Guest Speaker Posted June 24, 2002 Share Posted June 24, 2002 The 400 I found has a crack between the steamhole and bolthole as claimed by the owner. he says its normal; I was wondering what you guys think about it. This motor is going to make A LOT of power N/A; around 600hp or so; I'll try to post a pic of it when he sends me one; just curious if anyone knows something right off the bat. thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biohzrd Posted June 24, 2002 Share Posted June 24, 2002 leave it alone, don't touch it, say bye bye. if it has a crack there that means it got hot. good chance of having a crack in the cylinders aswell. i'd just keep looking. i know 400's are hard to come by but atleast try to start out with a good core Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Speaker Posted June 24, 2002 Share Posted June 24, 2002 true... but i can get this one for free sans shipping... i guess i'll keep looking Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted June 25, 2002 Share Posted June 25, 2002 Biohzrd is right. If you are looking for 600 HP ya don't want any cracks. You are looking for a perfect block to pour all that liquid gold into to make 600 and do not want it all to come leaking out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted June 25, 2002 Share Posted June 25, 2002 IF, you can get it for free and are a gambler; get it have mave it sonic checked or magnafluxed. Since head bolts thread into the water jacket, that crack doesn't concern me as much as the possibility that might be others in more serious locations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biohzrd Posted June 25, 2002 Share Posted June 25, 2002 the main reason i'd leave it alone is b/c the 400 block already has thin cylinder walls to begin with . thats befor any machining has been done. if you're going for the 600 hp mark out of a 400 block i think you wnat it to be as close to perfect as you can get it. i've seen guys with 400 blocks before that had all the goodies in it and still blow out the cylinders b/c of spray of too much boost. its just an awful lot of cash to invest in a block that may not handle it even in like new condition. but hey for free you really can't beat the price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted June 25, 2002 Share Posted June 25, 2002 I agree, while it 'may' be normal I do remember hearing of 400 SBC's having problems with the steam holes and all that, I don't think its a good candidate for reasons the others have mentioned. If you putting it in Aunt Edna's wagon, no problem, but your asking it to put out 1.5 HP per cubic inch which is stressful even on a good block, don't start with a problem from the beginning, you'll run into plenty on your own without any help, trust me. Regards, Lone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted June 26, 2002 Share Posted June 26, 2002 The 400 really doesn't have thin cylinder walls it just has no water passage between the cyliners. I think they are even a bit thicker than a regular SB...I'll have to check on that one. They even have buldges on the outside of the block to compensate for the bigger bore. Most concerns with 400 are cooling because of the lack of water passages between the walls. The big thing with the 400 is the cooling system so make sure it's up to snuff. The most common areas for cracks is in the the lifter area. Most of the time these are no big deal if the are dealt with right but the crack you are talking about sounds scary. I just helped my dad build a 406 for his 68 camaro so I just giving the info that we had to find out along the way. If you would like to ask a specific question about the 400 just let me know and I'll see if he/I can answer it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted June 26, 2002 Share Posted June 26, 2002 Reverand.. What modifictions can you do to a 400 block to compensate for the cooling problems. In the past I have ran ran across a 400 block for $200.00 and a also a 383 stroker kit for $50.00 but at the time did not know a good shine from shineola. I just feel the accumulation need for a 400 or a 383 after reading Grumpy Vettes "glowing hot" accounts.I am becoming a (addict) collector of SBC parts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted July 11, 2002 Share Posted July 11, 2002 Sorry it took so long to reply...I just totally forgot about this post. There is really no mod to compensate for the lack of water passages between the wall other than making sure the components in your cooling system are the best they can be/you can afford. This doesn't mean expensive it just means if there is any doubt about a component in the system it should be upgraded/replaced. Really it's just like any other block in that you should have good components that do their job no matter what system it relates to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Power_Slave Posted July 13, 2002 Share Posted July 13, 2002 You can get a head gasket kit that compensates for the lack of cooling by re-routing some of the coolant to different parts of the block. Don't remember the specifics but some friends and I were discussing the gaskets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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