Jenny

What do you guys think? Pro's/Con's? I've been thinking about both and I keep going around in circles. Each week i decide on a different one. :confused:

PatsLs1vette

Jen ,
You already know my view,but theres always that one saying too,"Theres no substitute for cubic inchs" :yesnod:

Captain Morgan

Jen,
Wish I had some advice for you. Although, something tells me that you want to go bigger than just a 400 sb, at least since you've returned from Seattle. :lol: I'm definitely not an engine guru, but I have a feeling YOU won't be satisfied no matter what you get. ;) Good luck on your engine choice.

BTW, what does S.O.H.K mean in your sig?

Avery

Corey_68

The 400 is a great motor, and there is no substitute for cubes, BUT the 383 is cheaper to build and find parts for in general depending on the rebuild. You can turn any 350 into a 383 where as you have to buy the 400 block, 400 heads, etc.
:cheers:

Jenny

pat- :yesnod:

sharklover- well nothing compares to TwinSupercharged Merlin. :crazy: I couldn't handle that!

Corey- I'm pretty sure SBC heads work on a 400.. you just need to drill steam holes. :cheers:
And the 400 blocks are pretty cheap, other than that it's not that much of a price difference at all. I'm all about being economical. 90% tears 10% money :)

Gordonm

More cubes = More power. Go with the bigger one. Next one I build will be 420+ cubes.

Engage

Jenny,
I believe the proper line is "There is no replacement for displacement". ;)

gkull

Nobody - should ever build a 383. It costs the same to build a 391-396 ci. Only when your going to max valve size do you have to worry about shrouding.

Vetterodder

I'd probably go for the 383 unless I already had access to a good 400 block. The 23 extra cubes of the 406 (a 400 block with a .030 overbore like the 383) should yield a nearly proportionate power increase but I don't think it would be that noticible a difference unless measured on a dyno or at the strip.

dman535

Here is a clip of a 91 T/A that we built a 400sbc for. We retained the TPI, added a 3.42 gear, edelbrock exhaust and a hypertech chip. The motor had a really mild cam and stock 1.94 heads. it idled like a stocker, but talk about torque.

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/derek....es/ta_burn.wmv

robzr

I built a 388 and it's been a great motor but now I'm moving onto a 434. I'd never do another 383 again - the least I'd do is a 406. That extra couple hundred or so to get a good 400 block translates into dirt cheap power, and torque. Pistons/cranks are numerous and cheap for 406s (as well as 383s these days). When you think of the $700+ people spend on roller cams for a few more horses (well their are other benefits as well), hundreds into porting for a few more horses, the cost of a 400 block is minimal.

Rob

Jenny

Wow- i never would have expected such a one sided response!

george- I would tend to agree with you. Maybe there are considerations as to how far you want to extend the stroke. My understanding is that in general, a shorter stroke will allow higher RPM's.

Derek- nice video! Why was he doing this in a garage full of cars?!?!

Rob, yeah you're right. Parts don't seem to be an issue. They have become a dime a dozen. :)

93Polo

I think she is playing with all cubic inch options everything from a 377 using a 400 block, remember she is a converted high reving import owner :p: to a 383 or 406. Notice I didn't say ricer. The 406 is probably the most economical option with the Brodix Track 1s she wants or some other aluminum heads and some nitrous. The 421, 434 motors cost more to build properly. With the 406 she could spend more on the valvetrain and top end where the power is made, and have a tough bottom end.

dman535

I used to work in a shop down in Detroit. We did a couple of cool cars down there :

a. Greenwood Corvette rear end rebuild
b. 468 Chevy Big Block Cadillac Coupe Deville
c. 1965 Ramble convertible with a 400 Pontiac big block, ford 9" rear.
d. 455 Olds mobile Cadillac Seville
e. Several astro van v-8 conversions.

We had fun and frequently did burouts in the shop which really pi**ed off the body shop guys.

427V8

Jenny;
the biggest two problems with building a 406 are;
1. block availability
2. Compression management, 406's usually require 76cc heads, and Maybe dished pistons ( my 434 required 9cc dishes to get down to 10.5:1 which is still pretty high:U )
So you may end up buying expensive heads ( AFR 210's ) and custom pistons...

Whereas a 383 uses any old 350 block and off the shelf heads and pistons...

verskel

Hmmm.... I think the "383" evolved from guys who have "350's" and wanted more power.
About 10 yrs. ago the biggest thing in magazines was the 'stroker' motors - 383 c.i.d. made from 350 parts. :yesnod:

So if you're starting 'fresh' - the 400 would give you the most power for the buck..... However - being :reddevil 's advocate let me point out that 400 sbc's are "prone" to blowing head gaskets and over-heating. So if you drive your vette on the street a lot then the 383 might me a wiser choice. :yesnod:

Good Luck, man ! :chevy

Jenny

I can't speak for (1), but I think i'm gonna get the AFR210's anyhow. They are one of the best heads on the market and i think i've decided on them. In fact that's the one thing i've decided on and will build the motor around :blueangel:

ENCHANTMENT

Five years ago I had a choice to make when I was no longer satisfied with the performance of my 1980 L-82. I was debating whether to go with modifying my 350 or building a 400 block. I chose the 400. It was a less expensive proposition to mildly build up the 400 than trying to get the 350 to a equal level. It is a great engine with no downsides.

gkull

Find out if is Rich (stingrayRacing) is still selling his 383 stuff which includes AFR210s

The Dude

Yeah. They're "pretty cheap." And oh, so plentiful, too...:lol:

IF you can find an unmolested, unbored "virgin" 400 SBC block, you can expect to pay $200-$250 for it. (Around here, anyway.) They're getting more and more popular and harder to find because they were only made for a few years.

See, back in the old days, guys would buy up the 400s, take the cranks out of them to make 383s and then scrap the blocks because of the old "overheating" wive's tale.

Good luck. Expect to spend lots of time looking at glorified boat anchors before you find one to build.