Have a chance to get a 396 block w/ a steel crank for $250. Just wondering if anyone has any proven combinations and what kind of power their making. Along with this I can get a set of oval port head for free that are already rebuilt (family special).

just tell me how fast you want to go. i have been playing with the bbc 396 since the early 90's and i have built alot of combo's from 15 sec runs to the tens........some combination may not be like by other but it sure makes fun for driving on the street, big fat cam, steep gears and loose convertor, but i have been building more power wisely anymore.

so whats your goals?

Well I would like to get into the low 12's, I have 3:73 gears and a muncie already, Like the big lumpy idle and was thinking about getting some aluminum heads possibly

Although some of the newer aluminum heads are a great option, they arent totally necessary for how fast you want to run. Find out what oval port heads those are you can get and whether or not they are open or closed chambers. You will be better off with a closed chamber head.

One of the better factory closed chambers with a good port job and big valves will be plenty up to the task. Finish it with a performer rpm intake, 750 carb, headers and good ignition, and a lunati 402A2 solid camshaft. Its specs are 238/248 duration at .050, .550/.570 lift and a 112 LSA. Put in a 3200+stall speed converter and about 3.90 gears and you will run those low 12's in a pretty streetable package with roughly 10:1 compression. As far as the cam, thats one I like for this engine, but ask Harold cause he might have another one in mind and Id listen to him before Id listen to me.

Imho, no more than a CC 280 magnum hy-cam along with a 3310-, 750 cfm Holley on a high-rise and a set of small, 1.75" dia., four tube, long headers on a STOCK, 325hp/396 motor will make right at 400hp!!

EXCELLENT motor, imho!!

pdq67

now this might be where i get in trouble, im not going to say do it but this combo for me was really fun to drive cause it aint no grammas car. but i took a 396 with stock crank and rods unbalanced of course saving the pennies, put it in a 60 over 396 with a set of factory replacement 396/375 horse pistons. from trw in the block. i slapped in a 262/273 solid cam at .050 with .560/.600 lift . had a set of closed chambered heads that was about 98 cc which gave me 11.7 to 1 compression. with 2.19 1.88 valves installed with my own back yard porting done to them. set of single springs with umbrella seals. put some cheap crane full roller rockers on it and threw on a victor jr intake with 850 holley double pumper. with a set of cheap summit headers and 2 1/2" exhaust with cheap thrush mufflers dumped at the axle. with 3.70 gears and a th350 tranny with a tci 10 stall. this combo ran on 87 octane fuel all day with the dist. locked out at 36 degrees and idled at 850 rpms. got many thumbs up for the wild idle. i drove this combo on the streets all the time and even ran down the highway with it to a tune of 11 mpg. this combo ran hard for about 6 years. with open headers it ran almost 116 mph with a slower 11.80 pass's my 60 ft times was only 1.70+ with 30 " slicks an full throttle launches i think the slicks was just to big and killed my times. . but on street tires and exhaust on it ran 12.18 at 114 mph with 1.70 60 ft times with slight feathering of the throttle to hold traction. at which i ran this the most because i had no roll bar. sure was fun to drive it straight to the track and do nothing to it but run the heck out of it. this was in a 3600 lbs car with driver. i was pulling 1.70's 60 ft times on regular 275 60 15 tires. i set the rev limiter to no more then 7200 rpms did most shifting right around 7000 rpms. but the combo would rev happy and turn faster times with 7500 rpm shifts. but didnt feel like i should run it that hard since i did want it to last awhile.

the combo is really soggy down low under 3500 rpms but that didnt matter to me cause once you hit the gas the convertor would almost flash to 5000 rpms and take off.............the 10" tci unit straight out of summit was rated for 3500 rpms but it would brake stall in my drive way at 4500 up against the brake without spinning the tires.

now this was a fun combo. i did put nitrous on it ran it a few times down the track but always got warning for doing it , it would turn 123 mph and run in the 10.90'sjust playing with it. im sure there was more in the car thru tuining but it went together pretty good and i never took the time to rejet nothing on the carb nor did i mess with the timing on it other then to trun it back for the nitrous passes.

Dennis,

Something doesn't jibe here b/c above 11 to 1 CR and running it down the road to me on 87 octane doesn't seem possible??

BUT if so, it sounds like KILLER motor!!

pdq67

I just recently built up a 402 (same thing as 396) and took it out .030, used a set of 290 oval ports with the stock 2.06/1.72 valves, stamped Summit 1.7 rockers, Comp XE284 cam, Performer RPM intake with a 750 Holley on top, Summit 1.75 headers. I've been told I'm making around 425 hp.

