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by **h-bot** » Sun May 07, 2000 1:21 am

From: monza2rn_REMOVE_628286_THIS_@yahoo.com

Being the car came with a V-8 would the 1971 400 small block fit in the engine compartment. How reliable would the 400 be if modified to 350 HP?
Thanks Jim

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by **h-bot** » Sun May 07, 2000 2:55 am

From: denisst78_REMOVE_814175_THIS_@yahoo.com

Jim a 350Hp (only) 400 small
block will be
very reliable
even up to 42 you should have no
majors problems
(driveability,idle, parts
breakng)
one thing to look at is the rear end
the little
7.5 wasn`t very strong
if you keep the HP to 350
you shouldn`t have any problems
it`s also very
easy to get those engines in the
450HP range whit
good heads and a cam

BTW, yopu`ll have to use
a oil pan from
Milodon and it only fits on 400
whit stock
type connecting rods

Denis

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by **h-bot** » Tue May 09, 2000 12:23 am

From: monza2rn_REMOVE_789318_THIS_@yahoo.com

You mean 350 hp in 3200 lb. car that originally
came with 110 hp(262 V-8). That would not be enough.
*grin* Besides I've heard and read that the frame work
of the unibody Monza could only withstand about 200
hp without tweaking the frame. And to handle the 350
hp I was figuring in on having to put a cage in to
help strengten the frame. Jim

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by **h-bot** » Tue May 09, 2000 8:47 am

From: denisst78_REMOVE_267582_THIS_@yahoo.com

Jim,
a frame connector is a good
addition
to all unibody cars
they will help a lot in drag
racing sistuation
and road race situation too
To
make sticky tire stick you definitly
need a solid
platform
the cage is a also a good idea but here
cops
don`t like them.
check whit local laws
before

Denis

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by **h-bot** » Tue May 09, 2000 7:52 pm

From: scotthansen_77_REMOVE_324863_THIS_@yahoo.com

Jim,
The small block 400 is an awesome motor.
It has been given a lot of bad press that it does
not deserve. I have had a couple of extremely good
automotive techs who say they would never build any Chevy
small block unless it was a 400. I have a small block
400 in my 81 Chevy truck. I could not be happier with
it. Build your 400 up as hot as you can. I have a
small block 400 that I am going to put Vortec heads on
for use in my 77 Vega real soon.

Build your
small block 400 hot and it will still be
reliable.

Scott Hansen

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by **h-bot** » Wed May 10, 2000 7:21 am

From: alfred_howe_REMOVE_558846_THIS_@yahoo.com

The May issue of car craft has a story about a vega with A buit 400 that runs in the mid 11s.Check it out if you can find one.

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by **h-bot** » Wed May 10, 2000 2:14 pm

From: scotthansen_77_REMOVE_503733_THIS_@yahoo.com

Here is a testament to how awesome the small
block 400 is. In one of the magazines is a blue Vega
with a small block 400 with a wimpy build up. He only
has a 268 cam (218 @ .050) and an Edelbrock performer
intake and I think headers. The rest is stock accept for
some older 327 heads that provide a whopping 8.5 to 1
compression. Even with the wimpy build up it still runs 12:65
in the 1/4. My 81 Chevy pickup with a small block
400 is built up hotter than this and I use it for
1000 miles cross country trips.

A 350 with this
same wimpy build up would not push the same car into
the 12's.

Long live small block
400's.

Scott

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by **h-bot** » Wed May 10, 2000 8:23 pm

From: Bacchus_101573_REMOVE_547504_THIS_@yahoo.com

Actually, a 400 with 327 heads is going to push
the compression much higher than 8.5:1 as most 327
heads were in the 64-67cc range and 400 stock heads
were in the 72-76cc or higher range. But the point
isn't lost.

Brian

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by **h-bot** » Thu May 11, 2000 1:42 am

From: denisst78_REMOVE_671519_THIS_@yahoo.com

Usually using closed chamber heads
on a
engine that used open ones
will raise the compression
ratio around
1 full point
8.5 will give you
around 9.5 to 9.75 to 1
Just this simple head swap
will give you more
power because you have more
compression and
a better port configuration

BTW
using vorted heads will also give you a
64 cc head
chambers

Denis

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by **h-bot** » Thu May 11, 2000 10:47 am

From: Murfys_1_REMOVE_344051_THIS_@yahoo.com

<<<quoted from
original>>>
Actually, a 400 with 327 heads...

