Blake

iTrader: (2)

hey guys, I have a 91 RS with a V6 in it!!! ya, its gotta go. but I can get a 400 block for 50 bux canadian. and those torque figures along with hp are easy to make with them. I'm curious to hear what you guys recomend to put into it, how much to bore, what kind of pistons, what kinda of heads, why. for how much to expect to spend. this is going to be a daily driver in the summer time, wanting 425 plus horsepower. going to be using a 700r4, and eventually getting some 3.23 rear end gears. would be nice to get into the high 11's with this. and taking it that mild traction is enduced.

cheers

blake

ps no power adders:lala:

89Warbird

That's a pretty open ended question. How much do you want to spend? What kind of induction? What kind of Torque Converter? Do you plan on adding nitrous or a supercharger?

Blake

iTrader: (2)

i dont anticipate on having to spend a lot. stall I would probably use a 2000 stall, no nitrous, no poweradders of any kind

cheers

Blake

anubiscougar

lols.

i'm also doing the same.. cept... 11's... not gonna happen w/ only 4 something hp.. least.. i dun think so.. more like.. 12's. i duno tho, could get 11's.

i know for me, and my 406 that i wanna build, i'm going to bore it .30 over (4.155), 3.750 crank, 5.7 rods, dished 4 relief piston heads. 64 cc dart pro 1 aluminum heads(w/ holes for water)... 400 blocks overheat, espically performance ones, & bored out ones, alumium is suggested by everyone i've talked w/ about it. and then you can do this little drill heads trick, i duno, look it up on here, it's on the site.

what else.. um... ya.. all that, runs like.. 10 something compression i think w/ a .040(i think, was last night i ran #'s) copper head gasket.

w/ that setup i should be making 550 to 650 hp.. i'm still not sure, cuz i'm still not sure with the compression.. i've ran #'s & #'s & #'s.. i get around the same every time. but i don't trust it, cuz i still don't know enough to really be running all the #'s, still two #'s i don't exactly know, cuz.. w/ one, it's not listed on company's site, other #... i would have, but it wants a diff # i duno how to get.

also, the cam is just.. bleh... cams are annoying to pick. i think i found the one i like, i twas suggested by another 3rd genner on here, 306 s from comp cams. that's the grind #. and i'm going carb, demon 830 cfm carb. and......... ya.. :-)

the engine alone would cost me somewhere near 4-5 grand.

with everything else, making it turn key, ie, cooling system, fuel system, spark everything... be around 6300. that's w/ taxes... s/h i dun wanna think about.

either way, 400 blocks rock as far as i know.. but you just have to play w/ them... and be cautious.. cuz between the cylinders, there are no water jackets(i think they're called jackets, duno, lines i guess).. so.. the block heats up quite well, lol.

450 hp.. 400 torque.. slicks, & suspension mods would get you into high 11's prolly. gotta take into consideration, our cars are heavy as a 747 on crak.

ohya... 425 hp.. man.. i wouldn't trust it w/ 2grand stall, i'd go ahead and do 2500 stall. i know i'm going w/ 3000 minimum.

w/ the supercharger/nitrous thing... supercharger, you want lower compression first.. look for 8ish... so.. go w/ larger cc heads.. 72, 74.. not the 64's i want.(but i don't want supercharger). if you want nitrous, go around what i have.. around 9's, 10's... don't go any higher than 10.5 on pump gas(that's what i've always been told). even tho some newer cars do.

what else.. that's all.

good luck w/ it.

cgb

Oh my ***....

What "mechanics" or "racers" told you that 400 engines overheat, especially "performance" engines?

Not trying to flame, but that's a load of pure and utter CRAP.

400's have a siamesed bore, MEANING there is not room for the cooling passages ( for coolant to pass through like in all other small block Chevys ) , so STEAM holes were drilled in the block, and in the heads to help release this heat. No water passes through these holes.

