Help me win this argument 400 in a 72.

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dkbug said:
400 CI = boat anchor unless stroked. 383 > 400 - 383 > 440 in an A body. 440 > 383 in anything else.

Headers are roughly $650 from Shumacher and $175+ for mounts.
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Do you practice makin stupid comments or does it come naturally?
 
I say do it I'm putting a 400 bb in my 73 duster it's stroked to a 406 I need pistons I'm putting 1968 440 906 heads on it I can't wait to get it done
 
Did the OP ever state how much money he is/is not working with? Or the given purpose? I can't recall if I actually saw it in here.

I bet if you start off with rear axle as mentioned earlier in the replies, and suspension mods to make it more compliant on the road (e.g., sway bars, new leafs/T-bars, poly bushings, leaf sliders, etc.)-and I'll admit the caveat I don't know your spouse-but she would probably enjoy driving it more-even with the basic 318. Then you could decide from there...

Of course, this is coming from a guy looking to drop a 383 in his '72 Scamp :)

Just my .02...
 
Theres nothing like people looking tween the fenders and seeing a monster bb in an abody wow is the response most of the time and I know about 4 people that stroked a 400 and say they are beasts. Look at this past engine build off in the mopar mag outta 7 engines if I'm not mistaken 5 of them were stroked 400's and those build offs are on a budget. I think it's $5k. So this shows where the best bang for the buck is. Do some research on the stroked 400's! But without stroking it yeah it's a low hp engine
 
67bigblockfish said:
Theres nothing like people looking tween the fenders and seeing a monster bb in an abody wow is the response most of the time

! But without stroking it yeah it's a low hp engine
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I can vouch for that. Big Blocks have eye appeal. They have that wow factor.

A 400 with the right compression or forced induction can rip. IMO though it isn't worth the trouble of putting a BB in an Abody (that already has a SB) if you aren't vastly exceeding small block cubic inch. Of course this will depend on what parts you alrady have but if you are going on the hunt for an engine, I woudl not hunt down a 383 or 400 that will remain at that CI to buid your BB abody.
 
67bigblockfish said:
But without stroking it yeah it's a low hp engine
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hmmmm here is a 383. not stroked. compression 11:1

runs 9.9 seconds quarter mile in a road runner.

pretty nice boat anchor i want one.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=9K6ard18yo8"]1969 Plymouth Roadrunner 383 CID In car camera pass - YouTube[/ame]

yeah a 400 at 12:1 would be even more powerful.

comparing a 451 stroker (400 with a 440 crank) at lets say 9:1
vs
a 400 with lightened forged crank, aluminum rods, 12:1 forged pistons, MP stage 6 heads, victor intake... running on race gas

which would win in a 1/4 mile?
 
moparlover said:
hmmmm here is a 383. not stroked. compression 11:1

runs 9.9 seconds quarter mile in a road runner.

pretty nice boat anchor i want one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=9K6ard18yo8

yeah a 400 at 12:1 would be even more powerful.

comparing a 451 stroker (400 with a 440 crank) at lets say 9:1
vs
a 400 with lightened forged crank, aluminum rods, 12:1 forged pistons, MP stage 6 heads, victor intake... running on race gas

which would win in a 1/4 mile?
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Well if ima build that 451 u talking ima put all the goodies in it that u mentioned above
 
Brad4406 said:
These posts about big blocks being slow boat anchors and difficult to install crack me up. I bet you'll find very few of them making these comments have ever built or even driven a big block A-body; Bob Shingler and Jim Musk definitely not included in those I'm referring to. Do some research and you'll find it not to be the case. Take a look at http://www.bigblockdart.com and you'll see differently.

If you're a fabricator, you can easily convert your SB k-frame to BB, I believe Bob even posted procedures on how to do it, or you can buy conversion mounts if you're not. Tranny mount is the same. You'll need headers, but you don't have to buy them brand new unless you have green to waste; take a look at craigslist, eBay, swapmeets, and for sale sections on numerous MOPAR related websites. As previously mentioned, you'll have to shorten your drive shaft.

Whether you choose BB or SB, good luck with your build.
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Great post..... take a guess what I vote for? :joker:
 
BB in an A-Body DOES NOT require "expensive headers".
Do some research on bigblockdart.com. B-Body 383/440 HP stock manifolds will work! It's even easier with a 383/400 low deck motor.....
 
There is no replacement for displacement, but to do so you pay a price.. It all comes down to how much you guys drive it and what you think is worthy of your time. You can build a hefty 408 out of a 360 for the same amount of building up an monster 400 stroker, probably do more to the 360 block with heads, crank, roller cam.. etc... and not have to do to many modifications to the rest of the car.
 
400 plus another 70 and its all stock. Off someones shelf! Just do it !!
 

