i enjoy cruising around in the vette but lawdy that l48 is anemic. i picked up a real good 400 block, truck block with 4 bolt mains, for a terrific price. i have a build in mind for it, nothing insane but enough to really wake up that car. scat 9000 bottom end, howards roller, and afr 195's. edelbrock performer with [ phony ] egr and the q-jet. static cr 9.8 and the dynamic at 8.1. i've started accumulating pieces but it's going to be a slow process until i can stop the tsunami of dough going into the new shop and house.
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don't walk in like you own the place..........walk in like you hold the mortgage.
Don't use the 4 bolt block if you are going to beat on it with what should be a 500hp motor.
They 4 bolt 400's main webs are too thin at the outer bolts and will crack at the bolt holes. The 2 bolt blocks are actually stronger, and best stock block would be a 2 bolt block converted to splayed 4 bolts with billet caps. But once you get to doing that, a Dart SHP block is getting close to the same price as all the machine work.
Also, if it is a Howards hydralic roller you are good (they use good dephi roller lifters) but if you are going for a solid roller, don't use the Howards on the street. The roller lifters will not last. The only solid rollers that have proven to somewhat last on the street are the Isky Red Zone's and Crower HPPO. Both have pressure oiling to the roller lifters needle bearings. The old Comp Endurex lifters were junk, but they changed the design and the new ones are supposed to be much better, but I have never used them. I personally prefer the Isky.
hi rick - i don't think the main caps will be an issue as the engine will rarely see the north side of 5800, strictly a cruiser with some jam to it. the c3 corvette irs would likely pretzel up long before the bottom end anyway hahaha. yes, that cam is hyd. i've got the specs here somewhere. if i was building a 406 for the racecar it would definitly be the dart shp block, quality piece at a decent price. this chevy block was too good to pass on.
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don't walk in like you own the place..........walk in like you hold the mortgage.
For a cruiser you should be ok, but if you start seeing coolant in your oil drop the pan. I have seen stock motors with cracks. I don't build 4 bolt 400's anymore. I take 2 bolts and stud them, or splayed billet caps. I have one sitting in the shop now for my turbo motor with billet caps on it - I had one made for the front also since it was going to be a roots blown motor, but I changed my mind.
