Love the Chevy 327! My favorite also. I also have always had a soft spot for the 283. The first vehicle that my folks allowed me to drive to school (Freshman and Sophomore years), was a '66 C10 long wheelbase with a 283 and 4-spd.
The 327 was my favorite too! I had one in my 59 Chevy Impala Sport Coupe. I replaced the original 283 with a 300 hp 1962 327 and beefed it up with solid lifters and a fuel injected cam. I topped it off with a direct linkage 3 X 2 Stromberg 97 carbs and a Malory dual point distributor. I backed it up with a close ratio 3 speed with an 11 inch heavy duty truck clutch and a 3.52 ratio posi rearend. The only thing I could not beat was those 413 Wedge Dodges with 4-speeds. They would always beat me the last two car lengths of the quarter mile.
I had a '66 Chevelle with the 275 hp version of the 327 mated to a Saginaw 4 spd trans. With 307 gears it wasn't the quickest but I could outrun the muscle cars on the open road. Much fun!!
My uncle also had a full time 4 wheel drive 3/4 ton 1977 Chevy truck with a 400 in it. It didn't matter if it was on country roads or going down the highway at 55 mph empty or fully loaded, it always made 9 mpg.
Funny stuff. Got a 400 from a '77. Balanced it, quenched with mild port work and different cam. Put it in a '70 3/4 4wd. For a 5,000lb truck that 400 really moved it well. 650 Holley got 9mpg. In a 3,000lb Camaro that engine would have been a handful
I had a 72 4dr hardtop Caprice with the 400 small block in it when I was younger. What a great car! Smooth and comfortable with plenty of power for everyday driving. I miss it.
Many years ago in the late 70s, I helped my next door neighbor put a 400 small block in a 1969 Camaro, 4 speed with a 12 bolt posi and a 4 barrel carb, she ran very strong. A friend I grew up with wound up buying it and we spent many a weekend at the street races. The gas mileage was terrible for two broke kids just out to have fun, but fun we did have. Brings back a lot of memories.
My family had a '74 4 door BelAir with the 400/2v setup. My dad loved that car, which got great fuel mileage. A mechanic once told him that the carb was way out of adjustment, to which dad responded, "If you touch that carb I'll bust you in the mouth!"
The first car that I bought personally (in 1978) was a 1974 Monte Carlo that had a 400 2V. It ran well, but I didn't really appreciate what I had. If I could find another one almost exactly like it today, I'd buy it.
my mom's idiot wife went down to Georgia and picked a sweet 74 Monty with the 400 and striped it down for a race car for his dumb ass and his boy, after 2 races his 45 yo kid quit and who knows what ever became of the ride, I offered to buy it off him before he stripped it.
The 400 was great in pickups all during the 70's, I knew several folks that had them and used them in their snow plowing trucks and they were torque monsters!
That’s funny he said plow trucks because I just bought a 400 small block out of a 73 plow truck. It was a Columbus police truck. They must’ve really took care of it. I dropped the oil pan and the valve covers off and it was one of the cleanest motors I’ve ever seen for that old. Thinking about making a stroker motor out of it.
I had a 78 GMC Jimmy with the 400 small block with 4 bbl quadrajet and dual exhaust. There wasn't a catalytic converter or air pump manifold. The engine was factory rated at 185 hp. I loved that truck. Thanks!
And I had a '77 Chevy Blazer with the 400 and 4 barrel quadrajet. Started everyday no matter the outside temp; always smooth as silk and idled beautifully. Absolutely loved that vehicle and wish I had it back.
Had a '77 Chevy Van, "one ton" with no cat or air pump. I believe that year in the van they were officially 177hp but it was surprisingly fast for a huge heavy vehicle!
By 74 Chevy had lowered the compression ratio to about 8:1 for unleaded gas and with some new emission controls it just choked those motors. Under the old leaded gas tuning that motor probably would have been around 225 to 245 HP
The 400 went to 2-bolt main caps because the 4-bolt blocks had a habit of cracking at the outer main cap bolt holes. The 2-bolt blocks are actually preferred for high performance builds over the 4-bolt blocks just for that reason.
I was going to add a comment along this line. When building a 400 - if you can find one - you want the 2 bolt block. The main caps on the 2 bolt block are big block style main caps with a wider register than other small block 2 bolt caps. I think the register is the same as the 4 bolt factory caps.
@paulcalloway4364 no, it's not that. It's because of the spacing of the bolt holes. The 400 uses a larger crank journal than a 350 does, it's unique to the 400. The main journal is nearly as big as a big block actually. But it pushed the main cap bolts outward, which is what caused the problem.
I have a 2 bolt main 400 block. Guys opted for these because you could machine it for 4 bolt splayed caps not affecting the bearing web integrity of the block. Eventually guys went for the Dart blocks for a better race platform.
I enjoy all of your spotlight or all of your videos. I look forward to any video you make. I like it when you have guests and I enjoy your porch chats.
My folks had a Canadian built 1972 Pontiac Catalina with the 400 c.i. engine. The car was the very definition of "lemon," but the engine ran forever with never a problem.
I guess that might have been the same small block engine discussed in this video, since Canadian Pontiacs of that era used Chevrolet engines. But, wasn't the Canadian model which was comparable to the American Catalina, named Pontiac Strato Chief or Laurentian? I didn't think the Catalina name was used in Canada.
@@TonyM132 The car was built in Ontario for the American market. It was ordered for stock by a dealer in Marietta, Ohio, where my folks bought it new, after the '73s had come out. They got quite a discount.
@@tombrown1898 Oh, I see. In that case, it shouldn't have been the Chevrolet small block 400. It should have been the Pontiac 400, a totally different engine.
@@TonyM132 Okay, that makes sense. All I knew is that it was a 400. When we'd had it for just two weeks, I was driving along at 35 mph, and half the transmission dropped onto the pavement. Shortly after that, the differential crashed. It was under warranty, but these moments were harbingers of more to come!
In 1974, my dad bought a Pontiac Laurentian station wagon in Canada with a 400 4 barrel small block. It looked exactly like the engines in this video. Never had any issues with the engine other than the trans cooler leaked in the rad and the block had to be rinsed.
My father bought his father's 1976 two-tone green chevy K10 (full time 4wd) that grandpa had bought new. 400 small block. He rebuilt it himself in 1995 with 215,000 miles on it. Had it til he passed in 2020. My dad loved that truck😢. He so badly wanted to do a complete restoration not only 'cause he loved it but it was his father's. He had many of the doors, fenders,etc bought. He loved🙂 telling me stories of running into a guy who would see his "half ton" but then see the 400 badge in the grill and say "oh,this has the 400 !" My dad would smile ear to ear "yep, it sure does, all original".
400 4 bbl. Carb on my dads '76. And bigger radiator 4 row I think that came as a heavy duty cooling option. He loved explaining how the 4wd full time worked, how it was nice, but they could spin independent of each other "see, then I can even pull 'er into 4 wheel high lock"
I had the 1972 Caprice with the 400ci with 4-bolt mains. It was twice the fun after adding dual exhausts. When I traded the car in 1989, it was sold and it vanished before I signed the papers for the new car.
I once got a ride in a '70 Caprice- circa 1980- with the 400 small block. And yes, I will always remember how rhat car just boltie away from a stop sign with little fuss and no noise. The way it pulled it was hard to believe you were in maybe a 4400 pound car, but that is a lot of cubes to move the tonnage. A great ride before fuel started going up like a rocket.
They’re far from forgotten. Everyone I know talks about wanting to use a 400 for a build. Heck I’ve used one. Turned a 400 into a 409 stroker for my Z28 Camaro. The engine was a torque monster when it started out, and it remains one after it’s built.
Hey my airborne friend the 409 Chevy engine block was a whole different thing by the way buddy looks like you need to do some research on it that motor was a motor designed after the first generation of the big block Chevy motors like the 348,409's in the early part of the 60's first placed in heavy duty truck application and they later in the same decade they were also being used in the early Chevy Impala,s maybe you are just too young to remember them car's 🤭🙄
A 409 Chevy motor would have metal valve covers that are shaped like a w and it would be a big big block Chevy motor from the 60,s late 50,s so I highly doubt that you have a 348 or a 409 big block Chevy motor from that time period it's highly unlikely
I should have watched the whole video first. I had no idea they were advertising the 396/402 as a 400, that's crazy. Another very informative video. I'm 48. My dad loved chevys, I had never heard or seen that before. (P.s. guys should save all that old literature, any & all of it, there's such good stuff in that literature. My dad saved a fair amount of that type of stuff from dealerships. Just don't throw it away, put it online for a penny, or a flea market.)
@@forterierocksEmissions. In 1970 a rule came down that anything under 400 cubic inches had to be emissions equipped. They bored the 396 to a 402 to skirt regulations, and often marketed it as a 396 to appeal to the image that it had on the street.
This is a bit confusing as I heard or read that the original 396 always WAS a 402 but because of the GM mandate at the time, only full-size vehicles were authorized to exceed 400 cu. in. engines. Reportedly, Chevy just called that engine a 396 to bend the rules. I’m certain Adam likely knows the whole story.
@@Primus54 I don't think that is right. I believe what @richardyokom9282 wrote is correct. The original Chevy 396 had bore at 4.094 in and stroke at 3.760 in. The 402 cu in engine (marketed as 396) had the same stroke with a bore at 4.124 in.
@@Primus54 In 1970, Chevy bored out the 396 cid big blocks by 0.03” from 4.094” to 4.125”, which raised the total displacement to 402 cid. Pretty much everything else stayed the same internally. One other change though was the spark plugs, which got a new seating design for 1970.
I had one too!!! it was my first car in 1985 one of the best burnout cars (stock) I have ever owned. 1971 Caprice 400cid 400 turbo trans 2bl carb and point ignition and you had to love the 4 wheel drum brakes oh and the puck green color with the black vinyl top. Wish I had the driveline out of that thing for my current 1989 C2500
Thank you. I've been waiting for this video for about a year now. I have a 400 small block. 1973 year. I've owned it since 1986. Its been excellent. Never any issues besides a timing chain and gear set. It has over 200,000 thou on it today. I love my 400. Oh and it has excellent torque.the engine is is in my 1980 monte carlo. It has a 2bbl carb stock. I can break the one wheel wonder loose at 25mph. Thats the truth. Oh and its 100% bone stock.