Junkyard,

How do you like that cam in that 396? There was another fella here that was making 500hp with his 396 (~9.5:1), and he said it was a little to radical for street use for him.

Vince

Here's a real world 396 based package that is handful on street tires.

408CI (396 + .060), 290 semi closed chamber heads w/ 2.19/1.72 valves. Final CR = 9.7/1, Comp HR279 hyd roller [279/294, 230/242, 113LSA/108ICL], Ede Performer [soon to be an Air Gap], Holley 670 (or 750), 1-3/4" headers, 10" converter and 3.73 gears. Haven't ran it this year after making changes [cam, distributor and suspension]. Only made two runs last August - 14.2 & 14.06 at 99.6mph and 97 mph respectively, but with 2.40 and 2.20 60' times (basically the car didn't move when you mashed the throttle). With the changes to the suspension and the HEI and judging by how the car now feels I would venture that my 60' time is down into the 1.85 range. Motor is also up about 40HP (maybe more) from the change to the 226/234 @ .050 flat tappet hyd cam to the 230/242 roller cam. I would be very surprised if this car did not run a 13.10 - 13.20 now, maybe better. Heck it might even surprise me and run a 12.9X if it would hook.

Open Chamber "truck" heads here with a mild custom solid roller.
RPM Air Gap, 4779 DP carb
I can basically idle to the track in overdrive w/locked up converter.
High 11's on Drag radials.
GRN69 I would love to hear how that cam sounds.

What are the spec's on your "mild" solid roller?

pdq67.

Dennis,

Something doesn't jibe here b/c above 11 to 1 CR and running it down the road to me on 87 octane doesn't seem possible??

BUT if so, it sounds like KILLER motor!!

pdq67


its true ....11.7 to 1 compression with that big o solid cam 262/273 @.050 made it possible, with 155 cranking compression. thats what i ran it on and raced it on. except for nitrous then it would get 92 octane.

even my current 396 has 10.5 to 1 compression with a smaller 233/239 @ 050 cam and it runs on 87 octane all day long and it runs to 6500 rpms at the race track or when ever and it has 180 psi cranking compression.

my current 396 motor puts down an est. 373 rear wheel hp. according to my trap speeds and car weight. which is about 475 hp at the flexplate give or take.

simple combo i think and makes plenty of grunt. holley 3310, rpm intake, 290 heads that are ported and have 2.19 1.88 valves, 10.5 to 1 compression with kb pistons with a 17 cc dome, a delta cam 233/239 at .050 with 547/551 lift. with a 2600 stall , th350 tranny, 2.73 gears, summit headers with 2 1/2" pipes to full boar mufflers with 2 1/4" tail pipes . all runs on this car has been made with 245/60-15 uniroyal tires. with a real weight in of 3900 lbs with driver and all. the runs on this car is with a factory cold air induction set up on my z28 and as is when i drive it on the street. 107 + mph runs down the track i think is very good. has 14" of vacuum at idle. very streetable and it has been geting 17 -18 mpg. on the highway. with a few blasts in the mix now and then.

i think with alittle more tuning it could see 109 or so maybe more even in cool weather. but i may not get to see that since i am now building another engine........i just cant leave well enough alone.........

PDQ,
273/285 adv, 236/248 at .050
113 LSA installed at 108 ICL
.640/.654 lift

Idles at 800 in gear with 12"hg with a 2400 11" converter

Dave, I have a digital here that I finally figured out how to make extended vidoe clips. I will have to back the car out of the garage and fire it up - just will need someone to volunteer to host it.

My brother had a 70 Camaro with a + .030" 396 9.5-1 c/r bbc. Stock closed chamber rect port heads, a C427x intake with an 800 Holley. The cam was a Crower 243/252 @ .050" on 107 lobe seperation. A 2500 stall / th400 / Dana 60 with 4.10's.
He ran 12.60 @ 110 with 28 x 9 slicks and 12:40 112 with shorter Mcreary road stars street tires. With a 225 cheater system it ran 11:20 @ 125 on slicks and 11.47 @ 124 on the street tires. This was back in 1988.
It did need more torque convertor but having only a 2500 stall let it hook really good on the street.
Here is a picture of it at Baylands in 1987.
http://www.drcamshafts.com/scans/scan0035.jpg

Junkyard,

How do you like that cam in that 396? There was another fella here that was making 500hp with his 396 (~9.5:1), and he said it was a little to radical for street use for him.

It is a bit on the radical side. I'm considering pulling it and going a little milder, just having a tough time deciding on what to go with........