Building a SBC Chevy 400 Problems and Solutions PART 1 of the Build
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 มี.ค. 2023
- In this video I describe the 2 400 SBC engine builds that I have in progress. I also describe problems that I have encountered including tight rod and main bearing clearances as well as camshaft bearing fitment and how these problems were addressed.
I also cover the difference between mass production engine assemble and blueprinting as well as a variety of other relative topics. - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
I’ve been a fan of the small block Chevy 400 since I pulled one out of a 73 station wagon in 1976
And built it for my 73 Z 28
Street Camaro, soon I accumulated a couple of more blocks, and complete engines went hunting those early 70s station wagons they were loaded with these motors,
Had 4 bolt mains. I absolutely love these motors ran them for years always heard about overheating problems. Never had an issue. Used a 350 head gasket as a template for the 400 block drill the appropriate steam pocket holes and that’s basically all I did
It does require a lot of induction compared to the 350, so with the proper castings, it was an extreme port job large Intake an exhaust valves
It was a motor of epic proportions. I ran it on the street for four years big hydraulic cam 11 1/2 to one compression automatic with 3500 stall converter 4 .10 out back
11 second street car those were the days.
Thanks Tim, lots of good info. I like them because it is easy to make good power without stressing them too much. AG
Just wanted to tell you what a great job you're doing on your videos , and I envy how organized your shop is , thank you for sharing your knowledge with us 😊
Thanks for your kind words Terry. You are motivating me to make more and we have some ideas that I hope you will find interesting. Please keep watching and providing your valued input.
Allan Gold
@Gold's Garage hello Allen I'm looking forward to your videos I did subb to your channel , my friend Ed from Ed's machine shared one of your videos with me and I'm so glad he did , you talk about things most people don't talk about ,keep up the good work my friend
I've been running a 400 sbc in my short bed square body people always telling me how problematic they are this video gives me a peice of mind keep the videos coming
Thanks John. A 400 is a great way to get max power and torque from a small block package. AG
I built a few of them. Haven't had one problem
Joe Sherman had a lot good info on building small block 400! Keep up the good work, I don’t consider it over building just depends on budget.
I had one in my 83 olds cutlass for years and loved it
Very good video , great explanation of bearing installation. Creating the bearing scraper from the old camshaft is a great idea 🏁
Glad you enjoyed it Mario, to note, it was not my idea, I got it from TH-cam, where else!
Liked and subscribed.
Hello from the Netherlands. 😊
I’ll never built an engine but I very much like to watch other do that.
I particularly like how you you explain the details and why (not just how) you do things.
Thank you for making these videos!
Eduard.
Oh and your video production quality is excellent too!
Thanks Conservator, very cool that you are watching my channel from the Netherlands! More content coming, please keep watching! AG
👍 I enjoyed listening to your tips.
Thanks for the compliment CAR. Keeps me motivated. AG
Very happy to see the camshaft as the first thing in the engine. I see so many builders assemble the short block before putting the camshaft in.
Thanks Brad. It is easier to install a cam with the engine upside down and no crankshaft in the way. AG
Nothing sucks more than having your crank and rods torqued to find your machinist dropped the ball , and the cam don't slide all the way in because of cocked or binding cam bearing.
Back in 2021 after the PERA webinar, I communicated with Ron Sledge of King Bearings and he told me how to use and old camshaft as a bearing scraper. It took a little time before anyone responded to my Craigslist ad but I did get 2 shafts to make the scraper. Now that I am prepared, I have yet to need it but that day is coming.
Thanks Stovebolt, I know have a tool too for a SBC at least but I hope i will never have to use it. Thanks for supporting my channel, more content coming. AG
You have so much knowledge thanks for sharing that with us
Nice compliment, thanks LParsons. AG
Great video. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
I subscribed. 🙂
Thanks so much Bart, lots of content coming soon. AG
Good luck on the dyno my favorite times.
Thanks B, we had a good day on the dyno. The video is up so please check it out. AG
I have several 70's SBC1 400's that were converted to top hat sleeved 500ci SBC1's. Easy stuff really, And you eliminate most of the problems, with a Big bump in cubes and a extra 200hp. All of it is old Hot Rodder tech, really old, and it's easier to do now with the new stuff.
