first i will say i am an engine guy, i love building them and making them more powerful. while i am primarily a ford guy as such i have built many 393 strokers and one 427 stroker out of the 351W block (the monster 660HP 427 is in my 91 Ford Bronco currently) i have little to no knowledge of the General Motors Engines, what i have picked up so far is that the diffrence between a 305 and 350 SBC is just the stroke and bore specs as well as two bolt holes on the intake but the rest of it (as far as bolting up) are Exactly the same, so my question does it alsso match a 400 SBC block as well. this go around since it is my first Chevy motor i am going to do either a 383 Stroker or either a 406 or a 427 stroker out of a SBC 400 block. my main question is will a SBC 400 block fit in my 88 305 V8 firebird or will i have to do some modding? and if so how much is it even worth trying? skip white performance has some great engine assemblies ALL already broke in and running over 500 HP ( I think their weakest engine is 500 HP even with the standard give or take) but anyways im looking at this kit they offer which will give me a large high HP base in which to start with and run off that with a stage 3 build.

http://www.skipwhiteperformance.com/...?Item=406SBKFT

Will this Bad Boy fit or should i just run with the 383 stroker?

 

Why would any one put a cast crank in a Dart block???

 

I am unsure of their reasoning but i thought of the kit because it comes Pre-balanced and cheaper than if i just built a stage 3 383 Stroker. but it is not a set in stone kit that is just the base price and base contents, you can order better Cranks, larger stroke, better pistons it is a modular kit capable of putting out over 500HP possibly into the low 600's when paired with the right Cam and top end

but seriously will a dart 400 SBC drop into this car or is it a diferent bolt pattern i have heard both sides saying they are Completly diferent and some say they are the exact same, both answers came from sources i don't really trust

 

Sbc is a sbc. It will fit fine.

Only differences are the rear main seal types, 1 pc or 2 pc. Require different crank and likely flexplate/flywheel.

Dart block if shp can be ordered either style. If you have a 1 pc 87-92 fbody motor, you could just about remove everything and bolt to the 1 pc shp dart...if you had to but you'll be buying new components

 

I bought their 406 stage 3.5. And it fits.

 

What Orr said. All sbc are pretty much the same external dimensions. An exception would be a tall deck aftermarket block, but even those are so close to the same dimension it doesn't matter. Just buy the right flywheel/flex plate for your project and all will be copacetic.

 

yep