what heads should i find 4 my 400, i got 333882 76cc gm heads now and i was told they r no good, its going to be a street car but like to get up around that 475 to 500 hp any ideas thanks
you will not get 400 to 500hp with 881 or 882 heads. They are some of the worse flowing heads that GM made. They are also prone on cracking in the combustion chamber. Can you give us some of the specs of the engine such as cam compression etc?
If your looking for that kind of power you should be aware of a few things first. At that power level it`s a good chance it won`t be very streetable.
It won`t be easy to drive on the street. Secondly what`s the highest power level vehicle you`ve ever drove? Do you know what it`s like to drive a car with 500 horsepower? Your 22 so you`ve got a few years of driving under you but that doesn`t count if you`ve never drove a high powered vehicle.
Your looking to out run your buddies 383, and at 500 horsepower were talking big dollars and a build done by a experienced engine builder. Were also talking a bullet proof transmission and rearend which adds more cash to the pile.
Were also talking increased braking power and safety measures such as a roll cage. To have go you gotta have whoa.
And depending on what kind of vehicle you plan to install it in there`s the possibility of adding more support to the frame so it doesn`t twist the body.
If I were you I would build the 400 to a mild spec and focus on the torque the engine makes, which it makes alot because it has a long stroke. It`s torque that moves the vehicle, it`s torque that burns tires, it`s torque that slams you back in the seat, it`s torque that wins races,, not horsepower.
Since your a novice do the mild build first and don`t worry about out running anybody, learn to drive it, learn how to respond to it. Learn how to tune it, this is a very important step. Just remember, you can`t enjoy a high powered car dead or in a wheel chair.
I think id drop the money on a 4 bolt 454 with 781 heads and start there. Much easier and cheaper with more cubes. Better engine too, but thats just my opinion. I dont think too much of small blocks, ive blown up too many of them without even trying, but have beat the hell out of old pinto 4 cylinder and MY 454 and theyre fine.
I wasn`t trying to come off as discouraging. I happen to care about the safety of others. I`ve always believed, you gotta crawl before you can walk, you gotta walk before you can run. Same thing applies to performance. A novice can`t just jump in without experience and expect to make that kind of power or know how to handle it. There is no substitute for experience.
When I first started out I was ambious as well but I set mild goals, I built a mild 350 for my then Z28. As time went by I got better with it so I wanted to move up more but I learned a lot between the time about how to tune it. You can have a 5000 dollar engine not tuned correctly get it`s doors blown off by a 1000 dollar engine. I always recommend a novice buy the book Chevy small blocks on a budget by David Vizard, it`s a excellant book and it can teach a novice alot about performance. Maybe I shouldn`t care about the safety of others but I do because I`ve seen what happens when it`s overlooked and it wasn`t something I ever want to see again. Shawn, by all means build your 400, but, read the book I recommended and read it closely and pay attention to what it says carefully. You don`t have to get into the pacifics of balancing as DV takes it to a whole new level. But pay attention to the performance aspects of heads, intakes, carbs, pistons, camshafts, ignition, etc. You`ll learn about proper bore prep and how you have to clean it until he** wouldn`t have it once you get it back from the machine shop. The bores are impregnated with the grit of the hone stones and you have to scrub them hard until you get it all out, if it`s left in it destroys the ring seal and when it gets in the oil it destroys bearings and the engine is junk before you even fire it up. It will also teach you about compression and especially Quench distance which is very important if your running a borderline compression ratio for pump gas.
I know but can u give me some diffrent set ups 4 a mild 400 i want it to be street legal and i am going 30 over on the cylinders, i ordered a set of trick flow 64 cc aluminum heads of of ebay this morning and i got a edlebrock high rise intake with a holley 850 double pumper which r used and thats all i got so far
I know but can u give me some diffrent set ups 4 a mild 400 i want it to be street legal and i am going 30 over on the cylinders, i ordered a set of trick flow 64 cc aluminum heads of of ebay this morning and i got a edlebrock high rise intake with a holley 850 double pumper which r used and thats all i got so far
I wish you had not ordered those heads yet, building an engine is like putting a good meal together. DO the research first before you buy part one.
Maybe I can help you out with a few easy questions.
1. What rpm do you think the car will be running in 90% of the time?
2 Are you willing to spend the money on the other parts that are not quite as sexy as the engine, such as transmission, torque converter etc?
3. What gas do you want to buy? regular or premium?
4. How heavy a car are you building?
4. I used to work at a speed shop many years ago, most novices buy equipment that they never needed. I can't tell you how many tunnel-ram manifolds we got back along with the complaints that they did not work right. Also most street engines are over-cammed and over-carbed.
i can always resell the heads if i had to, i like to run premuim gas i plan on putting new tranney torque converter and rearend in it that aint a promblem i have beensaveing up 4 along time 4 this project, it is a hevier car it is a 64 impala 2 door hardtop body all redone and interior, rpms i dont know put i would like to be able to wind it up but dont know what i want to run it at 90 percent? any ifo would be appreicated
If you do not plan on doing any drag racing, I would look at gears in the 3.73 to 4.30 range. I would look at set of pistons that will give you 10.5 to 1 compression, with aluminum haeds that will give you a dynamic compression around 9.5 to 1, You can run plenty of timing and not have to worry pinging. For the manifold look at one of the performer manifolds and run a carb in the 650 to 700cfm range. The converter will be in the 2500 to 3000 rpm range. Talk to the converter people before you buy, your heavier car and engine will affect the stall of the converter. Also talk the cam people, I prefer Comp cams or Bullet. They will take the time with you and make sure you get the right cam
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