I prep my bearings before I install them. On the back of the bearings you will find their stamp that is above the surface of the bearings. I burnish that down with 600 grit paper so I have 100 percent contact with the saddle.
Thanks for the tip Steve. AG
I did a re-ring job on a 318 for a buddy last summer that had jumped time and I used that universal cam tool and the cam would not even enter the 4th journal. I had plenty of old Chevy cams that were cut for clearancing but I didn't have not one old Dodge cam as he wanted to reuse his cam and lifters. I put some pressure against it and spun it enough to lightly scar the bearing enough to show the high spots then I took a razor blade and stood it straight up and scraped the highs till it finally slid in and stopped showing any signs of rubbing. Most shops around here have a stock of old cams for this purpose. I always cut mine on about a 30° angle across the journal and as I cut down into the journal I tilt my wheel at about a 45 so it leaves more of a knife edge.
I don't know what other shops are charging for splaying oem blocks but for what a local shop quoted me I can buy a Brodix/Edelbrock/Blueprint cast iron block for about the same price.
Thanks Steve, lots of good points. Since this happened to me I have learned that machine shops often scrape cam bearings. You are also correct about the cost of splayed caps, however even aftermarket blocks require machining which adds to the cost. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience and please keep watching, more content to come. AG
Excellent video. I've built some 327s, a long time ago. I just picked up a 1974 std bore 400 to build for my 68 Impala. This is really going to help, thanks! I am looking for 10:1 compression, but don't know about the cam, so many options!
Thanks John. Good luck with your build. I have a series of videos in progress right now about a 406 build. AG
HOWARDS , Big Mama Rattler, or Big Daddy Rattler. Very streetable, doesn't need a big stall. Excellent power and torque. And made in USA.
I use the universal cam bearing tool you showed & have ran into tight cams often. Line honing the cam tunnel is one option, but I've found scraping the cam bearing to be the quickest & easiest option. I've had bent roller cams as well (Thanks UPS/FedEx). I straighten them in V-blocks. Doesn't take much to make a cam get tight. I also install two, test fit cam, install another bearing and then test fit after each one.
Thanks Terry, after this experience I now install one bearing at a time now also. AG
@@thepoopsoupthey’re all bent to a certain degree.
Thank you for your knowledge and videos USA 🇺🇸 USA 🇺🇸 USA 🇺🇸
Thanks for watching and your kind words
Lots of good information. Especially the trick with tight cam bearings, I have done that in the past on a 400 with an old cam to gain the clearance needed. However, I am disagreeing with the using two different mfg bearing halves to get the clearance needed. Bearing halves are fitted from the factory for each other, you do not mix and match them ever. Yes, he gained the clearance by using a one thousandth larger bearing half, but he only gained that extra clearance on 1/2 of the bearing. By measuring across he got the number he wanted but it is actually not consistent across the whole journal, only half of it. You are better off, running both halves of the one thousandth larger bearing, or sticking with the original bearing.
I was also under the understanding from other machinist that original four bolt main Chevy 400 blocks are prone to cracking, and you are better off with a two bolt main block and ARP bolts.
Thank you OldGlory for your comments and your interest in my channel. You are making some good points. The reason that we are able to match a standard and .001" bearing is that the inside diameter of the bearing is larger at the parting line than perpendicular to it (thus we always measure perpendicular to it). To be sure that my response to you is accurate, I actually measured at the parting line and it is .004"-.005" larger just next to the parting line. This difference creates an "oil wedge" that gets carried into the clearance between the bearing and the shaft as the crank rotates.
Ideally the bearing and crankshaft never contact each other but are separated by the thin film of oil. Adding an extra .0005" of clearance just provides for more volume of oil between the shaft and bearing.
The same principles are applied in heavy industry where large journal bearings (i.e. Plain or non roller) bearings are used.
The OEM factory manual specification for main bearing clearance is .0008"-.0020" . Even if I would have used both halves of the standard King bearings I would have .0015" of clearance on the tightest journal, which would be fine.
