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Building a 550hp (all motor) sbc 400

40K views 21 replies 13 participants last post by  novaracer 
#1 · (Edited)
Hello,

I have a 817 stock sbc 400. I'm looking to build a motor that capable of low 10's in my 71 Nova. First question, can this block handle the power and what are your suggestions for components? Looking to build a full roller motor that can do low 10's without the help of nitrous, blower or turbo. Also it must be street gas friendly and bored no more than 30 over. Currently all I have is a standard bore block and crank.


TIA
 
#3 ·
Unless your car is under 3000 lbs, it's going to take more power to go low 10's. I have 640+ in a 3000 lb. car.
If you have a chassis that works perfectly, and the moon and stars are in alignment, and ........you might run mid-high 10's with 550.
As for building a 550 h.p. 400 on pump gas, it's not impossible, but not something you would want as a daily driver.
The new Chevy High Performance has a story on a pump gas small block that made decent power, but it looked kinda weak to me considering the tunnel ram and 2 carbs. Spend most of your budget on the heads.
 
#4 · (Edited)
trw makes a piston for 5.7 rods that will give you alittle over 11to 1 cr. if you put on a real decent head like a brodix track1, edelbrock vic jr, or afr 210 or maybe something bigger it should breathe real well. i would put in a solid roller cam with around 250-270 duration at .50 and a big single plane intake with an 850 holley and you should be close to that number. the big cam will help with cylinder pressure to keep detonation away. its gonna be close with pump gas tho. i ran this same piston with a 250 @ .50 hydraulic roller and it didnt ping on 93 w/ aluminum heads. good luck and let us know what you decide to do!

i ran a desktop dyno sim on this engine and this is what i got:
400ci
11to1 cr
afr210 heads
single plane with 850
260 270dur@.50 .630 .660 solid roller
large tube headers
601hp @6000 and 533lbft @5000
 
#5 ·
Car will never be a daily driver and the budget will not be a problem, I'm looking to build a very nice motor with quality components. I'm definetly not looking for a budget build. I'm looking for a solid foundation to start with. Like my other cars, this will be another toy to play with. Is a 5.7 rod better than a 6.0 rod for what I'm trying to accomplish?
 
#7 ·
Jeff,

If I were going for and all out race motor I would go for an aftermarket block. If what I'm trying to do is unreasonable then tell me. I've seen were they have built 383 that run on pump gas that make 500hp. So, I thought that 550is obtainable out of a 400. I'm looking for suggestions and advice, I'm all ears.
 
#8 ·
Hello,
Im a poor judge of whats reasonable or unreasonable.

I see a lot of big numbers produced on dynos with various engines and engine combinations.

To oversimplify my views, perfect world dyno tests and real world driving are a long way apart.

I get very nervous when people start talking about various published pump gas engine builds that they read about.

I have seen so many "pump gas" performance engines that are (in my opinion) built on the fringe, with detonation damage from a bad tank of gas-dirt in a carb-lost belt etc, that I hate to try a build any that may end up broken, with fingers pointed at me.

Im sure there are many engines out there that do just fine racing on pump gas (I guess) but I dont see a lot.

Jeff
 
#9 ·
550 HP is very obtainable with a 400, 383 or even a 355. The problem you may run into is will 550 HP put you in the low 10's. Depending on the weight of your car, I would have to say no. My car weighs 3380 with me in it and the best pass to date has been a 10.93 @123 MPH. Of course, every combo is different, so it's hard to say for sure what kind of power will get you to your goal.

Here is a link to my combo as an FYI (post #13): http://www.stevesnovasite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12937
 
#11 ·
I plan on using AFR heads what I'm looking for are rotating assembly suggestion. Will 550 put me in low 10's probably not. But when and if I add a 150-200 power shot I'll probably be close. The more knowledge I gain, the more intelligent conversation I can have with the machice shop. What internals are in your 520 hp small block 400?
 
#15 ·
My brother had a race gas 358" small block real world dyno'd at 514hp in his '81 Malibu stock suspension bracket car. The car weighed 3120 race ready with a 1.76 powerglide, 5.14's, ATI 5500 stall 8" converter, Hoosier 30x9 radial slicks, and went 10.45 @ 128 with a 1.46 60 foot off the footbrake. Your goal of 550hp running low 10's is definitely feasible, you just need a combination that works.


Joe
 
#18 ·
My 406 made 535 HP/513 TQ with 10.7:1 Compression ratio. It will run on 93 octane but barely. I always add a dash of race fuel or octane booster to the mix to allow for full ignition advance without detonation.

In a '64 Nova it has run a best 1/4 ET of 10.35@135 MPH with a 175 HP shot of nitrous added. It can go faster but it is not a drag car. It was a street machine and the goal was not to break anything at the track and have to tow it home.
 
#21 ·
My 385 makes 589/449 SAE. 9.5:1 compression, 254/257 @ .050 .712" lift. Eagle cast crank, Crower rods 6.0" rods, SRP Forged -16cc pistons, Dart Iron eagle platinum heads (CNC'd to 242cc intake), Super Victor intake, Holley 950HP, and Wilson 1.5" spacer. Finally getting a T56 tomorrow after a certain gear company D***ed around for 18 months on another 6 speed. I'm hoping to have my car done end of July for some track numbers. 64 Nova SS, full back half, 4 link, 4.86 9", Alston front clip, and T56 trans.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y197/stevemc1979/finaldynonumbers1.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y197/stevemc1979/finaldynonumbers2.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y197/stevemc1979/finaldyno.jpg
 
#22 ·
408cid sb
forged bottom end (Eagle)
11 to 1
Dart pro 1 alum (215cc) port matched to intake
Comp solid roller 258/266 @50 w/630 lift 108 ls
Vic JR intake
Pro systems 950
MSD Pro billet dist
super comp 1 3/4 headers
full 3in exh with delta flow 50 flow masters
ATI custom conv (400 w/brake)
Cheater nitrous plate
(this motor is going to be for sale )

I just got a intake done by wilson for EFI (BS3) and am putting F1R on nova.

let me know if there is any thing else you want
BC
 
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