SBC 400. The basis for many drag racing engines. The 2 bolt main blocks were stronger than the 4 bolts because the larger main journals of the 400 necessitated the inner cap bolts to be farther apart than the 350 and that put them closer to the outer bolts and the main saddle of the block tended to crack between the holes. I built a .030" over 4.155" bore 400 with the longer 5.7" 350 rods, 14.7 to 1 compression and the stock cast crankshaft and turned it 7,600 rpm's for 2 years in a drag car and it never popped. I sold the long bock to a friend and he ran it for another season and a half before one of the 292 turbo angle plug heads finally cracked. Those things weren't built for high performance use but they sure held up well with minimal upgrades...👍
Wow I have one built just like that. Runs on alcohol. The 292 were the original over the counter race heads. Got two pair. Also made a 377 which ran 8000rpm for a year.
@@edwardkveton3410 Yep. After the 292s the first generation Bowtie heads came out. I had an early small journal .060" over 327 that I turned 8k + on the street in an M22 4 spd. 71' Z28. That was a fun car.
My grandparents had one in a 1975 wagon. I remember taking vacations in that car and it was comfortable, but my grandfather constantly complained about the gas mileage and oil consumption.
My grandfather bought a new 1972 Impala Estate Wagon with the 400 and loved it. Great low end and mileage averaged around 12 - 14, not bad for the land yacht that it was. My dad got a 1973 model of the same 400 2bbl wagon and hated it. Seven mpg city or highway and it would usually ‘diesel’ for a while after the ignition was turned off. Never could get the problem properly diagnosed. Passed my 1st DMV driving test in it, parallel parking was fun!
I had two 1973 full-size wagons, both with the 400 small block. The lightly equipped Impala (A/C, tilt, power tailgate) had lower gearing and felt almost sprightly. The fully loaded Caprice Estate had highway gearing, and of course more weight, and really needed more engine. But both were smooth and utterly reliable.
Do you recall what rear end was in them?I recall reading that on the 60’s models,if you ordered it with the towing package(ball hitch connected to frame) they came with the 12 bolt posi.I don’t remember what or if it mentioned 70’s but it would have gone to the 10 bolt I imagine but I’ll take a10 bolt posi any day.actually I did take one.lol
It did have torque. As a child, my mom's '75 Caprice Classic coupe (400ci 4-bbl) would chirp the tires when shifting into 2nd and 3rd gear at full throttle. It developed an issue with hot starts, though.
I've known about the 400sbc since I was 15@1988 my best friend put one in his 80 Z28 with a 750 Holley torker2 intake big cam and headers it was very fast! I'll never forget the power from that 400sbc!
Love your channel and your amazing knowledge and insight of the Automotive Industry. Those Bob Lutz interviews are so enlightening as I spent 25years ,1975-2000, selling Chrysler Products. Recently built a 400 small block 2 bolt main for my 1972 Chevy C10 Pickup. It has 9.2 compression ratio with a .30 bore, so now 406 cu. in , and used a flat tapet cam as well. Installed this summer using the original Q-Jet which was tore down completely and rebuilt have put about 1000 miles on the truck now and am very happy with this torquey engine.
My Pop owned a '72 Blazer w/ one of those 400 C.I.D. small blocks and it was definitely a torque monster, as it would/could spin those 30" tires w/o much effort. That Quadra-jet on top didn't hurt, w/ those massive secondaries kicking you in the pants each time you stomped the GO pedal.
I built a 400 sb & installed it in my’69 Camaro. 1971 engine with 4 bolt main brg. Caps out of a Kings wood estate wagon . Very nice build - While I was a tech at Chevrolet. Many great trips In the car ! Many offers to buy it …. Kept it !
Great video on one of the least known small-block Chevrolet V8 engines. I never had a vehicle with the 400 engine, but my first car had the 307 small block engine. Although not a performance engine, it introduced me to the merits of all Chevrolet small block V8 engines: bulletproof reliability, durability, simplicity, and low-cost maintenance.
One factor that made the 400 sbc less popular for aftermarket and performance use was a less advantageous rod angle as compared to the 350. This meant some limitations for higher hp, higher rpm applications.
@@Shaft-Industries You are correct, but back in the early days of the 400 SBC, due partially to the reason I described, people just found it easier to use a 350. Nowadays, at least since the 90s or so it hasn't been an issue, but the 400 didn't take off right away in its history for this reason.
@@howebrad4601 Yeah, that's probably another reason there are a ton of 383's out there. You get the stroke of a 400 but can still use your factory rods and still achieve more torque.
Never had a car with this engine but I had a 1977 Olds 98 Regency with the 403. That car really had it going on with put you back in the seat power that often surprised passengers enjoying the luxe comfort of my man cave on wheels. Suckers to the side!
I had a 73 Caprice Coupe with the 400. It already had a 4bbl intake and Qjet on it when I bought it in 1993. It ran okay,but I added a new cam, timing gear and HEI distributor. I took it drag racing and it ran 16.0 on the 1/4 mile.
Had a 400 in a '77 3/4 ton pickup. Plenty of power, but had problems with starter& ring gear on flex plate. Changed several of each. Carried a big screwdriver to turn flywheel past area where teeth were ground off.
We had a 70’s Belair station wagon we named the dinosaur as it was green. It had a sbc 400 with a two barrel with 400 emblems on each front fender. It was a great first car for me. It’s a bucket list item for me to build a 400 engined project car!
I had a 400ci in my 1977 K20. It spent a large amount of its life pulling a 16.5’ gooseneck trailer that routinely hauled 400 bushels (22,400 lbs.) of corn. The only thing I wish I’d have done was put traction bars on rear axle. The motor was a workhorse for me and always answered the call. No complaints.
Had a high nickel 400, 40 over. Kept it 6 years without building it. Went LS, sold the 400 block as is for 50 bucks more than I paid for it. There was no shortage of interested buyers.
My favorite small block. A few mods and it will pump out the torque then the horsepower. I used them on the dirk track for years. A couple 406 lower cost builds, then an all out race 421 stroker. 73 feature wins in a 5 year period with a 400 engine.
When I was younger, I had a 1977 Chevy Monte Carlo with a 305. When that engine wore out, I replaced it with a 400. But not just any 400. I got a 400 short-block (engine minus heads) from GM parts counter. I modified a set of 2.02 valve heads by adding the steam hole put those on the 400. Then I used the stock 350 L82 camshaft and a 4-barrel quadra-jet and manifold. I figured using production parts would help reliability. I also changed the rear end in the Monte from a 2.73:1 ratio to a 3.55:1 ratio and added posi-traction. That Monte-Carlo scooted. It embarrassed the production Corvettes of the late 1970s and early 1980s. What I essentially had done is made a 400 CID version of the L82 350 used in Corvettes and worked great. It didn't stretch or stress the 400 CID engine and it drove for 60,000 or 70,000 miles that way until the car changed hands to someone else.
My mother had a '72 4-door Impala with the 400 SB, 2bbl. Dad bought it as a dealer "demonstrator" model, something he often did. It was a great car. I remember "demonstrator" vehicles offered and advertised as such as a kid, in the 1960's and 1970s, but I don't recall hearing about them nowadays.
I had a 400 Small Block out of an Impala in my 69 Chevelle to replace a 6 cylinder. Mild build made 420 hp and 470 lb ft in 1984, it won me a few street races since back then everyone with 200 hp thought they had a 12 second car.
The car I learned to drive in was a 72 Kingswood estate wagon with the 400 small block. I drove it until I left for the navy. It served my family well from 1972 through 1987.
I had a '77 Chevy van with the 400 - 4 barrel. I had several people tell me that they were prone to overheating. I never had that problem with it. Shortly after I bought it, I did have several push rods get bent, and I didn't mistreat it. Replaced them and it ran great. Just one of several vehicles I wish I'd kept a little longer.
My parents had this engine in a Caprice Classic. It hauled that heavy car through the steepest of mountains without effort. It pushed that heavy car through uphill highways like they were flat. It idled so smoothly in traffic that it felt like it wasn't running. You didn't need to know the temperature because it would not overheat even in the hottest of days while powering through the above 3 conditions. Best of all, you didn't need to fear the fuel gauge either because the cost of a gallon was 33 cents.
About 10 years ago my son and I built a 70 Chevelle with a SBC 400. We bored it .030, forged pistons, Edelbrock heads, air-gap intake. Trans was TH400 with a 12 bolt diff. with a 3.31 posi. That car was a blast to drive.
Hi Adam from Australia, we had quite a few 307, 327 and 350 SBC engines installed in local Holden products in the late 60's to early Seventies. A lot of these engines were also imported privately for marine, hot rodding and retro fitting to older/ newer cars. Almost no 400 SBC engines were imported, the reason being they had an incorrect "connecting rod to stroke ratio" ( the angle of the connecting rod is too extreme when the piston is halfway down the cylinder so the combustion pressure is spending to much energy pushing the piston sideways into the cylinder wall rather than down on the crankshaft) and no decent power gains could be attained. The after market companies knew this, this is why back in the day, stroker cranks for 350 SBC's were limited to 383 C.I., the absolute limit for a usable connecting rod to stroke ratio on a standard SBC.
Very interesting information indeed. I owned one small block 400 & had always been impressed with how it ran but always did feel that the 327 was really the "sweet spot" among the various iterations of the small block Chevys. Seemed to be the best one for achieving high RPMs & high HP/Cubic in. 350, a little less so & 400, definitely not so much.
383's were based on .030 overbore 350 blocks with 400 crank with main journals turned down to 2.45. 350 blocks bored .060 over with 400 crank would be 388 cubic inches. So 383 is no absolute limited magic number. Rod ratio is the same.
@@ewoodWood I'm talking about Australia back in the 80's and 90's. There were no 400ci chev cranks here back then!. If you wanted to go bigger on your SBC (at a reasonable price) then a stroker kit was your only option, at least two (U.S.) companies supplied them and both were 383CI (without counting an overbore obviously) For the reasons I mentioned above.
The 383 is a 350 with the 400 stroke and rod length. Time to look again at what you had stated. And yes, the rod/stroke ratio isn't ideal, but it sure appears to work in that case. @@indykartsindoorgokarting6711
My uncle had a 1972 Impala with this 400. We were out in the Nevada desert with a stuck thermostat. It was overheated for only a few minutes, but that was enough to cause some damage. When we got back to town, we immediately noticed a rough idle, probably from the brief overheat.
