400 small blocks were becoming rare by the late 80's for a number of reasons . The cylinders ran hotter due to the fact that there was no circulation between them . Due to the higher operating temps head cracking between the steam holes was also common . Also , due to the fact that the bores were so close to the head bolts , the head bolts would pull the bores into a hexagonal shape over time , resulting in poor ring seal . Finally , the short rods combined with the longer stroke would cause excessive side loading on the cylinder walls , resulting in excessive wear . That is why 383 strokers became so popular by the late 80's , because there were tons of used up 400 blocks with good cranks in them . I'm an engine machinist with over 40 years of experience , I will be retiring in two years .
WHEN BUILDING AN ENGINE DO YOU WASH OUT / CLEAN OUT ALL THE OIL HOLES ? DO YOU BEBURE THE BLOCK ? GRIND, SAND DOWN AND POLISH THE OIL RETURN PATHS IN THE LIFTER VALLEYS ? JUST WONDERING, ALL MACHINE SHOPS AROUND ME DON'T, UNLESS YOU REQUEST IT AND PAY EXTRA !
I HAD 2 MOTORS REBUILT AT 1 SHOP , BOTH ENDED UP HAVING ROD AND CRANK BEARINGS PROBLEMS, I THOUGHT CLEARANCES MIGHT HAVE BEEN TO TIGHT. LATER I MET A GUY WHO BUILDS OVAL TRACK RACE ENGINES , HE LOOKED AT BEARINGS , SAID THE MACHINE SHOP NEVER CLEANED BLOCK AND CRANK PROPERLY.
@@daviddavids3468 heck yeah I'd request it to be cleaned and I still wouldn't trust it and do it myself. Heck ,I worked in an engine shop and I'd still clean parts after getting em back for some job.
Brother you've been an automotive machinist for 40 years with a retirement wow great job 👍 & I had thought about becoming a auto machinist when I was younger but loved the water I ended up on oilfield yachts crewboats & offshore tugs engineer never got the package to retire on 😔 but yea great job brother. & let's get back to them 400s I've had one & it was in a Pontiac Catalina 4 door I want to say in the 70s and it was so smooth running engine with no hesitation what so ever. Period lol it sounded great with the right exhaust it was one smooth sounding 400 I've ever owned. Congrats on your 40 years. Now I'm mad @ myself but don't regret it tho I got to learn diesel along with gas living on a oilfield aluminum breaux hull built crewboat yachts. Good luck these days on your retirement brother 40 years you've earned it.
Damn right 400 is torque monster my Chevelle ran from 74 to 84 then rebuilt. Balanced , bored .30 over , 202 heads . Ran 84 to 2005. Put out 443 HP. 😮 Total miles 335 000 + 😊
The thing about it. Even aftermarket blocks like the street SHP has the Siamesed bore design and absolutely no steam hole BS. The 400 running hot myth is on of the biggest myths of all time
@@davidjohnson6329 Then you had a problem with the cooling system, NOT the engine. I have a mildly built, stock block 400 in a GMC Sonoma that puts out around 400-420 hp. It runs around 170°175° normally and gets up to 180°-185° climbing a grade during a hot day.
Built a 400 small block in 1979 with stock bottom end and added 2.02 heads, circle track cam with .537-.555 lift 247/252 duration108 centerline, 750 holley double pumper, big tube 1 7/8 headers and stuffed in a 1969 nova with a powerglide. That thing had so much torque it would break the tires loose at 45 mph! Could not keep head gaskets in it very long but was fun as hell for a 19 year old kid.
An awesome combo. Sounds hairier than this daily driven pure street combo: 406c.i. lunati 230*in/230*ex O.455" lifts in & ex. RPM intake 9.7:1 compression stock vortec heads. 750 HP holley. 2500 stall. Makes 427 hp@ 5100rpm. and 525 tq. @ 3500 rpm. Just a simple short rpm stout daily driven combo without trying for cheap. It would take more money to accomplish the same on a 350 and the 355 combo i have makes 465 tq. and 410hp and has precision work in the heads. XR276HR mild roller cam combo.
@@wildestcowboy2668 obviously you never had a real car in the first place! 340 darts are not fast. Maybe if you said a cornet R/T with 440 6 pack. But regardless, Chevy has fast cars also. But at this point you obviously don't know much of much. Sorry you got your ass kicked. Maybe part of it is also driving skills. Either you had a shit car but probably bad driver or both.
@@wildestcowboy2668 MOPAR = Many Other Parts Are Required. If the guy that built that 340 built your BBC and you had the 340 Duster you would be singing a different "tune". If you understood volumetric efficiency you would know how to make power out of any engine brand.
In high school , mid to late 90s my good buddy had a 68 camaro with a 400 , had 186 camel humps , gm performance intake headers and an unknown cam that wasn't very lumpy , but heavy sounding , th350 no stall and a 308 rear gear . . . That thing would puuuuuull! Very fast car honestly it was almost scary never lost a race when I was present. Great video
I had the only 400 Small block in Townsville North Queensland during the early eighties. The 60 thou over 511 block was an absolute hero and being well and truly worked over, I utterly enjoyed being the #1 street car in the city. That baby never got warm and it saw +6000rpm all the time. They were the best times ever and I dearly regret ever selling it. The 400 was the best kept secret in Australia. :D
Back in high school I had a 77 nova with a 400 out of a blazer. I swapped the cam, headers, intake and a 750 holly. In the early 90’s people thought a short stroke was the way to go but, I read a book called “power secrets” by Smokey unich. It takes torque to move weight. I had a lot of torque and no much weight. I had the fastest car in school. Thanks Smokey.
@@jsteganius6969 Agreed , millions of spot on tricks from Mr. Yunick, I re read it with every SBC I build and I always catch something new I over looked. But I am not a 400 fan at all, less issues with a 383.
I had 3 400s u had to keep them cool I blew 2 of them before I put a huge radiator in very thin walls and hard to find now The olds 403 was a better motor when built right
I've had one that I built in1987. Still runs just as strong today, over 33 years later. I have had the pan off of it twice in 33 years to change out bearings and oil pump. 588 eagle cam . 106 lobe separation. Torqueer 2 intake and a 600 holly. Iron eagle heads. Yes stem holes are drilled. Have ran headers and old ram horn manifolds. Power on demand anytime. Most time steet raced in a lightweight chevy ll . Would not sell it for 2 Ls motors. Will run on alcohol as well as gas. Good little motors. Thanks.
@@ryangulley1082 I believe your brain is "meth infected" bro! Yes, the ls is an excellent engine that is better in volumetric efficiency because of the head design. First Gen small blocks with 14 degree large port/valve combos can support 8000 rpm and 700 to 750 hp n/a with about 13.5 : 1 compression very easily.
The key words in my original response to you was "14 degree heads" which were never made by Chevrolet or GM. They are purpose built race parts that cost thousands. Speed is only a question of money. How fast do you want to go?
My favorite thing to do with 400's is turn them into NASCAR 377's. If the bore is good, (not barrel shaped or more then .040 over) use fat bearings and drop a steel 350 crank in it with 6.125" rods and forged pistons to reduce side loading, steam-hole a set of big valve double-humps with dual valve springs, solid lifters, a 106 cam with around 270 degrees duration and 550 lift. Thing makes nutso power and can handle 8600 revs all day long. The trans-am mustang guys hate us....
Built one of those for my sprint car back in the 70's. 400 block, 350 crank, roller cam and rev kIt, Chevy HP angle plug heads and Hilborn injection running alcohol; it was a stout engine.
Yes a destroked motor is awesome i have had several. My latest is a 351 cleveland destroked to a 330 like glidden dominated pro stock with it makes insane power the local camaro guys hate me.
Have read from some industry heavy hitters that a 377 with fill up to water pump holes and external oil cooler can actually help the stock block live a long time at higher power levels
S.b.c. 400 is a different beast than other small block chevys! Had one wish I'd kept it for my oldest sons 55 Chevy truck ! Even stock, there very strong !!
My uncle had a small block 400 on a 53 Chevy.Pick up everybody used to talk smack about it.We went on many road trips with that vehicle.Towing and r v never had any issues like you said if done right small block 400 is a good engine
For years I had a 400sbc & a 700r4 I swapped in a ‘79 C3 Corvette. Comp 212’/218’-.487”/.495 retrofit hyd roller, unported Vortec heads, standard Performer intake, Quadrajet, 1 5/8” long tubes, Dynomax turbos, recurved HEI, 3:70 posi. A/C, pwr windows lol Would run consistent 13.2’s if the tires didn’t badly break loose. Fun car back then for being surprisingly heavy.
cool. i bet it is a blast to drive, not too much cam, got overdrive. Nice broad torque band. awesome. in a 400 you could have gone up to an XR 276 HR or XR282 HR and still had vacuum to the brakes and have 535 tq. That is what a 383 made with the Xr282Hr10 but needed 1-2 points of vacuum so runs a vacuum cannister to have abundance. The XR276HR makes 465 tq in a 355 same thing on vacuum ran a vacuum can with EPS eddy intake. If ground on 112 LSA will make up the vacuum. i am going to try an XR264, 258, or 252 next time on a mild 355.
