I FINALLY found the block I've been searching for to going into my 1991 GTA project car. It's a 1974 2-Bolt, 2-Freeze plug, 400ci SBC High Nickel content block! It's just the BARE BONES block, nothing else. It's virgin and has never been touched. The engine wasn't blown but it was very high milage and there is some very slight cylinder damage so I am for sure going to have to bore it over so I'll most likely do a standard .30 over, I refuse to go any more though but I am very confident that the .30 over will clean it up and I've also be asured of this by the machine shop. There is also a VERY tiny hariline fracture in the valley area that I've been told won't leak or cause any harm but I'm still going to have it welded just to be safe. I'm also having the main caps splayed.

I plan on getting a 4 inch crank which I know will fit, and building a bullit proof 427 SBC stroker. I also plan on using a super high flow TPI set up utilizing extensively worked SLP intake runners and a siamiessed TPI intake manifold and of course the largest throttle body and I can and all that other good stuff.

Now the fun begins, do I go with a high compression, naturally aspirated motor OR do I go with a ProCharger D-1SC???? I know that the SC is more expensive but I'd think since I'm going TPI I would be able to get allot more HP & TQ using the forced induction. I'm still 50/50 on this decision. What do you guys think? Also since I'm going TPI, I'm not going to need the higher RPM performance that the 4 inch stroke would take away, that's another reason why I'm going with a 427 SBC, ton's of TQ I figure I'll be maxing out the powerband at about 6200 anyway. Now also keep in mind that I have 24/7 access to 100 octane pump gas so I can go fairly high compression like say 12.5:1 if I want on the naturally aspirated version but I think I will be to limited on the air flow to make any real power that why I believe the SC'd version will be better.

Now the main reason for this post is so that when I decide which version to build, I can start figuring out EXACTLY what parts I'll need such as crank shaft, pistons, rods, cam, balancers, heads, etc. I want to know every single component down to the part # and exact retail $$ before I start anything. I also want to be able to build a 100% accurate Desktop Dyno file for this engine. My goal is to have this engine look as much as the stock engine as possible (except maybe for the SC'er) so I can be CA smog legal or atleast to the point where the referee will OK me. That's one of the reasons why I choose the 2 freeze plug version, so it looks 100% like a 350 block for smog

 

I'm thinking of potential damage with a large stroke, large bore SBC, with a welded lifter valley...doesn't seem to lend itself to "Bullet Proof"...since it's be shot before and bled.

 

I hate you

 

id go with the ati setup with the 427 stroker!! tons and tons and tons and tons..of tourque. you could run 3.00 gears and still pull down probably11.5 and get 25mpg!!completely streetable!! oh and you do suck by the way..400 2bolt virgin!!!:hail: :hail: i finally gave up on the 400 idea you cant find one and when you do its a 4 bolt!!!! im going to do a latemodel l98 stroker route..cheap roller engine and its a 383!

 

how much did it cost ya for the 400 2 bolt?250-300$????

 

It cost me $300 w/shipping from the east coast.

Guys, don't worry baout the damage, it's VERY minor and the average person would not even worry about it. It's just that I am a stickler for tiny details and so that's why I even mentioned it in the first place, to be thoughrough. If it were at all a problem, I never would have bought it.

What's cool is that this is one of the High Nickel content blocks, try and find one of those in a 2 bolt, 2 freeze plug, 400 SBC

 

you blow!!:hail:

 

whats the deal with high nickel content


and I still say you suck dude since that is way too sweet

 

i just bought a truck with a 400 2-bolt block (plus edelbrock carb, edelbrock preformer intake) and turbo 350 tranny from a guy at work for $500. selling of truck if i can, selling off turbo 350 to friend. block is in good shape, i think i made out pretty well too. big step up from 305

 

Great news!!! What we thought was a small fracture in the valley turned out to be just a small castign flaw and NOT a fracture! So it looks like I'm 100% go for my 434ci stroker project! I'm also about 90% sure I'm going to go SC'd then I will be able to get enough airflow to the engine since I'm going modded TPI....

 

Nice find. My favorite 509 casting I came up with just sort of appeared in the trunk of a 69 Chevelle SS396 my brother bought; he decided after he'd had the car about a week to open the trunk for some reason, lo and behold there's this block sitting in there; he calls the guy and asks him if he wants it, the guy asks "is it a big or a small block", when told it was a small block he says no he doesn't want it.... turns out it's a 509, standard bore, runnable.

Good thing you're planning on blowing it. If a TPI chokes a 305 at 4500 RPM, it would choke a 434 at, what, around 3300? I would never even consider TPI for a big motor. IMHO that would be a total waste of a perfectly good 509 block.

The last 434 I had anything to do wth, we used 6" rods and put an Accel Pro Ram on it. I didn't particularly notice very much "lost RPM capability" from the longer stroke. Hard to say how long it's going to last on the street with the ring package we had to use, though.

Small cracks in the lifter valley parallel to the camshaft are usually the result of freezing. It's repairable if it's not too bad. I'd recommend having it pressure-tested before building it though.

Spend your money on heads!!! That's where you'll get the most results. Although, if you retain the TPI, it will protect the heads from ever being much of a performance limit.

 

Thanks. I'm starting another post to continue this topic here:

https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...hreadid=116008