400 block is it cheaper to buy stroker kit

-

Gator77

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 14, 2017
Messages
135
Reaction score
36
Location
South Jersey
i have a 400 block at the machine shop.i took him a 440 steel crank that i have .hes telling me it would be cheaper to buy stroker kit. is this true.i already have this crank .also can i use 440 rods or 400 thanks for info
 
Scat and Eagle are both $1300 for their kits. Crank, rods, pistons, rings. Check out Summit, 440 Source, Mancini.
 
I think the one thing you gain from a "kit" is better rods if you were intending to use stock rods.
 
i have a 400 block at the machine shop.i took him a 440 steel crank that i have .hes telling me it would be cheaper to buy stroker kit. is this true.i already have this crank .also can i use 440 rods or 400 thanks for info
It depends. a balance job can run upwards of 4-5 hundred bucks or more. Mine was 350, using stock rods and forged pistons. add that to the 75 bucks I paid for the crank, plus the 500 for the pistons, 150 for the rings, 100 for the rod bolts, another 75 for the rod bearings and you're at the cost of a stroker kit that comes already balanced.
 
I think the cast stroker kits are about the same for the 400 and the 440. Balance/machine will hurt on a stock 440 crank in a 400 block, just start with a cast stroker 400 crank.
 
then it is cheaper .i have 440 rods and crank i guess the machine work will out way the cost thanks time to save up some money for kit
 
I think the cast stroker kits are about the same for the 400 and the 440. Balance/machine will hurt on a stock 440 crank in a 400 block, just start with a cast stroker 400 crank.
most stroker kits are forged. At least the good ones
 
then it is cheaper .i have 440 rods and crank i guess the machine work will out way the cost thanks time to save up some money for kit
if I were to do it again, I'd just stroke it as well. 440source has a decent stroker kit as well. though it is chinese steel.
 
i have a 400 block at the machine shop.i took him a 440 steel crank that i have .hes telling me it would be cheaper to buy stroker kit. is this true.i already have this crank .also can i use 440 rods or 400 thanks for info

Depends on what equipment the shop has and what his shop rates are. If he has a big crank grinder then he should be able to take your 440 steel crank and turn it into a 451 crank fairly quickly. If he doesn't have the right equipment then it will take him a long time and he will need to charge you for a lot of labor. Why not ask the shop where the parts are? You should be able to get a quote from the shop and then compare it to the cost of a stroker kit.
 
Is he going to turn the 440 crank mains down to 400 bearing diameter?
Or bore the 400 block and caps to 440 bearing diameter?
 
The 400 kits are more the 440 kits because of the short pistons, I paid $2700.00 for a premium steel crank H-beam rods and Icon pistons for a 400.

That was a Scat kit with clevite race bearings and Total Seal rings and
double spiral lock clips.
 
Last edited:
I just sold a 470 shortblock for $2500. It had about 30 dyno pulls on it. Needed new bearings and put back together. It was a Molnar crank with Molnar rods and custom JE pistons. So something like that might be an option too.

Last swap meet I was at I was asking $100 for a std/std forged 440 crank. I have some cast 440 cranks that are std/std that I'd sell for $50. The cast cranks would work just fine in a mild performance build. So sometimes you just have to figure out the path to take and then find the parts.
 
Unless you're using insano heavy parts, no BBM crank is going to need mallory, so a balance job should be a couple hundred bucks or so.

What's the purpose of this engine, that's kinda important in determining what parts you need? S/F....Ken M
 
Unless you're using insano heavy parts, no BBM crank is going to need mallory, so a balance job should be a couple hundred bucks or so.

What's the purpose of this engine, that's kinda important in determining what parts you need? S/F....Ken M
He's putting a 440 crank into a 400 block.

Don't forget about turning and polishing. The 440 crank has to be turned down to fit in the 400 block. Plus you're not using the same rods that came with that factory crankshaft. Nor are you using the factory pistons. Lots of weight difference with those two things involved.
 
Is he going to turn the 440 crank mains down to 400 bearing diameter?
Or bore the 400 block and caps to 440 bearing diameter?
Really, they actually line bore 400 block (and clearance block for all the throws) to fit a 440 crank journal? That sounds way too costly than turning a 440 down or even buying a cast stroker crank. You think you can build a 451 stroker that will bust a cast crank? Challenge round......! Think about what goes into turning a 440 crank into a 451: Turning down the journals, turning down the counterweights, then balancing the whole thing. What you have left is a 50 year old crank that has hours of machine time on it and takes fillet main bearings ($$) and needs $$ in tungsten to overcome the weight taken out of the counterweights. And if you sunk all that money into a cast crank instead of an old forged piece...? You would be money ahead with a purpose built stroker crank, cast or forged.
 
They did it that way back in the day because you couldn't buy one, now you can just buy one and be done.
 
Really, they actually line bore 400 block (and clearance block for all the throws) to fit a 440 crank journal? That sounds way too costly than turning a 440 down or even buying a cast stroker crank. You think you can build a 451 stroker that will bust a cast crank? Challenge round......! Think about what goes into turning a 440 crank into a 451: Turning down the journals, turning down the counterweights, then balancing the whole thing. What you have left is a 50 year old crank that has hours of machine time on it and takes fillet main bearings ($$) and needs $$ in tungsten to overcome the weight taken out of the counterweights. And if you sunk all that money into a cast crank instead of an old forged piece...? You would be money ahead with a purpose built stroker crank, cast or forged.

They did it that way back in the day because you couldn't buy one, now you can just buy one and be done.

Exactly. Even 10 years ago, when I did my 451 for my charger, I had close to 2 grand in the rotating assembly alone. But back then, stroker kits were available but closer to 3 grand, now a days, they run half that.

The set up I mentioned above in an earlier post was just for my 440. In hindsight, a stroker kit would have been smarter and more cost benefitial
 
He's putting a 440 crank into a 400 block.

Don't forget about turning and polishing. The 440 crank has to be turned down to fit in the 400 block. Plus you're not using the same rods that came with that factory crankshaft. Nor are you using the factory pistons. Lots of weight difference with those two things involved.

I know, I just built a 457 using a factory forged crank. The mains were ground at a crank shop, but I turned the CW's on a lathe in my own shop. You could do this with an angle grinder if you're careful and your time is of less value than cash $. Or a mill for that matter.

Using Icon pistons and Manley rods, I still needed to take more weight from the CW's after I had plenty of clearance for the crankcase. I recall BW was around 2340'ish, the Manley rods were BBM journal and were not that light.

Taking weight out of your parts is good, that results in a remove balance job, it's adding weight to parts that gets expensive, like going from an alloy rod motor back to a steel rod motor.

I wouldn't put any money into cast anything at this point, save maybe simple refresh type of utility build for a work truck or industrial application. S/F....Ken M
 
-
Back
Top