I remember in 400 small block. I also kicked myself for not buying that 1971 Chevy truck with 400 small-block about 10 years ago and basically had no rust. If I recall correctly it was a 3/4 ton truck. But I didn't want to drive all the way out to Southeastern Kansas to pick up two vehicles! Once I got then pick up the 57 Chevy that we won on auction, I saw that truck and you as well kick myself for a very long time. Because it looked a lot better than pictures showed. Thank you for doing this on a Chevy 400 small block. I'm still love to have one but at time goes. 5.3 you just find any day of the week.
I had a 1971 Impala coupe with a 400. It was an incredibly torquey, and very thirsty motor. You could watch the gas gauge twitch towards E as you drove.
Chevrolet put that small block 400 in both pickups and blazer/suburbans during the 70's. One thing those engines were externally balanced and had a cut out in the front harmonic balancer along with added weights to either the flexplate or flywheel. Then one day hot rodders decided to put a 400 sbc crank into a 350 block with some minor mods and the infamous 383 was born and the rest is history. One thing about those 400 sb's it was very important to keep up on the maintenance on those cooling systems because those small steam holes would or could plug up and they would overheat quickly. Thanks Adam for the trip down memory lane.
Another GM stroker combo that only caught on semi recently was putting a Pontiac 455 crank in a 400. Those cranks are so tough that you can shave 1/4” off the main journals to fit the 400 block and they’d survive pretty much whatever you put them through. I guess it wasn’t as popular because out of the 3 GM 455 engines, Pontiac was the rarest of the 3. Guessing because in 1970 when BOP all had 455’s, Olds and Buick dropped their 400 but Pontiac kept theirs.
Lol I love how the Chevrolet guys think that they invented the 383 lol . Mercury had a 383 in the early 50s and then they dropped the 383 and then Chrysler built their version on the HP 383 in 1958 that made 350 HP and came with a 2x4 intake manifold stock from the factory and then years later the 383 magnum was built using better flowing 906 heads that were also used on the 440 4 barrel and six pack magnum engines. I have a 400 sbc that runs good but I have a buddy that wants the engine for the crank shaft to build a 383 but I won't sell it to him because the 400 is in my 82 Chevrolet K10 plow truck I use to plow my driveway with & that low end torque it makes is perfect for pushing snow with it .
The car i learned to drive in, AND drove to prom was a 1964 Impala 4door post sedan. It had a transplanted 4bbl400 sbc/th350 from a truck.. That mutha was a beast.
I was given a 400 back in the 80s and originally had no real intention on building it at first. My dad has his all original 72 caprice with a 400 2v. I also obtained a 72 nova in trade for building a th350 for a friend's Camaro, and it was then when i decided to put the 400 in the Nova as the engine was removed. Bored it .020 over and used hyperutectic pistons along with cranes hmv-272 cam, didn't go too crazy since the car had to smog here in California. Just told the shop it was a 350 engine and had a q jet as they wouldn't know what it really was. Passed smog, and the car dynoed out at 373 ft lbs at 2k rpm and an honest 300 at 5k. Very broad power range but it was a very fun car to drive. Would wind up twisting a factory axle on a 2.73 one legger 10 bolt but the car at 25 mph could scratch the tire with the snap of the throttle.
Lot of people think the 2 Bolts were the better block to use in a high performance application becasue the 4 bolts would crack. My experience with these engines is that most of them will crack in the valley in the 450HP area. That's an easy number to hit with today's aftermarket heads and roller cams. They do make good low end power in stock form though and weigh no more than a 350.
Ive never heard of these blocks cracking in that area. We ran a factory 400 block in our Altered making 600 plus hp on alcohol with no issues of cracking. 14.7:1 compression and routinely run in the upper 7000 rpm range. We ultimately replaced it with an aftermarket block in preparation for a supercharger, knowing the stock main cap would never take what was coming.
I had a 1972 3/4 ton big block 400 It was a camper special with overloads ,with full power steering and power brakes you could drive it with one finger ,but if I had the camper off of it I could pull out on Monterey hwy and smoke the tires for as long as I held the throttle to the floor ,it was forest green ,with 2in tubes and a holly 750 it run like no other stock pickup around and averaged 15 mpg on the hyway awesome truck could haul anything and with a full size camper and pulling my 18 ft boat ,I could pass anything on the road couldn't even feel that boat behind me passing big rigs on my way to clearlake ,yes it was one bad ass truck ran like a scalded dog ,dam fast 👍
I’m still perplexed at what a masterpiece the SBC was, it was a home run and a great package that managed to be small and compact, lightweight, cheap to produce, very durable and robust, breathed well and made great power and economy, and was designed in a way that was very ingenious about super easy repair and serviceability, my favorite design feature was the stand-alone design of the water pump that only had 4 bolts and two very small and simple gaskets, unlike literally any other V8 on the market that was integrated with a dozen or more tiny screws prone to snapping off, and several other larger bolts of varying confusing diameters and lengths. All other designs for V8 water pumps were stupid by comparison, with countless failure points that can allow coolant to intrude into the crankcase because the coolant passages went through the timing covers as well as the water pump. Sheer stupidity on the part of engineers for all those other V8 designs- I’ve worked on all of them, and all of those integrated front cover designs were either a stupid and obvious oversight, or an intentional one to encourage engine failure. The ball stud rockers were awesome as well, and the fact the SBC had 5 head bolts surrounding every combustion chamber, while most other V8 designs only had 4 surrounding each chamber. First gen olds rocket is excluded from that, as those actually had 6 bolts surrounding each combustion chamber, which made them an excellent choice for supercharging in the early days of hot rodding. 🤘🏾🤘🏾🤘🏾
@@harveynewman4333 amen, the design genius of Ed Cole and the team that designed the SBC is pretty legendary. As a huge fan and owner of several first gen Olds V8’s I can’t help but spot several design similarities the early Olds 303-324-371-394 had with the SBC. The stuff that came out of GM in that era was definitely the golden age.
Had a good friend in high school that had a 72 Caprice with a 400. Yanked the 2 barrel off, did some bowl work on the heads and put a factory iron intake with a quadrajet back on it. Swapped the points for hei ignition and it was a monster. Stock cam and rotating assembly even. Don't remember the EXACT numbers but a before and after 0-60 went from almost 11.5 seconds down to 8ish. The 400 wad a sadly overlooked engine.
I put that 400ci into a 4x4 LUV. Damn that was fast - but never could get past the overheating. Larger radiator, headers, louvered hood all helped but didn't cure it. Kept it for 20+ years.
I have that engine in my 70 something suburban someone gave me 20 years ago. Drove it here and it's been sitting there ever since. One of these days...
I owned a 71 Impala with a 400 small block. You are right about the torque, taking off from a red light it would burn the back tires all the way across the intersection!
Had one in a 1974 Chevelle in the 1980's. It came with a 400, 2 bolt, 2 barrel. There were main caps available with splayed outer bolts to convert the 2 bolt to 4 bolt. Much better than the factory 4 bolts which notoriously cracked in the main web. Many don't know the 3 bolt 400 block was better than the 4 bolt. I had a forged 327 crank in it with the rod journals reground off center for a stroke increase. Had to grind the shoulders off the rod bolts to clear the block. With aluminum corvette heads, intake, cam, forged pistons, and a good 4 barrel, it was a torque monster. I wish I had that car today. Most that I tell about that motor don't believe it. I don't remember what it cubed out to, but it was a big block killer. I put a 12 bolt posi in it and a TH400 with a manual valve body. It would slam you into the seat easily. You had to respect the throttle on that thing. I would love to replicate that car, or find it is it still exists. I built that motor in a dirt floor garage and had a local race shop do all the machining. I had driven the car stock in my senior year of high school. Lots of guys made fun of it because it was a 74 and not a 69 or 70. Building it up was a dream come true project when I was just out of high school. Nobody made fun of it after that.
Had a 75 Trans Am, bought it new in late 74 for $4100 while a newly minted Sgt 1st, and it had the 400 / 4sp combo. The car was a screamer, but not worth a crap in turns. All in all a great engine. Fond memories.
Ah the good old 400 small block. I remember in HS we bought one that was in crates, used, from the Nifty Nickle, unsure if it would even run. We bought a new Summit cam and lifters, Performer RPM , double row chain, HV oil pump, HEI distributor, cheap headers, dual Flowmaster exhaust, dropped it into a 4 door 69 Chevelle and man that 400 powerband it would climb that tach ! would boil those rears for 80 feet it seemed . Great engine.
My opinion on GM labeling the small and big block both a 400 is because they already had the cool chrome placards with 400 printed on them and GM is always looking to save a dollar and probably didn't want to make a 402 placard. 🤣🤣
It was also done in 72 on the Caprice two door. I had one in High School and hated that I ever got rid of it. Lady pulled out in front of me and it kinked the frame where it bends in front of the firewall along with destroying the front clip. Could have been fixed but kept the engine and TH400 and put it in a 78 Cutlass body. Then when my young and dumb self totaled that, I sold the engine and trans to a guy that put it in a 71 Camaro. @@silicon212
The engine story is quite interesting. There were variations clearly,but I liked how you explaimned them. I used to wonder when I was younger and I saw "400" "350" or "454" on the side of Chevrolets what was that referring to. I now know. I recall many Caprices with these engines. It was a different time back then as well because the GM brands had more autonomy and ran each brand like its own company. Thank you Adam.
Very true. I recently encountered a "Chevy enthusiast" who insisted that the 400 was big-block only, when I suggested that they must have been trying to save a few pennies per fender badge...
I love giving know it all's more bad information. like when my 62 yo neighbor asked me who won the civil war, or telling people that the world was black @ white before the atomic bomb was dropped in 45
As for gross to net hp comparison: Check out the 1971 Chevrolet sales brochure of that year. It lists the gross AND net HP for the 400: 255 gross, 170 net for the Turbo-Fire (which was the small block) and 300 vs. 206 for the Turbo-Jet (which was the big block and actually a 402).
