400 builds-anybody?? NON STROKER!

If you get the crank throws ground to 2.200 you can use a BBC 6.800 rod with the Icon IC 828 flat top piston. It puts the piston right at zero deck, often slightly proud once you level mill the deck on the old blocks. Notionally 9.980, but the last three I have personally built have cleaned up at 9.965, 9.965 and 9.970. I would go with the IC 828 piston because it's significantly lighter than their 1.480 CH offerings.

I'm doing one with this combo right now, probably using some rubbed on 906 heads. I bought a set of Manley hemi rods(from AndyF), 6.965, and used those with a 440 crank and 1.12 CH Icon pistons for a 457" motor(452 heads, about 265cfm at .550). Long rod ratios provide lower sidewall loading, and longer dwell times at TDC/BDC(for better charge fill), but they also create greater acceleration loads on pistons and rods. These are all fairly minor issues for the vast majority of racers at the sportsman level. I work with a former NASCAR engineer and we often go silly complex with some of the junk I build for fun. I have more time than money, and free run of a machine shop. Almost everyone would be better served with spending their $ on more cubic inches, more head flow and more cam, probably in that order. S/F....Ken M