Wasn't the whole
reliability issue about 400 small blocks related to using
non-400 heads? There was some issue about steam ports in
the block that had to match steam ports in the heads,
and most SBC heads don't have them? As I heard it,
this would cause a build-up of heat and probably
cracking of the heads.

I don't know much about
400's, but I figured I could add a little fuel to the
fire.

Someone shed some light on this?

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by **h-bot** » Thu May 11, 2000 10:50 am

From: monzaxl_REMOVE_722314_THIS_@yahoo.com

I've been reading some of these 400 sb
messages
and I hav'nt seen anyone mention the fact
that
swaping 400 heads for non 400 heads is the reason
it
gained the overheating reputation in the
first
place. (other heads not having the steam
holes that
the 400 heads have) I've run
400's before and they
are neccesary. FYI

Thomas

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by **h-bot** » Thu May 11, 2000 1:02 pm

From: denisst78_REMOVE_704212_THIS_@yahoo.com

Right about hte steam holes
but it`s simple
to add them
to a head that doesn`t have

some,
Simply use a 400 head gasket as
a template then
drill
one set of hole must be drilled
at a 90Â°
angle
the other one needs to be drilled
at around 30Â°
to 45Â° angle
Just look at a Chevy Power book

and you`ll have all the instruction

One good
thing to do to is to
unshroud the chambers
this
will lower the compression a
bit but the added air
flow will
compensate a lot!

Denis

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by **h-bot** » Thu May 11, 2000 4:45 pm

From: monzaxl_REMOVE_890101_THIS_@yahoo.com

A 400 was the first sbc I took apart as a
rookie
and I heard all the rumors about them then.
I
learned it was because of the siamesed cylinders
of
the block which makes the steam holes
neccesary.
Not being able to flow between the
cylinders
creates a pocket.
I have 461 fuelies on my 327 and I
think with
the holes added they would work great on
a 400.
As far as the danger goes, it would be
the heads
and the block at risk.
NOTE, I never
had any heating problems with mine.

Thomas

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by **h-bot** » Thu May 11, 2000 10:53 pm

From: scotthansen_77_REMOVE_109255_THIS_@yahoo.com

Actually everyone is right. Early 327 heads such
as 461's or 462's have either 60, 61, or 64 cc
combustion chambers which would raise the 400's stock 7.9 to
1 compression ratio to between 9.5 and 10 to 1. The
article in the magazine said 8.5 to 1 but it is probably
9.5 to 1. While building my 400 I noticed that the
stock pistons had about .125 deep dishes in them. I
installed flat top pistons with 76 cc heads thinking the
compression would be raised to about 9.0 to 1. It actually
took the compression to about 10.0 to 1. I did the
same thing to my 350 in my Vega. It had stock 8.0 to 1
compression with 76 cc heads. I bought some flat top pistons
for my Vega but it only brought the compression to
about 8.5 to 1. That is because the factory dish in my
350 piston was only about .060 deep.
The only
400's I have known that have overheating problems are
ones that people have swaped early heads on with no
steam holes. I had a friend that had a 400 small block
in a pickup. It would overheat all the time and it
pinged all of the time also. Even on 94 octane gas. He
finally sold it and bought a 350. He found out later that
his 400 had flat top pistons and 64 cc heads. He had
drilled the steam holes but the compression was so high
(about 11.5 to 1) it cause the motor to detenate which
caused overheating.

As long as steam holes are
drilled on heads for a 400, the engine will run fine.

Scott Hansen

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by **h-bot** » Fri May 12, 2000 12:33 am

From: denisst78_REMOVE_775798_THIS_@yahoo.com

Speaking of steam holes

GM and fel pro
suggest drilling
only in block that will operate
regualry
under 3000 rpm
So if it`s a drag race engine you
shouldn`t
need them but again it cost so little money
drill
them or have them drilled....

OH BTW when
using edelbrock heads
they don`t suggest drilling
the holes
might be because the water jackets
in
the heads are diffent

Denis

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