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Skip White Chevy 406 short-block kit

Assuming you allready have a 350" in the car? personally , I would build a 383" (use one of Skip's kits) and use the money saved and put towards a good set of aluminum heads to put on it.
 
LOL... nope!! I've been arguing with myself about whether to build something bigger than the 350 I had. With the blower I can make way more power than I can get to the ground, so there really isn't any "need" for more displacement. So I'm wondering why I should spend hundreds of dollars for more cubes... just to be able to say I have a 383, or 406 or whatever?

The appeal of building a new motor with trick parts is pretty strong, but I don't really need to. Of course, I didn't need to build a T-bucket, and I didn't need to have blower!!

I think my money might be more effectively spent on taller gears for the rearend. I have 3.31s now and would like to go to 3.54 or maybe even 3.73. I got to see what 3.73s would be like when I put the old Jag wheels and tires on the rear when trying to sort out my tire shake problem. The difference in circumference was the equivalent of going from 3.30 to 3.70 or so. Really pepped up my "leaves." I would also like to change out the TH350 for a 700R4, but that means major surgery on the painted frame!!

Decisions, decisions!!
 
I'll throw this to you , having had both a 355 & a 383 ,with roughly equivalent comp. , cam , carburetion, the difference is VERY noticable ....the stroker motor has way more "seat of the pants " torque.... doesn't run out of balls in 3rd & 4th gear !!
dave
On the rear gear , I run 28" tall tires w/a 3.55 gear , cruise at 2500 , just perfect..
 
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I've heard that about 383s and was originally going to do a 383 back in 2005, but decided to go with the 350 (actually 355) since I had the blower. The way I drive, though, I don't really have to be concerned about the motor running out of balls in 3rd & 4th gear!! If I keep my foot in it long enough to worry about top end grunt, I'm already going scary fast and keeping an eye out for Johnny Law!!
 
It's just nice to know "it's" there !! ..The difference in build cost between the 2 is negligable , so why not have the extra "on tap" ??
dave
 
I know I'm at risk of having my Man Card suspended here, but having extra cubes just because I can has so far not been a convincing argument. I know the incremental cost is going to be negligible, especially if I go with the Dart block, since it's already clearanced for a stroker, and for that reason I will probably go with a 383. The other big dilemma is do I buy a built-up short block or do it myself? I know the arguments for both have been made above, but I'm still on the fence about that.
 
I have never built a performance motor from a bare block using parts I selected and fitted, but I believe I have the basic knowledge and skills to do it. The appeal of the kit is the parts are already selected by "knowledgeable" people and theoretical go together.
 
You'll need a set of mics. a dial bore gauge , a dial indicator , a ring end gap filer , a die-grinder for clearancing [optional] , a ring compressor , a trusted torque wrench , a place to wash parts , a clean area for assembly , & probably a few things I forgot...
just the short list , oh yeah , a trusted machine shop to correct any "kit" mistakes..
dave
 
Lee_in_KC said:
I would also like to change out the TH350 for a 700R4, but that means major surgery on the painted frame!!
Click to expand...
The 200-4R is the same length and spline as a TH350, therefore the driveshaft doesn't
change. The mount does have to move back about 5-6 inches IIRC. The gear separation
is better and the OD is slightly better for cruising .70 to .67 for the 200-4R. Either the
700-R4 or the 200-4R will need beefing up to be strong enough to handle anything over
about 300 HP.

I'm using the 200-4R and cruising 70 mph means the tach is reading 1900 rpm with a 31"
tall tire. I'm getting 20 mpg at 70 mph out of a 500 HP engine.
 
You know if you just want some more power you can drive that blower 1-1 or even overdrive it. Lots of power to be had with a simple change of the belt drive.

Just wondering what your drive was set up at?
 
That's the point, Ron. I already have more power than I "need." I wouldn't build a bigger motor for more power, I would do it for the cool factor and for a higher reliability rotating assembly. I have always run the blower at 1:1 and I've always had in the back of my head that there's room for, umm... "growth" there! ;)
 
As an example , when I put together my stroker ,the rod big ends would not fit side by side on the crank, had to have the milled .006 to get needed side clearance , had 2 piston pins too tight in the rods , had to have them honed , had a little too much clearance on the rear main , had to order a .001 oversize & use half the shell to tighten things up .0005"...I'd guess this pretty typical of kits
dave
 
Got a friend w/a 572 BB w/8-71 in a 24' pickle-fork {boat} w/methanol injection , he says if you're not running 20 # boost , there's no point running a blower !!
dave
 
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Here's an update for anyone who is still following my saga. Got the motor torn down to bare block. Took the block, rotating assembly and heads to a well-respected auto machine shop near me. Block is definitely cracked. The tech said he has seen that type of crack before... typically due to water freezing in the block. This could have happened while I had the motor stored in my hangar while I was getting the frame and body painted. I did not completely drain the block, but it had 50/50 coolant in it. Who knows...:rolleyes:

Tech says the rings definitely never seated properly and the cylinders are "polished." Rings look to be chrome moly. Tech recommends cast iron.

Crank is GMPP cast steel. Tech says it is probably OK to reuse considering the relatively mild use the motor is seeing. Rods appear to be stock GM. Tech says I should upgrade. Pistons are cast F-M Speed Pros as was previously determined. Tech says I should definitely go to forged.

Current plan is for this shop to order a Dart SHP block and build a new short block with the current crank and new forged rods and pistons. They are working up a list of specific parts and a quote.

An interesting note about my cam. I did not get a cam card from the original builder of my short block. He said he lost it. He said it was a Comp Cams "blower" cam and that I would really like it. Well when I pulled the cam I checked for any ID info. On the back of the cam the number CC 12-414-8 was etched. I ran it on Comp Cams web site and here is what I have...

12-414-8 - Xtreme 4 x 4™ -Due to the allowances of lower engine speed, these designs are slightly more aggressive than the original Xtreme Energy™ Hydraulic Rollers. Great low & mid-range torque. They are one of our most aggressive hydraulic roller lobes and run well in street, off-road & four-wheeling.

LOL, an "Xtreme 4x4 cam!" Actually the specs are pretty impressive and I have always liked the cam. Rumpity idle (blowers tend to smooth out lumpy cams), lots of low-end grunt and the motor has always breathed well.

Well, we'll see what the shop comes up with. :cool:
 
Lee, the only thing I would recommend would be to call Comp Cams and ask them what they would recommend. Tell them what you have run and what they recommend for a dedicated blower set up. See what the difference would be.

John
 
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