Can anyone give me an idea how much a 400 core is worth?

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1984 Camaro Z28 Astral Silver w/ 2 1/2" cowl induction hood
Engine: Decked 383 cid 4 bolt w/ oil cooler, 9.6:1 compression, ARP fasteners, 600 cfm Performer carburetor, Torker II intake, Performer RPM Heads, XE268H cam, Magnum roller tip rockers, MSD6AL ignition, Blaster2 coil, recurved HEI distributor
Exhaust: Terminator headers, Custom 3" TIG welded stainless exhaust, Twister muffler.
Transmission: 4L60 w/ Corvette servo, .500 boost valve, TransGo 7-CS clutch springs, 700 PKH pump rings, 700-2 reprogramming kit, Borg-Warner High-Energy frictions & bands, 2400 RPM lockup torque converter
Drivetrain: 2.73:1 limited-slip Dana 44 w/ disc brakes.
Tires: Front P225/50VR15 Rear P265/50VR15 Eagles

 

its in good shape? they are certainly hard to find in some places.. has it been bored out already? if so i'd imagine price goes down a bit(if it needs bottom end work now) but otherwise i'd imagine its worth a decent amount

 

As far as I know it's in pretty decent shape, I haven't even seen it yet. I just found out my cousin has one in my uncle's garage that he was going to put in his Blazer but never got around to it. It's just taking up space and he wants to get rid of it.

I was thinking it would make a nice 406 for the Camaro, or maybe a 377 for the Corvette.

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1984 Camaro Z28 Astral Silver w/ 2 1/2" cowl induction hood
Engine: Decked 383 cid 4 bolt w/ oil cooler, 9.6:1 compression, ARP fasteners, 600 cfm Performer carburetor, Torker II intake, Performer RPM Heads, XE268H cam, Magnum roller tip rockers, MSD6AL ignition, Blaster2 coil, recurved HEI distributor
Exhaust: Terminator headers, Custom 3" TIG welded stainless exhaust, Twister muffler.
Transmission: 4L60 w/ Corvette servo, .500 boost valve, TransGo 7-CS clutch springs, 700 PKH pump rings, 700-2 reprogramming kit, Borg-Warner High-Energy frictions & bands, 2400 RPM lockup torque converter
Drivetrain: 2.73:1 limited-slip Dana 44 w/ disc brakes.
Tires: Front P225/50VR15 Rear P265/50VR15 Eagles

 

hah! i'd be the first one to gladly take it off his hands.. mmmmmm , the idea of a 406 in a camaro just ... d*am nice

 

Chimp FE,

I paid $400 for a complete 400 motor last summer. Standard bore, standard crank.

If it's already .030 over and the crank has been turned, it's worth a LOT less.

The 400 sbc can safely go to only .030 over, and the max for sbc cranks is .020/.020.

The $400 I paid was for a virgin motor, with almost no ridge in the cylinders and almost no noticable crank wear.

This means a .030 bore and a .010/.010 cut on the crank will be more than adequate on the rebuild.

I may very well try to go .020 over on the bore and see if I can sneak by with a micro-polish on the crank - this would mean another rebuild in the future is possible.

Take a snap gauge and dial calipers with you.

Good luck - and yes, the 400 sbc is getting very rare - especially in southern locations with many dirt tracks.

BOR

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oldvette

 

I've seen cores go for around $250. I was offered $200 for just the block a week after I found a 400 engine.

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Stephen's racing page

87 IROC-Z Pro ET Bracket Race Car
383 stroker (carbed) with double hump cast iron heads and pump gas
454 Big Block buildup now in progress for the 2001 racing season

Best results before the 383 blew up
Best ET on a time slip: 11.857 altitude corrected to 11.163
Best MPH on a time slip: 117.87 altitude corrected to 126.10
Best 60 foot: 1.662

Racing at 3500 feet elevation but most race days it's over 5000 feet density altitude!
Member of the Calgary Drag Racing Association

87 IROC bracket car
91 454SS daily driver
95 Homebuilt Harley

 

What color money was the $250 in, ours or theirs?

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1984 Camaro Z28 Astral Silver w/ 2 1/2" cowl induction hood
Engine: Decked 383 cid 4 bolt w/ oil cooler, 9.6:1 compression, ARP fasteners, 600 cfm Performer carburetor, Torker II intake, Performer RPM Heads, XE268H cam, Magnum roller tip rockers, MSD6AL ignition, Blaster2 coil, recurved HEI distributor
Exhaust: Terminator headers, Custom 3" TIG welded stainless exhaust, Twister muffler.
Transmission: 4L60 w/ Corvette servo, .500 boost valve, TransGo 7-CS clutch springs, 700 PKH pump rings, 700-2 reprogramming kit, Borg-Warner High-Energy frictions & bands, 2400 RPM lockup torque converter
Drivetrain: 2.73:1 limited-slip Dana 44 w/ disc brakes.
Tires: Front P225/50VR15 Rear P265/50VR15 Eagles

 

Ours, but the valve of a used part is the same amount in both currencies.