AND the MYTH of 400's overheating are caused by the following :

- some bonehead in the past putting on regular chevy heads that DON'T have the steamholes drilled...try this...then it will have cooling issues


- Crappy cooling system in the first place....If your motor was worn out enough to need replacing, what about your cooling system? A good factory alum / plastic 3rd gen radiator, WORKING fan(s),a good water pump, and a good thermostat will take care of a 400 just fine.

Will a 400 tend to run a BIT WARMER than say a V-6? Or a 305? Sometimes... But it's not JUST because it's a 400. It's because it has MORE cubic inches..meaning more gas and air shoved into the cylinders, and thus more heat produced by the explosions happening in the cylinders constantly.


Now...on to the original question.

Are you using a carb? TPI? TBI? What ?


If carbed...it should be no issue to get 11's out of a 400 equipped 3rd gen IF YOU PUT THE TIME and WORK into getting the suspension to hook up at the track...and of course getting your drivetrain to survive the onslaught for power / torque.


The last 400 I built ( that I had dyno'd ) made 460 HP at the flywheel / and over 500 ft/lbs of peak torque. It was pretty mild to be honest...meaning it could have been driven everyday without problems....of course EFI would just make more power and better manners after tuning.


This was using the stock 400 rods w/ ARP bolts. A retro fit roller cam, a single plane intake and a built / tuned Q-Jet.

Heads were a pair of Brodix alum head that I bought from a local shop used...no porting at all.

Compression ratio was a hair under 10:1. Cam was a pretty big Lunati roller...but the LSA was pretty tame, and it was more lift than anything. EFI would respond better with a different grind I'm sure.

This engine in a 3400lb car w/ slicks, and 3000 RPM converter, 2004R tranny, and 3.42 gears went 11.90 several times before the rear grenaded and the car was backhalved..

To be honest, it could have gone a GOOD bit faster with more suspension tuning.

anubiscougar

no offense at all, not flaming to me at all, informining me is more like it.

i guess those ppl are just screwd in the head. if you've built them as you said you have, i believe you. that means it's good for me.

thx for the info.

that's what it was, the steam hole thing... seems an easy enough fix, and.. ya.. that's what i plan on doing when i build the motor.

that's a weight lifted off my shoulders to know it won't overheat w/ good cooling system.

whews.

thx, ..

and... with that suspension, what did you do exactly, what peices?

Blake

iTrader: (2)

motor is going carbed, I might put some 10:1 comp pistons in, all in good time. gotta get some $$$ together first

cheers

blake

cgb

Car was a G-Body....

In my experience, they tend to be easier to hook up the track...but mods still apply..some anyway

- homemade boxed lower rear control arms ( upper rear too, of course 3rd gen doesn't have 'em )

- Air bags in the rear coils

- Cheap worn out front shocks... FREE version of drag shocks LOL

- A little bit of "cheater" weight over the right rear

- Lots of VHT

- Unbolt the front swaybar... ( makes more difference than most people think it would )

anubiscougar

what does unbolting the front sway bar have to do w/ qtr mile times... all that's for is steering, is it not...? i mean... if it helps.. heck ya, do it, just... how?

Blake

iTrader: (2)

probably allows the tires to move in a downward motion more freely, providing more of a force /weight factor to the rear wheels, meaning more traction

cheers

Blake


ps, I'm also doing up a g-body

Ricktpi

Unbolting the sway bar helps the front end pop up faster/higher, planting more weight on the rear tires for better traction.

cgb

What he said...

AND the worn out shocks and springs in front do the same thing...or you can pay good $$$ for drag shocks and springs..

It's all about getting the weight to transfer further back.

And when I disconnect swaybars at the track, I just unbolt them at the endlinks and leave them bolted to the frame...only takes a minute or two...that's where my electric Impact comes in very handy.