Yes Chevelle's. I had a Laguna S3 with a 400 from the factory. The last one I built was a stock bore with longer 350 PM rods and Vortec 062 heads drilled for the steam hole. I had to replace the pistons and used a set of KB's with a relocated pin hole. A Crane dual pattern cam, springs, locks and pushrods finished off the long block. That engine just hauled ass, I had it in a '78 Monza with a 4 speed and it was unmanageable. I finally settled on a built 200r4 out of a Grand National and a tight converter to soften the bottom end. The only thing I did for the cooling system was an aluminum radiator and water pump. Never got beat by a big block car and never had to work on the motor. There really is no better combo that a 400 small block in a light car. Now a days it's the LS Mustang's.
67 SS factory over. 030 block took the 11: 1 highdome pistons out. Went to 10: 5 and closed chambers with biggest valves you could fit. Ran good for a 396. Canary yellow and black with a 411 limited, torker mani and a 850 dual feed double pumper. Break the tires lose at 55 mph.
I had 17 of those blocks at one time a long time ago in california, we were destroking them and running them in sprint cars 377cid. It was the 70`s If youre running over 3500 rpm the steam holes aren`t needed. The holes were there to keep steam pockets from getting trapped under the deck at the siamesed point of the cylinders at higher rpms the flow doesnt let the steam collect. When running 3.75 stroke we just added heavy metal and internally balanced the engine. Now I just buy new blocks, so much easier and no holes...expanded water jackets fixed it and with a 9.325 deck 468 cid is not a problem, wide pan rails .800 increase .391 raised cam BBC cam journal's and any lifter bore or splay you want.
Eddy u seem to know what you are talking about. I have a bone stock 400 in a 72 caprice, cars junk but motor purs like a kitten. Realistic could I get 400;hp out of it without breaking the bank?
@@wildestcowboy2668 If ya can afford it buy new parts. A scat cast internally balanced rotating assembly 400 with 7/16 rod bolts with flat top pistons will hold 400hp no problem. Any cylinder head with 72cc cambers and flow 277cfm or better will get you there and 200 to 220cc intake runners. 1and 3/4 header tubes. Internally balanced rotating assemblies will use 350 harmonic balancers and flexplates. Hydraulic roller cam about 240*duration and 550 lift. That should getter done.......on pump gas. Good luck
Great vid good accuracy couple points 400 connecting rods are shorter 5.65 to 5.7 if your changing pistons anyway forged 350 rods great upgrade don’t be shy with a performance camshaft a 400 will take a lot of cam and still run nice down low same with heads . Look at the size of the heads on a 396 to compare . And a stout engine cheap is a 373 forget the 383 put the forged rods and crank out of a 350 in a 400 block you know have a super over bored 350 never be shy of any small block with 2 bolt mains there is far more important things then 4 bolt mains aftermarket studs in a 2 bolt is stronger than a factory 4 bolt
Thanks for sharing, if you add a 6" rod and light forged pistons with some aluminum heads it would be a torque monster, I like the 400 and can get one for a little carpenter work 😀
A 400 SBC WITH A PERFORMANCE CAM, AFR 180 TORQUE MONSTER HEADS , RPM INTAKE AND A 750 CARB , WILL MAKE JUST OVER 500 HP/ 500 TORQUE. EVEN WITH 9.5 TO 1 COMPRESSION
Well it's been a year I now have the 400 sbc in my storage building ,I'm getting my head together like flat top Keith Black pistons and 6" aftermarket rods ,I gotta set 186 heads screw in studs we will go thru and see if I need new valve springs, I'm building the motor for my tow truck.gotta 355 in it now I need some torque for the hills where I live.
The 327 is a solid choice. Use the right valve springs and a longer rod and you have a snappy little screamer. Take a 400 and add long rods, good heads, and about the hottest street cam and you have a damn fine tire roaster. It all depends on application I suppose. Drag, road, oval, street.... All comes down to how "mad at it" you like to drive. Hee. Hee....
I built three 400 small blocks. Loved them! The best combination was flat top pistons with a solid lift camshaft. I put sportsman II heads with 67 cc chamber . I did have to run AV gas due to compression. 3500 stall with 373 gear. 11.60’s in the 1/4 mile all day long. Very strong engines.
I like the 1971 impala s.b.400,;they were all 4 bolts in that year. Mine has a virgin LT-1 steel crank, as you couldnt get a factory 400 steel crank. mine with a slight punch for straightening finishes at 377 cubes, with alum. brodex 205 intake valves. Had running 18 years now, runs good, never runs too hot. Use two 750 doubles on a crossram! Never had a lick of trouble all these years, and havent even had to reset valves. Solid Lunatti, 302 dur. 547 lift.
Built many over the years,no overheating problems, currently have one in my Wife's 75' Chevy Vega 5 speed car,4.155 bore,n.o.s.TRW 2606-30 Forged pistons, 5.7 H-beam rods,Scat light weight 9000 series Crankshaft, Hydraulic roller cam .575 lift,248dur.with angle plug aluminum heads (a must due to header design), feed by a quick fuel 750 cfm carburetor on a G.M.performance single plane (Vortec stlye) eliminator intake,gets her to Wally world pdq,
Had a stock 400 in my 73 wagon, always ran great. Had the throttle stick open Once ( linkage) got scary over 90mph w/ family in car(.ez fix) Traded in for a 4 cyl for MPG saving, but that 400 always started & ran well for a 2bbl
I built a 509 casting, high nickel, 409 for my 74 Nova SS. I started it for the first time the night before Christmas Eve ‘21. It has 11:1 static compression, tight quench, AFR 195cc Street Eliminators, Comp 12-433-8 hydraulic roller, Scat 9000 crank, Scat forged rods, forged pistons, Edelbrock Hi-Flow aluminum water pump, Cold Case aluminum radiator, a QFT 770 Brawler carb, and a Performer RPM with a 1” open spacer. I listed the ingredients for anyone who is considering building one of these for their street/strip machine because it is a BEAUTIFUL combination that you will not be even remotely disappointed with. If you are guessing which parts would make a good combo, follow this recipe with confidence. Mine has not been Dyno-tested yet, but I have seen another 400 with the same parts as mine, making 540 bhp with 9.7:1 compression.
I will love to hear more about this engine. My 406 use the same cam but AFR 210CC. Also my compression is 10.5 to 1 due that I choose to use inverted domed pistons with 15.2 cc volume and 6" rods. My quench is 0.041 thou and my heads are 65 cc but I shaved them 0.014 tens to get a tad below 63 cc chamber. The engine is coming out of the machine shop this week. I am using a team G manifold. Also installed played Milodon caps. more info is greatly appreciated.
@@fernandodelvalle1612 I’m running a.038” quench, I went with 5.7” rods this time (kinda wish I would have used 6” rods like I usually do). If I’d have gone with a Callies forged crank, I would have dared to go with a.035” quench because my machinist does that with his roundy-round car, and spins 8k all night long. I was going to use the 210’s until I realized I would need custom headers to make it work in my car without cutting up the car. I figured the 195’s might offer a little bit more torque and response for my street car. I have stock caps with ARP studs as well as head studs. I am running flat tops with 2 valve reliefs (wiseco pro-tru), cloyes 9-way, I upgraded the MSD street fire with a dyna-mod module, coil, and spring kit, all-in timing isn’t dialed in yet. Comp ultra-pro 1.6 rockers.
@@mistered9435 very nice. My engine is going in 1982 C3 with a 4 row radiator triflow. Also 2 12" spal fans. What temp runs in a hot day. Since I am in TX I see days of 104 sometimes. I get so much criticism from my friend about this engine that is unreal. I really don't care what they think.
@@fernandodelvalle1612 I assume that your friend thinks you should do an LS swap? They are nice engines, but they are overrated. You’ll love the lower end performance of your engine (gen 1 sbc)compared to an LS, but still get to wind it up to 6500 to shift! A C3 should be amazingly quick with this combo, maybe 10’s or 11’s? Of course, your friend may just be a little jealous.... It sounds like you don’t need any advice, but in case you do: check out the TH-cam video from Straub Technologies, “pushrod geometry for engines”. I tried this simple method and it turned out perfectly.
I picked up a 67 Camino with a mild built 400 in it. I love it !!! Looking for one now to put into my 85 C-10 truck. They hard to find with a stock bore now !!
When dad ordered his new pickup truck in November of '74 he ordered it with the 400 cubic inch engine. Right now that truck has 80,847 mi on it for the sixth time that I know of. And that old small block will turn over the 33x12.50x16.5 tires just like she did when I drove her to high school.
400 sbc good motor in My opinion steam holes are a must. My sbc 400 Had steam holes and with the 3 row radiator from summit 95 degrees outside and it would not overheat. Mine was not a rocket but it was a good street engine. Thanks for sharing
We use to grab these up in the 80s. Three most common. Rotating assembly used in a 350 with the 565 rods had no clearance issues. Or a 406. Or a destroked 400 into a 377
The 400 Chevy smallblock stock never was intended for performance and GM never had a stock performance version they were intended for low speed torque and with factory heads and camshaft ran out a steam by 4500rpm but the longer 3.75 stroke moves big heavy cars and trucks with less revving involved or more easily
I have a. 1977 k5 with a 400 /350 with full time , 4x4 with a 4 row radiator it's never got above 180 , it has headers ,cam ,torquer intake w/60k I bought this new , you must have had a 2 row radiator ,GM is notorious for too small radiators
I had a 400 with a 3.48 stroke, 377. Another difference unshrouded valves. Better breathings. Had Brodix track 1 heads ported and polished. Made around 500 hp, in the early 90's it was a screamer.
