This has got to be the truest statement I have seen in a long time.
Mike

 

This post could not have come at a better time as a guy is bringing a 400 block that has #3 cam bearing spun and he said that it had alot of blowby issues plus low oil pressure for the first 1000 miles. I would say the spun cam bearing would be the problem here.

From what he descibed about the funny wear marks next to the head bolt holes sould like it was not plate honed which could be the blowby issues he was having.

Sounds like another budget build gone bad LOL

 

Or a spun cam bearing.

 

Carl catches a lot of crap sometimes for his recommendations, but after spending a lot of time at a couple of performance engine shops and seeing first hand what "penny wise and dollar foolish" means, I've decided his advice is spot-on. He's trying to help folks avoid spending the same money two or three times and he gets razzed for it.
There's a lot more to an aftermarket block than thicker cylinder walls. The whole block is a lot more stable, so your mains and decks stay straight when making big power at high rpm's, where even the best OEM blocks move around. There's power AND longevity to be had and in the grand scheme of things, those blocks aren't all that expensive.

 

This block coming I will ask the guy how much he has in added time for pulling the engine out and putting it back in.

Let see with out seeing the mess

Crank is being turned

Block will need to be bored and hone

Needs to be striped

Line bore the cam tunnel

New pistons

Probably a rebalance

Hone pin bores (fit pins)

New rings

Who know what else.

I wonder what the balance is now?????????????

So far I have never seen a budget pass a leak down test on engines with less then 1000 miles on them.

 

I think we're all in agreement that a .060 over factory 400 block - or any GEN I factory block with that overbore - is junk...or at best a potentially expen$ive crapshoot. I think we're also agreed that the SHP block in particular is a steal when compared to the machine work required to get a factory block in shape for a very high performance engine.

Where it diverts from there is in two areas. First, associating "budget" engine building with substandard parts, shoddy machine work and cutting corners is bunk. Budget engine building isn't "cheap" - it's smart. It means picking the right parts and machine work for a particular power level and budget. It means being "fit for purpose" rather than just overbuilding to extremes. Not every engine is a racing engine. Heck, Vizard wrote a whole book on building on a budget. We'll just have to be thankful that hotrodders are smart, otherwise only those that could afford $25K engines would be making power.

Second is the factory 400 block. The weaknesses of the block are well-known, yet suggesting that they're completely unsuitable when we don't even know the power level the OP was looking for or their budget makes no sense. Plenty of factory 400 block-based builds around making great power with great reliability, and certainly it's an acceptable foundation for the "torquey small block" the OP was looking for. There are a lot of ways to skin this cat, and a better solution might be to look for a factory roller long-block to make into a nice little budget 383...that done right will deliver great power and reliability without costing an arm and a leg.

 

Had a 73 nova put a 400 bored 60 over with a four speed geared 373 it never over heated could run it all day never had a problem with over heating loved that car so much fun could be running 80 to 100 in forth sounded like it was idling push back into third would break lose leave about 15 foot marks on pavement lay you back in seat then if you didn't let off it would start floating the front end and scare the crap out of you but so much fun

 

Hey S. I see this is your first post FYI, this thread is 10 years old.

 

Pass and build a 383.