 

Besides a 377, what else could I do with this thing that would be "interesting"?

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1984 Camaro Z28 Astral Silver w/ 2 1/2" cowl induction hood
Engine: Decked 383 cid 4 bolt w/ oil cooler, 9.6:1 compression, ARP fasteners, 600 cfm Performer carburetor, Torker II intake, Performer RPM Heads, XE268H cam, Magnum roller tip rockers, MSD6AL ignition, Blaster2 coil, recurved HEI distributor
Exhaust: Terminator headers, Custom 3" TIG welded stainless exhaust, Twister muffler
Transmission: 4L60 w/ Corvette servo, .500 boost valve, TransGo 7-CS clutch springs, 700 PKH pump rings, 700-2 reprogramming kit, Borg-Warner High-Energy frictions & bands, 2400 RPM lockup torque converter
Drivetrain: 2.73:1 limited-slip Dana 44 w/ disc brakes
Tires: Front P225/50VR15 Rear P265/50VR15 Eagles

 

Okay take a 283 crank and drop it in her. a 3.00" stroke and about a 4.25 inch bore = lots of rpms! It would be a rocket at about 10,000 on up!!! what would that turn it into! a 340 or something?

 

ace - your kidding... right?

 

Actually, 4.155 would be the max bore for a 400. With a 3.00" crank, it would be 325. Good luck finding a 2.45" main journal 3.00" crank. Only 68 and 69 302s had those IIRC.

I would be more inclined to install a 3.25" medium journal crank in the bore and endu up with a 352. Pistons and rods would definitely be expensive as it would be a uncommon combo.

But for the street, leave the 3.75" crank in it for the maximum displacement (and torque) possible.

 

What about going the other way and stroking it?

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1984 Camaro Z28 Astral Silver w/ 2 1/2" cowl induction hood
Engine: Decked 383 cid 4 bolt w/ oil cooler, 9.6:1 compression, ARP fasteners, 600 cfm Performer carburetor, Torker II intake, Performer RPM Heads, XE268H cam, Magnum roller tip rockers, MSD6AL ignition, Blaster2 coil, recurved HEI distributor
Exhaust: Terminator headers, Custom 3" TIG welded stainless exhaust, Twister muffler
Transmission: 4L60 w/ Corvette servo, .500 boost valve, TransGo 7-CS clutch springs, 700 PKH pump rings, 700-2 reprogramming kit, Borg-Warner High-Energy frictions & bands, 2400 RPM lockup torque converter
Drivetrain: 2.73:1 limited-slip Dana 44 w/ disc brakes
Tires: Front P225/50VR15 Rear P265/50VR15 Eagles

 

Actually the 352 combo is popular in the nascar type engine. Those engines scream around the track at 8000 rpm. It would make a good road race engine but without the long stroke torque it wouldn't be much fun on the street.

The most popular stroke for the 400 block is to 420 or 434 CID. Bigger than that and you need an aftermarket 400 block (bowtie etc) A 454 and 500 inch small block have been made but for the cost of the exotic parts you could build 3 big blocks.

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Stephen's racing page

87 IROC-Z Pro ET Bracket Race Car
383 stroker (carbed) with double hump cast iron heads and pump gas
454 Big Block buildup now in progress for the 2001 racing season

Best results before the 383 blew up
Best ET on a time slip: 11.857 altitude corrected to 11.163
Best MPH on a time slip: 117.87 altitude corrected to 126.10
Altitude corrected rear wheel HP based on power to weight ratio: 476.5
Best 60 foot: 1.662

Racing at 3500 feet elevation but most race days it's over 5000 feet density altitude!
Member of the Calgary Drag Racing Association

87 IROC bracket car, 91 454SS daily driver, 95 Homebuilt Harley

 

what years were they offered again?
70-75 montes, chevelles, malibus?
75-80 trucks? somethin like that?

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Rick
90 Camaro RS 305 TBI
400 small block, Hooker 1 5/8 shorties, Random Tech Cat, Hooker aero chamber cat back on the way!!
TH700-R4 with Trans-Go shift kit (corvette servo on the way)
MacEwen Motorsports White Gauge Overlays
14" K&N X-Stream Open Element
GTS Headlight and Taillight covers
5% Limo Tint all around
Classic White Chevy Bowtie sticker on rear window
http://www.geocities.com/esvalenz

Man if my camaro were a rice-rocket all those mods would give me what...easily 50-60 hp!!!

"Just because I've done it, doesn't mean I knew what I was doing!" - Me

 

GorillaFE:

Interesting ?

