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by **silver monzter** » Thu Jul 06, 2006 11:03 am

iv got a 406sb with 041 heads 202/160
it runs 200/210 most of the times
when i race it runs a little hotter

has anyone had this as a problem?
do steam holes really make a big differance??
ive got a lge aluminum radiater /electric water pump
2350 cfm cooling fan pusher

would steam holes make a differance???
thanks for your input!!

by **vswv8** » Thu Jul 06, 2006 8:20 pm

no steam holes in a 400 block means hot spots in the block....also it generally leads to head gasket failure eventually

by **bill1978v8** » Fri Jul 07, 2006 7:48 pm

Steam holes are needed when using the 400 block. You have to drill the heads for this mod and yes it helps eliminate steam pockets. If you need more info I can dig it up. Let me know. thanks,

Bill

by **Phil G** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 11:59 am

The problem with the 400 blocks is that the center two cylinders are "siamesed" in that there is no water passage between them.

A 350 block is O O O O but the 400 block is O OO O...

I'd say steam holes are a good thing, but never having built a 400 I couldn't say for sure...

:roll:

by **silver monzter** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 12:55 pm

my motor doesnt really run hot
i was trying to figure out whether it was worth the effort
to tear it down.ive got a buddy who has a full head shop
so thats not an issue,its been together for 8 yrs with no
problems,i was just seeing if anyone has had experiences
with this issue.

by the way phil ,where in tucker do you live?
im in fairburn,south of the airport

thanks
marsh

by **ivend** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 2:09 pm

if you need the plan how to drill the hole in the heads i have the
plan that hot rod mag or so did few years back don't know post a picture but can email the articule if you need

yvan :canada:

by **Phil G** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 4:09 pm

Marsh, Tucker isn't that big!

I live off Highway 29 near the DeKalb/Gwinnett line (on the DeKalb side)...

:lol:

by **Kenova** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 4:56 pm

I've built a couple of SBC 400s and both times I drilled the steam holes. The way I looked at it is it won't hurt anything if you do (drill the holes) but it just may come back and bite you in the ass if you don't. As for cooling, run the biggest/best rad you can stuff in front of the engine regardless of cost and do not under drive the water pump. These engines need big block cooling systems.
Ken

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