The 383 stroker began as a de-stroked 400. In the mid seventies we used 4 bolt 400 small blocks blocks and de-stroked them by stacking two sets of main bearings (until the bearing companies began making us adapter bearings for this purpose) and adding a forged 350 crank. We blocked the steam holes in the block with tapered iron plugs and then decked the block. You could then use any 350 heads iron or aluminum, you could also use 350 rods. This also enabled us to internally balance the motor. So basically we just used the block since the rest of the 400 ( cast crank, steam-port heads, external balancer/flex plates) were not needed. I worked at one of the oldest and most well known race shops in the south at the time, they have since been bought out by a larger company known for it's carburetors. I just thought you might like this bit of trivia.
I had a 72 Kingswood station wagon back in the early 90's.............a rusted out piece of junk from Indiana, but the 400 small block, was bad ass............Right up there with my rebuilt 350 i had in a 72 Nova...........I sold it, the entire car, for 225 bucks and you could tell the four guys that bought it, knew they just got a great great deal
Friend had a Chevelle with 400 SB also. It was an early 70’s. Lots of people call them Malibu’s but it still said Chevelle on it too. Another friend had a Nova with one. He was only able to bore it to .060 do to it’s already large bore. He did have heating problems but probably for reasons you said. I had one in a 72 Caprice.
The 400s that came in the shop to be used for heavy towing/high performance/race applications received specific work (over and above normal work) without exception. They all had 'twist' to them when they came in, the decks out of square - all the same direction, and main saddles progressively out of line, again, same direction as the decks, and finally cam bearing bores often slightly out of line - sometimes took hand scraping for the cam to spin free, no other displacement SBCs consistently showed these issues. I always felt (still do) that the 400's bores were just slightly past what Chevy should have gone in that casting, under heavy use for years on end brought the twist - no other SBC did this. First was a 'half fill' of block hard, no higher than the bottom of the core plugs with the deck leveled - still held enough coolant to do the job but supported the bores to cure any flex, and stay round under load. Line hone or line bore, as required to straighten the mains (ALWAYS ARP fasteners). Parallel/square & set deck heights for obvious reasons. Deck plate hone - torqued, released, torqued again with the same bolts to be used at build. I prefer a 383 built in a 010 block even with the clearanceing they need (more rigid block) but a 400 block as prepared as above never EVER had an issue afterwards, even boosted or sprayed. Things you learn in the business... and take it serious enough to fully check out a block, including cutting a few in pieces (tool & die shops have saws large enough) to see what's hidden.
The late blocks that had 509 cast into the sides (78-80) supposedly had thicker main webs and a touch more nickel added for hardness. I know several guys wanted these blocks over any other. There were quite a few of the earlier ones that broke the crankshaft. I pulled one from a 78 Jimmy that was broken. My 79 K1500 had one in it as well but I never lost the crank. The guys that bought that truck immediately pulled that engine and put a 350 in it.
Everybody that was a gearhead of my age:74. I had built many of them..upstroke and destroked.. Trw made space saver bearings so we could swap in different cranks with a different main bearing size. Many had 3 freeze plugs but not all. Also came in 4 bolt and 2 bolt. The 2 bolt was preferred and then use a aftermarket 4 bolt conversion to gain more strength. They will make 600 hp all day long..I suggest a .010 over bore. A tunnel ram manifold and a cam of around 260 degree at .050 will get you there. But having said that people want a fotune for them so they are basically a waste of money these days. By a cheap Aftermarket iron block and you will be glad you did!
Thinking along the same lines, no o e seems to give mention to the wheezing little 307. Not the 305, but the 307. A stroked 283. Have one in my old high-school 68 camaro. I ported a set of 1.94 double humps, used a 350 horse 327 cam, flat-tops for 10:1. Had the car for almost thirty years now, still runs better than the warmed-over 350 in my Dad's 76 vette.
I have a 400 sbc 509 casting with missing freeze plug on the side!! Has 68 camel hump heads 2.02 intake and 1.60 exhaust valves, a custom ground cam with an Edelbrock Air-Gap intake and Edelbrock performer series 800 cm carb and in my 85 S-10 Tahoe edition with a locked 3:73 rear gear is a fun little truck out on the streets!!!
Hey thanks mate that helps me out heaps I know a little bit about engines and you just filled in the missing pieces. I'm going to buy a perentti in Australia and there is 2 to choose from one is the small block 400 and the other is a 350 small block
400 had bigger main journals to deal with longer stroke. When you build a 383 you have to grind crank for smaller main journal, you're assuming that Chevy engineers didn't know what they were doing?
Hey just want to say you did a great job on this video. I like the way you presented it. Funny the 400 sbc is like the 502/540 version of the big block Chevy, siamesed cylinders. These blocks are getting harder and harder to find now. A new version from Dart, the SHP, is very expensive. If you have room in your car for a big block 454, I would go that route instead. The C3 Corvettes and Chevelles and early Camaros have lots of room for this. Other cars, no.
WE RAN A 400 SB IN AN 82 CHEVY 3/4 4X4 AND USED AS A RANCH WORK PICKUP. PULLED SOME 12 TO 15 TON OF HAY ON MOUNTAIN ROADS IN WINTER CHAINED UP ON ALL 4. WOULD SPIN ALL 4 ANY TIME WE WANTED IN ANY GEAR. WAS ONE HELL OF A PULLER FOR A SMALL BLOCK. HAS AROUND 100,000 ON IT AND STLL RUNS GREAT. ...... WITH STOCK HEADS TOO
Good Video Very Factual...except 1 thing. The "factory experimental" motor that saw production was the biggest troublemaker for Chevrolet since the aluminum sleeved Vega motor. Although this 265 horse mouse can be warmed over to rule the roundtracks and the digs, back in the day virtually every 1 ever installed blew-up locked-up or scattered running at 180 degrees whether it was in a passenger car, station wagon or truck I saw it happen. I still loved them tho.
Friend of mine bought a 74 Vega brand new and drove it for 100000 miles. I helped him take care of it. Regular oil changes with good quality oil. He sold it to another friend of mine who drove it another 100000 miles. Guy from out of state bought it. They would last all depending on who was driving it and who was working on it.
I had a 400 in a conversion van. Loved the torque. I am contemplating buying an older Chevy truck and putting a 400 with TPI in it. Should be a real stump puller.
Bro thanks for this information I just picked up a 1973 sport coupe impala with a 400/400 going to rebuild the 400 with some aluminum heads cam headers and send it 🏁
I have a 400 told it's 400hp in my 77 Vette ... I did not build this motor and the guy I got it from did not know what's in the motor, it has 202 heads and headers, Edelbrock intake and carb ,It runs really strong. I wish I knew what's in it. It does have rollers, I run the fan all the time stays cool.
Basically a 400 is an overbored 350. The lack of coolant paths between the cylinders is what made them run hotter than most SB Chevys. I have seen several cracked and melted SB 400 cylinder walls. Another fun fact. Ford actually had the 350 first but never went to production. Ford experimented with it in the late 1940's and early 1950. My late Uncle worked for Ford until he retired 30 years ago. It was an Edsel Ford brainchild and Henry did not like it. After Edsel died in 1949, Henry was more than glad to phase out the project. They then started working on the.....You guessed it, 351. My Uncle was was a tank mechanic in the Army in and served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. He had transitioned to Army reserves after WWII and worked in the Ford engine shop. When the Korean war erupted he was reactivated and served until the end in 1953. When he went back to work the 350 was nowhere to be found.
I've had many and none have never over heated or cracked a head. Also my bone stock 400 sbc in a 76 monte Carlo out ran many fox body stangs, a vette and many camaros etc.... torque monster
Ive seen 434 strokers making 700hp NA which is absolutely insane for a small block and I always wanted to buy a old opel gt and smack a 434 stroker in it. Nothing could touch me.
They all had two bolt mains, cast cranks and cra-pee con rods. Originally they were all 2 barrel station wagon engine engines. But hey if you know how to properly build an engine for an intended use then a 4-and-an-eighth-inch stock bore size is always gonna give you a nice cheap advantage over a 4.000" one.
actually 70-73 they were all 4 bolt mains then they were all 2 bolt mains. slightly different then the 2 bolt mains on other small blocks, little angled dealie on the side of the main cap. impalas base engine was 350 2bbl caprice base was the 400 2bbl for a few years but also came in other vehicles and trucks with 4 barrel carbs. often the under hood sticker would say 350/400 for some reason. only small block chevy with a different length connecting rod which most people don't use anyway. roundy round racers here in MN used a lot of 400 small blocks with great success.
@@thatbiguy1975 I could swear I saw 70-73 wagon motors with two bolt mains but - eh - aging. I confess I was never a fan of small blocks unless it was a really small vehicle. To me they just seem little and old and out of place in a ton-and-three-quarters GM musclecar.
@@thatbiguy1975 you are correct I have several I collect over the years.... I'm build one for my late father's 70 chevrolet 4x4 I'm restoring I built it into 406 along time ago for my 68 camaro ss
Not saying that you're wrong but I have a 400 small block with broad ahead's with no steam holes I have no problems with heating but I do have a very expensive cooling system
Good information thank you have you every heard 1968 camel humps with steam ports. I bought a pair of them a few weeks ago that had steam ports in them been completely redone check for leaks and cracks and I have a 509 block for them .
