Everybody talks about the torque of the 383. Has anybody used the
400 block with the 5.7 rods? Is it because of the availibilty of
the 350 blocks? I would like some opinions on the 400 bored .30
over with 5.7 rods and 4 bolt mains with the 200r4 overdrive trans
with a 2:88 rear.
Thank You–
ericd
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In reply to a message from ericd sent Sun 13 May 2007:
The 400 SBC isn’t very popular because they were notoriopus for
overheating. In order for them to fit the large bores needed, GM
had to ‘siamese’ the bores (touching each other) and water
circulation inside the block is poor. GM went though a bunch of
monkey-motion to make it work, including extra ‘steam holes’ in the
deck and heads. If you swap heads, you have to drill these holes,
and it’s my understanding that not all heads CAN be drilled.
That’s why the 383 is popular; you have the same stroke as the 400,
without the cooling system issues.–
The original message included these comments:
Everybody talks about the torque of the 383. Has anybody used the
400 block with the 5.7 rods? Is it because of the availibilty of
the 350 blocks? I would like some opinions on the 400 bored .30
–
Why?
Yelm Washington, United States
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In reply to a message from Why? sent Sun 13 May 2007:
Yep cooling issues…and specific heads/gaskets required with
steam holes in them and a suspect bottom end as far as longetivity.
Go with the 383…but the 3 7/8 stroked 383 is where the real
torque is.–
Rob Wade
Windsor Ontario, Canada
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Nearly all aftermarket race blocks use siamese bores to allow 4.125+
bore sizes so I’m pretty sure that if you pay attention to head gasket
selection and compatibility of steam/coolant holes between heads and
block you should be OK - if you don’t then you’ll have problems.
From a design perspective one of the 400’s main weaknesses was it’s very
short rod, which led to high sidewall thrust, rapid bore wear, and high
mechanical noise. If you fix this by using a 5.7, or better still, a 6
inch rod, you’ll have an engine that will wipe the floor with a 383 and
will make better use of free breathing heads because of reduced bore
shrouding of the valve package. They both have the same stroke - a 383
will not out-torque a 406 if they are both built properly. The 406 may
require a tighter lobe seperation, and generally a wee bit more cam to
operate effectively over the same intended RPM range.
Cheers, Andrew Robertson, New Zealand
Xj s1 461tt, Xj s1 383
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In reply to a message from ericd sent Sun 13 May 2007:
a 383 stroker is way easyer way to go,its a 350 punched out .30
thou. with a 400 crank turned to fit 350 block main bearings. the
cranks are cheep through scatt and if your gonna build a engine why
not build a stroker. 375 to 400 hp and 400 ft pounds of torque is
quite easy to hit this way. way more than you need on the street. I
believe that anything over 350 hp is a waste on a street engine.
and the 700r4 is the way to go with that setup,the 200 is a boat
anchor if you ask me it just wont hold up if you got that kind of
power your gonna use it why not use a trans that will take it.
myself used a 350 trans.and I would have rather used a th400 but
didnt have one.–
vtgrizz
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In reply to a message from vtgrizz sent Thu 17 May 2007:
Guess your ‘‘boat’’ was not properly made? My 200R (much better than
my 700R) was made to handle HP/torque by BowTieOverdrives.
The 200R has better 1-2 gears than my 700R, BETTER OD ratio and is
much better trans than a 350. The 400 is a good trans, just no OD.
I have a 350/350 in my Jaguar parts car and my 1974 Nova SS and
have used most of the trans combos over the years for street/strip
use starting with Hydros in the early 60’s.
350+ HP in a street engine, guess that is just a ‘‘choice’’ as well.
Since most late model Jaguars and other luxury cars have that much
today, it seems to be OK for me and others. Some like to have a
little ‘‘spirit’’ in their special cars!
By the way, if you want torque, there is also World Products SBC
aluminum block, that can have 454 cubic inches and comes with a
good warranty. Would be a ‘‘fine’’ motor for a heavy street driven
Jaguar, especially with EFI.–
'71 XJ6 383/200R, '74 XJ6 383/700R, '74 Nova SS Glendora, CA
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In reply to a message from Roger Mabry sent Thu 17 May 2007:
Roger:
The early hydros were used in light tanks in WWII. They were
powered by twin Cadillac flathead V8’s !! One version was an AA gun
carriagfe with atureett and twin Bofors 40 MMb guns. A very
formidable weapon. Good against ground tsrgets as well. The North
Koreans had a lot of respedt for them.
I bought a 1941 Cadillac convertible in a lien sale. It had a war
surplus hydromatic! Four speeds!!
Then the bean counters decided we only needed two speed auto’s
along with other cheapening of the products!
Carl–
The original message included these comments:
Guess your ‘‘boat’’ was not properly made? My 200R (much better than
my 700R) was made to handle HP/torque by BowTieOverdrives.
The 200R has better 1-2 gears than my 700R, BETTER OD ratio and is
much better trans than a 350. The 400 is a good trans, just no OD.
I have a 350/350 in my Jaguar parts car and my 1974 Nova SS and
have used most of the trans combos over the years for street/strip
use starting with Hydros in the early 60’s.
–
Carl Hutchins
Walnut Creek, California, United States
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In reply to a message from vtgrizz sent Thu 17 May 2007:
Turbobuicks.com…if you want to see what a well built
200R is capable of taking, have a look here. In the nines at a buck
fifty in a 3300 # car. I’d say they’re plenty stout. Like anything
they need to be prepared properly. As Roger said, waaaaaaay better
1-2 gear ratios and a better OD ratio. If my XJS didn’t have the
700R in it already when I got it, you can bet your last dollar I
would put a 200R in mine.–
Rob Wade
Windsor Ontario, Canada
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