I know that this method is used by commercial machine shops and I have also used it many times in the past with good results.
Thanks again for your comments and I hope you will find my response satisfactory.
Please keep watching my channel and posting your comments.
Allan Gold
@@goldsgarage8236 thank you for the reply, Allan, very detailed. I think I understand what you’re saying, about an oil wedge being created between the wider, bearing and standard bearing, yet even with that wouldn’t the 1/2 of the crankshaft journal that is in the standard bearing still ultimately be still running in tighter, tolerances on the sides where the two bearing halves meet? I am also assuming you are putting the standard bearing in the cap side of the journal, and the .001 larger bearing half on the block side?
Keep churning out the videos, there’s a whole generation of knowledge that we are losing and very few young minds willing to pick it up
Thanks OldGlory. Since I had 2 crankshafts and two sets of bearings I did both. I will keep making videos as long as you keep watching and commenting.
Allan Gold
One thing to think about when a rod cap is torqued down and the bearing crushes it's egg shaped, wider at the parting lines, so that when it's running it's stretching the load sides, upper and lower and pulls the perpendicular sides(parting line) in so the hole is closer to round when the engine is running and load is applied. But it's never perfectly round, hence why one over/under half's work as they do. None of this can be seen with the naked eye, but if you check with a dial bore gauge it's evident. Also when you pull out a set of used bearings you'll notice there's never any wear at the parting lines only at the 12 and 6 o'clock positions.
Its hard to get the number 1 cam brg. Straight, so my hubby places the block upside down on a bench after he has chamfered the back side of the number 1 hole, disassembles the tool, slides it in from the back of the block,assembles it in the block, and drives num. 1 in from the back side.
That is the correct way Peggy, much easier to maintain alignment that way. Thanks for your input. AG
The machinist who changed the cam bearings on my engine honed the bearings after installing, putting a crosshatch on it.
I dont know how common it is but seem to be his way of doing things.
I did notice that the original bearings seemed to have been on the tight side.
Thanks Magnus, I have never had issues with cam bearings before, but since I am now hearing similar comments. It would probable work fine as ling are you are careful not to add clearance. Cam bearings are pretty soft.
Thanks for your input, please keep watching and providing your input.
Allan Gold
I don't know what stone or whatever he used but it's generally not a good idea to hone bearings, especially with sand paper, as the material from the stones or any type gritty material will get embedded in the soft babbitt of the bearing and will scar and wear on the cam journals. Idk maybe he used a new material I'm not familiar with, they're coming out with new stuff all the time, but I would still be leary. Most likely never have a problem though.
@@stevenbelue5496 yeah Ill have to ask him to explain it. Hes a really good machinist so I dont doubt his work but its curious.
First of all I do not bash people for their assembly techniques but since you said you are open to learning I thought I would go into a couple of things that you can do better.
1. Factory GM blocks often have a problem with the cam tunnels. Especially BBC and Pontiac blocks. While scraping in the bearings to get the cam to rotate freely may work it does create another problem. If the cam tunnel is not strait it will lead to excessive clearance in one or more of the cam bearings. This will cause an internal oil leak. The bearing crush in the cam tunnel should be what you should be concerned about. Mark Jones has a great video on this, look up engine building 201. He goes thru the procedure on a BBC which usually has more problems.
2. The problem with the hammer mandrel cam tool is that it can mushroom the bearings as it gets installed. The BHJ cam bearing installer uses a draw bar to install the bearings. It is pricey but if you do many engines a year it can pay for itself fairly quickly. You can keep the mandrel hammer types to make the correct OD of the bearings in a lathe.