I still run the 400 sbc on the street today.It is still boss N/A.Fitted with AFR heads and all the basic goodies this old 68 is still a threat to any new sports car,mustang,hellcat,Camaro,ex ex on the streets.N/A LS pull up on me all the time.Lol the grin on my face when the light turns green.🤩💀👊
In 1986 ( new zealand ) I bought a 1974 Holden Monaro 2 door coupe , from the factory it would have come with a 253 CI v8 ( maybe 308 ?) but it had a 400CI 2 barrel Chevy put into it , and a 4 speed Saginaw ,with a Mr Gasket quick change shifter . The only v8 I,d owned beforehand was a 318 Chrysler, and I remember the first time I let the clutch out in the Monaro and felt the power , I thought " I better be careful with this " . I dont know if it may have had something done to it to increase the I horsepower , I'd been told that it had been rebuilt by someone in a local hot rod club and the prior owner of the Monaro won it in a raffle, but it had a perfectly smooth idle, so obviously not a very hot cam , but by god it was torquey and pretty damn fast .
I owned a 1970 Skkylark convertible with a 400ci. It was a great car that I wish I had never sold . It's still on the road and I parked next to it at a car show 2 weeks ago.
I believe Chevrolet was playing small games with their advertised engine sizes for a little while during that era. The 396 big block was actually a 402. Anecdotally, a friend of mine was building a 396 for one of his friend’s Chevelles, and when calculating the engine displacement to calculate compression ratio, couldn’t figure out why he kept coming up with 402. I have heard rumors that Chevrolet did this for insurance purposes. I have heard other rumors that it was done due to some internal GM restrictions on engine size. Why they would go on to confuse people with a small block 400 that was actually a 401 and a big block 400 that was previously known as a 396 and was actually a 402 is beyond me. Lol
The 400 isn't way far off when you get down to brass tacks. It's the same bore & stroke as a Pontiac 400. There are other more obvious examples. Pontiac 301 is 4.00 X 3.00 like a ford 302, but called it to make it different. Best example 😅 no one ever talks about. A Pontiac 350 is bore 3 7/8 (listed as 3.875,,,sometimes 3.88) & stroke of 3.75. I think its 354.7 cid (haven't done the math in a while,but Pontiac mags talked about it too. Still called it a 350, the name was popular ,4 GM divisions had 350s
Because most car buyers are hardly aware there is even an engine under the hood. Its just some hazy black magic kind of thing that makes their car move down the road somehow. They dont like to think about it. It makes their head hurt. And these people vote.....lol
Chevys 400SBs were one of the best ever built and best bang for the buck. Cheaper, easyier to modify and get more power out of them than the expensive 402BB smogger engine that you have to spend tons of money on to raise the compression, Its easy to build a 10 to one compression 400SB, RV cam it with a 4 barrel daul plane intake and small tube headers and you got a real torque monster for cheap for towing. Id take a 400sb over a 402BB any day. Ive got about a dozen of them and all standard bore and I only bore them .020 if they clean up on the first try. Some say they have heating issues, crack heads etc is all bullshit. After 74 they used lighter casting heads on them with catalic converters which could cause more heating issues. One thing to note 1970 was the only year of the 9 to 1 compression 400, after than they dropped it to 8.5 and even lower in the 70s. 1970 was the only year of the 400s that used the 598 head castings that used 1.94 intake and 1.60 exhaust valves, hard heads to track down. The 5.565 connecting rods wasnt that big of a deal for low rpms and torque. 5.7 or 6.0 inch rods can be updated for higher rpm 400s. Theres alot of faults information out there that 400s were junk this and that bullshit, them same people really didnt know shit about them, the few guys that did know them hoarded them all up like I did. My plan is to build another one for a pulling truck in the near future with custom ground roller cam setup, near 10 to one compression and run 91 octane gas. Thinking of using a 4 bolt block if I can but have more 2 bolts than 4.
We had a 74 malibu with the 350 2v and friends had a 73 impala with the 400 2v. Despite the extra girth, whenever we did for fun the stoplight grand prix in the local high school parking lot, I'd get the jump on the Impala initially but just a few feet later it'd catch up and outpace me every time.
People forget that engines in this size and displacement range weren't intended for performance, they were intended as uplevel powertrain options in sedans and trucks (Ford's 390 FE is the classic example of this). Seems an obvious point, but you'd be surprised how many people can't distinguish the difference in that era between a basic high torque large displacement engine, and a legit Hi Po engine.
Back then, an amazing number of full-size cars were outfitted with tow packages for pulling pop-ups and smaller travel trailers, so torque-heavy engines were definitely popular.
Great point. Thats why it was used largely in station wagons and K series (4WD) trucks. Had torque for pulling and low end needs. It was the goldilocks between the 350 and 454.
I put a mildly rebuilt 400 small block in a 1977 down sized 4 door Impala 😮 with headers and dual exhaust! It surprised a few Trans Ams, Camaros, and Corvettes 😅. Oh it also had a 600 cfm Holley 4bbl.
4 bolt main bearing block 3 freeze plugs per side 2 bolt block 2 freeze plugs per side with a boss for the 3rd freeze plug in the middle (not machined) having worked in a machine shop I've seen hundreds of sb 400s but never a 2 bolt block with 3 freeze plugs people say they're some out there but never seen one from what I've read the 4 bolt 3 freeze plug motors they only came in trucks for 2 years only although undesirable they are rare
I assume you know the reason for the different front balancer and also different flex plate/flywheel. for the sb 400 of course they are externally balanced some of the 400s our shop worked on had destroyed main bearings and sometimes even a broken crank due to using a non-balanced flywheel /flex plate
The Tonawanda 400 with the double hump heads, a Saginaw M20 4 speed, and a Chevy 4.11 rear end needs ZERO modification, especially to be driven on the road. My brother has a 64 Impala SS with this setup and in the late 80's the fastest manual Mustang 5.0 would be completely embarrassed from stand still, first to 60, or even starting at 60. The engine and transmission put so much torque to the rear that the first rear end he ran, a 3.73, twisted and shattered not long after he first built the car. Probably the scariest car I've even been in because a takeoff that fast with a top end to fast to handle in a car that big is just an eerie feeling!
@@anthonynelson9136 Dude seriously... None of that is factory for his car. Was saying the engine, transmission, and rear end he used all needed no modification from how they came from the factory. THE CAR came with a 327, 3 speed Saginaw on the tree, and 3.36 rear end. He still has them all because of their original matching numbers.
i knew about the siamesed bores and the external balancing, but not the steam holes! always learn something with this channel! i kind of thought 400 in the B body mean small block, and in the A body meant big block. but I guess for a while you could get both small and big in the big body. so strange...but no more strange than Ford offering two different 351's...three if you count the later 351M
Great watch. My personal favorite is still the 327, mated to a four speed of course.....
Thanks Adam for keeping automotive history alive.
Love the Chevy 327! My favorite also.
I also have always had a soft spot for the 283. The first vehicle that my folks allowed me to drive to school (Freshman and Sophomore years), was a '66 C10 long wheelbase with a 283 and 4-spd.
Must have been fun to learn to drive using a truck with a "Granny Gear."@@willhorting5317
The 327 was my favorite too! I had one in my 59 Chevy Impala Sport Coupe.
I replaced the original 283 with a 300 hp 1962 327 and beefed it up with solid lifters and a fuel injected cam. I topped it off with a direct linkage 3 X 2 Stromberg 97 carbs and a Malory dual point distributor. I backed it up with a close ratio 3 speed with an 11 inch heavy duty truck clutch and a 3.52 ratio posi rearend. The only thing I could not beat was those 413 Wedge Dodges with 4-speeds. They would always beat me the last two car lengths of the quarter mile.
I had a '66 Chevelle with the 275 hp version of the 327 mated to a Saginaw 4 spd trans. With 307 gears it wasn't the quickest but I could outrun the muscle cars on the open road. Much fun!!
340 horse with duntov 30 30 cam in my 56 chevy my favorite, why did I sell it!!!!!
My uncle also had a full time 4 wheel drive 3/4 ton 1977 Chevy truck with a 400 in it. It didn't matter if it was on country roads or going down the highway at 55 mph empty or fully loaded, it always made 9 mpg.
Up hill,down hill .With the wind,against the wind. No camper.10 1/2 foot cab over. No boat or 20 foot.
Full time 4WD junk and low 4.10 gears. I got a 400 SB in a 72 K10 pickup with 4 speed and 3.07 gears, get 13 and 14 mpgs easy.
14mpg in my 79 K10 stepside with 3.73 gearing.
Funny stuff. Got a 400 from a '77. Balanced it, quenched with mild port work and different cam. Put it in a '70 3/4 4wd. For a 5,000lb truck that 400 really moved it well. 650 Holley got 9mpg. In a 3,000lb Camaro that engine would have been a handful
@@victorringe9404usually loaded with firewood or various farming supplies.
I had a 72 4dr hardtop Caprice with the 400 small block in it when I was younger. What a great car! Smooth and comfortable with plenty of power for everyday driving. I miss it.
So did I. My first car. Did yours use oil? Mine used 1 qt. Every 500-700 miles.
I had a 2 dr with the 400 small block. I put a 4bbl and dual exhausts on her and she was damn fun to drive, esp for her size.
Many years ago in the late 70s, I helped my next door neighbor put a 400 small block in a 1969 Camaro, 4 speed with a 12 bolt posi and a 4 barrel carb, she ran very strong. A friend I grew up with wound up buying it and we spent many a weekend at the street races. The gas mileage was terrible for two broke kids just out to have fun, but fun we did have. Brings back a lot of memories.
My family had a '74 4 door BelAir with the 400/2v setup. My dad loved that car, which got great fuel mileage. A mechanic once told him that the carb was way out of adjustment, to which dad responded, "If you touch that carb I'll bust you in the mouth!"
😂😂
was probably running extremely lean
When run ~10-15% lean you get none of the heat problems from running ~1-9% lean, while raking in the fuel saving
@southjerseyboy2844 a little lean is bad but a lot of lean is really good
😂😂😂
The first car that I bought personally (in 1978) was a 1974 Monte Carlo that had a 400 2V. It ran well, but I didn't really appreciate what I had. If I could find another one almost exactly like it today, I'd buy it.
I hear ya brother, for sure! Sure wish I had appreciated my 73 Caprice coupe
my mom's idiot wife went down to Georgia and picked a sweet 74 Monty with the 400 and striped it down for a race car for his dumb ass and his boy, after 2 races his 45 yo kid quit and who knows what ever became of the ride, I offered to buy it off him before he stripped it.
In 1977 I bought a 74 Monte Carlo, had a 400 SB with a 2bbl. Made for cruising, nice car , engine could cruise the highways all day.