Oh boy, I'm in the same jam now - but my 400 is in the garage - awaiting a buildup until I find the right car to put it in.

I'm starting with a clean sheet - since this thing is still in the design stage and I have not bought the car yet. I presume you'll do the same thing.

Interesting to me lately is trying to decide just exactly WHERE I'll draw the line for a street car. And this is damned hard to do -

The "knowns" for me are:

1)1958-1962 Corvettes weigh in at 2970 lbs. w/o driver. The car will be one of these.

2)I'm using a 700R-4 (built) for this car.

3)I've got 400+ cubes to play with.

4)Car absolutely MUST run mid-11's N/A.

5)Nitrous is out - after much,much consideration.

I think a 550HP 406 will go the number, and stay N/A. But here's the problem:

A little Company called ATI has just released a line of underhood superchargers for carbed cars that does not require plumbing extra oil lines for cooling the supercharger. It's available across the product line (P-series, D-series, etc.) and consists mainly of a modified impeller and oil mist setup.

Bottom line ? Oh, with a 3-core intercooler about 15 psi. That's serious boost. One atmosphere. Less pumping losses and heat transfer - call it a 50% increase in HP.

Eh, conservatively, we're lookin' at 700+ HP.

In a 3100 lb. car - including driver.........

I'm not likely to get bored with this very quickly. But.........

Is it overkill ? Just a gearhead gone mad?
A middle-aged knuckle-buster with a passion for acceleration and the smell of burning rubber.

Not really - it's the challenge I'm really interested in.

Never built a blown motor - and have wanted to for a while. Sure wouldn't have to worry about those zip-popping 5.0 drivers with Nitrous.

'Sides that, 1962 Corvettes look WAAAAAAAAY COOL with rollbars. And 10" slicks. Panama yellow with white coves. Stewart-Warner gauges. 5-point harness. American Racing "Torq Thrust D's" just like in the '60's. Best of all, no hood scoop - no readily recognizable cues as to what lurks beneath - the penultimate "street sleeper". Except for the whiiiiiine.

I can learn to drive it - safely. My older brother says (even after the winter of '97 when we built the '66) "hey - go for it, and I get to help". He's an animal - and one hellaciously good wrench - puts me to shame usually.

Well, it would be different. And, building cars with him is a blast - I really mean that. God, we get so darned YOUNG feeling doing it. He even has the old Beach Boys and Led Zepplin tapes for the garage.

Interesting? Yeah, I think it would be interesting too. Choke.......expensive.....
dinero......broke again.......



BOR

 

It's not middle age, I think it's from growing up with real muscle cars. My dad, who built countless motors back in the day still dreams of building a roots blown beast and is trying to talk me into it. ( Don't you with all fathers were like this. )

Unfortunately for him I do not need that kind of raw power. Keep telling him a mild 400 is more then enough to kick dam near anything on the street and with the track being over an hour away I don't want a trailer queen.

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1989 Camaro RS LO3 WCT5 "The Hose Queen" 0-60' 2.34 1/4 15.8@87mph
http://350.StreetRacing.org

 

Actually I was kidding, The wierdest part was that I was thinking about it the day before i posted teh topic. fill in the journal bearings and then bore them out. balance the crank. then drop her in with a cam that is only good for 5000 rpms on up. she would be a "rice" rocket.

You'd need a car to push you for the first part, OR you set your idle for about 4000 rpms.

Just forgett everything I said this is what I thought of when I got bored.

but it would be pretty cool to try, you'd be almost the first to do it.

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If you can't beat em join em.

 

I might just make it a 406 for the Camaro, and swap the 383 into the Corvette so I can keep the miles off the numbers-matching original.

Probably put forged internals into it though so I can run nitrous or forced induction.

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1984 Camaro Z28 Astral Silver w/ 2 1/2" cowl induction hood
Engine: Decked 383 cid 4 bolt w/ oil cooler, 9.6:1 compression, ARP fasteners, 600 cfm Performer carburetor, Torker II intake, Performer RPM Heads, XE268H cam, Magnum roller tip rockers, MSD6AL ignition, Blaster2 coil, recurved HEI distributor
Exhaust: Terminator headers, Custom 3" TIG welded stainless exhaust, Twister muffler
Transmission: 4L60 w/ Corvette servo, .500 boost valve, TransGo 7-CS clutch springs, 700 PKH pump rings, 700-2 reprogramming kit, Borg-Warner High-Energy frictions & bands, 2400 RPM lockup torque converter
Drivetrain: 2.73:1 limited-slip Dana 44 w/ disc brakes
Tires: Front P225/50VR15 Rear P265/50VR15 Eagles

 

Black Beauty...The 400s also came in the early 70s station wagons.

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Black 90 IROC, L98, A4, 323 gear. SuperRamed 406 in the works!