3. On the 400 with the splayed caps. When you have the caps installed by your machinist take the bearings and crankshaft to him so when he does the line hone he can give you the oil clearance that you specify. That way you won't have to buy an extra set of bearings. I do commend you for showing the trick of mixing the bearings many people don't know that. For an engine that has not been line honed that is a great solution. The rule of thumb for bearing clearance is a .001 per inch of the journal diameter. So if a 400 has a journal size of 2.65 you would want .00265 minimum and for performance apps. add another .0005 to that. I know that you are following what the factory spec. is, but throw that out the window. Mahle has my recommendation on their website. While your .0005 bore gauge is better than plastigauge I would recommend a bore gauge with a resolution of .00001 to get the most accurate readings. Mititoyo has one that is reasonably priced. This is what I have. I really want the Sunnen long reach one but can't justify 2K for it.
4. For your cam installations. I don't know how you are doing these but I noticed on your blue print sheet from what I could see of it that you didn't have column for piston to valve clearance. Since I do not know how you are going about this I will just give you an example of what I do. I will map my P to V from 6 degrees retarded to 6 degrees advanced. That way I won't have to pray that I will not have a problem on the dyno. Cam timing is also a great tool to achieve a proper dynamic compression ratio. DCR to me is the only way to really guaranty a pump gas friendly engine. A 13:1 static compression engine can run on pump gas if the cam is timing is set correctly.
5. I would recommend Dyno sim 6 to help with your engine combinations. Also for Dynamic compression I use the Wallace racing calculator online.
Hope this helps happy engine building! Keep up the good work on the video's
Best regards BK
Thanks for taking the time to provide great input B, just heading to the dyno today. More to come, watch the video. AG
I'm in the process of building a SBC 400. I'm using Flo tec cylinder heads should drill steam hole or not. This going in a street rod. I love your videos. Thank you.
Bill, can you please respond to this question? AG
Awesome
Thanks for watching and commenting John. AG
Very informative and interesting video. 💯👍
Thanks Gas. More to come, please keep watching.AG
I would say the first real muscle car was the 62 Plymouth fury super stock. But the GTO gets all the credit due to production numbers. The fury had a 413 max wedge with a lot more power than the GTO .
Good point, the GTO is based on that it was the first full size car engine in a mid size car. AG
The old ream the bearing out with an old cam is BAD news! there is a reason the bearing is tight. Usually the bore has an issue such as a deep scratch or nick, which if you understand, has a raised area. Sometimes bore on the 400's can be too small. Solution is to hone cam bearing bores, not gouge up the cam bearing which can cause an issue later. I know, but that's the way it's been done for umpteen years people say. Well just because it was done that way and got by with it doesn't mean it's the way to do it still. Afterall would you clearance your crank or rod bearings that way?
Good info, thanks havebeenthere. AG
What is your quench on these engines? I noticed you said pistons will be .030 in the hole.
My newest favourite channel. I'd p9ve to see what you can do with a 10.4l gm motor
Thanks Dr. stay tuned and you will find out. Thanks for watching. AG
For tight cam bearings I think I may have first tried to use a drill and emery paper wet after fastening the cam down with room to go run the drill motor and emery paper just like polishing a crank but go all the way around the bearing making a circle where as the crank spins when polishing it,I hope that makes sense and no disrespect meant
Thanks Barry, no disrespect taken and thanks for the input. We are always learning. AG
2 or 4 bolt engine has "Select fit" bearings from the factory . I had found that out in1972 , thought someone messed up the answer was "NOPE" ! Yes I am old....
Thanks DynoDon. You are correct. Merry Christmas. AG
Merry Christmas to you too my friend.
@@goldsgarage8236
I`m a old guy and in my shop and my home I have a few old Clevite bearing catalogs. I call them "The Bibles" I tell all the guys that I`ve worked with to set everything up to the clearences in the bible, reason being you can just about garantee the rotating assembly will not fail for a long time unless abused..One question...Where did you find those 400 small blocks? I had 17 of them and never thought I`d go through them so fast and now I can`t find one without a bunch of core shift. I enjoy your videos, looks like we both went down the same paths about at the same time.
Thanks Ed. I can relate to your experience. Yes, it is getting harder to find 400 blocks. Easy way to make power and torque. AG
When you use the strong caps, can you additionally use a girdle, and what is the best girdle perhaps, or a known of in use girdle?
