400sb Info Needed

[Dim]

A while back someone posted an article that was printed in a mag. It had a really good configuration for rebuilding a 400sb. I was hoping someone still has it saved somewhere and wouldn't mind posting it.
I think i saved up enough $ to start rebuilding mine.

Thanx,
D!m

[Dim]

TTT

anyone?

[stllookn]

There was one in Chevy High Performance this year but I am trying to remember which issue. It was a killer build-up but expensive. It had to be in the Jan - May sequence or July since I have every other copy here and can't find it. You might just look at a 383 build-up since it is only 17 ci short of the 400 with the same stroke.

[Durney]

DO NOT believe everything you read...... have you heard this before? Well you better believe its more true when it comes to performance magazines than anything else....... most of those articles are either bought and paid for by the parts manufacturers or because the builder is doing the testing himself makes sure the numbers fall into the "red".

I am REALLY tired of hearing about the 383 vs the 400 .... they are NOT even close to comparable when it comes to horsepower capability.... do your research or befriend a professional engine builder with proven results and prepare to PAY the mans price otherwise go buy a crate motor and pretend it makes the power they claim....


If you want send me 50.00 and i will either fax you a blueprint for a proven combination or you can then tug on my ear for an hour.

Sorry just a little tired of the same old BS after 20 years of doing this professionaly....off my soap box.

[crazy longhorn]

383 vs 400 .......Im runnin a 383, & love it! I will agree that the larger bore in the 400sb will breath deeper in the high end, but look also at reliability. If you heat a 400 block 1 time you are most likely done playin! I would rather "poke" a 350 block .060, & stroke it , than run a 400sb. Dont get me wrong, I am not sayin the 400 block is unreliable, or that it overheats......but if you stick a thermostat , my bet is that its done. my thoughts....crazy AL

[mikep]

I had this discussion with a guy at work the other day. He was fully convinced that it made some magical difference who built the engine as far as what kind of HP and torque numbers you end up with . It doesnt and after a few hours of discussion he finally agreed with me. OK it made a difference 10-15 years ago when you didnt have the plethora of aftermarket head choices and cam science was still a bit of a black art. These days you can practically get head manufacturures to custom CNC heads to whatever airflow profile you want for far less than a decent headporter would have charged you 15 years ago and the cam companies are falling over themselves to get you the right cam for your application. With modern computer simulations only the idiot picks too much of a cam or too much port. Engines are air pumps . Thats all . More air in = more air out = more HP and torque in a given range. If you properly match the cam, intake, pistons , heads, gearing and transmission etc together you can build any motor with exactly the profile you want YOURSELF without having to pay somebody who is doing nothing more than assembling a pile of parts based upon his experience as an engine builder. Its a confidence thing. Either you have the confidence to do the homework and build it yourself or you hand your it over to someone else who does. Its hard to argue with hard cam numbers and cylinder head airflow charts and realistic expectations of what a motor can and cannot do. This year I built 5 engines. Every one of them ran like a son of a *****. I do the same thing just about every year for myself and friends . No magic to it but to do it. Of course I was trained by the guy who used to design and build engines and drivetrains for Mickey Thompson back in his Bonneville Salt Flat days . I call that guy Dad :-).

[bigjimzlll]

its not just the 23 cubes...its the unshrouding of the valves, and being able to use bigger valves more effiecently..I was going to stroke my 355, then decided to go with a 406..my winter project.

[crazy longhorn]

There you go ......advice is FREE here, so if somebody trys to sell it......my guess is they missed they totally point

[mikep]

Amen to that brother ! $50 my ass !

[Durney]

MikeP... Do you really think that because you convinced "some guy at work" that that makes a point????

I'll tell you what, why dont you TRY to buy the technology in the cylinder heads used in our propritary cnc work.... then TRY to call Robert Yates and ask him for his latest and greatest... then TRY to purchase the Mahle dome configuration we have over 300 hrs of dyno time perfecting... then TRY to spend the better part of the last two years brainstorming till 2:00 am with the top piston ring designers for months just to find that elusive 10hp......Oh and by the way TRY to get Steve Lowe to cough up MY cam profiles (or any of the others he is under contract to produce)... and your oversimplification of an AIR PUMP insults my degree in Internal Combustion Engineering and in laymans terms doesnt take into account heat, pulse waves, or COMBUSTION.

Now if you built 5 engines this year for yourself and yer buddies well thats just groovy but why not tell yer buddies to build it themselves...after all its just assembling parts eh? I'll tell you what ...YOU build your meanest nastiest engine from your mail order catalogs and truck it and yourself to my shop we'll dyno it and then I'll remachine it and reassemble it and if it doesnt make MORE torque, I'll buy you that engine ....how bout it ?

this is exactly why I dont speak up on some of these boards more often...... too many "experts"

Now as far as free info here well i guess I cant argue with that but please dont insult me by saying my Degree's and 20 years of proffessional blood sweat and tears dont amount to a payable sum....

crazylonghorn - actually the fellow stllookn( in this thread) called my shop and I spent a CONSIDERABLE amount of time helping him on the phone ....FOR FREE ASK HIM

bigjimzll has part of the answer already........ever wondered why my friend Bob Ingles and Dick Maskin scrapped the BBC design and went to a 5.0" bore spacing ...hmmmmm

[mikep]

Anyone can call themselves an expert on anything. People call me an expert at work. Am I ? Ive got two degrees and fifteen years experience and I MAY be but it would be pretty pretentious of me to call myself an expert no matter how good I am at what I do or what training I have had. There isnt a day that goes by that I dont know what the hell I'm talking about. My old man's got Engineering degrees in Mechanical and Nuclear engineering. He worked for NASA in the 60's and a dozen or so Nuke plants in countries all over the world and he's probably the closest thing Ive ever met to a true genius. Never heard him call HIMSELF an expert on anything.

Building engines isnt hard work at all. It is not rocket science. Theyre simple machines that follow simple logic and laws of physics and if you know what you want then it is just a simple matter of putting the right parts together in the right order using the right tools . The trick is knowing what you want not to mention the wallet deep enough. There is just about nothing that isnt available off the shelf these days and if you talk to the right people they'll sell you whatever you need to do the job . I'm sure if you tell enough people that your the **** there will be a few people who will believe you enough to pay you to do something that they could have done themselves had they the confidence to learn. Its the same with anything.

Point is you may be good at what you do but this is a forum designed to help people with their projects and to share experiences with chervrolet trucks. It is not an advertising medium and if you do not have anything to add to the discussion without demanding payment then you are a pathetic individual at best.

[twelveflat]

Let me just get my boots on first. I've been a machinist/engine builder of performance engines for quite a few years already. I give many props to those individuals who are able to squeak "free" power out of the components they are using. I've done many experiments with ring gaps, cam profiles, piston skirt and head designs, coatings, valve jobs, and blah, blah, blah to achieve the most out of the daily drivers to the race engines that I personally use on the track every weekend. I agree with individuals who say this is a board to share information and help others out, however there is nothing wrong with trying to make a few extra bucks on the side with knowledge gained from years of blood, sweat, and tears. On the other hand, an individual with such high caliber of education and background would probably have enough money to not have to solicite their work for a few extra dollars on a message forum. I'm not trying to stir it up by any means but simply expressing my opinion as an enthusiast and a person wanting to learn more.


One parting note: Dim I don't have that article on hand but I do have a race prepped 4 bolt 400 that would be a good foundation for a build up OOPS!!! Had to get my plug in too

[sam's 72]

Are you saying you want money for your advice? SAYYYYYYYYYYY WHAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT! I believe I can live with out it then.
Sam