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400 sbc

ive never put the desktop dyno up against a real dyno...but i belive its accurate...i use it to build motors..ive built 3...i have sat and looked at a jegs and looked at cams and said man that is a bad a$$ cam for my motor...then when i pluged it in it wasnt so good...i have gained nearly 50 hp at one time just from going from 1 cam to another in the program..its very use full and i dont even know how to use the hole thing...

if you are hardcore into getting the best bang for the buck get the cam calc to a get a custom ground cam (lots of $$ though)...

if i had to do it all over again i would run a roller cam..you make more power,its alot better piece of metal,and it will last a whole lot longer...sure they are expensive but just ask 4x4 high they are worth it..
 
also PAW sells alot of cams...they have a ton of choices (would take you a week plugging them in to find the best one)...but i have heard theyre customer service sucks...
 
Program is pretty accurate, only in consideratio with what you put in. Poop in, poop out.

Is the 400 going to be cost effective, free block or not, if you buy aftermarket custom parts and heads? Not trying to rock the boat, but research is always cheaper than parts, I hope your end product is what you are looking for. Would hate to see you buy all of the stuff for this and not have it run the way you expect.
 
like i said before, im spending the money that i have to, not goin too skimpy, but not excessive either.
 
its definittly the snowball effect my botor was supposed to be a budget motor even though i got the parts for cheap i think is still spent 1100 at the machine shop and still had to buy a ignition system and and fuel and and...it never ends...
 
87 Blue Beast said:
yeah i have.. but i dont wanna. i love small blocks. they are cheaper, more aftermerket, more parts, more variety, and almost everything is interchangeable. plus, I GOT A 400 BLOCK FOR FREE!!! :D
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The block may have been free.....but everything you do from now on is going to cost you $$$.

Even with careful budgeting, the costs will pile up pretty quickly. Machine work (whether on a small block or big block) adds a pretty decent chunk of change to any build....if anything doesn't check out (like the cracks that 4X4HIGH warned about) you are going to be replacing parts that you hadn't expected to have to buy at all...

Not trying to be a downer, just trying to help you see some details that you might not be considering. For what it's worth, I just paid PLENTY of money to rebuild a cheap 454 block, and just as much money to rebuild a not-so-cheap 502 block.... so I've faced this reality myself (twice!), and now have a much clearer sense of what it really costs to do an engine rebuild.

Caveat Emptor! :deal:


:usaflag:
 
another good question.. i dont know a ton about roller cams, ive always used hyd flat lifters, but i would really like to try to use a roller setup on this motor. my question is, can you use the oe 305/350 style roller lifters in a 400 block with an aftermarket cam? if you cant, what are some of the reasonably priced lifters?
 
4X4HIGH said:
It's going to take more money than you think to keep FI on the 400. You will need larger injectors, a chip and the proper cam selection for the 400CI engine that is computer friendly.

I have a 406 (400 0.30) with my 89 tbi setup on it. no extra work other than drilling the steam vents in the heads. didnt have to reprogram the computer or anything else. just had to bolt it together. and enjoy the torque!:D I have the 350 stock heads and intake and stock tbi. all for free off of my 350. cant remember the specs on the cam but i know you have to keep it mild or the computer wont like it. you can not over heat these motors cause they will blow the head gaskets. but otherwise there great.
any questions let me know.
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Go ask Burt4x4 about running good. I built him a 454 with MPI and he "tuned" it and thought it was running great until he had it put on a chassis dyno and found out how bad the timing and fuel curve was. You're in for a surprise at some point.
 
You cannot use the OE roller lifters in the 400 block. You need retro-fit roller lifters and those aren't cheap by any means.
 
what is differeny about the oe roller lifters? ive been looking at specs and aas far as size and everything, they seem to be the same as the hyd flat lifters :confused:
 
The 400 block is not set up to accept the spider hold down tray that holds the lifter bars in place and also the tops of the lifter bores are not machine flat to accept the lifter bars. The retro-fit roller lifters will have a horizontal bar connecting each pair of lifter to keep them from rotating in the lifter bore. For obvious reasons you cannot have a roller lifter rotating in the bore.

Also the pushrods are shorter on a roller lifter engine since the roller lifters are taller.
 
maybe im just lucky. i got 15.69mpg towing my 18 ft searay this past weekend. and i was doing bout 75 the whole way. not sure but i know you dont need new injectors reprogramed computer. hell i still have stock gears in my truck and ill run with any of your stock 454's. (need to get my gears though) 5.13's for the new 38's. im gona take him for a drive in mine and see what he thinks. if he likes it ill give him the number to my friends machine shop that bored the motor. he's king sh#t in my book.
 
slyguy_22 said:
maybe im just lucky. i got 15.69mpg towing my 18 ft searay this past weekend. and i was doing bout 75 the whole way. not sure but i know you dont need new injectors reprogramed computer. hell i still have stock gears in my truck and ill run with any of your stock 454's. (need to get my gears though) 5.13's for the new 38's. im gona take him for a drive in mine and see what he thinks. if he likes it ill give him the number to my friends machine shop that bored the motor. he's king sh#t in my book.
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Think about how much stronger the motor would feel if you did have the electronics dialed in to make the most of those cubes .......


Tom
 
tarussell said:
Think about how strong the motor would feel if you did have the electronics dialed in to make the most of those cubes .......


Tom
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Better yet, think about how much it's going to cost when his engine blows up and he has to do it all over again the RIGHT WAY. Engines run real good when they are running lean, lean means heat and detonation which leads to a big BOOM.
 
4X4HIGH said:
Better yet, think about how much it's going to cost when his engine blows up and he has to do it all over again the RIGHT WAY. Engines run real good when they are running lean, lean means heat and detonation which leads to a big BOOM.
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I was gonna mention the whole "lean running" issue but I thought I'd stay clear and not start a fuss . This thread is entertaining !

Tom
 
Good thread, will watch it as I will be building a 400 this winter for the buggy, right now I am collecting parts for a simple build.

Rebuilt 400 complete motor $300.00 (thanks Shawn)
Rebuilt Vortec heads, edelbrock rpm manifold, gaskets, ARP studs $475.00 (thanks craigslist)
I will be using my Bored TBI with adj fuel press regulator that I currently run as well as my decent alum radiator.

I know I will need a tbi to carb plate, new cam, steam holes in vortec heads and new distributor (current has to many miles on it). Maybe some headers.

Should be a fun winter build
 
I put about 8k on my motor before I sold the truck. It didn't get hot, wasn't running lean either. I would drive it on the highway for 4 1/2 hours straight, with the occasion slow poke driver ahead foot to the floor pass. I don't remember the fuel mileage, but would go from NYS to DC and still have 1/4 or more when I got down there. With 9.75 IIRC comopression would run on 87 and wouldn't detonate, even luggin it.
 
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