Here's a few spec's & early shots. Please let me know your thoughts or upgrade advice.

400 - "511" block (+0.030)
H-Beams
Forged Flat Tops
Steel Crank
Cam - to be .480 lift w/flat tappet
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l1...h/DSC01420.jpg
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l1...h/DSC01418.jpg

Here's the top end.
AFR's - 195's & 75cc
Edelbrock RPM Air-Gap
1.6 rollers
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l1...h/DSC01369.jpg
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l1...h/DSC01372.jpg

Holley 110 gph fuel pump

Hamburger Oil Pan
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l1...h/DSC01389.jpg

All new fasteners
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l1...h/DSC01373.jpg

Mating up with a newly rebuilt 3:70 rear end
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l1...h/DSC00715.jpg

Let me know your thoughts, I still need help with the carb selection.

 

Looks great

 

You've got some great components there...BUT...your leaving alot of HP on the table cause that cam seems kind of small for the rest of your components, especially the heads. Even with 1.6 rockers, your bottom end, heads, intake, and gear could handle MUCH more cam and still be very streetable. Did budget restrictions prevent you from going roller cam?? You already have quality roller rockers. What's the durration and your logic/resoning for picking that cam?
Eddie

 

Just this past weekend, I pulled the 406 out of my '73 to start a similar rebuild....wish I had those AFR heads... What cam are you going with?

 

To protect the heads exhaust ports header threads I have always used the 1.500 inches black oxide 5/16th part number 100-1401

http://www.arp-bolts.com/Catalog/Cat...talog_0049.pdf

 

Thanks for the quick input guys! As for the cam, I'm going by what the engine builder is recommending to me. I do have an extra Edelbrock RPM performer cam (as shown in the one pic), I beleive they are .501 lift and with the 1.6 rockers I think it will give me 0.534 lift right?

I didn't go with the roller due to $$$. The builder originally mis quoted me at add'l $500 but quickly called me back once he started ordering parts. I know there are ALOT of opinions, but is there a cam that really stands out for this build? Or should I at least go with the RPM?

Here are a few more pics...

Rebuilt T350 tranny with shift kit & 2400 stall
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l1...h/DSC01421.jpg

Couple updated pics of the front end & rear with the body off...
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l1...h/DSC01422.jpg
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l1...h/DSC01423.jpg

I did things a bit backwards from the original pic, I didn't plan on removing the body but as many of you know, that's how it ended up.

Let me know your thoughts about the cam...

 

A 406ci is bigger than a 396ci big block and only a few cubes shy of the legendary 427ci rat motor, think big, lose the puny cam. The Edelbrock cam ain't too much better either as a matter of fact I have never heard anyone say they were happy with an Edelbrock cam. Save some money up and put a real cam in that bad boy

Does your engine builder do allot of engines for motorhomes ?

 

There's a much cheaper way to get the benefits of roller lifters - the 60* V6 lifter trick. The GM OEM "dogbone" lifter retention method is more reliable than the aftermarket "link bar" style, anyway. Cheaper and better...can't beat it.

 

I'm only about 10 degrees shy of the 427 L-88 solid cam,and I don't feel it's that bad.Most folks would likely go 10-15 degrees smaller for the street,but at 254@.050,I think it's just about perfect in my 406.

Motorhead is right. You don't want to build a tow truck engine and stick it in a sports car.

 

I'm struggling with this one guys. I just got off the phone with the tech line @ Summit (seemed very knowledgeable), I told him it's a '77 vette and gave him all the specs (3:7 rear, 2400 stall, engine build info, etc...) and he is saying a Comp Cam w/.490 lift 230/236 duration. With my 1.6 rollers it would be .523 lift. This isn't too far off from my .480 lift cam.

Next step up would be a Comp Cam .507/.510 lift and 240/246 @ 050 but I will need a 2800 stall. Also, the bigger I go, he mentioned that I may need more vacuum.

 

If that 240/246 cam is the XE-284,I ran that exact setup with a 2200 stall and had no issues with vacuum.

There is a balance between "optimal",and "acceptable" that will vary depending on who you ask. Help desk tech's are coached to under cam,in an effort to please the masses. Most folks will be happy with that advice.I went down this road myself,and after going with the Comp XE-274,which had 230@.050 duration,found the idle bone stock smooth,and ran out of power just over 5500 rpms.

