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Need help on 400sbc

No need to hope, HAceT, all 400's are torque rich rubber torchers. Rest assured that you will be able to light up the rears at most speeds whenever the fancy strikes. What Fun!!!!
If you only knew how many chassis I have had to fix just from that very foolish move, lighting up the tires while driving, that is not a smart thing to do, you want a car to hang on good and tight to the road, sooooo much safer and faster to boot, plus you are not attracting the wrong type of attention, they take your ticket to ride away from you for that unnecessary stunt... there are ways to get good bite with any T... Just ask and I may tell you... Drive safe. :rofl:
 
If you only knew how many chassis I have had to fix just from that very foolish move, lighting up the tires while driving, that is not a smart thing to do, you want a car to hang on good and tight to the road, sooooo much safer and faster to boot, plus you are not attracting the wrong type of attention, they take your ticket to ride away from you for that unnecessary stunt... there are ways to get good bite with any T... Just ask and I may tell you... Drive safe. :)

I won't mention any names or locations but I seem to remember one car you set up in the late 60's or early 70's that would leave so hard from a standstill, it would 'bullfrog' taking off....wouldn't spin the tires but only turn about 1/4 of a turn and it was gone!
I sware, it was so fast it looked like all 4 wheels came off the ground when it left...(but they didn't)....HeeHee....
 
Oooookkk...the car ran good and somewhat still does. I fixed the heating problem but it may of been to late. I was trapped in backed up slow moving traffic about 3 weeks ago at the beach and she got way up there. Well I let it cool some and replaced some water that seemed to of disapeared due to a small pin hole leak in the radiator. I bought a new aluminum radiator from ebay and it keeps the car around 160 and cooler. But the car started running rough and I could smell anti-freeze in the passenger exhaust. I got the car back home limping and tore the head off that side. The gasket had a blown spot so I replaced it and since it was the weekend and I had work all week I just put it all back together. I fired it up Friday and it ran good. 160 temp so I went about 1 mile to my son's school to pick him up and it did fine. As I started back home she went to crap. It ran worse than ever before and just did make it home. I preasured the water system while she was warm and the needle moved down very very slowly. I pulled the plugs and and did a compression check all were great. While doing the test i noted the passenger side 6 misted water when I was turning it over. I'm assuming the head is gone. No water in the oil at all but a small trace of oil in the water. Intake shows signs of water/oil mix caking slightly. :suicide: .....sooooo I am now in need of a good 400 head or a set. Or even suggestions...
 
Oooookkk...the car ran good and somewhat still does. I fixed the heating problem but it may of been to late. I was trapped in backed up slow moving traffic about 3 weeks ago at the beach and she got way up there. Well I let it cool some and replaced some water that seemed to of disapeared due to a small pin hole leak in the radiator. I bought a new aluminum radiator from ebay and it keeps the car around 160 and cooler. But the car started running rough and I could smell anti-freeze in the passenger exhaust. I got the car back home limping and tore the head off that side. The gasket had a blown spot so I replaced it and since it was the weekend and I had work all week I just put it all back together. I fired it up Friday and it ran good. 160 temp so I went about 1 mile to my son's school to pick him up and it did fine. As I started back home she went to crap. It ran worse than ever before and just did make it home. I preasured the water system while she was warm and the needle moved down very very slowly. I pulled the plugs and and did a compression check all were great. While doing the test i noted the passenger side 6 misted water when I was turning it over. I'm assuming the head is gone. No water in the oil at all but a small trace of oil in the water. Intake shows signs of water/oil mix caking slightly. :suicide: .....sooooo I am now in need of a good 400 head or a set. Or even suggestions...
Wish I could help you with a cylinder head but can't. What was the fix for the overheating?...Ron(ruggs)
 
Whoa there !!! Have you checked to see if the heads are indeed warped? One of my most favorite tools is a straight edge from SnapOn that was used to measure Wankel case flatness. Get a really good machine rule and check for warpage, maybe just need a clean up surfacing and be down the road. That is unless you feel or can verify that the heads are cracked in some way and need actual replacement. Again, 200 to 225 degrees are not unusual, they are survivable temps. Also use that machine rule on the block surfaces to check for deck warpage. Were the heads drilled for steam holes? Quality head gaskets? Retorque the heads after a couple of heating and cooling cycles? (That's a question and a future suggestion) Also the usual ... what's the timing (initial & total), how was the timing set (plugged vacuum line, 12 degrees initial, 32 total), sealer on the head bolts that go into water, thermostat O.K.?, I'd rather see a fixed mechanical fan on there but, an electric will do (is it thermoswitch controlled and is the switch working?) Carb mixture O.K.? Idle mixture set properly? As PotvinGuy has tried, setting the initial advance higher (say 16 - 20 degrees can be beneficial, just watch the TOTAL timing mark, no more than 32 degrees).

