What SBC do you like best?

[englertracing]

I had a, "Strong Arm", 406, but didn't like the way it rpm'd to way up top. Just seemed slow is all, but it got up to 6,500.

Therefore I dearly love the little 301"/306"/310" type engines singing way up top. Shift at 7,500+ and repeat for me!!

Put it in a light vehicle geared and tired right to make it really go due to them being little engines!

He, He!!

pdq67

Its never been the crank paul, its always been the fact that using the same heads on more cubes moves peak torque down

[pdq67]

OK!

What heads should I have put on my 406?

About 9.5 CR;
My hy-cam was a 292/230, 109/107, .480" lift old style RV;
Weiand 3004 Dual plane with a 750 Q-Jet from a same sized engine, (403 Olds);
1-5/8", 4-tube long tube headers into 2-1/2" pipes and mufflers out the rear sides;

pdq67

[enigma57]

Of the OEM small block Chevy's...... The 365 HP 327, hands down.





HB

[novadude]

Yes I used to have a big jacked up 4X4. It had a 400 and was fine. Then later in life I bought one with a 350 It was weak. Then later bought a F250 with a 460. It was good. In a real light car a 283-327 is good with 514 gears and a 4 spd.

How much tq you looking for? The final production version of the 460 produced 245 hp and 410 lb-ft of torque, you could easily make more than that with a 350 plus it would weigh less.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_385_engine

Here is a 9.5:1 327 with flat tappet cam and performer intake, no need for a 4 speed or 5.14 gears.

Cam and head specs on that 327? Just curious.... nice numbers!

[rfoll]

Of the OEM small block Chevy's...... The 365 HP 327, hands down.





HB

I had one of those engines that was an over the counter long block. The shame of it was the heavy car it was in. 1960 Bel Air with a 4.56 Pontiac rear axle. It ran really strong through the first 3 gears, but it never fully recovered enough rpm after the shift into 4th. My calculation said I needed a 5.37 ratio. Small journal 327s are hard to beat for a street motor in a light car.

[cv67]

alwasys liked the 327s but 30 yrs later after seeing what extra stroke can do...id have to say 400.
even wtih a 260cfm head and a rowdy HFT they can smoke tire in most gears Cheap fun

[GARY C]

Yes I used to have a big jacked up 4X4. It had a 400 and was fine. Then later in life I bought one with a 350 It was weak. Then later bought a F250 with a 460. It was good. In a real light car a 283-327 is good with 514 gears and a 4 spd.

How much tq you looking for? The final production version of the 460 produced 245 hp and 410 lb-ft of torque, you could easily make more than that with a 350 plus it would weigh less.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_385_engine

Here is a 9.5:1 327 with flat tappet cam and performer intake, no need for a 4 speed or 5.14 gears.

Cam and head specs on that 327? Just curious.... nice numbers!

Kind of screwed up specs.
Mildly ported Pro Topline 180cc heads with a 2.100 1.625 valve, I don't recall exact cam spec as the owner had bullet spec it, it was low 240's at .050 or there about on a 109 LSA solid flat tappet.

Long story short the owner had contacted me about some heads and I had those with the intent of porting them larger for a future project but he wanted to try them, we originally agreed to try them with a much shorter cam, Air Gap intake and higher ratio rockers but he chose to go a different path and once again the buddy buddy deal n trade for data never yielded the data I wanted to see.
I guess it wasn't bad considering he had never speced or built an engine before, I told him the cam would be way more radical then what he kept saying he wanted and it turned out I was correct, he ended up selling his entire street rod build and giving me his 60 gallon compressor, fold up hoist and engine stand so I can't complain to much.

I look at this EMC 327 and see how much is possible, we were way off.
https://www.hotrod.com/articles/0903phr ... vy-engine/

[rfoll]

alwasys liked the 327s but 30 yrs later after seeing what extra stroke can do...id have to say 400.
even wtih a 260cfm head and a rowdy HFT they can smoke tire in most gears Cheap fun

I agree with the cheap fun part. I did a quickie rebuild on a stock 400 short block a few years ago using Vortec heads and a Comp XE 268 cam. Compression is 8.8. I put it in my 79 Impala with the stock converter and 3.42 gears. 4400 lbs. with me in it and it ran 13.20 in the quarter. It would get fuel economy in the mid teens if I could keep my foot out of it. Smoke the tires for a block and cut cookies like the end of a nascar race. Most of the muscle cars from the 60s were slower. My 65 GTO ran low 14s. I liked the motor so much it put it in my 71 C20 pickup. It runs circles around the 402 I took out. The reality is the cost of gas for a true street driver. The Vortec 350 residing in my 79 Impala will get 19 mpg in normal driving and still spin the tires at will.

