400 Stroker Discussion

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64drtGt

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I'm bored and starting to plan for a future engine build. Thought I would come here and see what you guys thought would be the best choice.

My choices are the classic 451, 470, 500, and a 512.
 
I'd go with the 512 myself, but I have been told the 500 is a better deal due to the lightest rotating assy weight.
 
ta3834bbl said:
I'd go with the 512 myself, but I have been told the 500 is a better deal due to the lightest rotating assy weight.
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I love the idea of the quick reving big block so I am leaning towards the 500 myself unless someone tells me something about it to change my mind.
 
talk to Ken Hensley there in Knoxville. He steered me to 500 actually came out 499. Very quick reving.
 
red67gts said:
talk to Ken Hensley there in Knoxville. He steered me to 500 actually came out 499. Very quick reving.
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Alright i'll give him a call when I get a little closer to this build becoming a reality this is kind of the pre planning for the pre planning lmao.
 
After doing a lot of research I ended up building a 470. it has a light rotating assy too .I went with it because of the long term reliability of the components. The pistons have a long enough skirt to stay square in the bore and make the engine more suited for long term street/strip use. Some strokers get the pistons skirt short enough that you may have problems with reliability. Also, I was able to spec it out to put it in the 550hp range and still be mild mannered which was important to me. 600+ hp sounds nice but it comes with a price.
 
What does it need to do for you? What car/package is it going into? What do you have for parts now? What do you have to spend on it?
 
I did a 451 in a 65 Belvedere.Best damn engine I ever owned. I have a 500'' on the stand now. Plans are to put it in a 63 Belvedere for NSS/E class.
 
I built a 400/500 and I used 440 length rods. The assembly is really light, but the pistons are so short the oil ring is in the pin hole. If I had it to do over I would have used the shorter 400 rod length, so the pistons would have a bit longer skirt. The piston slap is noticeable at idle.
 
I like the 451, light and lots of power from low-budget parts (or high if feel the need). I am working on another one right now, looking for 600-700, through Victor heads. All the parts you can order at cost just by doing a bit of research.
 
moper said:
What does it need to do for you? What car/package is it going into? What do you have for parts now? What do you have to spend on it?
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I want to have a street/strip engine. Basically if possible something that will get me down the track quick but hold up sitting in traffic for short periods if I decide to drive it to rod runs or other car shows. It would be going in a 84 D100 A833 4 speed 8.75 rear. As for parts right now I don't really have anything, I would be getting the required parts over the next year or two.
 
Good answers - the budget answer will really tell the tale though - there's about $6K of difference between a 451 and a 512. IMO, the 451/470 might be the better choice. The A833OD (assuming that's what it is) may have some trouble living behind 550+ torque from a 512.
 
moper said:
Good answers - the budget answer will really tell the tale though - there's about $6K of difference between a 451 and a 512. IMO, the 451/470 might be the better choice. The A833OD (assuming that's what it is) may have some trouble living behind 550+ torque from a 512.
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I would like to keep it as cheap as possible the 451/470 seem to fit my needs better. Is there any manual transmissions that would work better than the 833 but will fit a bb?
 
451 is the cheapest way out if you are patient & keep an eye on the craiglist ads as well as the net. Need a good 400 block, 440 crank & 440 rods. That's your base.

If you want all new parts then there's really no cost savings to the 451.
 
If you don't mind me asking ..... Anyone that's done a 451 or 470 build. What would the cost be, ball park figure. I can get a 400 block fairly cheap. I had thought a while back about selling the Hemi and putting a stroker in.
 
Zigs- that's not an easy answer. It depends on what you want out of it. I was aiming for 525-550 hp. I paid $3500 for a complete short block done by Pro Max Carbs and Performance. I spent another $900 for 440 Source Stealth heads. I put a Proform 850 cfm carb on it. That was a little pricey. From there it's the typical price for a cam,intake, timing chain etc... All in all I think I'm around $7000+ but there are many parts that I laid out good money to get the top shelf stuff. It could have been done for about $6k if I put my mind to it. If you're looking for bigger hp/torque numbers you need to price out Eddy Victor or Indy heads and the price goes up from there.
It's got to be cheaper to build than a Hemi.
 
PA Dodger said:
Zigs- that's not an easy answer. It depends on what you want out of it. I was aiming for 525-550 hp. I paid $3500 for a complete short block done by Pro Max Carbs and Performance. I spent another $900 for 440 Source Stealth heads. I put a Proform 850 cfm carb on it. That was a little pricey. From there it's the typical price for a cam,intake, timing chain etc... All in all I think I'm around $7000+ but there are many parts that I laid out good money to get the top shelf stuff. It could have been done for about $6k if I put my mind to it. If you're looking for bigger hp/torque numbers you need to price out Eddy Victor or Indy heads and the price goes up from there.
It's got to be cheaper to build than a Hemi.
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Your right in there with the H.P. 500 to 550 .I can't see going any more unless you plan on getting serious with the racing. Besides 500 HP in a light car you can get stupid real quick. I have done some research and found I can get most of the parts locally crank ,heads pistons etc.
Yes it is cheaper then a Hemi. My 354 ,10 years ago cost $8000 just for the build, then I had to add all the exterior . Like my Hemi but I think the 451 would fit the car better ( room wise).
 
Bingo,Using all new parts and aluminum heads my 451 cost was right about $7000.
Carb to pan and headers.
 
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