The 400 was great in pickups all during the 70's, I knew several folks that had them and used them in their snow plowing trucks and they were torque monsters!
That’s funny he said plow trucks because I just bought a 400 small block out of a 73 plow truck. It was a Columbus police truck. They must’ve really took care of it. I dropped the oil pan and the valve covers off and it was one of the cleanest motors I’ve ever seen for that old. Thinking about making a stroker motor out of it.
Had a 67 Pontiac Catalina with the 400. It was a boat and I loved it. My favorite car.
Pontiac 400 was on a larger block and quite different from the Chevrolet 400.
I had a 78 GMC Jimmy with the 400 small block with 4 bbl quadrajet and dual exhaust. There wasn't a catalytic converter or air pump manifold. The engine was factory rated at 185 hp. I loved that truck. Thanks!
@seventhanubis6930 I had to rebuild my whole drive train after driving through 4 ft of water after hurricane Alicia in 83. Yes, I was stupid once.
And I had a '77 Chevy Blazer with the 400 and 4 barrel quadrajet. Started everyday no matter the outside temp; always smooth as silk and idled beautifully. Absolutely loved that vehicle and wish I had it back.
Had a '77 Chevy Van, "one ton" with no cat or air pump. I believe that year in the van they were officially 177hp but it was surprisingly fast for a huge heavy vehicle!
I had a 79 Jimmy with a 400, 268 cam, 882 heads was a torque monster. To have that back.
By 74 Chevy had lowered the compression ratio to about 8:1 for unleaded gas and with some new emission controls it just choked those motors. Under the old leaded gas tuning that motor probably would have been around 225 to 245 HP
Definitely not forgotten. 400 small blocks have been the primary bullet for sprint cars for years. Reaching almost 1000 HP💥
Man, that '72 Caprice was one handsome chariot!
My best pal had a '72 Caprice 2 door with the 400 2V. Great motor, indestructible, and enough torque to move that Caprice well.
The first car engine I ever took apart when I was in high school. Thanks for sharing!
The 400 went to 2-bolt main caps because the 4-bolt blocks had a habit of cracking at the outer main cap bolt holes. The 2-bolt blocks are actually preferred for high performance builds over the 4-bolt blocks just for that reason.
You are correct
I was going to add a comment along this line. When building a 400 - if you can find one - you want the 2 bolt block. The main caps on the 2 bolt block are big block style main caps with a wider register than other small block 2 bolt caps. I think the register is the same as the 4 bolt factory caps.
Possible too much Torque ?
@paulcalloway4364 no, it's not that. It's because of the spacing of the bolt holes. The 400 uses a larger crank journal than a 350 does, it's unique to the 400. The main journal is nearly as big as a big block actually. But it pushed the main cap bolts outward, which is what caused the problem.
I have a 2 bolt main 400 block. Guys opted for these because you could machine it for 4 bolt splayed caps not affecting the bearing web integrity of the block. Eventually guys went for the Dart blocks for a better race platform.
I enjoy all of your spotlight or all of your videos. I look forward to any video you make. I like it when you have guests and I enjoy your porch chats.
My folks had a Canadian built 1972 Pontiac Catalina with the 400 c.i. engine. The car was the very definition of "lemon," but the engine ran forever with never a problem.
I guess that might have been the same small block engine discussed in this video, since Canadian Pontiacs of that era used Chevrolet engines. But, wasn't the Canadian model which was comparable to the American Catalina, named Pontiac Strato Chief or Laurentian? I didn't think the Catalina name was used in Canada.
@@TonyM132 The car was built in Ontario for the American market. It was ordered for stock by a dealer in Marietta, Ohio, where my folks bought it new, after the '73s had come out. They got quite a discount.
@@tombrown1898 Oh, I see. In that case, it shouldn't have been the Chevrolet small block 400. It should have been the Pontiac 400, a totally different engine.
@@TonyM132 Okay, that makes sense. All I knew is that it was a 400. When we'd had it for just two weeks, I was driving along at 35 mph, and half the transmission dropped onto the pavement. Shortly after that, the differential crashed. It was under warranty, but these moments were harbingers of more to come!
In 1974, my dad bought a Pontiac Laurentian station wagon in Canada with a 400 4 barrel small block.
It looked exactly like the engines in this video. Never had any issues with the engine other than the trans cooler leaked in the rad and the block had to be rinsed.
My father bought his father's 1976 two-tone green chevy K10 (full time 4wd) that grandpa had bought new. 400 small block. He rebuilt it himself in 1995 with 215,000 miles on it. Had it til he passed in 2020. My dad loved that truck😢. He so badly wanted to do a complete restoration not only 'cause he loved it but it was his father's. He had many of the doors, fenders,etc bought. He loved🙂 telling me stories of running into a guy who would see his "half ton" but then see the 400 badge in the grill and say "oh,this has the 400 !" My dad would smile ear to ear "yep, it sure does, all original".
400 4 bbl. Carb on my dads '76. And bigger radiator 4 row I think that came as a heavy duty cooling option. He loved explaining how the 4wd full time worked, how it was nice, but they could spin independent of each other "see, then I can even pull 'er into 4 wheel high lock"
Lot of folks thought they were boat anchors but I loved em. Put one in my 65 Chev PU. Ran for yrs and performed well in front of a power glide trans.
I had the 1972 Caprice with the 400ci with 4-bolt mains. It was twice the fun after adding dual exhausts. When I traded the car in 1989, it was sold and it vanished before I signed the papers for the new car.
I once got a ride in a '70 Caprice- circa 1980- with the 400 small block. And yes, I will always remember how rhat car just boltie away from a stop sign with little fuss and no noise. The way it pulled it was hard to believe you were in maybe a 4400 pound car, but that is a lot of cubes to move the tonnage. A great ride before fuel started going up like a rocket.
They’re far from forgotten. Everyone I know talks about wanting to use a 400 for a build. Heck I’ve used one. Turned a 400 into a 409 stroker for my Z28 Camaro. The engine was a torque monster when it started out, and it remains one after it’s built.
Hey my airborne friend the 409 Chevy engine block was a whole different thing by the way buddy looks like you need to do some research on it that motor was a motor designed after the first generation of the big block Chevy motors like the 348,409's in the early part of the 60's first placed in heavy duty truck application and they later in the same decade they were also being used in the early Chevy Impala,s maybe you are just too young to remember them car's 🤭🙄
A 409 Chevy motor would have metal valve covers that are shaped like a w and it would be a big big block Chevy motor from the 60,s late 50,s so I highly doubt that you have a 348 or a 409 big block Chevy motor from that time period it's highly unlikely
You should get a fucking clue to what you're talking about Mr Air Bourne renegade 🥱🤭😂
I should have watched the whole video first. I had no idea they were advertising the 396/402 as a 400, that's crazy. Another very informative video. I'm 48. My dad loved chevys, I had never heard or seen that before. (P.s. guys should save all that old literature, any & all of it, there's such good stuff in that literature. My dad saved a fair amount of that type of stuff from dealerships. Just don't throw it away, put it online for a penny, or a flea market.)
I recall reading that Chevrolet's 402 cubic inch big block was also at some point marketed as "396" after the original 396 was retired.
Yes it was, had a 71 Camaro SS 396 with a 402 was a pretty good engine, still no clue why GM changed from the 396 to 402🤔
@@forterierocksEmissions. In 1970 a rule came down that anything under 400 cubic inches had to be emissions equipped. They bored the 396 to a 402 to skirt regulations, and often marketed it as a 396 to appeal to the image that it had on the street.
This is a bit confusing as I heard or read that the original 396 always WAS a 402 but because of the GM mandate at the time, only full-size vehicles were authorized to exceed 400 cu. in. engines. Reportedly, Chevy just called that engine a 396 to bend the rules. I’m certain Adam likely knows the whole story.
@@Primus54 I don't think that is right. I believe what @richardyokom9282 wrote is correct. The original Chevy 396 had bore at 4.094 in and stroke at 3.760 in. The 402 cu in engine (marketed as 396) had the same stroke with a bore at 4.124 in.
@@Primus54 In 1970, Chevy bored out the 396 cid big blocks by 0.03” from 4.094” to 4.125”, which raised the total displacement to 402 cid. Pretty much everything else stayed the same internally. One other change though was the spark plugs, which got a new seating design for 1970.
Had a sb 400 2V in a 1971 Caprice. What a great engine!
I had one too!!! it was my first car in 1985 one of the best burnout cars (stock) I have ever owned. 1971 Caprice 400cid 400 turbo trans 2bl carb and point ignition and you had to love the 4 wheel drum brakes oh and the puck green color with the black vinyl top. Wish I had the driveline out of that thing for my current 1989 C2500
Thank you. I've been waiting for this video for about a year now. I have a 400 small block. 1973 year. I've owned it since 1986. Its been excellent. Never any issues besides a timing chain and gear set. It has over 200,000 thou on it today. I love my 400. Oh and it has excellent torque.the engine is is in my 1980 monte carlo. It has a 2bbl carb stock. I can break the one wheel wonder loose at 25mph. Thats the truth. Oh and its 100% bone stock.
SBC 400. The basis for many drag racing engines. The 2 bolt main blocks were stronger than the 4 bolts because the larger main journals of the 400 necessitated the inner cap bolts to be farther apart than the 350 and that put them closer to the outer bolts and the main saddle of the block tended to crack between the holes. I built a .030" over 4.155" bore 400 with the longer 5.7" 350 rods, 14.7 to 1 compression and the stock cast crankshaft and turned it 7,600 rpm's for 2 years in a drag car and it never popped. I sold the long bock to a friend and he ran it for another season and a half before one of the 292 turbo angle plug heads finally cracked. Those things weren't built for high performance use but they sure held up well with minimal upgrades...👍
Wow I have one built just like that. Runs on alcohol. The 292 were the original over the counter race heads. Got two pair. Also made a 377 which ran 8000rpm for a year.
14.7:1? Wow. Race gas only?
@@edwardkveton3410
Yep. After the 292s the first generation Bowtie heads came out. I had an early small journal .060" over 327 that I turned 8k + on the street in an M22 4 spd. 71' Z28. That was a fun car.
@@ericdolby1622
Oh yeah. I ran the blue 108 octane Union 76 fuel with 40° total timing. Had a ret - ard box in the ignition so it would start...lol
@@edwardkveton3410
How much horsepower does yours make on alcohol?