Thanks Dennis, this bottom end will be stronger than we need for a street car with less than 500 HP. Thanks for watching my channel. AG
@@goldsgarage8236 🙂
I have to disagree with you a impala with a 409 4 speed came out before the gto I would have to say I think that would be your first muscle car great video
Thanks Richard. The 409 was an awesome hot rod, as was the 406 Ford and 413 Dodge, and what about the Corvette?, however the definition that I was using is when OEMs started to put big engines in compact or midsized cars. The 389 was originally for full size Pontiacs, so when they put it in a Tempest and called it the GTO, by definition that was the first muscle car. AG
Lol you're not disagreeing with him- he did not state his private opinion but a consensus - pontiac tempest in the GTO trim - first muscle car... personal feelings have nothing to do with it
When using two different bearing sets to increase the clearance, would you put the thicker half on the load side, meaning the cap, or does it make any difference?
Good question Randy. I don't think it would make any difference. I have done it both ways. AG
I'm picking up a 406 short block this afternoon ìts a 509 block what brand splayed main caps did you use? I know you use good parts and I trust your opinion.
Thanks for the question Richard. The main bearing caps are PRW.
Full disclosure, I purchased this block with the machining already done and the splayed caps installed. That said PRW seems to be the most common choice. It also had ARP studs. AG
400 block Grove in one the sleeve it, like doing that.
What about installing pipe plugs in the block's deck? Pros, cons, recommended or not?
Thanks Arturo. I have never seen the need to do this, at least not for a street engine. AG
@@goldsgarage8236 personaly I've heard a lot of talk about that being the #1 priority when building a 400 SBC. Thanks for the reply.
ya know i was wondering if it was ok to mix bearing halves brands
Thanks for the comment roger. Please keep watching! AG
You sure like a KB piston! If you don't mind me asking....
What is your top priority when choosing a piston?
Thanks Arturo. The KB pistons came with the Eagle rotating assembly. For a street build I think any of the major piston brands is fine. AG
I built a 400 ABC with jump heads back in the 80s with, comp cams 280, .480 lift and had it in 78 c10 rcsb, I was 17 . That ole thing ran good. What #s you think? I built several more after that. 👍👍
Good for you building an engine at 17, my first was at 19. Hard to know about the numbers. AG
Did you measure the bearing and the camshaft bearing journal diameter, or did you just install the cam and determine by feel?
Thanks for the question reloading, the process that I used did not change the bearing journal diameter, it just removed the high spots, thus no need to measure the clearance. It would be quite difficult to measure the bearing diameter after it is installed. Long answer, but no, I just determined by feel.
@Gold's Garage ok, wanted to make sure before I said anything. I've had a couple cams now that have been slightly bent. I put them between centers and measured the run-out, they had .0027. I measured as many of the bearings in the block as I could. There was plenty of clearance.
The company said they see that from time to time.
Thanks again, I actually used 2 different cams to check the fit. They both fit in the other 400 with no problem.
Do a solid roller cam dome just a little better then j e flat top pistol.
were are you located I need a 400 Chev built
London Ontario Canada. Ag
For me the muscle car era started when high compression ratio and high octane fuel hit the scene. That would be the early 60s.
Thanks for your comments Joe.
Work for 35 years we check all cam shaft new cams have Ben bent up too.010 we will straighten all cam new cam are all bent
Thanks for that information William. .010" is a lot, Pretty sure the cam would bind, I have never had that experience. AG
do you build/sell engines? thankyou
Yes Jeremy, just one at a time though. Just finished a nice 406 SBC, we will be taking it to the Dyno this weekend. It is still for sale. AG
any specs? price? thankyou@@goldsgarage8236
i was told all 400 chevy blocks have 3 freeze plugs per side..your 1st engine only has 2...whats up with that ?
Thanks Lucky. Good question.
Actually they do not all have 3 freeze plugs. The 509 block has 2 freeze plugs and comes with 2 bolt main bearing caps. This is the one I am building now with the splayed 4 bolt main caps and ARP Studs.
The 511 block has 3 freeze plugs and has 4 bolt main bearing caps. That one I built in the spring.