[CamKing]

I am allergic to 350's. Always ran good but not enough torque for me.

My 355" SBC in my boat would get your attention.
It's 10:1 with ported 492 heads, Performer RPM, and Holley 600.

RPM---TQ--BHP
3200--436--266
3400--443--287
3600--445--305
3800--444--321
4000--443--337
4200--440--352
4400--440--368
4600--441--386
4800--441--403
5000--432--411
5200--422--418
5400--412--423
5600--400--426

The cam is 216/220, on a 112 LSA, and 108 ICL

[Monza355]

I am allergic to 350's. Always ran good but not enough torque for me.

My 355" SBC in my boat would get your attention.
It's 10:1 with ported 492 heads, Performer RPM, and Holley 600.

RPM---TQ--BHP
3200--436--266
3400--443--287
3600--445--305
3800--444--321
4000--443--337
4200--440--352
4400--440--368
4600--441--386
4800--441--403
5000--432--411
5200--422--418
5400--412--423
5600--400--426

The cam is 216/220, on a 112 LSA, and 108 ICL

How can it make so much torque ! The cam doesn’t even fit the 128 formula

All joke aside this is a great example of engine that could be used in a variety of applications. How would you think it would do with Vortec heads. Or similar aftermarket head for that matter Mike ? I only ask because it would be easier to duplicate a combo like this using an head that’s readily available.

[CamKing]

I am allergic to 350's. Always ran good but not enough torque for me.

My 355" SBC in my boat would get your attention.
It's 10:1 with ported 492 heads, Performer RPM, and Holley 600.

RPM---TQ--BHP
3200--436--266
3400--443--287
3600--445--305
3800--444--321
4000--443--337
4200--440--352
4400--440--368
4600--441--386
4800--441--403
5000--432--411
5200--422--418
5400--412--423
5600--400--426

The cam is 216/220, on a 112 LSA, and 108 ICL

How can it make so much torque ! The cam doesn’t even fit the 128 formula

All joke aside this is a great example of engine that could be used in a variety of applications. How would you think it would do with Vortec heads. Or similar aftermarket head for that matter Mike ? I only ask because it would be easier to duplicate a combo like this using an head that’s readily available.

as long as the port isn't much bigger, it would be fine. If you put a big port on it, you're not going to make those low-end numbers.

[pdq67]

Of the OEM small block Chevy's...... The 365 HP 327, hands down.





HB

I had big valve, -461 heads on it!

pdq67

[Truckedup]

327/300......Such a sweet running engine with a smooth idle

[PackardV8]

The older I get, the faster I wuz.

Those who fondly remember the 302"s, 327"s, et al, don't remember the road test data panels. They were bog-slow by today's standards. Mommyvans with turbo fours will blow the doors off anything small block Chevrolet sold to customers in the 1960s, including the Z28. I was there, I build obsolete engines and have no illusions they were/are fast by today's standards.

This doesn't mean someone like Mike can't build a fast, strong SBC using today's technology and speed parts. Just don't confuse what Mike builds today with what Chevrolet sold us in the 1960s.

[lefty o]

The older I get, the faster I wuz.

Those who fondly remember the 302"s, 327"s, et al, don't remember the road test data panels. They were bog-slow by today's standards. Mommyvans with turbo fours will blow the doors off anything small block Chevrolet sold to customers in the 1960s, including the Z28. I was there, I build obsolete engines and have no illusions they were/are fast by today's standards.

This doesn't mean someone like Mike can't build a fast, strong SBC using today's technology and speed parts. Just don't confuse what Mike builds today with what Chevrolet sold us in the 1960s.

no one ever said they had to be stock!!! that said, any of 'em 327 or bigger work fine for me.