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I still think a stock stroke 400 would make a ripping street engine if built right. Look at bore vs stroke. What makes the 340 a better performance engine than the 360? Compression an bigger bore with smaller stroke. That baby winds up fast. 400 is similar. Just needs compression and a cam to breathe fire. If you build a 400 and a 44o exactly the same and put in same car I bet the outcome would be very close at the end of the 1/4. What the 400 lacks in displacement it would make up for in weight and revs. Just my opinion.
 
moparlover said:
hmmmm here is a 383. not stroked. compression 11:1

runs 9.9 seconds quarter mile in a road runner.

pretty nice boat anchor i want one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=9K6ard18yo8

yeah a 400 at 12:1 would be even more powerful.

comparing a 451 stroker (400 with a 440 crank) at lets say 9:1
vs
a 400 with lightened forged crank, aluminum rods, 12:1 forged pistons, MP stage 6 heads, victor intake... running on race gas

which would win in a 1/4 mile?
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True, but..

Which would be a more streetable engine? This guy wants a street car.
 
i vote for the 400. its a no brain, bolt in affair. its gonna cost you a chunk of change no matter what you do. in the end the 400 is gonna build more power, and yes I know what it takes to build one.

[ame="http://i370.photobucket.com/albums/oo147/johnnydart_photo/IMG_17171_zpsb82221ed.mp4"]
th_IMG_17171_zpsb82221ed.jpg
[/ame]

you just cant beat the WOW factor and the low end grunt of a big block. it even sounds more impressive to say you have a dart with a big block in it.
 
MTmopars said:
I still think a stock stroke 400 would make a ripping street engine. Look at bore vs stroke. What makes the 340 a better performance engine than the 360? Compression an bigger bore with smaller stroke. That baby winds up fast... What the 400 lacks in displacement it would make up for in weight and revs. Just my opinion.
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Not to disagree, but I've seen this debate elsewhere-in the Mustang world...302 v stroker 302 or even 4.6. The 4.6 has a longer stroke by over half an inch but will rev as well or better than a 302...even stock. Same goes for a 302 vs 347. Yeah, there's an extra 0.4" stroke, but it comes down more to how it's built than the intrinsic dimensions of the engine.

Just my opinion here, and I'll freely admit we're straying from the original intent of the thread, but I don't believe a 340 is necessarily a "better" engine than a 360 for performance purposes...it certainly came from the factory that way, but if the 360 ever came out with 10.5:1 compression with a healthy bumpstick and above par induction and exhaust, it would arguably be a more powerful mill...

OP: Sorry for derailment...

EDIT: I'm still for a big block, but the rest of the car needs to be put together to accommodate.
 
I put a set of stock Mopar stage 6 heads on my trainer car that has a 76 440 8.5-1.

Mopar .528 solid cam
Performer RPM intake
780 Holley

Before the Mopar heads the car went 12.21 et.
After the Mopar heads the car went 11.80.
That's 45 rear wheel hp,not 25 hp.

I should also say that the 906 heads had 2.14-1.88 valves and a mild port job done to it.
So over stock heads the gain would be about 60 rwhp.



 
txstang84 said:
400 can't be built streetable? I think he was only saying that putting in a stock stroke 383 or 400 isn't a fruitless or lacking pursuit...
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Perhaps, but he used a "12:1 400 running on race gas" as the comparasin.

txstang84 said:
EDIT: I'm still for a big block, but the rest of the car needs to be put together to accommodate.
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Yes indeed. Frame connectors, 8 3/4 or equivelent, I'd almost have to through offset hangers in there too. You are going to need some tires with any performacne build.
 
I think it is all in what you want to do with your car. My 400 is a 73 with stock bore and stock compression. This engine was done on a budget as I didn't have a lot of money and wanted a big block. The engine was ball honed, new rings, full grooved bearings and I used a 383 crank. I have a windage tray, a 509 cam, Mopar Performance electronic ignition, 516 heads and yes they are still running the small exhaust valve (that's what I had at the time). I have an Edelbrock TM6 intake with Edelbrock 750 carb, Hooker Supercomp fenderwell headers with 3 in exhaust and flowmasters. The trans is Turboaction with reverse manual valve body and a TCI converter that stalls at about 2200. The rear is an 8 3/4 with Richmond 4:10 gears. The car has run the best of 12.56 at 110 mph on 87 octane. Tires are BFG Radial T/A's not a drag radial. I drive this car a lot and always has performed. I just drove it 2 1/2 hrs to OC, MD for the Cruisin show. And, I have done that for the last 10 years and the engine has been in the car since 2000. I have never had it apart and to say the least, I have always run the crap out of it. This was just stuff for the most part that I had laying around and really wasn't expecting to keep it in the car this long, but it is hard to pull something out that runs this good and is dependable. So not everything needs to be built to a crazy level to have fun, just my 2 cents.
 
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