Low Deck 400 Builds

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To be honest - I've owned 5-6 of them, but only ran 1 as a 400cid. All the others became either 451s or larger. Plus the few customers' ones that also got bigger. The on ei did run was a factory engine, with a cam, intake, and headers. I would treat the 400 like any 383 if the plan is a full rebuild. Replace the pistons, pay close attention to blueprinting the block and getting the basics or square, straight, & round. Get some compression into it and again - pay close attention to piston choice, deck height, and cylinder head choice. Just my opinion but I'd have it internally balanced - you might save some $$ by locating a 383 forged crank as it won't need Mallory and is a little stronger - but don't spend a lot because we're not talking much more $$ for Mallory, or much stronger - you won't break the 400 cast crank without really trying.
 
ABody, I checked that thread as well, its very good but centric to strokers. And please don't get me wrong, low deck strokers are nice, but what about just a good old 400. Here is why,

I have two 400 blocks, always saved them to build strokers. As outlined in InkJunkies thread, I ground a steel crank for a 470 build, but still is a costly en-devour.

Second block I have a cast short block in pieces. I was thinking of putting it back together, but a reasonable cost. I read IQ52 post (He is a great poster BTW), however very limited information on pistons, cam etc which make good to great combinations. Looking around for pistons for a 400, they are a bit spendy. My thought was there is a combination which hits the mark for budget and a bit of fair power without going to a stroker build.
 
Moper, I like your style, what I was looking at. I do love the 451, truly is my favorite motor, I too have had a few, actually getting ready to dyno one for my Cuda.
 
I noticed a lack of slug choices for the 400. As Moper said, treat it like a 383.
It will produce enough torque to blow the tires off a stret bound ride even in a mild form.
 
check the moparts.com forum. there's a new 383 and 400 piston (I think) out. Zero deck that block, as mentioned, and get the compression up to 9.5 or so. Hit me up if you need some heads- I have a new pair of aluminum Stealth's here.
 
I just put this short block400,499ci, together over the weekend,dont know what im doing with it,400 block,4.375 bore,440 mains,billet steel main caps,ohio crank rotating assy,tall fill,8 bolt crank,o-ringed block,bushed lifter bores,just brought a pair of b-1 heads that might go on it
 

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I got an idea. How bout you build one. Then make a build thread showing us what you did.
 
Cazbah362 said:
Seems there are many 383, 440 and stroker B builds recipes out there, what about just a simple B 400 build. So, what are some power build recommendations? Thoughts?

Read through this, http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=293381
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That thread is an interesting read. 397 ft.lbs/361 hp on a low-compression, 85-octane pump gas 400 is no joke.

Even without the "go fast" carb and intake, 371 ft.lbs/281 hp would move a stock A-body along nicely, especially with a pancake flat torque curve that doesn't start to drop off until 3900rpm.

If I wasn't already collecting parts for a 360 build, I'd seriously consider something like that for the Barracuda.
 
Got a friend runs a 4.380 bore 4.25 stroke crank 6.635 rods Fred Brewer heads .730 lift cam runs 5.30 in 1/8th in a 2750 lb car
 
I built my first 400 using the old MP 440 9:1 cast pistons, which gave me 0 deck. With pocket ported 452 heads, a mild Crane hydraulic cam, dual plane intake, and 750 carb, it dyno'd at 415 HP and 450 TQ. It was a really flexible street motor, and it ran high 12's in the quarter. Then I decided to try to go faster and had a MP cam go flat on me. Ruined the entire reciprocating assembly, so I stepped up to the 500 stroker combo I have now.
 
dozer556 said:
That thread is an interesting read. 397 ft.lbs/361 hp on a low-compression, 85-octane pump gas 400 is no joke.

Even without the "go fast" carb and intake, 371 ft.lbs/281 hp would move a stock A-body along nicely, especially with a pancake flat torque curve that doesn't start to drop off until 3900rpm.

If I wasn't already collecting parts for a 360 build, I'd seriously consider something like that for the Barracuda.
Click to expand...

