Thread: I can't decide what engine to build....need advice

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I can't afford any of that right now.....I started a new job this year. Automotive Service Technology instructor at Elba High School. I'm at the bottom of the pay scale as this is my first year and I'm still working in my shop in the evenings to make ends meet. I would love to upgrade but I have no choice, the engine has to be replaced, and I have to stick with the old stuff at this time. I'm only looking for 375-450 hp with a little driveability, on the ragged edge of course, and using parts I already have and my access to machine shop equiptment. I should be able to keep it under $1500 for the whole build or I can buy a $1500 block??? I can see that in my future with a pair of turbos tucked under the front fenders but that's dreaming at this point. 383 or 400? I know the sportsman II's are old technology but I traded a $100 running 305 for them.......they fit my budget.

Attaboy Jerry, pull out all the stops and go big or go home, huh?

35chevy, the 400 2-bolt block has better integrity in the crankcase than the 400 4-bolt. Once you start putting some horsepower into the 4-bolt, the webbing pulls out of the block and you run over the crank. Start your build with the 509 block would be my suggestion. In my opinion, the 400 has gotten an undeserved bad rap for overheating. I'm thinkin' that this crap was started by some dunderhead who bolted 350 heads onto his 400 without drillin' 'em for steam holes and the motor spit out the head gaskets due to localized hot spots at the edge of the bore. Either that or it rattled like a can full of marbles from detonation for the same reason. They'll cool as well as any other SBC if you pay attention to detail and it sounds like you are on that page. The late, great Smokey Yunick said that the thin limit on cylinder walls is about 0.135". Under that thickness, the skidding of the rings on the walls transfers vibes to the water jacket side of the cylinder and separates air bubbles from the cooling water. These air bubbles cling to the water jacket wall, preventing cooling water from getting to the wall to carry away heat and you have a problem. Over 0.135", there is enough mass in the walls to quell the vibes and prevent this problem. Smokey used to cut blocks apart, install glass windows and run the motor so that he could observe what was going on inside, so I pretty much take anything he has written as gospel. And yes, he said the rings SKID up and down the bore, they don't glide smoothly like you might think.

Here are the instructions for drilling steam holes in your SII heads....
http://www.gregsengine.com/350to400.htm

And a cooling system checklist that you may find helpful....
http://www.crankshaftcoalition.com/w...cooling_system

If you'll post the converter and rear gear you're going to use, I'll run up a DynoSim dyno pull for the 400 with SII heads and help you with component selection. Also, the kind of cam you want to run, solid flat tappet, hydraulic flat tappet, solid roller or hydraulic roller. Also, please tell me whether you want a choppy idle, some rump-rump or dead smooth. By the way, another item that has gotten an undeserved bad rap is solid flat tappet cams. You do not have to adjust valves every week like some throttleheads might have you believe. I suspect that twice an year would be a Lord's plenty and you would probably find 'em measuring the same after the cam gets settled in. Personally, I just LUUUUUUV the sound of solids ticking.

Originally Posted by 35chevy

I can't afford any of that right now.....I started a new job this year. Automotive Service Technology instructor at Elba High School. I'm at the bottom of the pay scale as this is my first year and I'm still working in my shop in the evenings to make ends meet. I would love to upgrade but I have no choice, the engine has to be replaced, and I have to stick with the old stuff at this time. I'm only looking for 375-450 hp with a little driveability, on the ragged edge of course, and using parts I already have and my access to machine shop equiptment. I should be able to keep it under $1500 for the whole build or I can buy a $1500 block??? I can see that in my future with a pair of turbos tucked under the front fenders but that's dreaming at this point. 383 or 400? I know the sportsman II's are old technology but I traded a $100 running 305 for them.......they fit my budget.

Great to hear we have another teacher on here. You guys deserve way more pay and way more credit for educating tomorrows leaders! I used to teach in the private sector, loved teaching, hated the hours, pay and some of the parents!

Great to hear we have another teacher on here. You guys deserve way more pay and way more credit for educating tomorrows leaders! I used to teach in the private sector, loved teaching, hated the hours, pay and some of the parents!

Thanks, Benifits are good, we put in way more hours than most people believe, a lot of preparation time, and the mental stress of dealing with day to day problems with teens is "WOW" to say the least. On the bright side...some of the things I've seen have taught me how to be a parent. My little girl is 4, maybe some of the things I'm exposed to will help me steer her in a different direction. Some days I want to beat a kid...every day I want to beat a parent. I can't believe how fast society is changing. These kids are parents....and these parents are kids!

Let's try one step lower first, 12-423-8

I think I might stick with this one..there's not a lot of horsepower difference and torque is down a little on the 12-432-8. I think playing this one conservatively might be in my benifit. After looking at the torque figures at 2000 rpm I'm thinking I might need to tighten up my converter a little. It slips up to around 2800 behind my 350. I don't know what affect lowering the rear gears has on that though. What do you think? My block cleaned up on .040 and it's going in the caustic soda tomorrow. Some of my parts have come in and I'm expecting a truck load tomorrow, well maybe not a truck load. I can't wat to get it done.

"I think playing this one conservatively might be in my benifit."

Personally, I wouldn't trade 14 ft/lbs @ 2000 for 12 hp @ 5000. The motor will be seeing 2000 way more often than it will 5000.

"What do you think?"

Proof of the pudding is in the taste. I'd wait and drive the car some before changing the converter.