sigh...I feel like I'm about to type way too much.....anyway more information is better than not enough.

A FEW important tidbits about the SBC 400 (there is more, but I don't want to type for days):

1) 2 bolt blocks are stronger than the 4 bolt blocks - the reason being the 4 bolt blocks have a weak spot in the casting near the base of the cylinder bores due to the close proximity of the bore and outer main bolts.

2) The siamesed cylinder bores of the 400 absolutley require that the cylinder heads be drilled for steam holes if the engine is to survive street driving without chronic overheating problems, which will lead to blown head gaskets in short order. So drill thoses holes if they are not already drilled in the heads!

3) Stock 400 cranks are iffy when spun faster than 5500 rpm. Some will live, some will not if you build it to be shifting at 6000 rpm regularly. Having said that, there are aftermarket cranks which will be much more reliable, but then again, once you have read this, you may not see a need to rev past 5500rpm anyway.

4) The high piston-to-cylinder side loading will wear the engine faster, run full synthetic motor oils AFTER engine break-in and you will see the life of a 400 greatly extended. Do not use the syntheic oils before engine break-in is complete.

Next, what should be done to the car when putting in a 400 (The torque of these motors is impressive to say the least... so....)

I'm assuming you are running an automatic (700-R4). You should install a tranny cooler, particularly if you are going to be racing. The tranny should have a decent shift kit to prevent burning the bands between gears. 700-R4's are kinda lazy going from 2-3, and are susceptable to slipping enough to burn the bands when pushed with this much torque. Also, the larger flywheel of the 400 will likely touch the inspection plate on the tranny, a few taps with a hammer on the inpection plate (bottom dead center) is all that is required to fit the larger flywheel. Also due to the larger flywheel, the starter sits slightly further out on the 400 than 350s and 305s. This means that you will probably need to buy a high-torque mini starter to clear your headers. I know this to be true for the hedman headers. Of course, this means cutting your inspection plate for your transmission to fit the different starter location. You will also likely need a polyurethane tranny mount, since the stock mount snapped off on mine the second time I throttled it. So I replaced it with another new GM replacement. That snapped almost as fast. I have not snapped the polyurethane mount I put on and I driven the car hard for 4 years now.....I digress....

The under hood temperatures will be significantly higher with the 400 as well, and you will be prone to hot-soak when driving any distance of you do not insulate the fuel lines against the heat (mechanical pump and carb). Fuel injected motors will not suffer from this due to the high fuel pressures they run. Additional protection from this can be to use an electric fuel pump with a return line to the tank. This recirculates enough fuel to keep it cool enough to avoid the hot-soak condition. This is important since the thirdgens engine bay is tight, and poorly ventilated compared to the relatively expansive engine bays of the older muscle cars. Having said all this, I have had no overheating problems even in city traffic.....

I could write forever I think... I'll cut to the chase...

My combination:
84 z28 t-top, no weight removed, spare and jack still in place when I ran this at the track. With about 1/2 tank of fuel and a 190lb driver.

400 sbc, 0.040 over (409 ci)
9.8:1 compression, KB Hyperutectic pistons
5.7" connecting rods from my old 305 (stock 400 rods are only 5.565")
Stock crank
standard oil pump (high volume pump unnecessary)
Comp Cam 12-242-2 grind - XE 268H - relatively small compared to your combo
1.5 ratio rockers
Edelbrock victor jr intake
Demon 650 Vaccuum secondary carb
Stock HEI, stock coil, AC plugs, MSD wires
Penzoil full synthetic 5w30 oil
Oil cooler
L98 350 cylinder heads, home ported and polished, stock 1.94, 1.50 valves
modified cowl induction from a 80' z28
Hedman 1 5/8" shorty headers and y-pipe
Full 3" single exhaust running to a "midas special" rhyno muffler, Dual 3" out
3.73 ratio rearend, OPEN differential (fourth behind this motor)
running on p215/65 r15 michelin "weatherwise" all seasons 28psi
2200 Stall torque converter (for a diesel truck no less, cheap!)
700-r4 with stage 3 trans-go shift kit, input spline upgraded to post 85' size
standard size accessory drive pulleys (v-belt)
home-built box section LCA's