Sorry to hear 'bout your troubles, everything can be fixed. John
 
Whoa there !!! Have you checked to see if the heads are indeed warped? One of my most favorite tools is a straight edge from SnapOn that was used to measure Wankel case flatness. Get a really good machine rule and check for warpage, maybe just need a clean up surfacing and be down the road. That is unless you feel or can verify that the heads are cracked in some way and need actual replacement. Again, 200 to 225 degrees are not unusual, they are survivable temps. Also use that machine rule on the block surfaces to check for deck warpage. Were the heads drilled for steam holes? Quality head gaskets? Retorque the heads after a couple of heating and cooling cycles? (That's a question and a future suggestion) Also the usual ... what's the timing (initial & total), how was the timing set (plugged vacuum line, 12 degrees initial, 32 total), sealer on the head bolts that go into water, thermostat O.K.?, I'd rather see a fixed mechanical fan on there but, an electric will do (is it thermoswitch controlled and is the switch working?) Carb mixture O.K.? Idle mixture set properly? As PotvinGuy has tried, setting the initial advance higher (say 16 - 20 degrees can be beneficial, just watch the TOTAL timing mark, no more than 32 degrees).

Sorry to hear 'bout your troubles, everything can be fixed. John

The heads were resurfaced when I had them redone along with the block. Everything was checked prior to build. Good head gaskets installed. Felpro. All the other questions are not needed due to the fact none of them will explain why Antifreeze mist comes from the #6 cylinder with the spark plug out during a compression test. But yes timing and carb and all the other stuff is good. I have a mechanical fan and a new Aluminum Radiator that now cools the car. I didn't worry too much about the heat at 220 but when she hit 230 - 240 + that worried me and where I was I had no way of stoping or cutting the car off. So heat was a problem for maybe about 20+ minutes. I haven't taken the head back off yet so I'm just guessing it is the head and not the gasket since I just replaced the gasket. I will get a straight edge and check the deck and the head. I hope the block is good and it's just the head.
 
There probably isn't anything special about those heads, check the casting number w/mortech. probably a 76 cc smogger head,like an882 or 993w,steam holes. usually crack in area of exhaust port. have it magnafluxed [w/valves removed], junk? boneyards are full of 'em. seen this too many times.


dave
 
I know there are lots of junk out there.....I was going to pick up some 350 heads but then I'll have to buy all new valves again if they are crap too. These heads have new valves which are larger stemed than the 350's so they won't work. It's just hard finding 400 heads around here. I still haven't pulled the head yet since I've been working long hours. Drugs and bad guys seem to be more and more these last few weeks. But it's all good if it keeps them off the streets and out of the hands of kids.
 
I know there are lots of junk out there.....I was going to pick up some 350 heads but then I'll have to buy all new valves again if they are crap too. These heads have new valves which are larger stemed than the 350's so they won't work. It's just hard finding 400 heads around here. I still haven't pulled the head yet since I've been working long hours. Drugs and bad guys seem to be more and more these last few weeks. But it's all good if it keeps them off the streets and out of the hands of kids.
SBC heads usually have the same valve stem sizes. Stem lengths may differ, a lot of aftermarket heads use +100th" valves, is all. Either way, its odds on your head/s is/are cracksville and leaking coolant into #6 jug. But you know that. If you look at it objectively you may well come to the conclusion that its a better deal to buy a new aftermarket head set fully built up, like Dart Iron Eagles or the Ally Edelbrocks, and be happy knowing all is well as well as enjoying the extra performance.
 
Wayne have you thought about going to Aluminum heads? They are so much better than those stock heads and make so much more power. The price is very good also. Check these out from Whites Machine in Kingsport. I have been to their shop several times and have nothing but good things to say about them.

Aluminum Heads
 
Ron, the next time you visit Fred's place, tell him I said howdy.

I will they are great folks to deal with. I had a question about shimming the springs on my heads I bought from them on Ebay. So I took them to the shop. They gave me free run of the shop and the use of their equipment. I spent several hours there playing with spring pressures on my intakes. When I ask how much I owed them for the use of the equipment and the extra shims I used, They would not take any payment at all. Just great to deal with!
 
I was actually thinking of sticking with steal but they seem far and few. So I have given it serious thought and may order them next week or so. I just want to take the old one off and be dang sure that is the only problem. I don't believe the block is damaged since water is not getting into the oil. I was trying to save money on this deal since Christmas is around the corner and so is the other 2 builds. Now Ron if I use these heads on this 400 do I need to have the water holes drilled or is the fact they are aluminum I won't need them. I heard some where before that using alum heads does not require these steam holes.
 
That's a good price on aluminum heads, not to mention the weight loss. You can end up sinking bad money into old heads. Old heads never need just one thing fixed.
 

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