My grandparents had one in a 1975 wagon. I remember taking vacations in that car and it was comfortable, but my grandfather constantly complained about the gas mileage and oil consumption.
My Father had one in his truck,when asked about fuel mileage he said if was worried about it he would not have bought it.
My grandfather bought a new 1972 Impala Estate Wagon with the 400 and loved it. Great low end and mileage averaged around 12 - 14, not bad for the land yacht that it was. My dad got a 1973 model of the same 400 2bbl wagon and hated it. Seven mpg city or highway and it would usually ‘diesel’ for a while after the ignition was turned off. Never could get the problem properly diagnosed. Passed my 1st DMV driving test in it, parallel parking was fun!
72 was a much better engine than 73 thanks to the EPA
I had two 1973 full-size wagons, both with the 400 small block. The lightly equipped Impala (A/C, tilt, power tailgate) had lower gearing and felt almost sprightly. The fully loaded Caprice Estate had highway gearing, and of course more weight, and really needed more engine. But both were smooth and utterly reliable.
Do you recall what rear end was in them?I recall reading that on the 60’s models,if you ordered it with the towing package(ball hitch connected to frame) they came with the 12 bolt posi.I don’t remember what or if it mentioned 70’s but it would have gone to the 10 bolt I imagine but I’ll take a10 bolt posi any day.actually I did take one.lol
It did have torque. As a child, my mom's '75 Caprice Classic coupe (400ci 4-bbl) would chirp the tires when shifting into 2nd and 3rd gear at full throttle. It developed an issue with hot starts, though.
Who was driving for that tire chirp 2-3
@@techs1smh13 mom! 😂
I've known about the 400sbc since I was 15@1988 my best friend put one in his 80 Z28 with a 750 Holley torker2 intake big cam and headers it was very fast! I'll never forget the power from that 400sbc!
Great video on an under appreciated stalwart motor. I would love one of these engines for a restomod project.
i have 3 of them but dont know if i still have a pair of 400 heads.
@@harveynewman4333 just drill the steam holes in a set of regular small block heads.
Love your channel and your amazing knowledge and insight of the Automotive Industry. Those Bob Lutz interviews are so enlightening as I spent 25years ,1975-2000, selling Chrysler Products. Recently built a 400 small block 2 bolt main for my 1972 Chevy C10 Pickup. It has 9.2 compression ratio with a .30 bore, so now 406 cu. in , and used a flat tapet cam as well. Installed this summer using the original Q-Jet which was tore down completely and rebuilt have put about 1000 miles on the truck now and am very happy with this torquey engine.
My Pop owned a '72 Blazer w/ one of those 400 C.I.D. small blocks and it was definitely a torque monster, as it would/could spin those 30" tires w/o much effort. That Quadra-jet on top didn't hurt, w/ those massive secondaries kicking you in the pants each time you stomped the GO pedal.
Bought a new 74 Z28. Got the 400 and the 400 Turbo Transmission. Midnight blue. Still got it 🇺🇸🏁 Chevrolet.
Never put a 400 sbc in a Camaro, ever. Not factory if that's in fact what is there.
I built a 400 sb & installed it in my’69 Camaro. 1971 engine with 4 bolt main brg. Caps out of a
Kings wood estate wagon . Very nice build - While I was a tech at Chevrolet. Many great trips
In the car ! Many offers to buy it …. Kept it !
@@mattwhaley9917 Even car guys dont know what engines they have...lol
@@will7its I had a 63' Buick Skylark, thought it had a 312.
Did you park it next to your 83 vette?
Great video on one of the least known small-block Chevrolet V8 engines. I never had a vehicle with the 400 engine, but my first car had the 307 small block engine. Although not a performance engine, it introduced me to the merits of all Chevrolet small block V8 engines: bulletproof reliability, durability, simplicity, and low-cost maintenance.
One factor that made the 400 sbc less popular for aftermarket and performance use was a less advantageous rod angle as compared to the 350. This meant some limitations for higher hp, higher rpm applications.
True. But now you can throw a SCAT crank or whatever in with 5.7" rods and that's not a problem anymore for decades.
Now there are a lot of good piston options that allow a 5.7" or 6" rod in the 400.
@@Shaft-Industries You are correct, but back in the early days of the 400 SBC, due partially to the reason I described, people just found it easier to use a 350. Nowadays, at least since the 90s or so it hasn't been an issue, but the 400 didn't take off right away in its history for this reason.
@@howebrad4601 Yeah, that's probably another reason there are a ton of 383's out there. You get the stroke of a 400 but can still use your factory rods and still achieve more torque.
@@Shaft-IndustriesI'd rather build a 377. 400 bore with shorter 350 stroke.
Never had a car with this engine but I had a 1977 Olds 98 Regency with the 403. That car really had it going on with put you back in the seat power that often surprised passengers enjoying the luxe comfort of my man cave on wheels. Suckers to the side!
A great engine for sure!! I have sold a few over the years with this proven small block 400
Great video. My dad had a 71 impala with a 400 2 barrel
I had a 73 Caprice Coupe with the 400. It already had a 4bbl intake and Qjet on it when I bought it in 1993. It ran okay,but I added a new cam, timing gear and HEI distributor. I took it drag racing and it ran 16.0 on the 1/4 mile.
Had a 400 in a '77 3/4 ton pickup. Plenty of power, but had problems with starter& ring gear on flex plate. Changed several of each. Carried a big screwdriver to turn flywheel past area where teeth were ground off.
We had a 70’s Belair station wagon we named the dinosaur as it was green. It had a sbc 400 with a two barrel with 400 emblems on each front fender. It was a great first car for me. It’s a bucket list item for me to build a 400 engined project car!
I had a 400ci in my 1977 K20. It spent a large amount of its life pulling a 16.5’ gooseneck trailer that routinely hauled 400 bushels (22,400 lbs.) of corn. The only thing I wish I’d have done was put traction bars on rear axle. The motor was a workhorse for me and always answered the call. No complaints.
Love the Chevy 400. Torque monster.
400's are FAR from forgotten. True car guys knew what they had. SB 400 could be stroked to 427.
Had a high nickel 400, 40 over. Kept it 6 years without building it. Went LS, sold the 400 block as is for 50 bucks more than I paid for it. There was no shortage of interested buyers.
My favorite small block. A few mods and it will pump out the torque then the horsepower. I used them on the dirk track for years. A couple 406 lower cost builds, then an all out race 421 stroker. 73 feature wins in a 5 year period with a 400 engine.
434 ci.
We spun one with a 283 crank to 10,200 RPM to make 760 HP. What fun that screamer was.
427 is a big block- same as 454.
When I was younger, I had a 1977 Chevy Monte Carlo with a 305. When that engine wore out, I replaced it with a 400. But not just any 400. I got a 400 short-block (engine minus heads) from GM parts counter. I modified a set of 2.02 valve heads by adding the steam hole put those on the 400. Then I used the stock 350 L82 camshaft and a 4-barrel quadra-jet and manifold. I figured using production parts would help reliability. I also changed the rear end in the Monte from a 2.73:1 ratio to a 3.55:1 ratio and added posi-traction.
That Monte-Carlo scooted. It embarrassed the production Corvettes of the late 1970s and early 1980s.
What I essentially had done is made a 400 CID version of the L82 350 used in Corvettes and worked great. It didn't stretch or stress the 400 CID engine and it drove for 60,000 or 70,000 miles that way until the car changed hands to someone else.
Like most comments this motor is far from forgotten! I have a 400 small block sitting in my garage now waiting to go into a future project!
My mother had a '72 4-door Impala with the 400 SB, 2bbl. Dad bought it as a dealer "demonstrator" model, something he often did. It was a great car. I remember "demonstrator" vehicles offered and advertised as such as a kid, in the 1960's and 1970s, but I don't recall hearing about them nowadays.
I had a 400 Small Block out of an Impala in my 69 Chevelle to replace a 6 cylinder. Mild build made 420 hp and 470 lb ft in 1984, it won me a few street races since back then everyone with 200 hp thought they had a 12 second car.
The car I learned to drive in was a 72 Kingswood estate wagon with the 400 small block. I drove it until I left for the navy. It served my family well from 1972 through 1987.
I had a '77 Chevy van with the 400 - 4 barrel. I had several people tell me that they were prone to overheating. I never had that problem with it. Shortly after I bought it, I did have several push rods get bent, and I didn't mistreat it. Replaced them and it ran great. Just one of several vehicles I wish I'd kept a little longer.
My parents had this engine in a Caprice Classic.
It hauled that heavy car through the steepest of mountains without effort.
It pushed that heavy car through uphill highways like they were flat.
It idled so smoothly in traffic that it felt like it wasn't running.
You didn't need to know the temperature because it would not overheat even in the hottest of days while powering through the above 3 conditions.
Best of all, you didn't need to fear the fuel gauge either because the cost of a gallon was 33 cents.
About 10 years ago my son and I built a 70 Chevelle with a SBC 400. We bored it .030, forged pistons, Edelbrock heads, air-gap intake. Trans was TH400 with a 12 bolt diff. with a 3.31 posi. That car was a blast to drive.
I love this content! Well done for bringing back light on what are the best car designs ever 👍🏻 60s and 70s 🇺🇸👍🏻
Hi Adam from Australia, we had quite a few 307, 327 and 350 SBC engines installed in local Holden products in the late 60's to early Seventies. A lot of these engines were also imported privately for marine, hot rodding and retro fitting to older/ newer cars. Almost no 400 SBC engines were imported, the reason being they had an incorrect "connecting rod to stroke ratio" ( the angle of the connecting rod is too extreme when the piston is halfway down the cylinder so the combustion pressure is spending to much energy pushing the piston sideways into the cylinder wall rather than down on the crankshaft) and no decent power gains could be attained. The after market companies knew this, this is why back in the day, stroker cranks for 350 SBC's were limited to 383 C.I., the absolute limit for a usable connecting rod to stroke ratio on a standard SBC.
Very interesting information indeed. I owned one small block 400 & had always been impressed with how it ran but always did feel that the 327 was really the "sweet spot" among the various iterations of the small block Chevys. Seemed to be the best one for achieving high RPMs & high HP/Cubic in. 350, a little less so & 400, definitely not so much.
383's were based on .030 overbore 350 blocks with 400 crank with main journals turned down to 2.45. 350 blocks bored .060 over with 400 crank would be 388 cubic inches. So 383 is no absolute limited magic number. Rod ratio is the same.
