Dr No
[Moderator Omega - Wristscan]
34896
The 400's a thicker casting, not only between bores, but also . . .
. . . around the mains. When you couple it's shorter height with it's increased strength and modify it to accept a forged 440 crank, the result is > 450 cubes, depending on the overbore.
New Engine and tranny for the elco. Picture heavy for engine nerds.
The Elcamino had 383 stroker but was built a while back with out much details on the build. We decided to go with 406 cu in aka 6.6 liter built on the ragged edge between a race engine and still being a reliable street car. Here are some shots of the new ...
That’s some serious work going on in your shed Bill..
what’s the expected torque output ?
Internal Combustion Engine Porn!
I can smell the assembly lube and Loctite ... and I can hear Bill saying to the guys at Cars & Coffee — “Honest, these heads came off a Nash ...” Mike
Engine dropped in.
It fought us but we won. Always ugly to see how the sausage is made. ...
Last Saturday, I was having dinner at Jocko's in Nipomo . . .
. . . seated next to a couple of car guys. One happened to be a blind engine builder from Bakersfield who specializes in big block Mopars. (He must have employees doing the actual work.) If you think making a watch to your own specs is fun, try building a...
Indeed - I prefer “Mathemagician”
(Actually I just made that up) because you do need to calculate first, but once calculated you have to make it fit - whether we are talking about piston / valve clearances, timing chain / gear / belt alignment and tension, or just slipping the whole enchi...
Another week.
We swapped the 700r for a th400 so we need to get a new drive shaft cut.
Had a brief conversation with the engine builder . . .
. . . mostly to pick his brain about engine components. He seemed tickled to bump into a stranger that shared his interest in Mopar hi-performance. Art
nice build , a few questions
do you have specs on te cam / and what connecting rods you using for this 500 hp build . you chevy guys have it good wit many parts to choose from and low prices , compared to Mopar
Mopar oooooh. 30k + for a used motor to build on. Ouch.
Bow tie or die. Cam spec. I will get the rods specs tomorrow. ...
Lumpy idle, eh? . . .
. . . . An engine builder once told me, "You can build for low end, mid-range, or top. You might be able to get two out of three. You can't get 'em all." This was before computers, of course.
NICE choice on the cam
good combo you have there , that El Camino is going to surprise many . looks great as well
Gotta wait 'til tomorrow when I'm home to check out the video - no sound . . .
. . . on the home computer I'm using at the moment.
A VERY MEAN sounding Small Block!
Isn't it great when an engine starts and runs for the first time? I never believe it's going to happen, but then it does! Yay! Mike
I'm guessing the compression ratio is ~ 10.5 - 1 . . .
. . . judging by the volume of the AFR combustion chambers, flat-top Ross pistons, and bore - stroke relationship of a 406 (0.030" over 400, correct?) If that's the case, then I can see why you went with a fairly wide-duration cam with tight lobe separati...
Art you sound like a master builder.
Correct on every statement you made. 91 pump gas was important as race gas gets super expensive for street car. On the brake we have a hydro boost set up and willwood for the stopping power.
That was my guess too
After listening to it, I’d say your engine at idle probably produces vacuum like a diesel (i.e. none!) My Lotus’ wiper linkage once hooked a vacuum line and tore it open. The idle went to pieces, the defrost / heat wouldn’t work and the boost gauge died. ...
a 440 I GUESS
That is going to be a monster , one day when I grow up I want to build a 440 , starting with a Mitchel alu block to keep the wieght down for my A body . Nothing like the torque of a big block
Nah! What you really want is an early 400 . . .
. . . line-bored to take a steel 440 crank, sewed up with Milodon four-bolt mains. Nothing stronger than a 400 block. Edelbrock heads - yeah, aluminum up top. And obviously the manifold, too. But bang-for-the-buck, nothing beats a 400/440 combo. So says t...
Who can argue with a blind builder from Bakersfield?
Not me! Gratuitous Hot Rod photo ...
Coupla weekends ago, yours truly and SWMBO drove to Nipomo . . .
. . . just to dine at Jocko's, reputedly the best steak house west of the Mississippi. We were told there would either be an hour wait for a dining room table, or a table in the bar immediately. So we took the available table. Noisy, TVs, and crammed, but...
i hear the same about the 400
it also give better clearance in the A body, what makes the 400 stronger than the 440 blok , come to think of it have seen quite a few 440 crack the blockat least 3 this year on the yno at my buddies shop. plenty of old 400 blocks around , that is for sur...
The 400's a thicker casting, not only between bores, but also . . .
. . . around the mains. When you couple it's shorter height with it's increased strength and modify it to accept a forged 440 crank, the result is > 450 cubes, depending on the overbore.
Connecting rods
Eagle are in my engine similar (left) to the scat on the right just weight is removed from the sides. ...
NICE RODS
YOU NEED GOOD RODS IF YOU ARE MAKING 500+HP , I'M USING Molnar billet rods on my build , no point taking chances . I like to build once . Sound healthy on that video . You are running 91 octane gas and you have no pingimg ? lucky I wish i could run the ch...
The other option is to build the car around E85 . . .
. . . which solves most engine problems, and is even less costly than regular gas. (Lower mileage, though, so net fueling costs are about the same.) I don't know if there's a station in your neighborhood that offers it. There's a couple not ten miles from...
As I’ve learned with my old cars, rejetting is required with ethanol-laced fuel
Not a problem if building and tuning from scratch, but you’ve got to compensate for 10-20% more fuel consumption for the same horsepower, offsetting any saving per gallon. Mike
Fuel costs are a wash with E85 when lower mileage is factored in, true, but . . .
. . . compression ratio is no longer a limiting factor. An engine with iron heads can spec out at over 11 - 1 and still run without pinging on E85. Aluminum heads, even higher. For guys with muscle cars like Pontiac Super Duty 421s or Mopar 426 wedges, it...
