Lowest cost 400 stroker

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RustyRatRod said:
I can't argue that. What heads are in your plan?
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Good question. All the reading I've done so far suggests I should try to find the 906 or 915. The shop can install hard seats for me relatively cheap.

Buuuuut those 915s are $$$. The engine I have is a 76 400, I think it has the 452s with hardened seats. So possibly a nice valvejob, bowl blend on those? From what I have read the 906 has a better intake port and the exhaust ports between the two are pretty much the same. Very curious your thoughts.
 
Mean416 said:
Good question. All the reading I've done so far suggests I should try to find the 906 or 915. The shop can install hard seats for me relatively cheap.

Buuuuut those 915s are $$$. The engine I have is a 76 400, I think it has the 452s with hardened seats. So possibly a nice valvejob, bowl blend on those? From what I have read the 906 has a better intake port and the exhaust ports between the two are pretty much the same.
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The 906 purportedly has the best ports, then the 452 and 346....I THINK. I think the 915s are further down the list. I could be wrong about that.....but IMO, most ALL the open chamber big block heads are pretty darn close to each other. in other words, if I had a pair.....any pair, I wouldn't go huntin for another pair.
 
Agree with Rusty. Short of all-out porting there isn't enough difference between the 906/452/346 to worry about on a street app. If you have heads with hard exhaust seats, I would use em'.
( I would also consider aluminum heads, once you find out how much it will cost to freshen up iron heads. I like the Promaxx for a budget aluminum head).
 
Why build a 470- 500 CI engine and choke it with factory iron ?
 
fishmens67 said:
Why build a 470- 500 CI engine and choke it with factory iron ?
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Because I'm already building a dart with a hot small block and I can't justify the expenditure right now.

Aftermarket heads will cost $1k in addition compared to freshened up 452s. I know I'm leaving power on the table though, probably even down low. It's just a money thing.

We all justify the added spend the rationale being "well X aftermarket part would only cost $Y more so might as well"

That's how a $4k motor turns into an $8k motor.
 
fishmens67 said:
Why build a 470- 500 CI engine and choke it with factory iron ?
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We sorta covered that a little. He'll eclipse the power limit for the factory block pretty quickly running a head capable of big flow. Remember, Cadillac built 500 kyoob motors that were torque monsters. Ford even bigger at 534. They all used iron heads. Building for low RPM torque doesn't require an extreme high flowing head. It just requires what I would call matched flow to the intended use and that's within the iron head's grasp.
 
Dang those Maxx heads are $1300 assembled.

I'll have to think about that.

Couple hundred in valve job, few hundred in valves, another bill for springs, another for retainers etc..

So the Max heads. Are they not total crap?
 
I had $900 in the last pair of freshened iron heads, not counting the new valves I had already purchased. I wouldn't have been stupid enough to put that kind of money in iron heads, except......

they were professionally ported max wedge heads.
 
33IMP said:
I had $900 in the last pair of freshened iron heads, not counting the new valves I had already purchased. I wouldn't have been stupid enough to put that kind of money in iron heads, except......

they were professionally ported max wedge heads.
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Well... yeah MW are bad A.

In another note, I doubt I'll be anywhere close to power limit of the factory block. I bet they could withstand alot.
 
Mean416 said:
Dang those Maxx heads are $1300 assembled.

I'll have to think about that.

Couple hundred in valve job, few hundred in valves, another bill for springs, another for retainers etc..

So the Max heads. Are they not total crap?
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Like any other chinkesium head. They need rechecking and finish work. If you do that, I'd drop back to the 470 or 451. You're gonna see 600 plus HP real quick. Do you plan on running a stud girdle?
 
Maxx are Chinese castings (no surprise there) assembled in America with decent parts, by a company run by dedicated cylinder head specialists. The castings are very nice quality too.
 
451 sounds better for the budget , $ 1650 for crank, rods and pistons.
 
RustyRatRod said:
Like any other chinkesium head. They need rechecking and finish work. If you do that, I'd drop back to the 470 or 451. You're gonna see 600 plus HP real quick. Do you plan on running a stud girdle?
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I think the BB will withstand alot more than you give it credit. I bet you could get to 1000 hp pretty easy, assuming good tune.

Anyhow I'm not trying for that. Good heads would also help low end though.
 
With iron heads you will need to spend time behind a die grinder! You need to increase airflow 15 percent for a 500" just to equal stock heads on a 440.
 
Mean416 said:
I think the BB will withstand alot more than you give it credit. I bet you could get to 1000 hp pretty easy, assuming good tune.

Anyhow I'm not trying for that. Good heads would also help low end though.
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Rock on, brother!
 
500cid? Pshhh.....512! And it uses cheaper Chevy 2.2" journal BB rods. That probably saves you some dough but youll have to search for pistons, ie .090 over 454s or bore is for 4.468" Mark V 502 pistons.
Crankshaft-440 Source
 
pishta said:
500cid? Pshhh.....512! And it uses cheaper Chevy 2.2" journal BB rods. That probably saves you some dough but youll have to search for pistons, ie .090 over 454s or bore is for 4.468" Mark V 502 pistons.
Crankshaft-440 Source
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Very very interesting!

What about oil pickup clearance? I've read somewhere that above 4.15 stroke you're looking at interfering with the oil pickup?

Also BB chev Pistons. Interesting but wouldn't I have issues with the valve reliefs?
 
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