Great review on this stout little engine. I built many over the years for street and strip. The best one is done with internal balancing. The external stock factory balancing is junk. I still have 3 today! Good luck finding them. I might sell 2 of them for sale RN!
@@eddiecahall3824 What do you mean do you have issues or something? I know what I bought. I know where 2 more are I'm going to pick up this weekend you just gotta be smart enough to find them. I also run the original Ford 351 Cleveland people say you can't find them anymore either it's funny I have 5 of them here and I'm going to get 2 more tomorrow.
@@eddiecahall3824 Damn you really don't know your stuff do you. I know we're not talking about the 400 Ford I was talking about the original 351Cleveland like the ones Glidden dominated with but that has nothing to do with the 400 Chevy which they aren't that hard to find and I've ran plenty. The 400 Chevy isn't near as bad as some people say I've never had a problem with them I run them 40 over and spin them to 7 grand with no problem I guess most people just don't know how to build them there are alot of people that waste money on after market stuff when it's not necessary. I don't have any problem finding them because this is a very small town and we had a Chevy dealer here in the 70s so I can find cars and trucks setting out in the fields with the 400. As a matter of fact my friend just picked up a 71 impala with the 400 and hes bringing it to me next weekend.
Everybody under the Sun has heard of a 400 small block Chevrolet that's why you can't find them anymore they've all been used abused and blown apart they are a kick-ass racing engine Street or strip
Every one gets so caught up on 4 bolt mains. It’s worth mentioning that AMC actually never offered any production 4 bolt mains on the 304/360/390/401. And those were some tough little motors used in everything.
It's like a small block engine fitted with big block parts. No other small block can be opened up as big as a 400 bore comes standard . I like to built one with bearing spacers with the special pistons , 350 rods and crank . As the longer stroke is good for topend . I would like to go quicker threw the 1/8 or 1/4 mile track.
Aside from adding vent holes to non-400 heads the most important consideration is the rods. 400 rods are shorter than 350 rods, use shorter rod bolts, and are weak in the area transitioning from the rod beam to the bore. The 400 pistons suffered from excessive sideloading due to the long stroke and short rods, which caused them to crack. I believe this is the main reason, aside from the fact that the 400 was discontinued in 1980, that so many 400s were replaced with 350s back in the day. There are pistons available to run 5.7" rods in the 400, which helps the situation, but I believe the rod/stroke ratio of the 400 is the main problem with these engines. So putting a 6" rod in one is even better and brings the rod/stroke ratio close to that of a 350, and as long as the piston isn't too short is the best solution.
Sounds like the mopar community. Only engine you should use is a 340,360 or 440 total B.S. 318,383 and 413 are awesome engines.my 413 rocks makes great torque and good hp.
You do know that a 400 chrysler has a bigger bore than a 440 right 440=4.320 400=4.342. I know big deal .022 . so its a .020 over 440 with a 383 crank. 3.38
I had a Chevy Caprice with a 400 small block engine. I was not impressed. My favorite is the 327 L-79 option. 350 H.P. and the best sounding "cam lope" ever.....the idle sound is mechanical music to my ears....That option was available in a lot of different Chevy models.......
No mention of the rod length? A 5.56 400 rod versus the 5.7 rod, longer rod more torque with the 383, I liked the 400 that I built and it ran well, but until I had a good radiator built it did overheat.
Yes they do have heating issues, I've seen it more than once on stock,factory set ups, even if not over heating they do run hotter than the normal 180-195° temp
The truth, according to professional engine builders with a good reputation, is they are ok for 400-450 hp. Much more and they are problematic, prone to severe deck, and main webbing cracks. And that's after you spend a grand machining them. In this day and age anything larger than a 383 it would not make sense to use a stock block. The dart shp block is a bargain at 1800-2300 depending on location. And will support 1000 hp all day long.
Yes after a certain budget point it is better to get a Dart block. My point is you can always use a stock rotating assembly and some decent heads/cam and make that 400hp mark easily without having to spend $2300 just on the block itself. Actually likely less than that for the whole engine if you use a stock rotating assembly 400, vortec heads and more aggressive cam. Aftermarket blocks rule out a lot of people's budgets.
I got a 511 400sbc runs great. I got a smoking deal on some 113 aluminum heads got the steam holes drilled what's a good valve size to go with? My engine is .060 which makes it a 413. An what can you recommend mostly street use but hit the dragstrip as well
Lots of torque. My Uncle had a ‘72 Chevy Kingswood Wagon with a 400 cid SBC in it. Had 2 barrel Rochester carb. Lots of torque up to about 65 mph, then the torque died down and did not pull much anymore. Got 14 mpg out of the beast, lots better than my dads ‘73 Olds Custom Cruiser with 455 cid Olds smog motor which got 7 mpg on a good day.
Had a brand new '77 K20 4x4 full time with 400/400, it ran hot ALL THE FRICKEN TIME! had to keep it under 65 on the highway or the idiot lite would start to glow,, never put a gauge on it so cant say for sure but yea, it ran hot
The Chevrolet 350, a slightly stroked 327 came out in 1967 as a Camaro only option. The SB 400s were very low-performing smog engines, but I'm sure there's some potential there.
400 small blocks were becoming rare by the late 80's for a number of reasons . The cylinders ran hotter due to the fact that there was no circulation between them . Due to the higher operating temps head cracking between the steam holes was also common . Also , due to the fact that the bores were so close to the head bolts , the head bolts would pull the bores into a hexagonal shape over time , resulting in poor ring seal . Finally , the short rods combined with the longer stroke would cause excessive side loading on the cylinder walls , resulting in excessive wear . That is why 383 strokers became so popular by the late 80's , because there were tons of used up 400 blocks with good cranks in them . I'm an engine machinist with over 40 years of experience , I will be retiring in two years .
WHEN BUILDING AN ENGINE DO YOU WASH OUT / CLEAN OUT ALL THE OIL HOLES ? DO YOU BEBURE THE BLOCK ?
GRIND, SAND DOWN AND POLISH THE OIL RETURN PATHS IN THE LIFTER VALLEYS ? JUST WONDERING, ALL MACHINE SHOPS AROUND ME DON'T, UNLESS YOU REQUEST IT AND PAY EXTRA !
I HAD 2 MOTORS REBUILT AT 1 SHOP , BOTH ENDED UP HAVING ROD AND CRANK BEARINGS PROBLEMS, I THOUGHT CLEARANCES MIGHT HAVE BEEN TO TIGHT. LATER I MET A GUY WHO BUILDS OVAL TRACK RACE ENGINES , HE LOOKED AT BEARINGS , SAID THE MACHINE SHOP NEVER CLEANED BLOCK AND CRANK PROPERLY.
@@daviddavids3468 heck yeah I'd request it to be cleaned and I still wouldn't trust it and do it myself.
Heck ,I worked in an engine shop and I'd still clean parts after getting em back for some job.
I always did that myself you gotta get the oil back to the pump faster than you pump it to the top 👍
Brother you've been an automotive machinist for 40 years with a retirement wow great job 👍 & I had thought about becoming a auto machinist when I was younger but loved the water I ended up on oilfield yachts crewboats & offshore tugs engineer never got the package to retire on 😔 but yea great job brother. & let's get back to them 400s I've had one & it was in a Pontiac Catalina 4 door I want to say in the 70s and it was so smooth running engine with no hesitation what so ever. Period lol it sounded great with the right exhaust it was one smooth sounding 400 I've ever owned. Congrats on your 40 years. Now I'm mad @ myself but don't regret it tho I got to learn diesel along with gas living on a oilfield aluminum breaux hull built crewboat yachts. Good luck these days on your retirement brother 40 years you've earned it.
Another difference to be aware of is that the 400 sb is externally balanced. Different flexplate and balancer than the 350.
Back in my memory, the only factory flywheel to be found for manual transmissions applications was in very few vehicles.
@@kcgarrigan4324 yeah so you have to get an aftermarket one
@@zAvAvAz - Nope, got one laying around here... LOL !
I thought it was the 400 big block.
@@martingarza3383, The "400" BB is the 402 AKA the 396 "turbo fire", this is the early 70's Caprices, the trucks just called it the 402
Damn right 400 is torque monster my Chevelle ran from 74 to 84 then rebuilt. Balanced , bored .30 over , 202 heads . Ran 84 to 2005. Put out 443 HP. 😮 Total miles 335 000 + 😊
The thing about it. Even aftermarket blocks like the street SHP has the Siamesed bore design and absolutely no steam hole BS. The 400 running hot myth is on of the biggest myths of all time
I had one in a pickup. It got hot and burned a hole in a piston. I wasn't abusing it. Beware
If your 400 running hot it's either lean or low on coolant! Great engine!
Stupid mothers always run hot hard to start bad cooling system
@@davidjohnson6329 Then you had a problem with the cooling system, NOT the engine. I have a mildly built, stock block 400 in a GMC Sonoma that puts out around 400-420 hp. It runs around 170°175° normally and gets up to 180°-185° climbing a grade during a hot day.
It's not a myth! But it's way overblown .
