been thinking about what engine combo to stuff between the fenders and i ruled out a lot of things and am thinking about a 396. does anyone know what EXACTLY has to be done to a 350 to make it a 396 ? i dont want to go with a 383 because its to common now. but i like the sound of a 396. im looking for the bore size,rod length,crank stroke. also any block mods to fit.

 

Never heard of anybody making a small-block 396 before, doesn't mean it can't be done though. 396 from the factory was a big block chevy. Custom ground crank would get you the displacement - you'd need a 3.88 stroke with a .030" bore. Seems like extra hassle to me though. If you want to be different you could punch it out .060" with a 400 crank and make a 388. Just an idea.

 

yeah ive been talking to a guy and he says that .030 over with a 3.875 crank (not sure on rod size what did a stock 350 come with) and it would eaqual out to a 396 but a small block version. just somthing i havent herad muchh of so it would be new. not sure on valve to piston clearance though

 

yup, you'll need custom pistons, and you'll have to clearance the block too. There are companies that make cranks withthat stroke for a 400 block but not sure about 350, journals are different iirc.

 

If I were building one I would use a good 4 bolt 350 block .030 overbore, get a Scat 3.875 stroke shaft made for 6.00 rods, get a custom set of JE pistons made and taylor the piston to your head and desired compression ratio.

You may have to clearance the rods a bit for camshaft clearance and do I little milling on the bottom of the cylinders and pan rails. It really wouldn't be that bad of a job for a shop that was equipped with the right tooling.

 

A 350 block bored .030 over with a 3.875" stroke will come out to 395.x cubes. "People" like to call it a "396". GM High Tech mag biult such a motor called Magnum TPI. I built the same sized motor for my '87 IROCZ. I prefer not to confuse the SBC 395.x with the BBC 396, so I call my motor the correct cubes, a 395.

Edit: the rod length is 5.85", but that has nothing to do with the cubic displacement.