I flattened a lobe,and had to re cam anyway,so I then went with the next step up,the XE-284,and ran 1.60 rockers.Pulled to 6000 rpms or so,not a bad idle.This still running a 2200 stall and idling at 650 in gear,which is lower than needed,but had that fender shake thing going on that I liked.

 

I did a 406 up with dart heads and a 5.7 rod. I chose to go with the Lunati 00012 if I remember correctly. It was 246 IN/EXT @.050 and at 507 lift. It was a very nice cam but a little bit of a rough idle. With your heads you could handle more lift/flow than I could. Remember, you have drive the car,don't go for the killer cam, go for something that doesn't make the car an effort to drive at the high rpm powerband all the time. Try the lunati tech line, they were great. Comp cams didn't help me one bit. Thats why I bought their hydraulic roller for this motor I have.

 

Nice set-up! I noticed two things. Make sure you get the paint off the starter mounting surface or you will lose your ground and whats up with the sway bar mounting links? Is that the way they told you too mount it?

 

Thanks, and as for the sway bar, which one looks odd? I mounted both front & rear per the parts they gave me and instructions that came with the kit.

As for the cam, I may be a day late and a dollar short. Engine is done and I will be getting it tommorrow. I'll post some pics over the weekend.

 

u gonna have that ready for the show circuit come this summer? a fellow michagander looking forward to seeing the finished product

 

I built a 406 for a customer many years back, 9.5:1 with Edelbrock Performer RPM heads (untouched other than correct springs) and a XE274H flat tappet, converter flash was 3000 and the engine happily pulled 6000 and would have gone higher. Your heads are night and day better than the RPM's and will allow you to get away with less camshaft than lesser heads, rewarding you with more torque to work better with the mild torque converterter, yet still allowing you to rev the engine. The RPM cam you have may not be the latest and greatest, but will still make excellent power and with the wide lobe separation (112 degrees) it will have a broad powerband. I wouldn't recommend a .050" intake duration any larger than 235 degrees with such a mild converter, and for the few upper RPM horsepower you might lose with a big cam, you sacrifice driveability and stop light performance, something you will be needing infinitely more often.

Regardless of what you use, cam lobe to rod clearance MUST be checked (it really should have been done longe before the shortblock was put together) and the rods clearanced as required. Check them all, but 1,2,5,6 are the ones that get close to cam lobes from what I've experienced. Flat tappets tend to have less clearance issues (duration of time the rod and lobe are near one another) than a roller profile. Best of luck to you.

 

[QUOTE=Emeightch;1563463851]I'm struggling with this one guys. I just got off the phone with the tech line @ Summit (seemed very knowledgeable), I told him it's a '77 vette and gave him all the specs (3:7 rear, 2400 stall, engine build info, etc...) and he is saying a Comp Cam w/.490 lift 230/236 duration. With my 1.6 rollers it would be .523 lift. This isn't too far off from my .480 lift cam.QUOTE]

That's the XE274H, which works well also. What was the .480" cam that your builder was talking about? There isn't a "magic" cam for your engine, but what you choose will determine the engine's character. Too small, like a stock factory 400 cam, will make the engine a monster from idle but it will flatten out after 4000 or so, too large and it's a turd until it hit's 4500 then it will take off, until it hits the induction restriction. Similar cams from different manufacturers aren't going to act all that differently. If you install a cam that centers the bulk of it's torque/HP production around the 2500 to 5500 powerband you will have an engine that doesn't sound "full race" but you will have an engine with excellent throttle response and will pull hard from a dead stop to 6000.

 

Well, looks like i have the cam that I have. Once I get this thing on the road, I'll dig a little deeper in to it. But I am looking for that off-the-light performance. I won't be at the strip every weekend, probably just cruisin around the Detroit area. Here's a few pics...

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l1...h/DSC01429.jpg
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l1...h/DSC01430.jpg
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l1...h/DSC01432.jpg

Alot different from what I took out of her...
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l1...h/DSC00536.jpg

The Hamburger Oil pan did fit, looks like I have about 3/8" clearance to the slave cylinder. I need to buy some Valve Covers (probably the fabricated aluminium ones) and then on to the Jet-Hot Coated Super Comp Headers & side pipes. Anyone have any pics of these?

I did have a few lessons learned; make sure the torque converter is "fully" seated in the trans & keep the engine mounts "loose" on the block so it has a little play before setting home.

Thanks again for all the input and let me know what you think.