DTL504

iTrader: (1)

Look at my Sig and just spend the money wisely.. It can be done for cheaper than what I did but I bought everything brand new

grumpyvette

heres a decent combo


SBC 407
· Block, 509, +30, Zero deck, Blanked water passages, Clearanced oil ways, Lifter valley vents, ARP main & head studs, Durabond cam & Clevite 77 main bearings.
· Crank, Scat 4340 forged steel, 3.75”, internal balance, Pioneer SFI balancer + ARP bolt.
· Rods, Comp. Products 6.00” H beam bronze bushed + ARP bolts Clevite 77 bearings.
· Pistons, SRP #4032 flat top, 5cc relief, Speed Pro plasma moly file fit rings.
· Complete rotating assembly balanced. Including - Flywheel, Clutch, Balancer & Crank pulley.
· Heads, AFR 210 Race Ready, 76cc, 2.080/1.600 valves, drilled for steam. FelPro #1014 gasket.
· Cam, Comp. Cams ‘Magnum’ #12-450-8 (286HR) Hydraulic roller.
230/230 @ .050, .377 lift 110 LSA 106 ICL.
· Pushrods, Howards Cams heavy wall 5/16” 7.4” long.
· Rockers, Pro Magnum roller, 1.6, 7/16” stud.
· Lifters, Pro Magnum hydraulic roller. AFR Hydr-Rev kit.
· Comp Cams Springs #950 + #740 retainers installed at 1.875”
· AFR rev kit, AFR stud girdle.
· Lube, Melling M99HVS pump, Canton 7qt 5 trap pan with inbuilt windage and scraper, Cooler, Accumulator, oil stat, remote filter.
· Holley 800cfm #4780C, 1” spacer, Victor Jr single plane.
· Static CR 10.32, Dynamic CR 7.9.
· Quench 0.0415” (Gasket .039” + .0025” down hole).
· MSD Pro Billet Street Dizzy, MSD 6AL, MSD Blaster 2 coil, MSD 8,5mm leads.


Id like to point out something here!
LOOK CLOSELY AT THE TORQUE CURVE

RPM BHP Torque
3800 367.3 507.7
3900 384.0 517.1
4000 395.1 518.8
4100 407.9 522.5
4200 418.9 523.8
4300 429.4 524.5
4400 439.6 524.7
4500 449.6 524.7
4600 462.1 527.6
4700 467.4 522.3
4800 476.6 521.5
4900 485.4 520.3
5000 489.2 513.9
5100 498.5 513.4
5200 496.0 501.0
5300 506.1 501.5
5400 508.4 494.5
5500 508.7 485.8
5600 505.6 474.2
5700 505.8 466.0
5800 505.8 458.0
5900 494.6 440.3
6000 491.9 430.6

Riley's35089rs+

Nice..Very nice..I'm looking for 500-525 on my setup..and a future power adder...

D M N

Does that mean steam is going to fill up the engine bay??

Where does the steam go??

cgb

LOL...


No steam in the engine bay.. unless you messed up something during the rebuild, like forgetting to put the hoses on...

It basically lets the heat out...there is still coolant flowing through the block, just not between the cylinders.


Built like any other small block, the only gotcha for a 400 is the steam holes. I've never had an overheating problem with the 400 that wasn't the fault of the cooling system itself, and nothing to do with the engine.

