400 Low Deck

-
Z

Zippie#7

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 11, 2010
Messages
111
Reaction score
3
Here is my question, I have a 400 LD with a crank in it, on the front pad is stamped HP, a friend told me that it is a steel crank, could this be true?
 
Zippie#7 said:
Here is my question, I have a 400 LD with a crank in it, on the front pad is stamped HP, a friend told me that it is a steel crank, could this be true?
Click to expand...

well if it has the dampner on it it will be huge compared to an internal balance. also the dampner wll say cast crank only on it

p.s di i hear 451?

i have a forged 440 crank and 6 pck rods layin around
 
I am not aware of a 400 ever coming with anything but a cast crank. I think the HP means that it was a 4 barrel HP motor. Even my 4 barrel, 74 Dodge crew cab had a cast crank 400.
A 383 steel crank will fit right into it though, but if it was me, I would have the mains ground down on a 440 crank to put in it. :D
 
No, no dampner on it, just the crank. I have also hard the 440 six-pak rods are very heavy. Also, the 451 is in the future, thats why I kept this block.
 
Zippie#7 said:
No, no dampner on it, just the crank. I have also hard the 440 six-pak rods are very heavy. Also, the 451 is in the future, thats why I kept this block.
Click to expand...

well either way im not using them, where are u located?
 
Well, I'd like to thank you for even thinking about getting it to me, your a great guy, thanks. Who knows, I just might get out your way some time.
 
Zippie#7 said:
Well, I'd like to thank you for even thinking about getting it to me, your a great guy, thanks. Who knows, I just might get out your way some time.
Click to expand...

well the offer still stands. my "440" has a 4.250 crank in it:snakeman:
 

Attachments

  • shop 029.jpg
    134.2 KB · Views: 204
400 automatic came with a cast crank, manual trans cars came with the forged crank. A 400 harmonic balancer doesn't have anything cast into it to indicate the engine size. The way to tell the cast type from the forged type is: cast balancers have an offset weight built into it because the engine is externally balanced. The forged crank balancers are symetrical...no weight....and are internally balanced. If you don't have the balancer, you can I.D. the crank by looking at the counterweights and how the crank was made. If there are sharp edges with rough, raised seams, the crank was "cast". If there are smooth counterweights and "ground off" looking areas but no casting seams, it's forged. Any decent machine shop should be able to tell.
 
i just stuck a 383 steel crank in my 400. im going to run a stick i didnt want to deal with a funky offset balanced flywheel. to buy they are expensive, and i just dont like the idea of drilling a good flywheel to balance it. i figured i was better off spending the money to have the steel crank rebalanced insted of spending it on a flywheel to work with the cast crank. this might be a tomporary mill, i might build it later on so why buy another flywheel at that time.
 
I'm in Georgia. I have a STD 383 steel crank I will let you have right if you want one.
 
Standard stroke steel crank 400 will make some serious ponies with good aftermarket parts.I guess strokers are the big rage these days though.
 
Yea they are. It's almost like a verbal assualt if you don't stroke it and let someone know. Everybody loves spending your money via the net or in person. Ridicul is almost a mandotory thing if you don't stroke it.

(Spellling all over,,,sorry!)
 
yeah id really like to keep it sort of simple but id also like to try a std stroke long rod b motor with a short lightwieght forged piston. the bigblock have some heavy *** pistons in stock form. the cost probably would outwiegh the advantages though considering the pistons would be custom and you can buy an off the shelf stroker kit and make more power. well see. i didnt want to decide yet so i just went with a rering job for now.
 
I want to do my 400 as a 400. I was just thinking about that combo you mention last night. I wondered about a short piston availability for the RB rod in a B block. I never checked.

The 400 just lacks torque next to the 440 or a stroker, but that is what gets ya going off the line and down the road fast. Once your at speed, the HP takes over and there real close. Longer stroke adds torque and alot of it.
 
HP doesnt mean forged crank, but it is possible. If you have a manual transmission 400, it will have a steel crank IIRC. You dont have to stroke it. Get some compression, stick a cam in it, and it's basically a huge bore 340.
 
i guess it would lack torque compared to 440 or 500", but there is still plenty of torque for an a body. i dont think there is a piston made for the long rod in a 400 block. you can find one that will work in a 383. but it wont be as light as a custom made forged piston. if your ordering custom you might as well look into brand X rods. smaller big ends, better rods for cheaper, even more wieght saved... all depends what you are trying to do i guess.
 
Hay Guy's, Thanks for all the answers, that really helped me out alot. Ended up being a good thread. Thanks again.
 
i had one 400 that had the steel crank balancer. the block was cracked but i got excited thinking it had a forged crank, until i pulled the pan off and saw it was a cast crank.
 
A pad at the front of the big block very close to the water neck. Ld do not have them and RB's do. (Unless I got that backwards again!)
 
1wild&crazyguy said:
I heard maltese cross meant under size rods/mains.
Click to expand...

That's exactly right. It has no "bearing" on crank material. Pun intended. Maltese cross stamped blocks could have cast or steel. The maltese cross simply means there was an undersize bearing installed somewhere on the crank from the factory.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top