@@ewoodWood I'm talking about Australia back in the 80's and 90's. There were no 400ci chev cranks here back then!. If you wanted to go bigger on your SBC (at a reasonable price) then a stroker kit was your only option, at least two (U.S.) companies supplied them and both were 383CI (without counting an overbore obviously) For the reasons I mentioned above.
The 383 is a 350 with the 400 stroke and rod length. Time to look again at what you had stated. And yes, the rod/stroke ratio isn't ideal, but it sure appears to work in that case. @@indykartsindoorgokarting6711
There are stroker cranks/pistons to make a SBC 350" into a 400"...
BluePrint engines sells a SBC 400" that makes 555 HP at a low 5900 RPMs...
My uncle had a 1972 Impala with this 400. We were out in the Nevada desert with a stuck thermostat. It was overheated for only a few minutes, but that was enough to cause some damage. When we got back to town, we immediately noticed a rough idle, probably from the brief overheat.
I remember in 400 small block. I also kicked myself for not buying that 1971 Chevy truck with 400 small-block about 10 years ago and basically had no rust. If I recall correctly it was a 3/4 ton truck. But I didn't want to drive all the way out to Southeastern Kansas to pick up two vehicles! Once I got then pick up the 57 Chevy that we won on auction, I saw that truck and you as well kick myself for a very long time. Because it looked a lot better than pictures showed. Thank you for doing this on a Chevy 400 small block. I'm still love to have one but at time goes. 5.3 you just find any day of the week.
I had a 1971 Impala coupe with a 400. It was an incredibly torquey, and very thirsty motor. You could watch the gas gauge twitch towards E as you drove.
Chevrolet put that small block 400 in both pickups and blazer/suburbans during the 70's. One thing those engines were externally balanced and had a cut out in the front harmonic balancer along with added weights to either the flexplate or flywheel. Then one day hot rodders decided to put a 400 sbc crank into a 350 block with some minor mods and the infamous 383 was born and the rest is history. One thing about those 400 sb's it was very important to keep up on the maintenance on those cooling systems because those small steam holes would or could plug up and they would overheat quickly. Thanks Adam for the trip down memory lane.
Another GM stroker combo that only caught on semi recently was putting a Pontiac 455 crank in a 400. Those cranks are so tough that you can shave 1/4” off the main journals to fit the 400 block and they’d survive pretty much whatever you put them through. I guess it wasn’t as popular because out of the 3 GM 455 engines, Pontiac was the rarest of the 3. Guessing because in 1970 when BOP all had 455’s, Olds and Buick dropped their 400 but Pontiac kept theirs.
Lol I love how the Chevrolet guys think that they invented the 383 lol . Mercury had a 383 in the early 50s and then they dropped the 383 and then Chrysler built their version on the HP 383 in 1958 that made 350 HP and came with a 2x4 intake manifold stock from the factory and then years later the 383 magnum was built using better flowing 906 heads that were also used on the 440 4 barrel and six pack magnum engines. I have a 400 sbc that runs good but I have a buddy that wants the engine for the crank shaft to build a 383 but I won't sell it to him because the 400 is in my 82 Chevrolet K10 plow truck I use to plow my driveway with & that low end torque it makes is perfect for pushing snow with it .
The car i learned to drive in, AND drove to prom was a 1964 Impala 4door post sedan. It had a transplanted 4bbl400 sbc/th350 from a truck.. That mutha was a beast.
I was given a 400 back in the 80s and originally had no real intention on building it at first. My dad has his all original 72 caprice with a 400 2v. I also obtained a 72 nova in trade for building a th350 for a friend's Camaro, and it was then when i decided to put the 400 in the Nova as the engine was removed. Bored it .020 over and used hyperutectic pistons along with cranes hmv-272 cam, didn't go too crazy since the car had to smog here in California. Just told the shop it was a 350 engine and had a q jet as they wouldn't know what it really was. Passed smog, and the car dynoed out at 373 ft lbs at 2k rpm and an honest 300 at 5k. Very broad power range but it was a very fun car to drive. Would wind up twisting a factory axle on a 2.73 one legger 10 bolt but the car at 25 mph could scratch the tire with the snap of the throttle.
Lot of people think the 2 Bolts were the better block to use in a high performance application becasue the 4 bolts would crack. My experience with these engines is that most of them will crack in the valley in the 450HP area. That's an easy number to hit with today's aftermarket heads and roller cams. They do make good low end power in stock form though and weigh no more than a 350.
I was surprised that there was no mention of the weight difference in the video.
Ive never heard of these blocks cracking in that area. We ran a factory 400 block in our Altered making 600 plus hp on alcohol with no issues of cracking. 14.7:1 compression and routinely run in the upper 7000 rpm range. We ultimately replaced it with an aftermarket block in preparation for a supercharger, knowing the stock main cap would never take what was coming.
The 2 bolt 509 casting blocks containing more nickel added substantial strength.
I had a 66 Nova with a built 400 SB, KB pistons, Comp roller cam, manual TH400, posi, was the fastest street car in Santa Rosa Ca….
I've built 5 400 sbc all 2 bolt mains. I love them .never a minutes problems. I prefer the 509 casting too.
I had a 1972 3/4 ton big block 400
It was a camper special with overloads ,with full power steering and power brakes you could drive it with one finger ,but if I had the camper off of it I could pull out on Monterey hwy and smoke the tires for as long as I held the throttle to the floor ,it was forest green ,with 2in tubes and a holly 750 it run like no other stock pickup around and averaged 15 mpg on the hyway awesome truck could haul anything and with a full size camper and pulling my 18 ft boat ,I could pass anything on the road couldn't even feel that boat behind me passing big rigs on my way to clearlake ,yes it was one bad ass truck ran like a scalded dog ,dam fast 👍
I’m still perplexed at what a masterpiece the SBC was, it was a home run and a great package that managed to be small and compact, lightweight, cheap to produce, very durable and robust, breathed well and made great power and economy, and was designed in a way that was very ingenious about super easy repair and serviceability, my favorite design feature was the stand-alone design of the water pump that only had 4 bolts and two very small and simple gaskets, unlike literally any other V8 on the market that was integrated with a dozen or more tiny screws prone to snapping off, and several other larger bolts of varying confusing diameters and lengths.
All other designs for V8 water pumps were stupid by comparison, with countless failure points that can allow coolant to intrude into the crankcase because the coolant passages went through the timing covers as well as the water pump.
Sheer stupidity on the part of engineers for all those other V8 designs- I’ve worked on all of them, and all of those integrated front cover designs were either a stupid and obvious oversight, or an intentional one to encourage engine failure.
The ball stud rockers were awesome as well, and the fact the SBC had 5 head bolts surrounding every combustion chamber, while most other V8 designs only had 4 surrounding each chamber.
First gen olds rocket is excluded from that, as those actually had 6 bolts surrounding each combustion chamber, which made them an excellent choice for supercharging in the early days of hot rodding. 🤘🏾🤘🏾🤘🏾
you are SOOOOOOO right on your comments. fixed cars for over 55 years.
@@harveynewman4333 amen, the design genius of Ed Cole and the team that designed the SBC is pretty legendary.
As a huge fan and owner of several first gen Olds V8’s I can’t help but spot several design similarities the early Olds 303-324-371-394 had with the SBC.
The stuff that came out of GM in that era was definitely the golden age.
Thumbs up for you and yours. Thanks for reminding me and I shall get one done and into something fun to drive.
Had a good friend in high school that had a 72 Caprice with a 400. Yanked the 2 barrel off, did some bowl work on the heads and put a factory iron intake with a quadrajet back on it. Swapped the points for hei ignition and it was a monster. Stock cam and rotating assembly even. Don't remember the EXACT numbers but a before and after 0-60 went from almost 11.5 seconds down to 8ish. The 400 wad a sadly overlooked engine.
I put that 400ci into a 4x4 LUV. Damn that was fast - but never could get past the overheating. Larger radiator, headers, louvered hood all helped but didn't cure it. Kept it for 20+ years.
I have that engine in my 70 something suburban someone gave me 20 years ago. Drove it here and it's been sitting there ever since. One of these days...
I had a 400 built with a Summit Racing engine kit(.030 over) and Summit cam. A real powerhouse.
This engine is a beast on the street. A torque monster.
Not forgotten, the 400 is what birthed the 383. Pretty much legendary for anyone who was alive when they were around.
I owned a 71 Impala with a 400 small block. You are right about the torque, taking off from a red light it would burn the back tires all the way across the intersection!
Had one in a 1974 Chevelle in the 1980's. It came with a 400, 2 bolt, 2 barrel. There were main caps available with splayed outer bolts to convert the 2 bolt to 4 bolt. Much better than the factory 4 bolts which notoriously cracked in the main web. Many don't know the 3 bolt 400 block was better than the 4 bolt. I had a forged 327 crank in it with the rod journals reground off center for a stroke increase. Had to grind the shoulders off the rod bolts to clear the block. With aluminum corvette heads, intake, cam, forged pistons, and a good 4 barrel, it was a torque monster. I wish I had that car today. Most that I tell about that motor don't believe it. I don't remember what it cubed out to, but it was a big block killer. I put a 12 bolt posi in it and a TH400 with a manual valve body. It would slam you into the seat easily. You had to respect the throttle on that thing. I would love to replicate that car, or find it is it still exists. I built that motor in a dirt floor garage and had a local race shop do all the machining. I had driven the car stock in my senior year of high school. Lots of guys made fun of it because it was a 74 and not a 69 or 70. Building it up was a dream come true project when I was just out of high school. Nobody made fun of it after that.
Had a 75 Trans Am, bought it new in late 74 for $4100 while a newly minted Sgt 1st, and it had the 400 / 4sp combo. The car was a screamer, but not worth a crap in turns. All in all a great engine. Fond memories.
My 73 Pontiac j had a 400 in it and what a ride it was should have kept it..
Ah the good old 400 small block. I remember in HS we bought one that was in crates, used, from the Nifty Nickle, unsure if it would even run. We bought a new Summit cam and lifters, Performer RPM , double row chain, HV oil pump, HEI distributor, cheap headers, dual Flowmaster exhaust, dropped it into a 4 door 69 Chevelle and man that 400 powerband it would climb that tach ! would boil those rears for 80 feet it seemed . Great engine.