Built a 400 small block in 1979 with stock bottom end and added 2.02 heads, circle track cam with .537-.555 lift 247/252 duration108 centerline, 750 holley double pumper, big tube 1 7/8 headers and stuffed in a 1969 nova with a powerglide. That thing had so much torque it would break the tires loose at 45 mph! Could not keep head gaskets in it very long but was fun as hell for a 19 year old kid.
An awesome combo. Sounds hairier than this daily driven pure street combo: 406c.i. lunati 230*in/230*ex O.455" lifts in & ex. RPM intake 9.7:1 compression stock vortec heads. 750 HP holley. 2500 stall. Makes 427 hp@ 5100rpm. and 525 tq. @ 3500 rpm. Just a simple short rpm stout daily driven combo without trying for cheap. It would take more money to accomplish the same on a 350 and the 355 combo i have makes 465 tq. and 410hp and has precision work in the heads. XR276HR mild roller cam combo.
Till the 318 dodge dart shut ya up
I was a BBC guy till a 340 dart beat me
Chevy's are cheap because GM is junk
@wildestcowboy2668 a 318😂😂 you must not know how to tune a muscle car!😂😂
@@wildestcowboy2668 obviously you never had a real car in the first place! 340 darts are not fast. Maybe if you said a cornet R/T with 440 6 pack. But regardless, Chevy has fast cars also. But at this point you obviously don't know much of much. Sorry you got your ass kicked. Maybe part of it is also driving skills. Either you had a shit car but probably bad driver or both.
@@wildestcowboy2668 MOPAR = Many Other Parts Are Required. If the guy that built that 340 built your BBC and you had the 340 Duster you would be singing a different "tune". If you understood volumetric efficiency you would know how to make power out of any engine brand.
In high school , mid to late 90s my good buddy had a 68 camaro with a 400 , had 186 camel humps , gm performance intake headers and an unknown cam that wasn't very lumpy , but heavy sounding , th350 no stall and a 308 rear gear . . . That thing would puuuuuull! Very fast car honestly it was almost scary never lost a race when I was present. Great video
I had the only 400 Small block in Townsville North Queensland during the early eighties. The 60 thou over 511 block was an absolute hero and being well and truly worked over, I utterly enjoyed being the #1 street car in the city. That baby never got warm and it saw +6000rpm all the time. They were the best times ever and I dearly regret ever selling it. The 400 was the best kept secret in Australia. :D
😢 till they discovered that u were a switch hitter
My mate Manuel had a silver Mazda in 90s with 400 in Melbourne running 9.56 quater mile
Quarter mile
Code basha, Did you all get any big block pontiacs?
60 over? Yea, sure... I KNOW that wouldn't have lasted long.
oh yes I can speak from first-hand experience that I still have my 509 2 bolt main 427 small block and she is a beast
Back in high school I had a 77 nova with a 400 out of a blazer.
I swapped the cam, headers, intake and a 750 holly. In the early 90’s people thought a short stroke was the way to go but, I read a book called “power secrets” by Smokey unich.
It takes torque to move weight.
I had a lot of torque and no much weight. I had the fastest car in school. Thanks Smokey.
That is a good book and Smokey was a very smart man. Everything he says in there is right on the money. Everybody should read that book asap.
@@jsteganius6969 You guys know your stuff ;)
@@jsteganius6969 Agreed , millions of spot on tricks from Mr. Yunick, I re read it with every SBC I build and I always catch something new I over looked. But I am not a 400 fan at all, less issues with a 383.
YEAH, Smokey was a deviant, and the man.
I had 3 400s u had to keep them cool I blew 2 of them before I put a huge radiator in very thin walls and hard to find now
The olds 403 was a better motor when built right
I've had one that I built in1987. Still runs just as strong today, over 33 years later. I have had the pan off of it twice in 33 years to change out bearings and oil pump. 588 eagle cam . 106 lobe separation. Torqueer 2 intake and a 600 holly. Iron eagle heads. Yes stem holes are drilled. Have ran headers and old ram horn manifolds. Power on demand anytime. Most time steet raced in a lightweight chevy ll . Would not sell it for 2 Ls motors. Will run on alcohol as well as gas. Good little motors. Thanks.
U wouldn't sell for two.ls motors.lmfao well my ls 402 makes around d 1500 hp meth infected turbo.have fun going slow
@@ryangulley1082 I believe your brain is "meth infected" bro! Yes, the ls is an excellent engine that is better in volumetric efficiency because of the head design. First Gen small blocks with 14 degree large port/valve combos can support 8000 rpm and 700 to 750 hp n/a with about 13.5 : 1 compression very easily.
@@harrypalmer291 the stock.sbc head is trash as well.dz 302 vs a boss 302 .haha.you know tho.i have never built a sbc or any engine.
The key words in my original response to you was "14 degree heads" which were never made by Chevrolet or GM. They are purpose built race parts that cost thousands. Speed is only a question of money. How fast do you want to go?
@@ryangulley1082 let's see it last 33 years though. The guy wasn't attacking LS engines just loves his 400 and then you had to be a c#nt
My favorite thing to do with 400's is turn them into NASCAR 377's. If the bore is good, (not barrel shaped or more then .040 over) use fat bearings and drop a steel 350 crank in it with 6.125" rods and forged pistons to reduce side loading, steam-hole a set of big valve double-humps with dual valve springs, solid lifters, a 106 cam with around 270 degrees duration and 550 lift. Thing makes nutso power and can handle 8600 revs all day long. The trans-am mustang guys hate us....
Built one of those for my sprint car back in the 70's. 400 block, 350 crank, roller cam and rev kIt, Chevy HP angle plug heads and Hilborn injection running alcohol; it was a stout engine.
Yes a destroked motor is awesome i have had several. My latest is a 351 cleveland destroked to a 330 like glidden dominated pro stock with it makes insane power the local camaro guys hate me.
Have read from some industry heavy hitters that a 377 with fill up to water pump holes and external oil cooler can actually help the stock block live a long time at higher power levels
Can you do this with 65 383 big block?
383 Mopar? Or 396 Chevy? Each can be easily turned into a 413 Max Wedge and a 427 Mk. III.
I had a high compression 421 solid roller. Ran extremely well. Being in Phoenix I had NEVER wanted a 400 block
S.b.c. 400 is a different beast than other small block chevys! Had one wish I'd kept it for my oldest sons 55 Chevy truck ! Even stock, there very strong !!
A friend had one in a 1954 Chevy pickup, he would call the 400 the little big block !!
Yea, they're different.... they have 50 more cubic Inches, and a crappy way to balance it.
My uncle had a small block 400 on a 53 Chevy.Pick up everybody used to talk smack about it.We went on many road trips with that vehicle.Towing and r v never had any issues like you said if done right small block 400 is a good engine
For years I had a 400sbc & a 700r4 I swapped in a ‘79 C3 Corvette.
Comp 212’/218’-.487”/.495 retrofit hyd roller,
unported Vortec heads,
standard Performer intake,
Quadrajet,
1 5/8” long tubes,
Dynomax turbos,
recurved HEI,
3:70 posi.
A/C, pwr windows lol
Would run consistent 13.2’s if the tires didn’t badly break loose.
Fun car back then for being surprisingly heavy.
700r4 is a weak trans
Lame combo 😂
@@Jay-fb2lv a baby camshaft but totally streetable
@@Watchout1010 a very small 1st gear's fault amongst other things.
cool. i bet it is a blast to drive, not too much cam, got overdrive. Nice broad torque band. awesome. in a 400 you could have gone up to an XR 276 HR or XR282 HR and still had vacuum to the brakes and have 535 tq. That is what a 383 made with the Xr282Hr10 but needed 1-2 points of vacuum so runs a vacuum cannister to have abundance. The XR276HR makes 465 tq in a 355 same thing on vacuum ran a vacuum can with EPS eddy intake. If ground on 112 LSA will make up the vacuum. i am going to try an XR264, 258, or 252 next time on a mild 355.
Yes Chevelle's. I had a Laguna S3 with a 400 from the factory. The last one I built was a stock bore with longer 350 PM rods and Vortec 062 heads drilled for the steam hole. I had to replace the pistons and used a set of KB's with a relocated pin hole. A Crane dual pattern cam, springs, locks and pushrods finished off the long block. That engine just hauled ass, I had it in a '78 Monza with a 4 speed and it was unmanageable. I finally settled on a built 200r4 out of a Grand National and a tight converter to soften the bottom end. The only thing I did for the cooling system was an aluminum radiator and water pump. Never got beat by a big block car and never had to work on the motor. There really is no better combo that a 400 small block in a light car. Now a days it's the LS Mustang's.
67 SS factory over. 030 block took the 11: 1 highdome pistons out. Went to 10: 5 and closed chambers with biggest valves you could fit. Ran good for a 396. Canary yellow and black with a 411 limited, torker mani and a 850 dual feed double pumper. Break the tires lose at 55 mph.
I had 17 of those blocks at one time a long time ago in california, we were destroking them and running them in sprint cars 377cid. It was the 70`s If youre running over 3500 rpm the steam holes aren`t needed. The holes were there to keep steam pockets from getting trapped under the deck at the siamesed point of the cylinders at higher rpms the flow doesnt let the steam collect. When running 3.75 stroke we just added heavy metal and internally balanced the engine. Now I just buy new blocks, so much easier and no holes...expanded water jackets fixed it and with a 9.325 deck 468 cid is not a problem, wide pan rails .800 increase .391 raised cam BBC cam journal's and any lifter bore or splay you want.