Due to severe traction problems on these street tires and due to the open diff, I launch at 800 rpm, and approximately 1/4 pedal. This is also necessary to prevent axle hop. I hit full throttle at the top of first, and I have to let off to half again during the 1-2 shift before planting it for the remainder of the run. No easy to do repeatedly, but quite possible with some experience. This yields a surprisingly good 60 foot time. I plan to put on Drag radials for this summers racing. See the attachment for the times. Yes, that is me on the left, entry 140, not the hideously slow 16.8 second toyota celica gt-s in the right lane. I bet he felt s-l-o-w.

Feel free to ask questions, but I may be a little slow to respond.

 

I have attached two more images, these are the results from my gtech of the very same pass at the track. You will notice there is very small differences in time and MPH, but this is a result of: the gtech was set for a 12inch rollout, when I realistically staged slightly deeper, possibly 6 inches. That explains the very small difference in the quater mile times, and the MPH measured by the timers at the track measure your AVERAGE SPEED over the last 60 feet. The Gtech records your speed AT THE quarter mile mark, and as such will show a little higher MPH than the track ticket because of this. Take a look at the attachments closely, there is alot of info. Notice the vehicle weight (with driver in the car). I weighed in at a local dump scalehouse prior to tracktime to be sure.....

 

WOW! Thanks for all the info. If you feel like typing a lot more... please finish all you were going to write. I value all info immensly (sp?). Maybe even might make a good *STICKY* hint hint lol
or if you feel like emailing me some hints and tips...
-Joe urbanlegend@verizon.net

 

I have only started posting here tonight, but I'm sure you will see me posting more in the coming days, pertaining to specific questions of course. But i will give you a simple, yet always very beneficial tidbit about general engine design....

Put the longest connecting rods in that your budget will allow.
The longer the connecting rod, the lower the side loading of the piston, which reduces wear. With reduced friction, you are freeing up more power to drive the car down the road and improve gas mileage to boot. As if that was not enough, the geometric effects of the longer rod reduce the physical maximum speed the piston sees (even though the average speed is no different i.e. rpm). Guess what that means? Less friction again, smoother transition of the reciprocating mass due to the lower acceleration rates(inertial benefits giving more power and mileage). This allows the engine to spin a higher rpm for the same strength components too. Add all this to the fact that the "piston dwell time" at TDC is increased, giving the fuel charge more time to combust, and build even more pressure for the downstroke, which now has a better mechanical advantage for the crank angles most critical for power production by the way. Its hard to believe, but there is even further benefits, it also makes the engine slightly less dependant on ignition timing for efficient combustion and peak power. The increased time for the combustion to take place ensures this. This is a major benefit because of small variations in cylinder to cylinder ignition timing and timing from cycle to cycle in the same cylinder. This means a smoother running, more efficeint, and an easier to tune engine. All of these gains are small, but they are all in the right direction. the difference between a 5.7" rod and a 6" rod in a 350 is significant enough to warrant the extra cost in my opinion. So when I built my 400 on a shoestring budget, I tossed the stock 5.565" rods for the 5.7" rods out of the original 305, and bought pistons to match the new rod size (I had to buy pistons anyway since I had to bore the block)......hmmmm.....i typed more than I wanted to again.....

Keep an eye out, I will be posting more in the future.

 

to answer your original question, I think that motor is a hell of a deal. I'd jump all over it. That cam may seem large at first glance, but it's not. It'll be tamed by the large cubes of the 400, it'll act like an xe274 say, which lots of members love.

Where are you in Canada, out of curiosity?

the cam your friend has in his motor is brutal (very bad) compared to what's in that 400CID.

 

well im in ontario near kitchner, and he doesnt have the motor yet but we are thinking about building it, a buddy has a similar set up but he has a rpm cam not the 284, and his motor is also a 400 as well

 

ya im still debating whether to get the motor off him cuz i dunno if i wanna keep my car or not i might keep it and if i do i will buy the motor, but if i sell it i wont bother with the motor lol so i dunno what to do