My opinion on GM labeling the small and big block both a 400 is because they already had the cool chrome placards with 400 printed on them and GM is always looking to save a dollar and probably didn't want to make a 402 placard. 🤣🤣
The '400' big block was a 1971 only thing.
It was also done in 72 on the Caprice two door. I had one in High School and hated that I ever got rid of it. Lady pulled out in front of me and it kinked the frame where it bends in front of the firewall along with destroying the front clip. Could have been fixed but kept the engine and TH400 and put it in a 78 Cutlass body. Then when my young and dumb self totaled that, I sold the engine and trans to a guy that put it in a 71 Camaro.
@@silicon212
The engine story is quite interesting. There were variations clearly,but I liked how you explaimned them. I used to wonder when I was younger and I saw "400" "350" or "454" on the side of Chevrolets what was that referring to. I now know. I recall many Caprices with these engines. It was a different time back then as well because the GM brands had more autonomy and ran each brand like its own company. Thank you Adam.
Very true. I recently encountered a "Chevy enthusiast" who insisted that the 400 was big-block only, when I suggested that they must have been trying to save a few pennies per fender badge...
I love giving know it all's more bad information. like when my 62 yo neighbor asked me who won the civil war, or telling people that the world was black @ white before the atomic bomb was dropped in 45
Really enjoyed that Adam, you always find great and fascinating topics!!
As for gross to net hp comparison: Check out the 1971 Chevrolet sales brochure of that year. It lists the gross AND net HP for the 400: 255 gross, 170 net for the Turbo-Fire (which was the small block) and 300 vs. 206 for the Turbo-Jet (which was the big block and actually a 402).
But the 402 is a big big block Chevy motor
@@rodneyhopper22 Yup ... it's actually a 396 punched out .030 at the factory.
@@silicon212 a 396 motor bored .030 is only a 402 sorry
that is the point.
@@rodneyhopper22
I still run the 400 sbc on the street today.It is still boss N/A.Fitted with AFR heads and all the basic goodies this old 68 is still a threat to any new sports car,mustang,hellcat,Camaro,ex ex on the streets.N/A LS pull up on me all the time.Lol the grin on my face when the light turns green.🤩💀👊
In 1986 ( new zealand ) I bought a 1974 Holden Monaro 2 door coupe , from the factory it would have come with a 253 CI v8 ( maybe 308 ?) but it had a 400CI 2 barrel Chevy put into it , and a 4 speed Saginaw ,with a Mr Gasket quick change shifter . The only v8 I,d owned beforehand was a 318 Chrysler, and I remember the first time I let the clutch out in the Monaro and felt the power , I thought " I better be careful with this " . I dont know if it may have had something done to it to increase the I horsepower , I'd been told that it had been rebuilt by someone in a local hot rod club and the prior owner of the Monaro won it in a raffle, but it had a perfectly smooth idle, so obviously not a very hot cam , but by god it was torquey and pretty damn fast .
I owned a 1970 Skkylark convertible with a 400ci. It was a great car that I wish I had never sold . It's still on the road and I parked next to it at a car show 2 weeks ago.
That's a Buick engine, not a Chevy...
My mom had a brand new loaded 73 Caprice Classic w/a 400 2 barrel. Great car w/low-end torque.
I believe Chevrolet was playing small games with their advertised engine sizes for a little while during that era. The 396 big block was actually a 402. Anecdotally, a friend of mine was building a 396 for one of his friend’s Chevelles, and when calculating the engine displacement to calculate compression ratio, couldn’t figure out why he kept coming up with 402.
I have heard rumors that Chevrolet did this for insurance purposes. I have heard other rumors that it was done due to some internal GM restrictions on engine size.
Why they would go on to confuse people with a small block 400 that was actually a 401 and a big block 400 that was previously known as a 396 and was actually a 402 is beyond me. Lol
Well said!
Insurance.....that's what I heard years ago.
The 400 isn't way far off when you get down to brass tacks. It's the same bore & stroke as a Pontiac 400. There are other more obvious examples. Pontiac 301 is 4.00 X 3.00 like a ford 302, but called it to make it different. Best example 😅 no one ever talks about. A Pontiac 350 is bore 3 7/8 (listed as 3.875,,,sometimes 3.88) & stroke of 3.75. I think its 354.7 cid (haven't done the math in a while,but Pontiac mags talked about it too. Still called it a 350, the name was popular ,4 GM divisions had 350s
353.7 maybe (my previous post)
Because most car buyers are hardly aware there is even an engine under the hood. Its just some hazy black magic kind of thing that makes their car move down the road somehow. They dont like to think about it. It makes their head hurt.
And these people vote.....lol
Adam, you should an episode on the 400s from all the big 3 in comparison, kind of like you did with the episode on the 455s
I would choose Chryslers 400 as the winner. HUGE bore, short little stroke. With the right upgrades it turns into one hell of a screamer
Chevys 400SBs were one of the best ever built and best bang for the buck. Cheaper, easyier to modify and get more power out of them than the expensive 402BB smogger engine that you have to spend tons of money on to raise the compression, Its easy to build a 10 to one compression 400SB, RV cam it with a 4 barrel daul plane intake and small tube headers and you got a real torque monster for cheap for towing. Id take a 400sb over a 402BB any day. Ive got about a dozen of them and all standard bore and I only bore them .020 if they clean up on the first try. Some say they have heating issues, crack heads etc is all bullshit. After 74 they used lighter casting heads on them with catalic converters which could cause more heating issues. One thing to note 1970 was the only year of the 9 to 1 compression 400, after than they dropped it to 8.5 and even lower in the 70s. 1970 was the only year of the 400s that used the 598 head castings that used 1.94 intake and 1.60 exhaust valves, hard heads to track down. The 5.565 connecting rods wasnt that big of a deal for low rpms and torque. 5.7 or 6.0 inch rods can be updated for higher rpm 400s. Theres alot of faults information out there that 400s were junk this and that bullshit, them same people really didnt know shit about them, the few guys that did know them hoarded them all up like I did. My plan is to build another one for a pulling truck in the near future with custom ground roller cam setup, near 10 to one compression and run 91 octane gas. Thinking of using a 4 bolt block if I can but have more 2 bolts than 4.
i have 3 of these around, getting to build one, 20 over
We had a 74 malibu with the 350 2v and friends had a 73 impala with the 400 2v.
Despite the extra girth, whenever we did for fun the stoplight grand prix in the local high school parking lot, I'd get the jump on the Impala initially but just a few feet later it'd catch up and outpace me every time.
People forget that engines in this size and displacement range weren't intended for performance, they were intended as uplevel powertrain options in sedans and trucks (Ford's 390 FE is the classic example of this).
Seems an obvious point, but you'd be surprised how many people can't distinguish the difference in that era between a basic high torque large displacement engine, and a legit Hi Po engine.
I drove a 390 that could easily show its tailgate to a lot of clowns who thought they had performance cars.
Back then, an amazing number of full-size cars were outfitted with tow packages for pulling pop-ups and smaller travel trailers, so torque-heavy engines were definitely popular.
So true. You could get this in a half ton truck which give you plenty of power with 3.73 gears
I think the 390 had enough metal in it to be made as a hi po engine.
The Chev. 400 small block not so much. @@67marlins
Great point. Thats why it was used largely in station wagons and K series (4WD) trucks. Had torque for pulling and low end needs. It was the goldilocks between the 350 and 454.
I put a mildly rebuilt 400 small block in a 1977 down sized 4 door Impala 😮 with headers and dual exhaust! It surprised a few Trans Ams, Camaros, and Corvettes 😅. Oh it also had a 600 cfm Holley 4bbl.
You didn't mention the easiest way to spot one of these 400 sb motors when the heads are installed.... Gold star for anyone who gets it.
front balancer
@@harveynewman4333 ⭐... That's one way, but there is one way more obvious
4 bolt main bearing block 3 freeze plugs per side 2 bolt block 2 freeze plugs per side with a boss for the 3rd freeze plug in the middle (not machined) having worked in a machine shop I've seen hundreds of sb 400s but never a 2 bolt block with 3 freeze plugs people say they're some out there but never seen one from what I've read the 4 bolt 3 freeze plug motors they only came in trucks for 2 years only although undesirable they are rare
@@insulman100 ⭐
I assume you know the reason for the different front balancer and also different flex plate/flywheel. for the sb 400 of course they are externally balanced some of the 400s our shop worked on had destroyed main bearings and sometimes even a broken crank due to using a non-balanced flywheel /flex plate
COOL, I have a 406 sbc in my55 Belair. The Holley efi sure made a difference in performance.
Had a 1978 Suburban 4x4 with a 400 and I liked it.
And the MOPAR Poly 318. Have a fresh one in my 66 Fury. Cam, headers and so forth. I love it.
The Tonawanda 400 with the double hump heads, a Saginaw M20 4 speed, and a Chevy 4.11 rear end needs ZERO modification, especially to be driven on the road. My brother has a 64 Impala SS with this setup and in the late 80's the fastest manual Mustang 5.0 would be completely embarrassed from stand still, first to 60, or even starting at 60. The engine and transmission put so much torque to the rear that the first rear end he ran, a 3.73, twisted and shattered not long after he first built the car.
Probably the scariest car I've even been in because a takeoff that fast with a top end to fast to handle in a car that big is just an eerie feeling!
Not a factory engine.
@@anthonynelson9136 Dude seriously... None of that is factory for his car. Was saying the engine, transmission, and rear end he used all needed no modification from how they came from the factory. THE CAR came with a 327, 3 speed Saginaw on the tree, and 3.36 rear end. He still has them all because of their original matching numbers.
My 75 Monza had a 262 V8. I had a couple of cars with the 305 V8
Those cars were cool -
Those were super fun to drive. My buddy put a dual exhaust and had a manual transmission. It was quick compared to other cars of that era
California '75 Monza required the weak 125 HP 350" engine... but a SBC 400" would also slip in...
i knew about the siamesed bores and the external balancing, but not the steam holes! always learn something with this channel! i kind of thought 400 in the B body mean small block, and in the A body meant big block. but I guess for a while you could get both small and big in the big body. so strange...but no more strange than Ford offering two different 351's...three if you count the later 351M
Ford’s 351 motors actually had the same bore & stroke as their older 352.
I have a 1978 Chevy van that came with a small block 400 v8. It sounds good 👍🏿