Eddy u seem to know what you are talking about. I have a bone stock 400 in a 72 caprice, cars junk but motor purs like a kitten. Realistic could I get 400;hp out of it without breaking the bank?
@@wildestcowboy2668 Yes sir, no problem, I`d check emission laws of your state first thing. No sense building a motor that` ya can`t get a plate for.
@@edpetrocelli2633 Brotha I live in sweet home Alabama we ain't got no b.s. sleepy Joe Biden restricted anything! ...thank God
@@wildestcowboy2668 If ya can afford it buy new parts. A scat cast internally balanced rotating assembly 400 with 7/16 rod bolts with flat top pistons will hold 400hp no problem. Any cylinder head with 72cc cambers and flow 277cfm or better will get you there and 200 to 220cc intake runners. 1and 3/4 header tubes. Internally balanced rotating assemblies will use 350 harmonic balancers and flexplates. Hydraulic roller cam about 240*duration and 550 lift. That should getter done.......on pump gas. Good luck
@@edpetrocelli2633 Thanks my friend I will study what you sent me.
Great vid good accuracy couple points 400 connecting rods are shorter 5.65 to 5.7 if your changing pistons anyway forged 350 rods great upgrade don’t be shy with a performance camshaft a 400 will take a lot of cam and still run nice down low same with heads . Look at the size of the heads on a 396 to compare . And a stout engine cheap is a 373 forget the 383 put the forged rods and crank out of a 350 in a 400 block you know have a super over bored 350 never be shy of any small block with 2 bolt mains there is far more important things then 4 bolt mains aftermarket studs in a 2 bolt is stronger than a factory 4 bolt
thats 5.56
5.565" to be exact.
Thanks for sharing, if you add a 6" rod and light forged pistons with some aluminum heads it would be a torque monster, I like the 400 and can get one for a little carpenter work 😀
A 400 SBC WITH A PERFORMANCE CAM, AFR 180 TORQUE MONSTER HEADS , RPM INTAKE AND A 750 CARB , WILL MAKE JUST OVER 500 HP/ 500 TORQUE. EVEN WITH 9.5 TO 1 COMPRESSION
@@daviddavids3468 stock pistons?
@@mattv8919 NO KIETH BLACK HYPERTUTIC
Simply domed pistons and a mild cam will turn a 400 into a torque monster...
Well it's been a year I now have the 400 sbc in my storage building ,I'm getting my head together like flat top Keith Black pistons and 6" aftermarket rods ,I gotta set 186 heads screw in studs we will go thru and see if I need new valve springs, I'm building the motor for my tow truck.gotta 355 in it now I need some torque for the hills where I live.
The two best small blocks in my opinion are the 327 and 400,I would pick the 400 over the 350 every time!
Go ahead with those two and make my day ! , A 355 four bolt main work's just fine for me !
The 327 is a solid choice. Use the right valve springs and a longer rod and you have a snappy little screamer. Take a 400 and add long rods, good heads, and about the hottest street cam and you have a damn fine tire roaster. It all depends on application I suppose. Drag, road, oval, street.... All comes down to how "mad at it" you like to drive. Hee. Hee....
Ok
The 400 sure does a good 50yd burnout Into a curb😂❤️
I built three 400 small blocks. Loved them! The best combination was flat top pistons with a solid lift camshaft. I put sportsman II heads with 67 cc chamber . I did have to run AV gas due to compression. 3500 stall with 373 gear. 11.60’s in the 1/4 mile all day long. Very strong engines.
I like the 1971 impala s.b.400,;they were all 4 bolts in that year. Mine has a virgin LT-1 steel crank, as you couldnt get a factory 400 steel crank. mine with a slight punch for straightening finishes at 377 cubes, with alum. brodex 205 intake valves. Had running 18 years now, runs good, never runs too hot. Use two 750 doubles on a crossram! Never had a lick of trouble all these years, and havent even had to reset valves. Solid Lunatti, 302 dur. 547 lift.
Built many over the years,no overheating problems, currently have one in my Wife's 75' Chevy Vega 5 speed car,4.155 bore,n.o.s.TRW 2606-30 Forged pistons, 5.7 H-beam rods,Scat light weight 9000 series Crankshaft, Hydraulic roller cam .575 lift,248dur.with angle plug aluminum heads (a must due to header design), feed by a quick fuel 750 cfm carburetor on a G.M.performance single plane (Vortec stlye) eliminator intake,gets her to Wally world pdq,
Had a stock 400 in my 73 wagon, always ran great. Had the throttle stick open Once ( linkage) got scary over 90mph w/ family in car(.ez fix)
Traded in for a 4 cyl for MPG saving, but that 400 always started & ran well for a 2bbl
Just turn the key off if you ever have throttle stick again brains those Chevrolets like to run wide open
I built a 509 casting, high nickel, 409 for my 74 Nova SS. I started it for the first time the night before Christmas Eve ‘21. It has 11:1 static compression, tight quench, AFR 195cc Street Eliminators, Comp 12-433-8 hydraulic roller, Scat 9000 crank, Scat forged rods, forged pistons, Edelbrock Hi-Flow aluminum water pump, Cold Case aluminum radiator, a QFT 770 Brawler carb, and a Performer RPM with a 1” open spacer.
I listed the ingredients for anyone who is considering building one of these for their street/strip machine because it is a BEAUTIFUL combination that you will not be even remotely disappointed with. If you are guessing which parts would make a good combo, follow this recipe with confidence. Mine has not been Dyno-tested yet, but I have seen another 400 with the same parts as mine, making 540 bhp with 9.7:1 compression.
I will love to hear more about this engine.
My 406 use the same cam but AFR 210CC. Also my compression is 10.5 to 1 due that I choose to use inverted domed pistons with 15.2 cc volume and 6" rods. My quench is 0.041 thou and my heads are 65 cc but I shaved them 0.014 tens to get a tad below 63 cc chamber.
The engine is coming out of the machine shop this week.
I am using a team G manifold. Also installed played Milodon caps.
more info is greatly appreciated.
@@fernandodelvalle1612 I’m running a.038” quench, I went with 5.7” rods this time (kinda wish I would have used 6” rods like I usually do). If I’d have gone with a Callies forged crank, I would have dared to go with a.035” quench because my machinist does that with his roundy-round car, and spins 8k all night long.
I was going to use the 210’s until I realized I would need custom headers to make it work in my car without cutting up the car. I figured the 195’s might offer a little bit more torque and response for my street car.
I have stock caps with ARP studs as well as head studs. I am running flat tops with 2 valve reliefs (wiseco pro-tru), cloyes 9-way, I upgraded the MSD street fire with a dyna-mod module, coil, and spring kit, all-in timing isn’t dialed in yet. Comp ultra-pro 1.6 rockers.
@@mistered9435 very nice. My engine is going in 1982 C3 with a 4 row radiator triflow. Also 2 12" spal fans. What temp runs in a hot day. Since I am in TX I see days of 104 sometimes. I get so much criticism from my friend about this engine that is unreal. I really don't care what they think.
@@fernandodelvalle1612 I assume that your friend thinks you should do an LS swap? They are nice engines, but they are overrated. You’ll love the lower end performance of your engine (gen 1 sbc)compared to an LS, but still get to wind it up to 6500 to shift! A C3 should be amazingly quick with this combo, maybe 10’s or 11’s? Of course, your friend may just be a little jealous....
It sounds like you don’t need any advice, but in case you do: check out the TH-cam video from Straub Technologies, “pushrod geometry for engines”. I tried this simple method and it turned out perfectly.
Those 400SB were great engines.I had two cars with them. A75 Monte carlo and a 76 Caprice estate wagon. They both lasted over 500k miles.😊
I picked up a 67 Camino with a mild built 400 in it. I love it !!! Looking for one now to put into my 85 C-10 truck. They hard to find with a stock bore now !!
When dad ordered his new pickup truck in November of '74 he ordered it with the 400 cubic inch engine. Right now that truck has 80,847 mi on it for the sixth time that I know of. And that old small block will turn over the 33x12.50x16.5 tires just like she did when I drove her to high school.
400 sbc good motor in My opinion steam holes are a must. My sbc 400 Had steam holes and with the 3 row radiator from summit 95 degrees outside and it would not overheat. Mine was not a rocket but it was a good street engine. Thanks for sharing
400 and a 350 also have two different sounds coming out the exhaust
No, they don't... If you built them both identical, they'd sound EXACTLY the same.
Great video. A previous owner of my 1981 El Camino replaced the original engine with a 1980 400. Much fun!
We use to grab these up in the 80s. Three most common. Rotating assembly used in a 350 with the 565 rods had no clearance issues. Or a 406. Or a destroked 400 into a 377
377...... LoL ur thinking about a 383 pop's
@@wildestcowboy2668377 is a 400 with a shorter stroke crank from a 327 or 350. Revs high
The 400 Chevy smallblock stock never was intended for performance and GM never had a stock performance version they were intended for low speed torque and with factory heads and camshaft ran out a steam by 4500rpm but the longer 3.75 stroke moves big heavy cars and trucks with less revving involved or more easily
You are correct.