AG
At one time I had a 2 freeze plug block with 4 bolt mains and a 3 freeze plug block with 2 bolt mains.
I am not grasping the idea of different size brains on the top and the bottom. It would seem to me that one side would be bigger than the other
Good question Jackie. It works because the bearings are not round. The clearance at the parting line is a few thousands more than at the center where the load is applied. The purpose of this is to create an oil wedge as the crank rotates. Ideally the crankshaft never contacts the parting line and also the difference in thickness is only .0005". Hope this helps. AG
IMO the first proper muscle car was the GTO, but the beginning of the muscle car era started with the high perf 392 Hemi cars and the fuel injected Chevy cars in the later 50s
Correct Adam, and the dual quad 409, (I have built two of them) . The difference is in 1964 Detroit started to put big engines in small cars. Thanks for your comment, please keep watching and commenting. AG
It was not a GTO... it was a pontiac tempest GTO (GTO was a trim not a model)
Would you not think that putting a 348 truck engine in a passenger car in 1958 is same thing?
Thanks for your comment Midgetrace but I'm not sure what you mean? AG
I understand that opinions differ & there are some "muscle cars" that do not meet my definition of a muscle car but I like to think it's a full bodied 2 door car that has a back seat & will sit 4 people. And the engines hp equals 10% or greater of the vehicles overall weight. = "muscle car"
P.S. and it must be rear wheel drive.
Thanks Jesse, that is a pretty good definition. AG
Don't you think that the necessity of the amount of horsepower you make compared to the amount of torque is subjective to the vehicle and the size of the engine, even for a street engine?
Good point reloading. Yes, you should also take into consideration, the vehicle and engine size. (pounds/cu. in.), and the lower that number is the more cam duration is allowable. Overall gear ratio (transmission x third member), type of transmission, torque converter stall speed should also be considered as well as the purpose and driving style of the owner.
That said, cam durations that provide more HP than torque typically have low vacuum, idle poorly, have poor fuel economy and are only efficient at high RPM. If these characteristics are acceptable that's fine but a smaller cam is typically more fun for the driver if the vehicle is driven frequently.
Thanks for your interest in my channel, please keep your comments coming.
Allan Gold
I don’t really like the 509 blocks over the fact they’re the only ones that have the factory 4 bolt mains, they’re cast thinner than the 817 castings which are 2 bolt only.
Thanks for your input Shade. Actually the 511 had four bolts, the 509 had two. The 400 I built in the spring was a 511 Block. The 406 i just finished was originally a two bolt but it has aftermarket splayed 4 bolt main bearing caps. i just published a video about it, 503HP and 527 Torque. AG
Roller cam
You sound just like nick from nicks garage 😂
377 build
Thanks for the comment Manuel! Sorry i missed it earlier. AG
First real muscle car was Chrysler Hemi in 50"s. And NO.. it was no pontiac in 64..
Thanks Antilaw. Good point. There were many hot cars prior to 64, the Hemi for sure, the 409 Chev, 427 Ford etc. The definition I was using is installing these engines in compact cars instead of full size cars. AG
One thing i see a lot is people are always putting cheap pistons in why dont they use a good forged piston.
Thanks Dana, probably the main reason is that they are expensive. Even the CT400 (604) crate race engine uses Hypereutectic pistons. Thanks for watching and commenting. AG
Warning do not use cloyes they are now made in Taiwan and China n many people are having big problems with the quality
Thanks for the comment Bryan. AG
A lot of ads
Thanks for watching Vince. That is in TH-cam/Google control, not in mine.
@@goldsgarage8236 what is better a dished piston with small chambers or a flat top with larger chambers? The dished pistons would clear the valves when the deck has been zeroed.
How do you avoid heating issues on the 400? Whats the best water pump ,thermastat and radiator combo for a 550 to 600 hp motor?
Thanks
Hey Rafael, thanks for the question. I haven't built 550 or 600 HP but the street engines are ok as far as I know. I think any 600HP engine will need the best cooling system available.
Remember, the thermostat rating doesn't control or limit the temperature of your engine, just the point (degrees) at which it opens. AG