360

http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=307012
 
If I were building a stock stroke 400 and wanted to make decent power without spending too much I would follow moper's advice. Pay close attention to details with the blueprinting, I.e. go to a good reputable machine shop and get the block done right. Definitely zero deck it. I would use the 440 Source Stealth heads without porting them and have them milled .050 on the combustion side and get the intake surface milled 123% of that which I'm pretty sure is .063. The intake surface milling will enable you to use and out of the box intake and seal correctly. The .050 off the combustion side will bring the chambers down just below 75cc so you'll get a nice bump in compression. I would use a hydraulic flat tappet cam, there are lots of very good cams available now. I would expect about 450/450 hp and torque from a combo like this and that's plenty enough to make you smile every time you put your foot in it.
 
That's a great buildup ^^^^^^

Robert Landy also did a mild 400 build years ago. I have tried to find that article as well to no avail.
 
I built a stoke stroke 400 for one of my trucks

KB hypertectic pistons flat top
Reconditioned rods
383 forged crank
Roller rockers
Cam from Hughes performance engines
Edelbrock rpm intake
906 heads with larger valves
Shaved deck for 10:1 compression
Shaved intake a ton to match new deck height
440 source timing cover
Fast ez efi fuel injection system

It wasn't anything exotic but it was an animal. My rev limiter was 6200 and I hit it all the time on hill climbs or in mud. Amazing torque and just took a beating. Over 400 HP on dyno and the torque was 511 .. I know because I broke the engine in on a dyno.

I am considering building another one with a bigger cam and aluminum heads for my demon,. I loved that engine
 
I have a 400 (actually 406) that I don't need anymore. The block is 4.375 and it has a forged 383 crank in it. This was a running engine with high compression pistons that ran high 10's in a street car. I'm going to switch over to a 470 engine with pump gas compression so I don't need the crank or the block anymore. Only problem with the block is that it has to use external oiling since the internal pickup was plugged. I'm switching over to internal oiling so I need to machine up a new block. The 406 ran strong. With ported RPM heads and a small roller cam it made about 575 hp. The guy drove his car to the track, ran 10's and drove it home.
 
qkcuda said:
I built my first 400 using the old MP 440 9:1 cast pistons, which gave me 0 deck. With pocket ported 452 heads, a mild Crane hydraulic cam, dual plane intake, and 750 carb, it dyno'd at 415 HP and 450 TQ. It was a really flexible street motor, and it ran high 12's in the quarter. Then I decided to try to go faster and had a MP cam go flat on me. Ruined the entire reciprocating assembly, so I stepped up to the 500 stroker combo I have now.
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Thinking of going with the 500 combo. could you pm me your build? (heads, cam, etc) and where your bought your kit? mine is going to be a straight up street car that has to beat my brothers 69 427 nova (500+HP).
20150619_193529.jpg
 
69wacuda said:
Thinking of going with the 500 combo. could you pm me your build? (heads, cam, etc) and where your bought your kit? mine is going to be a straight up street car that has to beat my brothers 69 427 nova (500+HP).View attachment 1714937181
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You oughta build a stout stroker small block to beat your brother. That would probably demoralize him more than if you built a 500+inch big block.
 
My combo is pretty street friendly. It uses a comp hydraulic roller cam with 236/242 duration and 541 lift. It originally had pocket ported 452 heads, holley street dominator intake, holley 750 DP carb, 1 3/4 B body headers. It dyno'd at 550 HP and 610 TQ. I since added Edelbrock heads and picked up about 2 tenths and 2-3 mph in the quarter mile, so probably another 20-30 HP. It has run a best of 11.53 at 118 mph through full exhaust with 3.55 gears. I bought my parts individually, Eagle crank, Scat rods, KB pistons, and I went for Chrysler rod journals and 6.76 rod length. That made the pistons very short, and the oil ring was partly in the pin boss. I also had issues balancing the assembly. If I had it to do over I would have used a shorter rod for a slightly taller piston, and I would have bought a complete balanced kit from 440 source.
 
Years ago a friend of mine with a machine shop ran across a set of 0.040 over very low compression 440 pistons. I picked them up for cheap. I wish I remembered the compression height. I bored the 400 0.020 and the 440 pistons came out at zero deck! 906 heads were used. I had it all balanced with a 383 crank and put a 280/480 hydraulic in it with a street dominator intake and 780/800 holley. Good enough to run easy 12s in a fully dressed E body at 4000' altitude.
 
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