That's exactly right except you could get a good 4 barrel version occasionally that had torque on the bottom end and would pull up to about 5500rpms
I have a. 1977 k5 with a 400 /350 with full time , 4x4 with a 4 row radiator it's never got above 180 , it has headers ,cam ,torquer intake w/60k I bought this new , you must have had a 2 row radiator ,GM is notorious for too small radiators
The Nascar 358 was basically a 400 smallblock with a 327 crank and .040 over
I had a 400 with a 3.48 stroke, 377. Another difference unshrouded valves. Better breathings. Had Brodix track 1 heads ported and polished. Made around 500 hp, in the early 90's it was a screamer.
The 383 stroker began as a de-stroked 400. In the mid seventies we used 4 bolt 400 small blocks blocks and de-stroked them by stacking two sets of main bearings (until the bearing companies began making us adapter bearings for this purpose) and adding a forged 350 crank. We blocked the steam holes in the block with tapered iron plugs and then decked the block. You could then use any 350 heads iron or aluminum, you could also use 350 rods. This also enabled us to internally balance the motor. So basically we just used the block since the rest of the 400 ( cast crank, steam-port heads, external balancer/flex plates) were not needed. I worked at one of the oldest and most well known race shops in the south at the time, they have since been bought out by a larger company known for it's carburetors. I just thought you might like this bit of trivia.
i appeeciate any small block knowledge
I had a 72 Kingswood station wagon back in the early 90's.............a rusted out piece of junk from Indiana, but the 400 small block, was bad ass............Right up there with my rebuilt 350 i had in a 72 Nova...........I sold it, the entire car, for 225 bucks and you could tell the four guys that bought it, knew they just got a great great deal
If you want to make power on the cheap a 400sbc and vortec heads are hard to beat.
Friend had a Chevelle with 400 SB also. It was an early 70’s. Lots of people call them Malibu’s but it still said Chevelle on it too. Another friend had a Nova with one. He was only able to bore it to .060 do to it’s already large bore. He did have heating problems but probably for reasons you said. I had one in a 72 Caprice.
😆 ONLY able to bore it to .060.... 😬
The 400s that came in the shop to be used for heavy towing/high performance/race applications received specific work (over and above normal work) without exception.
They all had 'twist' to them when they came in, the decks out of square - all the same direction, and main saddles progressively out of line, again, same direction as the decks, and finally cam bearing bores often slightly out of line - sometimes took hand scraping for the cam to spin free, no other displacement SBCs consistently showed these issues.
I always felt (still do) that the 400's bores were just slightly past what Chevy should have gone in that casting, under heavy use for years on end brought the twist - no other SBC did this.
First was a 'half fill' of block hard, no higher than the bottom of the core plugs with the deck leveled - still held enough coolant to do the job but supported the bores to cure any flex, and stay round under load.
Line hone or line bore, as required to straighten the mains (ALWAYS ARP fasteners).
Parallel/square & set deck heights for obvious reasons.
Deck plate hone - torqued, released, torqued again with the same bolts to be used at build.
I prefer a 383 built in a 010 block even with the clearanceing they need (more rigid block) but a 400 block as prepared as above never EVER had an issue afterwards, even boosted or sprayed.
Things you learn in the business...
and take it serious enough to fully check out a block, including cutting a few in pieces (tool & die shops have saws large enough) to see what's hidden.
The late blocks that had 509 cast into the sides (78-80) supposedly had thicker main webs and a touch more nickel added for hardness. I know several guys wanted these blocks over any other. There were quite a few of the earlier ones that broke the crankshaft. I pulled one from a 78 Jimmy that was broken. My 79 K1500 had one in it as well but I never lost the crank. The guys that bought that truck immediately pulled that engine and put a 350 in it.
Everybody that was a gearhead of my age:74.
I had built many of them..upstroke and destroked..
Trw made space saver bearings so we could swap in different cranks with a different main bearing size.
Many had 3 freeze plugs but not all.
Also came in 4 bolt and 2 bolt.
The 2 bolt was preferred and then use a aftermarket 4 bolt conversion to gain more strength.
They will make 600 hp all day long..I suggest a .010 over bore.
A tunnel ram manifold and a cam of around 260 degree at .050 will get you there.
But having said that people want a fotune for them so they are basically a waste of money these days.
By a cheap Aftermarket iron block and you will be glad you did!
Did you ever Build a 3.00 Stroke 400.???
I just got mine out of the shop 408 with forged rotating assembly and it’s going in my 92 gmc stepside on 40s so hopefully it rips
I love the long stroke stroker combinations 3.875/4.00 strokes. I’m building a dart block now using a 3.875 stroke
Thinking along the same lines, no o e seems to give mention to the wheezing little 307. Not the 305, but the 307. A stroked 283. Have one in my old high-school 68 camaro. I ported a set of 1.94 double humps, used a 350 horse 327 cam, flat-tops for 10:1. Had the car for almost thirty years now, still runs better than the warmed-over 350 in my Dad's 76 vette.
I have a 73 S3 Laguna chevelle that came with a 400 from factory, I love that motor
I have a 400 sbc 509 casting with missing freeze plug on the side!! Has 68 camel hump heads 2.02 intake and 1.60 exhaust valves, a custom ground cam with an Edelbrock Air-Gap intake and Edelbrock performer series 800 cm carb and in my 85 S-10 Tahoe edition with a locked 3:73 rear gear is a fun little truck out on the streets!!!
Hey thanks mate that helps me out heaps I know a little bit about engines and you just filled in the missing pieces. I'm going to buy a perentti in Australia and there is 2 to choose from one is the small block 400 and the other is a 350 small block
400 had bigger main journals to deal with longer stroke. When you build a 383 you have to grind crank for smaller main journal, you're assuming that Chevy engineers didn't know what they were doing?
They are becoming very rare to get a hold of
Hey just want to say you did a great job on this video. I like the way you presented it. Funny the 400 sbc is like the 502/540 version of the big block Chevy, siamesed cylinders. These blocks are getting harder and harder to find now. A new version from Dart, the SHP, is very expensive. If you have room in your car for a big block 454, I would go that route instead. The C3 Corvettes and Chevelles and early Camaros have lots of room for this. Other cars, no.
WE RAN A 400 SB IN AN 82 CHEVY 3/4 4X4 AND USED AS A RANCH WORK PICKUP. PULLED SOME 12 TO 15 TON OF HAY ON MOUNTAIN ROADS IN WINTER CHAINED UP ON ALL 4. WOULD SPIN ALL 4 ANY TIME WE WANTED IN ANY GEAR. WAS ONE HELL OF A PULLER FOR A SMALL BLOCK. HAS AROUND 100,000 ON IT AND STLL RUNS GREAT. ...... WITH STOCK HEADS TOO
Gotta love good old American muscle brother.
Good Video Very Factual...except 1 thing. The "factory experimental" motor that saw production was the biggest troublemaker for Chevrolet since the aluminum sleeved Vega motor. Although this 265 horse mouse can be warmed over to rule the roundtracks and the digs, back in the day virtually every 1 ever installed blew-up locked-up or scattered running at 180 degrees whether it was in a passenger car, station wagon or truck I saw it happen. I still loved them tho.
Friend of mine bought a 74 Vega brand new and drove it for 100000 miles. I helped him take care of it. Regular oil changes with good quality oil. He sold it to another friend of mine who drove it another 100000 miles. Guy from out of state bought it. They would last all depending on who was driving it and who was working on it.
Yeah the overheating is a myth, they have the power of bbc and less weight!
I had a 400 in a conversion van. Loved the torque. I am contemplating buying an older Chevy truck and putting a 400 with TPI in it. Should be a real stump puller.
Bro thanks for this information I just picked up a 1973 sport coupe impala with a 400/400 going to rebuild the 400 with some aluminum heads cam headers and send it 🏁
That’s my favorite sbc I BILT several. The last one mad 456 to the rear wheels
Best info on Chevy sb
Great video. Same concept with the Ford small block. Get a 400 and put great heads on it. Canted valves right off the bat
Chevy 400 will tromp a ford 400 all day
I have a 400 told it's 400hp in my 77 Vette ... I did not build this motor and the guy I got it from did not know what's in the motor, it has 202 heads and headers, Edelbrock intake and carb ,It runs really strong. I wish I knew what's in it. It does have rollers, I run the fan all the time stays cool.
Basically a 400 is an overbored 350. The lack of coolant paths between the cylinders is what made them run hotter than most SB Chevys. I have seen several cracked and melted SB 400 cylinder walls. Another fun fact. Ford actually had the 350 first but never went to production. Ford experimented with it in the late 1940's and early 1950. My late Uncle worked for Ford until he retired 30 years ago. It was an Edsel Ford brainchild and Henry did not like it. After Edsel died in 1949, Henry was more than glad to phase out the project. They then started working on the.....You guessed it, 351. My Uncle was was a tank mechanic in the Army in and served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. He had transitioned to Army reserves after WWII and worked in the Ford engine shop. When the Korean war erupted he was reactivated and served until the end in 1953. When he went back to work the 350 was nowhere to be found.
Henry Ford died in 1947, his son Edsel died several years before, I think it was 1942. Henry
made Edsels life very difficult.
Ultimate Street motor 421 or a 434 sbc
Easily a 650-800 hp N/A roughly 8k-12k
I've had many and none have never over heated or cracked a head. Also my bone stock 400 sbc in a 76 monte Carlo out ran many fox body stangs, a vette and many camaros etc.... torque monster
Ive seen 434 strokers making 700hp NA which is absolutely insane for a small block and I always wanted to buy a old opel gt and smack a 434 stroker in it. Nothing could touch me.