joe383

I am going to be ordering a SB 400 short block from a company called high performer. I want to build it on some what of a budget so here is the main layout of the build up plan. Motor 1,175 after the core charge and S&H Vortec heads 519.19 comp circle track .450” lift rule cam 2,500-6,000 RPM 293/300 advertised duration – 242/255 duration at 0.050 .450/453” of lift and a 106* lobe separation angle 159.95 Roads lifters 89.95 these make a big cam a little easer on the street by lowering your lift by .20-.30” and duration by 10-15* at idle and restoring full lift and duration at 2,500 to 3,500 rpm Vortec Performer RPM air gap 219.95 Holley 650 double pumper around $320 Mallory comp 9000 unalite I am unsure of the price but I ran one a couple years back with a 50,000 volt coil on a 355 and it was killer cheep Summit or Jegs headers for around $100.00 Proform electric water pump some were around $150 twin electric fans with a 5,500 CFM rating duel 3” exhaust with warlock mufflers $65 a piece TCI 2,000 rpm stall for a TH350 around $200 B&M street strip trans pack 59.95 4.11 gears with a 28” tall tire. They say that 1* of duration at 0.050 is worth more power than 0.010” of lift and also as the motor gats bigger it is a good idea to tighten up the LSA this might look like a big cam for the street and would be in a 350 but I think it will be very street friendly motor and am planning on driving it on a daily basis back and forth to work ( I live 16 miles from work ) so at least 30+ miles a day if I just go to work and straight home. One thing you want to look out for is if you’re running the stock 5.565” rods do not spin the motor past 5,500 RPM very often. The 400 has a very pore rod to stroke ratio a 3.75” stroke and 5.565” rod compared to a 350 with a 3.48” stroke and a 5.7” rod. I will be running a 5.7 a 6.0” rod would be better but the pistons are a lot more if you do you could break a rod or piston. I would run the RPM’s a little higher but I am running a cast crank and you do not want to run to far past 3,500 FPM with a cast iron crank ( 3.75 / 6 X 6,000 RPM is 3,750 a little over the limit but should be ok any higher and I would have to use a steel crank. You could also de stroke it using a 350 crank with baring spacers and make a 377 you could even use the stock 350 rods if you use the stock pistons from the 400 this would allow you to spin the motor to around 6,500 rpm safely. When Chevy made the 400 they did not want to move the wrist pin up because this would pout it in to the oil ring so they just shortened the rod making it easy and cheep to de stroke on a budget. You can also do the opposite and have the 400 crank turned down to fit the 350 mains and run the 400 crank and rods with the 350 pistons to make a cheep low rpm (5,500 or lower) 383 stroker motor. Also look for cracks in the main webs of the block they crack there a lot. As far as traction I would use the stock V6 springs with a 10/90 shock in the front with the front sway bar disconnected, 4.11 or 4.56 gears, a posi or locker in the rear with\ lake wood lift bars. I believe in the lift bars they rock when used with a pair of wrinkle walls and will help you launch straighter. Your 700 R4 is a bad choice if you have to run it I would even try a 3,000 rpm stall sins it dose have a lock up converter the only reason I am going with a 2,000 is because I am driving it every day and there is no lock up for my TH350 and I would defiantly have it re built or it will grenade on you for sure

joe383

3.23 gears and high 11’s are not going to happen and mild traction is a under statement your going to need it to hook up pretty good I had a 69 chevell that did high ll’s it would lift the front tires about a foot of the track it had a Erson high flow 3 cam 316 advertised duration 244 duration at 0.050 and .474” of lift, Vic JR intake, camel hump heads, cheep headers, comp 9000 unalite, 750 CFM double pumper, 3,500 RPM stall and 4.56 gears Lincoln locked rear end, the suspension was very soft I used shocks from a station wagon in the front and air shocks with no air in the rear with SS springs and no front sway bar. The whole car was gutted.

gmgod

Was that a 400? How much did that old chevelle weigh?

joe383

No it was a 355 a 350 with a 0.030 over bore it had a steel crank and rods and was shifting at 7,500 RPM and on the weight I am not sure I gutted every thing the bracing under the hood, the carpet, head liner ,no back seat, no inner fenders, no bracing in the doors, no bumpers ect…. It was pretty light for a Chevell.

'Shifter

iTrader: (2)

I think it's Speed-O-Motive that sells a great 415 kit that is dang reasonable.
It starts with GM raw forging crank and an offset grind, 5.7" rods (probably
the only real 'weak' spot of a 400....). Lots and lots of torque and minimal
block mods, clearance oil pan rails and bottom of cylinders...
As has been stated already, the 400 is a great motor, and as long as your
cooling system is up to snuff you shouldn't have problems. I've found that
most of the 400's, even the long rod motors, make most torque down low
and don't like spin too hard-which works well in a TPI car anyway.