would the same parts ,,,cam, heads,intake,carb, holley edelbrock,,,comp cams etc,,etc,,,and exhaust,,,give a better result in the same car,,if a 400 ci block was used instead of a 350,,,my experience showed the 350 reved quicker,,,and generally got its act together quicker,,what is your opinion,,,is the 400 a slug,,or not, or not

 

the 350 will indeed rev quicker, although that's only when your not in gear. getting the beast moving, the cubic inches will always win with the two being equal. especially with .125 more cylinder bore for better cylinder filling and less valve shrouding let alone the extra .270 stroke. plain and simple, the 400 equally built will kick a 350's ***.

 

Lesson 1.

Theres no substitute for cubic inches!

 

I second that opinion on the 400. If you want that extra nudge performance wise, then go with the 400.

Unfortunately, the 400 isnt quite as hearty of an engine. That's partly why the 350 design has lived longer. Most 400 blocks cant be bored to .060, the short rod design is poor, and the large bores really push the limits with cooling and dissapation as they are close together. All in all, the 350 is a great engine of course and in some respects better. I chose 400

 

A 400 to .060 over? I don't think so. .030 is a standard overbore for a 400 and .040 can only be done if there's no core shift. Going to .060 over on a factory production 400 block makes very thin cylinder walls.

Most castings for the 350 block can be taken out to .060 easily.

 

.030 is standard, .040 is risky.
.060 can be done, but far and few between. Argue that with many chevy books in my library... Or call up summit and ask if you can have some .060 over 400 pistons. Yep.

.060 400 Chevy Piston www.summitracing.com
True, these pistons are almost* always used in afterproduction blocks.

Agreed of course..The point of my discussion was to say that 350 blocks are really the better design for longevity. I dont like to argue with moderators..I want them to be on my side :-) Good day!

 

what would you do,,,on a personal note,,,,build a 350 ,,,or a 400,,what would you do in this situation,,,if its rebuilt once,,,i wont be doing it for a long time,,,so 2 rebore jobs is out of the question,,,, a good engine will last ,,,being a 350 or a 400,,,cooling a +040 will be no problem,,,everything new,,radiator,fixed 6 blade fan,,, shroud,,etc,,,,no heavy trafic here

 

if you want a long lasting small block go with a 350. but more than likely if your like most of us on here I assume, you'll have spun a bearing or something by the time you'd wear out a 400. so it kinda is up to you on how you drive. any motor isn't going to last super long when you beat the **** outta it :-) so pretty much, what kinda driving are you gonna do? alot of racing? then if my opinion it doesn't matter. if its your daily ride that you take it easy(most of the time). then I'd go with a 350.........that is just my opinion on all of this. :-)

 

no racing,,,the drag strip here is being rebuilt,, here in sydney,,and not running till 2004,,toooo many middle eastern typs dudes,, there in the hot 4cyl crap,,around 70%,AND,with the caps on backwards,,,,,i lost interest years ago,,,,due to the lack money,,, maybe club racing ,,mustang club days,,,we will get it working first,,

 

The factory cooling parts, no matter if they're new, might have some difficulty cooling a 400 in hot weather. I bought a new radiator with better design than stock to cure my problems. My chip also kicks in my fans much earlier. A High flow waterpump is also a good idea. I would stray away from the 400 unless you have prepared yourself for the headaches that may arrise. With the 400, there are other things like programming (EFI), injectors, using an older rebalanced thirdgen flexplate to fit in bellhousing and possibly drilling for a new starter hole or buying a ministarter. There are more headaches than meet the eye.

If it were me building a quick dialy driver, you're best off with a hot roller 350.

 

no computer in this car its running a calibrated 750vac holley ,no injection,,,,,and no emision gear ,,,not even 1 item ,,,,except a cat converter,,and a charcole canister,,,and a fixed blade fan,,,it runs all the time,,,and draws seriouse air,,,,