If you want to use factory heads use the earliest ones they were thicker cast and less likely to crack like the later heads.
My machinist told me they haven't drilled stem holes in forever ave suggested filling them before it gets decked
They all had two bolt mains, cast cranks and cra-pee con rods. Originally they were all 2 barrel station wagon engine engines. But hey if you know how to properly build an engine for an intended use then a 4-and-an-eighth-inch stock bore size is always gonna give you a nice cheap advantage over a 4.000" one.
actually 70-73 they were all 4 bolt mains then they were all 2 bolt mains. slightly different then the 2 bolt mains on other small blocks, little angled dealie on the side of the main cap. impalas base engine was 350 2bbl caprice base was the 400 2bbl for a few years but also came in other vehicles and trucks with 4 barrel carbs. often the under hood sticker would say 350/400 for some reason. only small block chevy with a different length connecting rod which most people don't use anyway. roundy round racers here in MN used a lot of 400 small blocks with great success.
@@thatbiguy1975 I could swear I saw 70-73 wagon motors with two bolt mains but - eh - aging.
I confess I was never a fan of small blocks unless it was a really small vehicle. To me they just seem little and old and out of place in a ton-and-three-quarters GM musclecar.
@@thatbiguy1975 you are correct I have several I collect over the years.... I'm build one for my late father's 70 chevrolet 4x4 I'm restoring I built it into 406 along time ago for my 68 camaro ss
@@thatbiguy1975 I have a late '73 511 block with a 2 bolt main. I was quite relieved when I took the pan off.
The extra stroke is where the real pulling power comes from 3 and 3/4 inch over 3 and 1/2 inch stroke is where the torque comes from
My 1979 K20 AWD 4X4 is a sleeper with its sbc400 and its 10,000 billet heads. She really screams. It had AFR 220 on it previously.
Not saying that you're wrong but I have a 400 small block with broad ahead's with no steam holes I have no problems with heating but I do have a very expensive cooling system
I’ve run 400s for 20 years without issues,iron heads I drilled holes but with aluminum heads you don’t need to drill the holes
If it's hard to get go Dart
Good information thank you have you every heard 1968 camel humps with steam ports. I bought a pair of them a few weeks ago that had steam ports in them been completely redone check for leaks and cracks and I have a 509 block for them .
Great review on this stout little engine. I built many over the years for street and strip. The best one is done with internal balancing. The external stock factory balancing is junk. I still have 3 today! Good luck finding them. I might sell 2 of them for sale RN!
They are plentyful around here i just bought 6 complete 400s for 200
@@davescbradiorepair8195 liar!
@@eddiecahall3824 What do you mean do you have issues or something? I know what I bought. I know where 2 more are I'm going to pick up this weekend you just gotta be smart enough to find them. I also run the original Ford 351 Cleveland people say you can't find them anymore either it's funny I have 5 of them here and I'm going to get 2 more tomorrow.
@@eddiecahall3824 Damn you really don't know your stuff do you. I know we're not talking about the 400 Ford I was talking about the original 351Cleveland like the ones Glidden dominated with but that has nothing to do with the 400 Chevy which they aren't that hard to find and I've ran plenty. The 400 Chevy isn't near as bad as some people say I've never had a problem with them I run them 40 over and spin them to 7 grand with no problem I guess most people just don't know how to build them there are alot of people that waste money on after market stuff when it's not necessary. I don't have any problem finding them because this is a very small town and we had a Chevy dealer here in the 70s so I can find cars and trucks setting out in the fields with the 400. As a matter of fact my friend just picked up a 71 impala with the 400 and hes bringing it to me next weekend.
@@davescbradiorepair8195 dream on!
Tossed one in my S10 . Very impressive!
There's no replacement for displacement.
Built a 400 sbc in 98 steel crank 6.0 rods isky solid cam dart 208 heads 500+ hp and torque
Everybody under the Sun has heard of a 400 small block Chevrolet that's why you can't find them anymore they've all been used abused and blown apart they are a kick-ass racing engine Street or strip
Every one gets so caught up on 4 bolt mains. It’s worth mentioning that AMC actually never offered any production 4 bolt mains on the 304/360/390/401. And those were some tough little motors used in everything.
You forgot to mention the 5.5 connecting rods. They do make pistons to accommodate the 5.7 rod. It puts less strain on the cylinder walls.
Speed Pro and many other's make pistons for the 5.7 conversion,.... done it for years........
Go 6”.
Great video you got a new subscriber just picked one up 2 bolt main for pennys painted and cleaned!!
The small block 400 is a small block that thinks it's a big block torque monster!!!
It's like a small block engine fitted with big block parts. No other small block can be opened up as big as a 400 bore comes standard . I like to built one with bearing spacers with the special pistons , 350 rods and crank . As the longer stroke is good for topend . I would like to go quicker threw the 1/8 or 1/4 mile track.
Aside from adding vent holes to non-400 heads the most important consideration is the rods. 400 rods are shorter than 350 rods, use shorter rod bolts, and are weak in the area transitioning from the rod beam to the bore. The 400 pistons suffered from excessive sideloading due to the long stroke and short rods, which caused them to crack. I believe this is the main reason, aside from the fact that the 400 was discontinued in 1980, that so many 400s were replaced with 350s back in the day. There are pistons available to run 5.7" rods in the 400, which helps the situation, but I believe the rod/stroke ratio of the 400 is the main problem with these engines. So putting a 6" rod in one is even better and brings the rod/stroke ratio close to that of a 350, and as long as the piston isn't too short is the best solution.
They're great little motors! Weight to power makes them great!
Sounds like the mopar community. Only engine you should use is a 340,360 or 440 total B.S. 318,383 and 413 are awesome engines.my 413 rocks makes great torque and good hp.
You do know that a 400 chrysler has a bigger bore than a 440 right
440=4.320 400=4.342. I know big deal
.022 . so its a .020 over 440 with a 383 crank. 3.38
The 413 was a stout engine and often overlooked.
Something about stroking it to 427 sounds cool as hell,
Learned alot, thank you
In the captions it said "not Chevelle" but I had a 75 Chevelle with the LT4 400 with 202 heads and dual exhaust. All factory.
Great info, I am considering a 406.
I had a Chevy Caprice with a 400 small block engine. I was not impressed. My favorite is the 327 L-79 option. 350 H.P. and the best sounding "cam lope" ever.....the idle sound is mechanical music to my ears....That option was available in a lot of different Chevy models.......
I will agree with you about the 400 Rob but on the 327 u probably heard a 340 MOPAR. Only reason we had Chevy's they were cheap
I subbed I like thiskind of content keep em coming sir
No mention of the rod length? A 5.56 400 rod versus the 5.7 rod, longer rod more torque with the 383, I liked the 400 that I built and it ran well, but until I had a good radiator built it did overheat.
That sounds amazing! What’s the cam setup?
Yes they do have heating issues, I've seen it more than once on stock,factory set ups, even if not over heating they do run hotter than the normal 180-195° temp
Don't 400s have 2 welsh plugs or in usa freeze plugs
The 400 crankshaft won’t drop right into a 350 block anyways. 2.65 main vs a 2.45 main block
The truth, according to professional engine builders with a good reputation, is they are ok for 400-450 hp. Much more and they are problematic, prone to severe deck, and main webbing cracks. And that's after you spend a grand machining them. In this day and age anything larger than a 383 it would not make sense to use a stock block. The dart shp block is a bargain at 1800-2300 depending on location. And will support 1000 hp all day long.
Yes after a certain budget point it is better to get a Dart block. My point is you can always use a stock rotating assembly and some decent heads/cam and make that 400hp mark easily without having to spend $2300 just on the block itself. Actually likely less than that for the whole engine if you use a stock rotating assembly 400, vortec heads and more aggressive cam. Aftermarket blocks rule out a lot of people's budgets.
And the crankshafts were all cast and had the same 450horsepower limit then they would crack and come apart if they were hooked up and pulling
@@RatMaro they are about all gone no stock blocks left out there. Like finding a gold nugget
@@burnychaplin4601 gotta be on lookout . caprices crashin and ls swaps . thats how i picked up mine
I got a 511 400sbc runs great. I got a smoking deal on some 113 aluminum heads got the steam holes drilled what's a good valve size to go with? My engine is .060 which makes it a 413. An what can you recommend mostly street use but hit the dragstrip as well
Lots of torque. My Uncle had a ‘72 Chevy Kingswood Wagon with a 400 cid SBC in it. Had 2 barrel Rochester carb. Lots of torque up to about 65 mph, then the torque died down and did not pull much anymore. Got 14 mpg out of the beast, lots better than my dads ‘73 Olds Custom Cruiser with 455 cid Olds smog motor which got 7 mpg on a good day.
Had a brand new '77 K20 4x4 full time with 400/400, it ran hot ALL THE FRICKEN TIME! had to keep it under 65 on the highway or the idiot lite would start to glow,, never put a gauge on it so cant say for sure but yea, it ran hot
The Chevrolet 350, a slightly stroked 327 came out in 1967 as a Camaro only option. The SB 400s were very low-performing smog engines, but I'm sure there's some potential there.